Catalog includes music by artists like Pitty, Chico César (pictured), Falamansa and Sorriso Maroto, among others.
Warner Chappell Brazil has acquired a catalog from music publishing company Deck, which covers over 10,000 musical compositions, including music by artists like Pitty, Chico César, Falamansa and Sorriso Maroto, among others.
Deck is a record label and publisher founded in 1998 by João Augusto, a former industry executive with experience at Polygram, Abril Music and EMI as A&R and/or VP.
Over the past two decades, the company has released music from the likes of Pitty, Sorriso Maroto, Falamansa, Chico César, Roberta Campos, João Donato, among others. Warner Chappell says that the main music styles covered by the Deck catalog are Pop/Rock, Samba, MPB and Forró.
In a statement issued to MBW, Marcel Klemm, MD of Warner Chappell Music Brazil, said: “It is a great honor for us to represent the works of these incredibly talented composers, which will make our catalog even more relevant in the Brazilian music scene.”
The deal was first reported by Brazilian news outlet POPline.biz, citing an interview with Marcel Klemm and Deck founder João Augusto.
“The Deck catalog is very relevant, and has a wide variety of classics, such as Pitty, Tato do Falamansa, Valtinho Jota , as well as the members of Sorriso Maroto (Bruno Cardoso, Cris Oliveira, Sergio Jr., Vinicius Augusto and Fred Araujo), Chico César, among others. This classic catalog, composed of incredibly talented composers, further enhances Warner’s catalog,” Warner Chappell Brazil General Director Marcel Klemm was quoted by POPline as saying (translated).
Deck’s publishing division oversees around 50 other publishers. In 2009, Deck reactivated the Polysom vinyl factory, known for producing global records. This venture expanded to include the licensing and distribution of iconic titles of Brazilian music, featuring the Clássicos em Vinil series.
In 2019, Polysom extended its offerings to include cassette duplication.
“Warner Chappell had already been managing the international activities of the publisher Deck for many years, with very good results for both sides and for our authors. Therefore, the process went very smoothly, naturally and quickly,” Deck founder João Augusto was quoted by POPline as saying.
“It is important to make it clear that Deck only transferred the rights to the catalog to its publishing arm. The record company’s catalog has not been and will not be negotiated with anyone.”
“It is a great honor for us to represent the works of these incredibly talented composers, which will make our catalog even more relevant in the Brazilian music scene.”
Marcel Klemm, Warner Chappell Music Brazil
Klemm noted that the negotiation process took “around a year” including undergoing due diligence and securing all necessary approvals.
“Very few people were aware of this at Warner, with only four or five involved, in order to maintain confidentiality and avoid any leaks that could create uncomfortable situations for both Deck and the composers involved,” Klemm told POPline.
The acquisition of the catalog marks Warner Chappell Brazil’s latest efforts in the Brazilian market after expanding its production and custom music unit, Warner Chappell Production Music, to Brazil in January of this year.
The development comes as Brazil’s music industry continues to expand.
According to the IFPI’s 2022 Global Music Report, Brazil experienced a 32% increase in revenue from music streaming services in 2021. Alongside Mexico, these two countries collectively represented 66.5% of Latin America’s streaming revenue for the same year.
Authorities have also beefed up efforts to crack down on music piracy in the country.
