BMG has acquired a 50% stake in the song interests of Bobby Gillespie, Andrew Innes and the late Robert Young of legendary Scottish rock band Primal Scream, together with their neighbouring rights.
It includes the writers’ shares in songs including Movin’ On Up, Loaded, Rocks and Come Together and covers all of their 11 albums from Sonic Flower Groove (1987) through to Chaosmosis (2016).
The deal follows BMG’s recent acquisition of rights from artists including Mick Fleetwood, Tina Turner, ZZ Top and Mötley Crüe.
BMG says that Primal Scream are “the first UK artists of their generation” to strike such a rights deal.
Primal Scream, formed by then Jesus & Mary Chain drummer Bobby Gillespie in 1985, and signed to Creation Records, went on to become one of the most prominent UK bands of the Nineties, with third album Screamadelica winning the inaugural Mercury Music Prize in 1992,
Its follow-up Give Out But Don’t Give Up (1994) was recorded by legendary producer Tom Dowd in Memphis and included singles Rocks and Jailbird.
In 1996 they produced the title track to the movie of Irvine Welsh’s Trainspotting.
Their catalog since then has included Vanishing Point (1997), XTRMNTR (2000), Evil Heat (2002), plus 2006’s Riot City Blues which included Country Girl, their highest Official UK Singles Chart entry.
In 2008 came Beautiful Future with standout track Can’t Go Back, their first without Robert Young who stepped down for personal reasons.
Their tenth album, More Light, appeared in 2013 and invited comparisons with Screamadelica with a series of hypnotic anthemic tracks including It’s Alright. It’s OK.
Primal Scream’s latest new studio album was 2016’s Chaosmosis.
They are set to return to the live stage on May 28 at the Wide Awake festival in London’s Brockwell Park where they will play Screamadelica in full for the first time in 10 years.
“We are delighted to become custodians of their work.”
Alistair Norbury, BMG
Alistair Norbury, BMG President Repertoire & Marketing UK, said: “Primal Scream are one of the most influential bands of the past 30 years with a cultural resonance which continues today.
“We are delighted to become custodians of their work.”Music Business Worldwide