S. Samuel
Rap mogul Jay-Z continues to make power moves in the music industry as he has reportedly partnered up with Warner/Chappell Music for a widespread publishing deal.
According to reports, Young Hov will share the rights to his most recent works, notably The Blueprint III and Watch the Throne, under the agreement.
Jay-Z and his Roc Nation company have signed worldwide publishing administration deals with Warner/Chappell Music. The agreement gives the publisher rights to Jay-Z’s music dating back to 2008 — which would include The Blueprint 3 and Watch the Throne — as well as all Hov’s future work, effective immediately, while most of the rest of his catalog will transfer to Warner/Chappell by the end of the year. (Billboard Biz)
The partnership also involves Jay’s growing Roc Nation roster, which includes Rita Ora, now having even more powerful forces behind it.
A separate deal will put the past and future catalogs of Roc Nation’s stable of artists on the publisher’s roster immediately, including songwriters Philip Lawrence (Bruno Mars, Flo Rida, Cee-Lo Green), S1 (Kanye West, Beyonce, 50 Cent), Carmen Key (Flo Rida, David Guetta), and British singer Rita Ora, among others. (Billboard Biz)
The rap mogul has issued an open statement on the mega deal going down this week.
“The real meaning of success is being in the position to work with an individual you consider a friend,” said Jay in a statement. “Jon Platt is such a person. He’s a man of extraordinary character as well as a remarkably talented executive with an ear for music and an eye for talent. It’s great to watch him grow to be one the best in the business.” (Statement)
Additional reports claim Jay will soon own the rights to his masters he gave up after becoming Def Jam president nearly a decade ago.
But there’s another set of rights headed Jay-Z’s way quite soon. As I wrote in my book Empire State of Mind: How Jay-Z Went From Street Corner to Corner Office, the rapper negotiated the return of the master recordings to all the music he made while at Def Jam as part of an agreement to become president of the label in 2004. The catch: he’d have to wait 10 years. Ironically, the opportunity to own his masters was what convinced him to take the Def Jam gig over a similar job at Warner Music Group. Now, his career has come full circle. By the end of 2014, he’ll be in full control of both his master recordings and publishing rights–meaning that every time someone buys one of his albums, streams one of his hits online or licenses his song for a movie, he’ll get a considerably larger piece of the pie. Not bad for someone who already made $38 million last year. (Forbes)
