Primary Wave Music Publishing has acquired the music publishing catalog and master royalty stream of the multi-platinum rock band, Disturbed.
Described by Primary Wave as a “multi-million-dollar deal”, the catalog encompasses the Grammy nominated band’s publishing and master income stream for their compositions and masters across their entire career to date.
Titles include Indestructible, The Vengeful One, and Stricken.
Terms of the deal also include access to the publishing firm’s marketing team and publishing infrastructure, which includes digital strategy, licensing, synch opportunities and film & TV production.
Primary Wave will additionally work with the band to market their name and likeness.
Included in the deal is Disturbed’s massive hit Down With The Sickness, their first single to be certified platinum in the United States, as well as their 2015 cover of Simon & Garfunkel’s classic hit Sound Of Silence.
Their version of the song, which has been streamed nearly a half billion times debuted at No.1 on Billboard’s Hard Rock Digital Songs and Mainstream Rock charts, ultimately landing a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Performance in 2017.
Today’s news follows Primary Wave’s recent partnership with Olivia Newton-John, 10-year strategic partnership with The Four Seasons and the acquisition of a majority stake in the catalog of Songwriter Hall of Fame inductee, Allee Willis.
Speaking on the MBW podcast recently, Primary Wave CEO Larry Mestel said: “We [currently] have close to $700 million of acquisitions in the pipeline.”
Disturbed are one of the most successful rock bands in modern history.
The multiplatinum-selling band achieved five consecutive No.1 debuts on the Billboard Top 200. Metallica are the only other hard rock group to do so in the history of the chart.
Immortalized (2015) received a platinum certification and spawned the triple-platinum crossover smash The Sound of Silence, which garnered a nomination at the 2017 Grammy Awards in the category of “Best Rock Performance.”
Since their formation in 1996, the band has sold 16 million albums globally and scored 12 No.1 singles at Active Rock Radio.
Their quadruple-platinum 2000 debut, The Sickness, formally announced their arrival as hard rock leaders, with that status solidified by subsequent Grammy Award nominations as well as gold-, platinum- and double platinum-certified records, as well as countless sold-out shows around the globe.
“We are thrilled to welcome them to our family and cannot wait to jump in and do what we do best – build upon their legacy and continue to position Disturbed as one of the premiere Hard Rock acts.”
Robert Dippold, Primary Wave Music Publishing
“Over the past twenty years, Disturbed’s genre-defining music has broken down barriers with their iconic sound, instantly-recognizable melodies and uncanny ability to reimagine songs with an aggressive swagger all their own,” states Robert Dippold, Partner & President, Digital Strategy for Primary Wave Music Publishing.
“The band has done a tremendous job building a rabid community and brand around their music, as evidenced by their five consecutive number one albums and sold out world tours.
“We are thrilled to welcome them to our family and cannot wait to jump in and do what we do best – build upon their legacy and continue to position Disturbed as one of the premiere Hard Rock acts.”
Music Business Worldwide
