Famous Music
 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(July 2009) |
| Genre | Music publishing, licensing and administration |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1928 |
| Founder | Famous Players–Lasky Corporation |
| Defunct | 2007 |
| Fate | Acquired bySony/ATV |
| Successor |
|
| Headquarters | United States |
Famous Music Corporationwas the worldwide music publishing division ofParamount Pictures,a division ofParamount Globalsince 1994. Itscopyrightholdings span several decades and include music from suchAcademy Award-winning motion pictures asThe GodfatherandForrest Gump.
Founding
[edit]It was founded in 1928 by Paramount’s predecessor, theFamous Players–Lasky Corporation,to publish music from its "talking pictures." Some of the classic songs in the Famous Music catalog that originated in motion pictures include "Thanks for the Memory"(fromThe Big Broadcast of 1938), "Mona Lisa"(fromCaptain Carey, U.S.A.), "Silver Bells","Moon River"(fromBreakfast at Tiffany's), "Where Do I Begin?"(the theme fromLove Story), "Speak Softly, Love"(the theme fromThe Godfather), "Up Where We Belong","Footloose"(fromFootloose (film),"Take My Breath Away"(fromTop Gun), and "My Heart Will Go On"(fromTitanic (1997 film).
Famous Music additionally owned music and songs from television programs produced by Paramount until ownership of most of those songs was transferred to CBS in 2006 as part ofViacom's split into two separate companies:CBS Corporationand"new" Viacom.These included the "Theme fromMission: Impossible"(ownership remained with Paramount), the"Theme fromStar Trek",and"Where Everybody Knows Your Name"(the theme fromCheers).
Famous Music also provided licensing and administration services for many prominent music catalog owners such as CBS and theClyde Otis Music Group,as well as for other Viacom divisions includingMTV,NickelodeonandBET.
Starting mostly in the late 1980s and continuing until the company was sold in 2007, Famous Music was active in acquiring songs that did not originate in Paramount motion pictures or television programs. These included the purchase of many works from theDuke Ellingtoncatalog, as well as acquisition or administration agreements with recording artists and producers such asShakira,Eminem,Akon,She Wants Revenge,Boyz II Men,Paula Cole,The Cunninghams,Björk,Gavin Rossdale,Daniel Powter,Harvey Danger,Martika,KC Porter,Linda Perry,Kike Santander,Irv Gotti,Placebo,Modest Mouse,JetandP.O.D.[1]
In May 2007, Viacom sold Famous Music toSony Music Publishing(then Sony/ATV Music publishing), co-owned by Sony andMichael Jackson,for a reported $370 million.[2]Famous Music was then renamed Sony/ATV Harmony and Sony/ATV Melody.
In December 2012, Sony/ATV sold the Famous Music UK song catalogue (which included Placebo andThe Kooks) toBMG Rights Management.[3]Paramount Pictures moved the administration of its music toUniversal Music Publishing Groupsometime in the late 2010s;Paramount Media Networks(excludingShowtime Networks) followed suit in 2020.
Record label group division
[edit]For a number of years, Famous Music also had a record label group division that includedBlue Thumb Records,Dot Records,Paramount Records,and Tumbleweed Records. In 1974, the division was acquired byABC Recordsfor $5.5 million, and most of the Famous labels were absorbed into ABC Records.[4]
Famous had distribution deals withNeighborhood RecordsandSire Records,the latter of which was distributed by ABC until 1977.
The catalogs of all the ABC/Famous Music labels are now owned byUniversal Music Group,with some exceptions. For example, the 1968-1970 catalog ofStax Records,which during that period was owned by Famous, is owned byConcord Music Group,itself distributed by UMG.
Various labels under Universal manage different parts of the catalog depending on the genre. Here are some examples:
- Pop, rock, R&B:Geffen Records
- Country:MCA Nashville Records
- Jazz:Impulse! Records
- Classical:Deutsche Grammophon
- Musical theater:Decca Broadway
Artists
[edit]- Hillary Lindsey
- Green Bottle Records
- John Lee Hooker
- Clockwork
- David Tolk
- Jonathan Mead Radford
- Monifah
References
[edit]- ^"Sony/ATV Music Publishing Completes Acquisition of Famous Music LLC from Viacom".PR Newswire. August 1, 2007.RetrievedApril 14,2009.
- ^"Michael Jackson buys rights to Eminem tunes and more".Rolling Stone.2007-05-31. Archived fromthe originalon 2007-12-27.Retrieved2008-06-23.
- ^Scott Roxborough, "BMG Buys Virgin, Famous Music Catalog From Sony/ATV",Hollywood Reporter,December 21, 2012.
- ^"Famous Labels Bought By ABC",Billboard,August 10, 1974.
External links
[edit]- Famous Music VideosDatabase Collection
