News | BMG | Los Angeles, 04/08/2022

BMG Signs Publishing Agreement With George Harrison Estate

BMG has signed a global publishing agreement with the George Harrison Estate. The music company will manage the Harrisongs music catalog from now on. Harrisongs Limited is the music publishing company founded by the Beatles’ former lead guitarist George Harrison, who died in 2001. The agreement expands BMG’s partnership with Harrison’s legendary music company, Dark Horse Records.

BMG has entered into a global publishing agreement with the George Harrison Estate. Bertelsmann’s music company will administer the Harrisongs Limited music catalog from now on. Harrisongs is the music publishing company founded by George Harrison, the Beatles’ former lead guitarist George Harrison, who died in 2001. The catalog comprises more than 200 songs written with the Beatles, the Traveling Wilburys and for George Harrison’s acclaimed solo career. The deal expands on the relationship with Harrison’s legendary boutique music company Dark Horse Records, with BMG serving as its global partner across recorded music, music publishing, and merchandise, while also developing further areas of business.

Harrisongs Limited contains the nearly two dozen songs Harrison wrote with the Beatles, including the band’s single most popular song on streaming services, “Here Comes The Sun,” as well as “I Me Mine,” “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” and the U.S. Number One single “Something.” The catalog also features Harrison’s twelve studio albums of solo works including songs from the acclaimed triple album “All Things Must Pass” (featuring “My Sweet Lord,” “What Is Life,” “Isn’t It A Pity,” “All Things Must Pass”) and “Living In The Material World” (featuring “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)”), as well as his songs from the two albums recorded by supergroup The Traveling Wilburys featuring “End of the Line,” “Handle with Care,” “She’s My Baby,” and “Inside Out,” among many others.

Most-played Beatles song on Spotify

George Harrison’s son Dhani Harrison comments “I’m delighted that my father’s song catalogue will be joining BMG/Dark Horse Records. We have had a longstanding and successful partnership with BMG over the years and we look forward to continuing to expand our relationship well into the future.” BMG CEO Hartwig Masuch says: “George Harrison stands at the pinnacle of what it means to be an influential and successful artist and humanitarian. It is telling that of the 188 original songs released by the Beatles during their career, it’s George’s “Here Comes The Sun’ which is by far the most played on Spotify. It is an honor for all of us here at BMG now to be representing the Harrisongs catalogue. The Harrison Estate is rightly fiercely protective of George’s legacy, and we will do our best to reward their faith in us.” Thomas Scherer, BMG President, Repertoire & Marketing, New York and Los Angeles, adds: “The music of George Harrison and Dark Horse Records is an inspiration for so many generations of musicians and songwriters. Nurturing the inner light, they are simply timeless! We are grateful to continue strengthening and expanding our relationship with the Harrisons, Olivia and Dhani, to ensure that one of music’s most cherished song catalogs will continue to reach new audiences around the world and play on for many years to come.” In 2020, BMG announced it had entered into a multi-faceted global partnership with Dark Horse Records. The label was founded by George Harrison in 1974 as a place for his solo work and a home for supporting other artists, and is now led by Dhani Harrison and David Zonshine. The agreement initially brought catalog releases from the acclaimed record label and Harrison’s Indian label imprint HariSongs, as well as the solo works of Joe Strummer (The Clash), including with The Mescaleros. Recent Dark Horse Records releases include the newest recordings from Billy Idol, The Roadside and Happy Holidays, with upcoming releases including Idol’s forthcoming new EP, and Benmont Tench’s much-anticipated new studio album. The partnership with BMG has since been expanded to include DH Merchandise, including the launch of new merchandise stores for George Harrison, Joe Strummer, Johnny Ramone, and additional partnerships with Traveling Wilburys and Buddy Holly; as well as the introduction of the Dark Horse Sounds wellness music series. BMG also serves as the music publishing and recorded home of Harrison’s son Dhani and released his most recent and acclaimed studio album “In///Parallel.”