Bertelsmann in Joint Venture to Release New Recordings by Established Artists Bertelsmann, the German media giant, has expanded its recent efforts to return to the music business through a $150 million deal with Primary Wave Music, an American company that handles music publishing rights, artist management and marketing, the companies plan to announce on Tuesday. In the deal, signed over the weekend, BMG Rights Management, Bertelsmann's music arm, will buy the bulk of Primary Wave's publishing assets, including rights to songs by Hall & Oates, Nirvana, Aerosmith and Earth, Wind & Fire. The companies will also form a venture, BMG/Primary Wave Artist Services, to release and market new recordings by established acts. "This strategic alliance with Primary Wave, one of the most respected independents in the business, gives us control of some of the greatest copyrights in popular music in one stroke, while also strengthening our marketing resources in promoting new recordings," Hartwig Masuch, BMG's chief executive, said in a statement. Founded in 2008, BMG Rights Management was Bertelsmann's fresh start in the business after the company sold most of its music assets over the previous years to Sony and Universal. The new BMG focused on music publishing rights, which cover songwriting and composition. It built a catalog of more than one million songs, making it one of the largest publishers in the world. In March, Bertelsmann bought out its partner in BMG, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, in a deal that valued the music company at $1.4 billion and signaled its eagerness to return to music full throttle. Primary Wave, which is based in New York, started in 2006 when the company paid $50 million for half the publishing rights of Kurt Cobain, the lead singer of Nirvana. Its publishing catalog has grown since then, but the company has also expanded into artist management, branding and television. Among its most successful acts is the singer CeeLo Green, who is a judge on the NBC talent show "The Voice" and has made product endorsement deals. As part of the deal with BMG, Primary Wave will be the marketing agent for the songs it is selling, and will retain a small number of publishing assets, including songs by Def Leppard. Primary Wave, which recently raised $125 million in financing from Credit Suisse and SunTrust Bank, will also pay off $90 million in debt in conjunction with the BMG deal. BMG/Primary Wave Artist Services, the new venture, will release new recordings, with Primary Wave doing marketing and promotion and BMG handling royalty accounting and contracts, Lawrence Mestel, chief executive of Primary Wave, said in an interview on Monday. The label will concentrate on artists who have already built followings, to capitalize on their existing popularity and avoid the risk of trying to break in new acts. "The signing and marketing of new and developing artists is a very bad business," Mr. Mestel said. But the signing and marketing of stars and artists with a track record is a good business.