Prince's Estate Weighs Deals With Publishers, PROs for Artist's Lucrative Catalog

Sources say the major publishers — Sony/ATV, Warner/Chappell and UMPG — are vying to be global administrator of Prince’s catalog, currently done in-house.

With Charles Koppelman and Londell McMillan now ensconced as the musical advisers to Bremer Trust, the temporary administrator of the Prince estate, the two are now reviewing a flood of opportunities from major labels, major publishers, and performance rights organizations, sources say.

While the two assess the Prince assets for long-term exploitation, the easiest deals to be made now include what Prince music to released duing the holiday shopping season; pacting a global deal to serve as administrator to the publishing catalog, which is owned outright by the Prince estate; possibly issuing a comprehensive greatest hits album for the fall; cutting a deal with a performance rights organization; and possibly making the Prince catalog available to all streaming services, not just Jay Z's Tidal. Koppelman declined to comment and McMillan couldn't be reached for comment.

Before his death, Prince and his staff managed his own publishing catalog, taking over the publisher's role after a contract ended with Universal Music Publishing Group back in 2013.

As for performance licensing, Prince withdrew from ASCAP back in 2015, but the PRO still handles Prince music for license in effect. Here is the wording that ASCAP uses on Prince songs in its ACE database: "This work has been removed from the ASCAP Repertory except with respect to final written license agreements in effect on the following date(s) (corresponding to each interest referenced above): 01/01/2015." But sources say that most of those licenses-in-effect expire at the end of this year, so whatever PRO signs a deal, will get the full catalog.

http://www.billboard.com/articles/business/7487785/prince-estate-publishers-pros-labels-catalog-greatest-hits

dance4me3121 said:

We don't need no damn greatest hits album again

I guess it is about the masses and not the faithful followers?

What does this mean? We'll be buying Prince music on iTunes?

What about concert and after party videos? Like Montreux 2013

I can't get past him withdrawing from ASCAP . What happened there? This is disturbing to say the least.

[Edited 8/26/16 12:47pm]

nelcp777 said:

GRRRRR! *&^^%$#@! Don't like none of this!

NikkiED said:

I told you all a long time ago that this was coming. People would rather spend their time concocting murder plots.

laurarichardson said:

NikkiED said:

Prince's Estate Weighs Deals With Publishers, PROs for Artist's Lucrative Catalog

Sources say the major publishers — Sony/ATV, Warner/Chappell and UMPG — are vying to be global administrator of Prince’s catalog, currently done in-house.

With Charles Koppelman and Londell McMillan now ensconced as the musical advisers to Bremer Trust, the temporary administrator of the Prince estate, the two are now reviewing a flood of opportunities from major labels, major publishers, and performance rights organizations, sources say.

While the two assess the Prince assets for long-term exploitation, the easiest deals to be made now include what Prince music to released duing the holiday shopping season; pacting a global deal to serve as administrator to the publishing catalog, which is owned outright by the Prince estate; possibly issuing a comprehensive greatest hits album for the fall; cutting a deal with a performance rights organization; and possibly making the Prince catalog available to all streaming services, not just Jay Z's Tidal. Koppelman declined to comment and McMillan couldn't be reached for comment.

Before his death, Prince and his staff managed his own publishing catalog, taking over the publisher's role after a contract ended with Universal Music Publishing Group back in 2013.

As for performance licensing, Prince withdrew from ASCAP back in 2015, but the PRO still handles Prince music for license in effect. Here is the wording that ASCAP uses on Prince songs in its ACE database: "This work has been removed from the ASCAP Repertory except with respect to final written license agreements in effect on the following date(s) (corresponding to each interest referenced above): 01/01/2015." But sources say that most of those licenses-in-effect expire at the end of this year, so whatever PRO signs a deal, will get the full catalog.

http://www.billboard.com/articles/business/7487785/prince-estate-publishers-pros-labels-catalog-greatest-hits

--/ You have to read the whole article he was getting a nice royalty rate and I am not sure why the estate wants to go back with a universal or WB. All they are going to do is keep putting out the same greatest hits over and over again. Why not continue to run NPG records and administer the rights in house and put out the compilations on their own. The only I can think is they don't have money to run it or they are looking for quick money. I think this is a mistake.

I agree! ugh it makes me question who's pulling the strings to convince his family to go with these plans?...ugh....just makes me wanna scream!

EnDoRpHn said:

dance4me3121 said:

nelcp777 said:

I guess it is about the masses and not the faithful followers?

Yeah but "very best of prince" has sold the most money since prince passed.it doesn't really make sense to put out a new hits cd if its gonna have the same songs

The Very Best Of Prince isn't remastered though - from a business perspective, it always makes sense for there to be one-CD/LP size remastered greatest hits compilation in circulation, even if people like us will be looking for remasters of the full catalogue.

justAmeda said:

EnDoRpHn said:

I told you all a long time ago that this was coming. People would rather spend their time concocting murder plots.

laurarichardson said:

justAmeda said:

I agree! ugh it makes me question who's pulling the strings to convince his family to go with these plans?...ugh....just makes me wanna scream!

-- The admins have no confidence in the material or fan base!! How expensive could it be to just stream it?

Or they don't want the fans involved because they know we see through their schemes (meaning the industry reps!)...grrrr I trust those lawyers and such about as far as I can throw them and I know I can't throw them!..IMO those lawyers been scheming to get P's music back in the hands of WB from day one!....

[Edited 8/26/16 13:21pm]

ScarLett said:

This is about cash!! Oh well

Life is about cash.

(Correction, life is about girls and cash... ) (See lyrics to "Gangsta Gangsta" by O'Shea Jackson for further information)

So many fams who listen and follow Princes are musically sophisticated. I'm not a musician, however I have some musical knowledge and I am more interested in hearing a body of music. Sometimes I'm in the mood to hear just his guitar solos or his funky bass lines. There are several tracks that have bad-ass horn arraignments, or how he used his voice for all the vocals. Sometime I wanna hear his drum licks or his lyrics. There is so much to listen to and I feel confined if I'm forced to listen to compilations or something that the publishers put out during the “holidays”. I want options, I want to hear it all!

justAmeda said:

laurarichardson said:

justAmeda said: -- The admins have no confidence in the material or fan base!! How expensive could it be to just stream it?

Or they don't want the fans involved because they know we see through their schemes (meaning the industry reps!)...grrrr I trust those lawyers and such about as far as I can throw them and I know I can't throw them!..IMO those lawyers been scheming to get P's music back in the hands of WB from day one!....

Speaking as a lawyer, I can confirm that's true in my particular case (or at least since about 1997 when the "Dawn" turned out to be an elaborate hoax).

laurarichardson said:

NikkiED said:

Prince's Estate Weighs Deals With Publishers, PROs for Artist's Lucrative Catalog

Sources say the major publishers — Sony/ATV, Warner/Chappell and UMPG — are vying to be global administrator of Prince’s catalog, currently done in-house.

With Charles Koppelman and Londell McMillan now ensconced as the musical advisers to Bremer Trust, the temporary administrator of the Prince estate, the two are now reviewing a flood of opportunities from major labels, major publishers, and performance rights organizations, sources say.

While the two assess the Prince assets for long-term exploitation, the easiest deals to be made now include what Prince music to released duing the holiday shopping season; pacting a global deal to serve as administrator to the publishing catalog, which is owned outright by the Prince estate; possibly issuing a comprehensive greatest hits album for the fall; cutting a deal with a performance rights organization; and possibly making the Prince catalog available to all streaming services, not just Jay Z's Tidal. Koppelman declined to comment and McMillan couldn't be reached for comment.

Before his death, Prince and his staff managed his own publishing catalog, taking over the publisher's role after a contract ended with Universal Music Publishing Group back in 2013.

As for performance licensing, Prince withdrew from ASCAP back in 2015, but the PRO still handles Prince music for license in effect. Here is the wording that ASCAP uses on Prince songs in its ACE database: "This work has been removed from the ASCAP Repertory except with respect to final written license agreements in effect on the following date(s) (corresponding to each interest referenced above): 01/01/2015." But sources say that most of those licenses-in-effect expire at the end of this year, so whatever PRO signs a deal, will get the full catalog.

http://www.billboard.com/articles/business/7487785/prince-estate-publishers-pros-labels-catalog-greatest-hits

--/ You have to read the whole article he was getting a nice royalty rate and I am not sure why the estate wants to go back with a universal or WB. All they are going to do is keep putting out the same greatest hits over and over again. Why not continue to run NPG records and administer the rights in house and put out the compilations on their own. The only I can think is they don't have money to run it or they are looking for quick money. I think this is a mistake.

They need cash, and quickly. A ten-year deal, or 5 album deal, or something like that, is potentially worth a huge lump sum of hundreds of millions of dollars.

dance4me3121 said:

nelcp777 said:

I guess it is about the masses and not the faithful followers?

Yeah but "very best of prince" has sold the most money since prince passed.it doesn't really make sense to put out a new hits cd if its gonna have the same songs

I agree with you completely.

dance4me3121 said:

nelcp777 said:

I guess it is about the masses and not the faithful followers?

Yeah but "very best of prince" has sold the most money since prince passed.it doesn't really make sense to put out a new hits cd if its gonna have the same songs

This is true but there is now scope for a best of compilation to include any material since the name change too. So there's plenty of material to pick from to expand on vbop and to encourage those stocking filler christmas purchases.

Militant said:

jayspud said:

BanishedBrian said:

justAmeda said:

Or they don't want the fans involved because they know we see through their schemes (meaning the industry reps!)...grrrr I trust those lawyers and such about as far as I can throw them and I know I can't throw them!..IMO those lawyers been scheming to get P's music back in the hands of WB from day one!....

Speaking as a lawyer, I can confirm that's true in my particular case (or at least since about 1997 when the "Dawn" turned out to be an elaborate hoax).

Thanks for validating my suspicions Brian! .....ugh this is driving me insane to watch this train wreck of the century!"