LOS ANGELES (CelebrityAccess) – BMG has announced it has acquired the recording catalog of Britsh rock band and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees, The Hollies. The deal includes more than 20 studio, compilation, live, and tribute album titles and rarities, wholly owned by the group, spanning 1967 to the present – many featuring the classic lineups of Bobby Elliott, Tony Hicks, Allan Clarke, Eric Haydock, Terry Sylvester, Bernie Calvert, and Graham Nash.
Album titles include Evolution and Butterfly (1967), Hollies Sing Dylan and Hollies Sing Hollies (1969), Confessions of the Mind (1970); Distant Light (1971), Romany (1972), Out on the Road (1973); Hollies (1974), Another Night (1975), Write On and Russian Roulette (1976), Hollies Live Hits (1977), A Crazy Steal (1978), Five Three One – Double Seven O Four (1979), Buddy Holly (1980), and Then, Now, Always (2009).
The transaction brings to BMG eight of their Top 10 most streamed tracks on Spotify, including many of the band’s international hit singles ‘Carrie Anne’; ‘King Midas In Reverse’, ‘Jennifer Eccles’, ‘On A Carousel’, the UK No. 1 hit, ‘He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother’, Platinum-certified, No. 1 single ‘Long Cool Woman (in a Black Dress)’, and the Platinum-certified chart-topper ‘The Air That I Breathe.’
In addition, it includes the group’s cover versions of ‘4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)’ [Bruce Springsteen], ‘Boulder to Birmingham’ [Emmylou Harris], and Say It Ain’t So, Jo’ [Head]. In a statement from The Hollies, the group said, “BMG’s history as a trusted custodian of some of music’s greatest works assures we know our music and legacy will continue to live on for generations to come.”
Thomas Scherer, BMG’s President, Repertoire and Marketing, New York and Los Angeles, said, “The Hollies spearheaded the ‘British Invasion’ of the Sixties, and we are delighted to have secured rights to their golden period in the US, including ‘Long Cool Woman (in a Black Dress)’. We are honored to represent their continuing creative legacy.” Concluding more than 45 acquisitions over the course of 2022, the transaction forms part of BMG’s long-term strategy to create a 21st century home for the most iconic music rights in popular music history.
In the past two years BMG has concluded acquisitions for rights and/or royalties in the work of artists and/or songwriters including Tina Turner, John Legend, Mötley Crüe, ZZ Top, Mick Fleetwood, Peter Frampton, Harry Nilsson, John Lee Hooker, Simple Minds, Primal Scream and Jean-Michel Jarre among others.
BMG already represents or owns rights in the work of iconic artists including Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, George Harrison, John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Roger Waters, Kurt Cobain, Aerosmith, Devo, Johnny Cash, Buddy Holly, Jim Croce, Iggy Pop, Blondie, David Bowie, Scorpions, The Kinks, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Motörhead, and many more.
