The Rolling Stones choose BMG for neighboring rights, extend publishing deal

Photo Credit: Claude Gassian
The Rolling Stones

Six months ago, BMG set up a ’boutique’ neighboring rights service and named its first clients as UK DJ and producer Jonas Blue and The Who’s Roger Daltrey.

Today, the company has announced that Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood have also chosen BMG to collect their neighboring rights (the royalties due when their recordings are played on TV and radio around the world).

The deal coincides with a new extension of BMG’s long-term deal to represent the music publishing rights of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.

BMG also represents much of the recorded catalog of Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood and drummer Charlie Watts.

BMG’s neighboring rights service will collect royalties due for the performance of legendary recordings such as (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction, Jumpin Jack Flash and Start Me Up.

The arrangement includes recordings ranging from their very first single, 1963’s Come On, to their widely acclaimed 2020 worldwide hit Living In A Ghost Town.

The extension of BMG’s long-running publishing relationship with Jagger and Richards covers all of the works written by the iconic duo dating back more than 50 years.

“If you are in the business of selling services to artists and songwriters, these are the kinds of client you dream of attracting.”

Hartwig Masuch, BMG  

BMG will continue to be directly responsible for publishing all of the songs written by The Rolling Stones songwriting team since 1983.

Additionally, it will be responsible for handling Jagger and Richards’s shares of their pre-1983 copyrights which are represented by ABKCO (1963-1971) and EMI Music Publishing (1971-1983).

Songs directly published by BMG span the albums Dirty Work (1986), Steel Wheels (1989), Voodoo Lounge (1994), Bridges To Babylon (1997) and A Bigger Bang (2005) as well as future compositions.

They include classic Stones tracks such as Mixed Emotions, Love Is Strong, You Got Me Rocking and Doom And Gloom.

BMG will also administer Jagger and Richards’s interests in all of their Rolling Stones hits dating back to 1963 including (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction, Brown Sugar and Angie.

The new expanded relationship precedes the celebration of The Rolling Stones’ 60th anniversary in 2022.


Earlier this year, The Rolling Stones released their newest single Living In A Ghost Town.

Their first new music in eight years, Living In A Ghost Town is the first original song they have released since Doom and Gloom and One More Shot which were featured on their greatest hits album Grrr!, released in 2012.

In 2016, the band released Blue & Lonesome comprising covers of some of the greatest blues artists who inspired them including Howlin’ Wolf, Little Walter, Magic Sam, Jimmy Reed, and Willie Dixon.

BMG CEO Hartwig Masuch, said: “If you are in the business of selling services to artists and songwriters, these are the kinds of client you dream of attracting.

“We are immensely grateful to Mick, Keith, Charlie and Ronnie for putting their faith in us.”

“We are delighted for the opportunity to further demonstrate the value we can add for four of the greatest names in rock with our neighboring rights service.”

Alistair Norbury, BMG

Alistair Norbury, BMG President Repertoire & Marketing UK, added: “At a time when streaming is further highlighting the value of iconic music rights, our objective is to offer the best possible service to artists and songwriters.

“We are delighted for the opportunity to further demonstrate the value we can add for four of the greatest names in rock with our neighboring rights service.”

 Music Business Worldwide

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