Kobalt Signs McCartney’s MPL to Admin Deal

Kobalt Music Group Ltd. has signed an exclusive long-term deal with Paul McCartney and MPL, one of the world’s largest, privately owned music publishing companies, which was founded by the famed Beatle in 1971.

With the exception of the US, Canada, UK and Eire territories, Kobalt will administer the songs of three MPL catalogs: MPL Communications, MPL Music Publishing, and Cherio Corporation throughout the world and provide synch licensing services.

The catalogs contain McCartney copyrights “Ebony and Ivory,” “Say Say Say,” “Jet,” “My Love,” “Band On The Run,” “Vanilla Sky,” and “Freedom,” ranging from post-Beatles solo material, to work with Wings, and songs by late wife Linda McCartney.

Elsewhere the catalogs are home to evergreen copyrights “Unchained Melody,” “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Till There Was You,” “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” “Sentimental Journey,” and songs from landmark Broadway musicals Guys and Dolls, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, and The Music Man. The catalogs contain works by Frank Loesser, Carl Perkins, Joe Young, Harry Warren, Big Joe Turner, Jelly Roll Morton, Maurice Williams, Louis Jordan, Bessie Smith, Loudon Wainwright III, Hugh Masekela, Jule Styne, Roy Orbison, Hoagy Carmichael and over 1,200 other major songwriters.

In the wake of EMI Music Publishing’s acquisition by Sony/ATV Music Publishing, the New York Times sees McCartney’s signing with Kobalt as particularly significant. Most of the Beatles catalog is with Sony/ATV and McCartney’s catalog was previously with EMI. More here.