LOS ANGELES (CelebrityAccess) — Universal Music Group has signed a a multi-year agreement with the Estate of Prince Rogers Nelson and NPG Records Inc.,that grants UMG exclusive licensing rights to the artist's NPG recordings, including a library of 25 albums and an archive of unreleased works.
Under the terms of the deal, the Estate is licensing to UMG the 25 albums that Prince released through NPG Records, a label founded by the artist that includes hit albums such as Emancipation, Musicology and 3121. The deal will also seem UMG begin issuing previously unreleased material from Prince's archives including outtakes, demos and live recordings.
In addition, beginning next year UMG will obtain U.S. rights to certain renowned Prince albums released from 1979 to 1995.
News of the deal comes just a few weeks before Prince's music returns to major streaming services in time for the Grammy Awards. For the past two years, Prince's music has only been available to stream on Jay Z's TIDAL service. – Staff Writers
