Primary Wave Music has acquired what it says is an “additional” stake in Def Leppard’s music publishing catalog, as well as the band’s master royalty income stream.
The relationship between Primary Wave and British rock and roll legends Def Leppard began in 2009 when the company announced that it would market and administer the band’s catalog of songs.
According to a media release, many of the band’s biggest hits are included in the new deal such as Pour Some Sugar On Me, Rock of Ages, and their hit Photograph.
The band’s repertoire includes 11 studio albums and over 110 million albums sold globally.
Def Leppard are also one of just five rock bands with two original studio albums selling more than 10 million copies each in the US, according to Primary Wave.
Over the last 10-plus years, Def Leppard’s songs have been synced on a number of television shows including Cobra Kai, Hit the Floor, The Simpsons Guy, American Horror Story 1984 and more.
The band’s full catalog of albums was launched across all streaming platforms in 2018. Since then, their music has been streamed over 5.5 billion times and averaged 8 million monthly listeners on Spotify alone in 2021.
Today’s news marks the latest catalog deal to be announced by Primary Wave Music.
Earlier this month, it was reported that the company struck new catalog deals for a combined $60 million.
Firstly, the firm spent $20 million on a stake in Paul Rodgers’ music publishing catalog for Free and Bad Company, as well as his master recording income streams for both bands.
Secondly, Primary Wave acquired Gerry Beckley’s and Dewey Bunnell’s rights in the America music catalog, in a deal worth $40 million.
In the past six months alone, New York-headquartered Primary Wave has acquired rights to music by the likes of Prince, Bing Crosby, Luther Vandross, Chris Isaak, Teddy Pendergrass, Gerry Goffin, James Brown
The firm’s acquisitions also include rights to music by TOTO drummer Jeff Porcaro, Survivor’s Jim Peterik, and The Waterboys’ Mike Scott, while additionally acquiring the legendary Sun Records label.
“With Def Leppard celebrating 45 years as a band this year, we at Primary Wave are beyond excited on further partnering with them in a more meaningful way.”
Rob Dippold, Primary Wave
Rob Dippold, Partner & Chief Digital Strategy Officer for Primary Wave Music said: “With Def Leppard celebrating 45 years as a band this year, we at Primary Wave are beyond excited on further partnering with them in a more meaningful way.
“We are thrilled to continue building and elevating not only the band’s musical body of work but their impact in pop culture and the industry in general.
“It has been an absolute pleasure over the last decade working with the band, management and their entire team. We look forward to a collaborative, fun and fruitful relationship as the band continues to push new boundaries not only musically, but also in their live performance.”
“Def Leppard is an icon in music history as they continue to entertain people worldwide.”
Ramon Villa, Primary Wave Music
Ramon Villa, Chief Operating Officer at Primary Wave Music, added: “When we partner with artists, we look at it as they are joining our family. Def Leppard is an icon in music history as they continue to entertain people worldwide.
“We are always excited and humbled when an iconic artist entrusts us to help further expand the reach of their creative body of work. In this case of Def Leppard, is it even more gratifying to see them happy in the family and wanting to expand the partnership.
“Welcome again Def Leppard and thank you!”Music Business Worldwide
