Primary Wave (company)
Primary Wave is a private music publishing and talent management company, with offices in New York City, Los Angeles, London, Austin, and Nashville. Primary Wave was founded in January 2006 by music executive Lawrence Mestel. Since its origin as a music publishing company, Primary Wave has grown its business into a full service music company with additional in-house resources supporting music publishing, talent management, film & TV production, digital marketing, and branding.
| Private company | |
| Industry | Music and entertainment |
| Genre | Various |
| Founded | 2006, United States |
| Founder | Lawrence Mestel |
| Headquarters | New York, , |
Number of locations | Austin Los Angeles Nashville New York City London |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Lawrence Mestel (CEO) Adam Lowenberg (CMO) Ramon Villa (COO) Justin Shukat[1] Robert Dippold[2] Jane Reisman (CFO)[3] Jeff Straughn[4] |
| Services |
|
Number of employees | 75 |
| Subsidiaries |
|
| Website | www.primarywave.com |
History
2006–2015: Early years
Primary Wave Music Publishing was founded in 2006 after an introduction of Courtney Love to founder Lawrence Mestel, resulted in the purchase of 50% of Kurt Cobain's portion of the Nirvana catalog. In years to come, the Nirvana purchase would galvanize Primary Wave's acquisitions of Chicago, Albert Hammond Jr., Bo Diddley, Steven Tyler, John Lennon, Lamont Dozier, Hall & Oates, Def Leppard, and Maurice White's (of Earth, Wind & Fire) publishing catalogs.[5]
Catalog acquisitions evolved to Primary Wave providing services in synchronization licensing and placements in film, TV, advertising, video games, and new media. Primary Wave soon began to execute creative licensing deals for their publishing clients. In 2008, Primary Wave formed a deal with Converse to create a limited edition run of Kurt Cobain sneakers, which included graphic designs, his signature, and song lyrics on the sneakers.[6] In 2009, Primary Wave executed an Aerosmith marketing campaign with the 1st-ever artist branded scratch-off lottery ticket across 11 states in the United States. The lottery tickets featured Aerosmith's likeness and was promoted by a TV campaign featuring the band's iconic rock anthem, "Dream On". Part of the campaign allowed fans to scratch off prizes such as free concert tickets, backstage passes, and even a private performance by the band.[7] That same year, Primary Wave created an animated cartoon J.Stache, based on John Oates of Hall & Oates' signature mustache, which debuted on Funny or Die.[8] In 2012, Primary Wave partnered with Boom! Studios and Wieden+Kennedy Entertainment to release underground musician and artist Daniel Johnston's debut graphic novel, Space Ducks: An Infinite Comic Book of Musical Greatness.[9]
2016–present: Acquisitions
Currently, one of the largest indie music publishers in the United States, Primary Wave markets the copyrights of over 15,000 songs from the catalogs of legendary and contemporary artists and songwriters.[10][11][12]
The platform for a second phase of expansion was established in 2016, when Primary Wave received $300 million of funding from multiple large institutional investors, forming Primary Wave's first music based fund. Almost immediately, Primary Wave purchased Smokey Robinson's catalogue for $25 million, which includes his songs "My Girl", "The Tears of a Clown", and You've Really Got a Hold on Me. In October 2017, Primary Wave helped Smokey Robinson create Father–Daughter Day, a national holiday celebrating the relationship between a father and his daughter. The holiday was announced along with a series of American Greetings "My Girl" e-cards featuring Smokey Robinson.
By 2017, Primary Wave acquired a stake in Rough Trade Publishing for $5 million and acquired music catalogs such as Steve Cropper, Tom Cochrane, and Holly Knight. Later that year in August, Primary Wave acquired publishing and master royalties from Glenn Gould, a Canadian 20th-century classical pianist.
In January 2018, Primary Wave acquired an 80 percent share in Chris Blackwell's Blue Mountain Music, one of the largest independent publishers, which included the rights to Bob Marley. The Blue Mountain Music acquisition also includes songs by Toots and the Maytals, Free, Burning Spear, Steel Pulse, and Marianne Faithfull.[13] That same month, Primary Wave closed a marketing and publishing administration deal with Alice Cooper, singer of "School's Out", "I'm Eighteen", "No More Mr. Nice Guy", and "Poison".
It was announced in October 2018 that Primary Wave closed a deal with Kenny Loggins for marketing, branding and publishing administration. "Footloose", "I'm Alright", and "Danger Zone" are a few of the songs in Loggins catalog that were included in the deal. That same month, Primary Wave acquired Pete Waterman's catalog, British producer and songwriter of "Never Gonna Give You Up", "Together Forever", and "I Should Be So Lucky". Primary Wave also acquired the entirety of Count Basie's publishing and master income streams. The music assets include copyrights and royalty streams of compositions written by Basie such as "One O'Clock Jump" and "Jumpin' at the Woodside". Aerosmith songwriter and bassist, Tom Hamilton, partnered with Primary Wave in November 2018 on a publishing agreement for an undisclosed sum. Hamilton has co-written some of Aerosmith's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted songs including "Sweet Emotion" and "Janie's Got a Gun." In December 2018, Primary Wave bought passive writer income streams of hugely influential band Sly and the Family Stone for an undisclosed sum.[14]
In January 2019, Primary Wave passed a billion dollars with the establishment of its second investment fund with cash and assets under management. In that same year, DJ White Shadow entered into an administration and co-publishing deal with Primary Wave. DJ White Shadow has worked closely with Lady Gaga over the years, including on her songs "The Edge of Glory", "Born This Way", and six songs that appeared on the A Star Is Born soundtrack. In February 2019, Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee Paul Anka entered into a multi-million-dollar strategic partnership with Primary Wave. The publishing agreement covers Anka's master rights to "My Way", "Put Your Head on My Shoulder", "Diana", and "Lonely Boy". That same month, Bill Gaither and Gloria Gaither of Gaither Music Group closed a publishing agreement with Primary Wave. The agreement includes their chart topping songs, "He Touched Me" and "Because He Lives". In March 2019, it was announced that Primary Wave acquired a stake in the music catalog of Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup. "That's All Right", "My Baby Left Me", and "So Glad You're Mine" are some of Crudup's biggest hits, all of which were recorded by Elvis Presley. In April 2019, Primary Wave partnered with the estate of Leon Russell to acquire his music publishing and master recording income streams. Included in the deal is one of Russell's most well-known tracks, "A Song for You". It was announced in July 2019 that Dave Navarro and Primary Wave entered into an agreement where Primary Wave acquired a stake in Navarro's music publishing catalog, master royalties streams, and writer's share royalties. Navarro is a member of Jane's Addiction and was a member of Red Hot Chili Peppers from 1993–1998. His credits include "Been Caught Stealing", "Jane Says", and "Aeroplane". In September 2019, Primary Wave acquired the music publishing of Boston's self-titled debut album from its former manager Paul Ahern. The album sold more than 25 million copies worldwide and featured "More Than a Feeling". In October 2019, Tommy Shaw of Styx entered into a music publishing agreement with Primary Wave, which covers the copyrights and income streams of some of Styx's songs including "Renegade" and "Too Much Time on My Hands". That same month, Primary Wave acquired the rights of producer, arranger, and songwriter Bob Ezrin. Ezrin produced albums with Alice Cooper, Pink Floyd, Kiss, and more. Primary Wave entered into a marketing and music publishing administration agreement with Robbie Robertson in November 2019. Robbie Robertson's most notably connected to his work with The Band, including songs "Up On Cripple Creek", "Rag Mama Rag", and "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down", which is considered to be one of the greatest songs of all time by Rolling Stone.
In May 2019, Primary Wave closed a reported milti-million dollar deal with British band Culture Club, led by frontman Boy George. The acquisition included a portion of the band's publishing and master recording income stream. [15]
That same month, Primary Wave announced their partnership with the estate of Whitney Houston, having acquired a stake in her master recording income stream along with her name, likeness, and brand. Whitney Houston is one of the best-selling music artists of all time with over 200 million records sold worldwide. Houston released seven studio albums and two soundtracks, all of which have been certified diamond, multi-platinum, platinum, or gold by the RIAA. Her cover of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You" is the biggest-selling single of all time by a female artist. In the agreement, Primary Wave assists the Estate with all aspects of marketing, including digital marketing, publicity, branding, and music licensing and synchronization. On June 28, 2019, Kygo remixed Whitney Houston's unreleased cover version of Steve Winwood's song "Higher Love". On August 21, 2019, "Higher Love" reached the No. 1 position on Billboard magazine's Dance Club Songs chart, making it Houston's highest-charting posthumous release to date. "Higher Love" has been streamed over 252 million times on Spotify as of January 2, 2020.
In early 2020, Primary Wave acquired a stake in Air Supply's music publishing catalog. The acquisition included copyrights to their songs "All Out Of Love", "Lost In Love", and others. It was announced in March of 2020 that Primary Wave and legendary composer Burt Bacharach entered into a marketing and publishing deal to support Bacharach's music catalog, which includes nine No. 1 hits, 48 top 10 hits, and more than 500 compositions. The following month, it was announced that Primary Wave acquired a stake in the music publishing rights and recording revenue of the songs and recordings by singer, songwriter, and guitarist Justin Hayward of the legendary English rock band The Moody Blues.[16] In May 2020, it was announced that Primary Wave purchased a majority stake in Ray Charles' catalog of music dated pre-1964.[17] Terms of the agreement include Charles' "I've Got a Woman" and "Ain't That Love." In June 2020, it was announced that Primary Wave acquired the music publishing catalog of rock band Godsmack. The acquisition includes the publishing and master income stream for their compositions and masters from their entire catalog, including the Grammy-nominated single I Stand Alone.[18]
Divisions
| Division | Formed | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Wave Music Publishing | 2006 | Primary Wave Music Publishing (PWMP) is an independent, private music publisher who began with the acquisition of catalogs by Kurt Cobain (Nirvana), Steven Tyler (Aerosmith), and John Lennon (The Beatles/John Lennon). PWMP has expanded to not only work with music icons, but emerging singers, songwriters, producers, and DJs. The New York Times explains, "Primary Wave has carved out a lucrative niche in music publishing by focusing on aggressive branding and marketing campaigns." |
| Primary Wave Talent Management | 2006 | Primary Wave Talent Management (PWTM) guides the careers of music, film, TV, and entertainment personalities including Melissa Etheridge, Cypress Hill, CeeLo Green, The Isley Brothers, and Plain White T's. Talent management clients range from multi-platinum selling recording artists to hit-making songwriters and producers. Primary Wave's management roster has access to internal branding, A&R, publicity, and marketing resources. |
| Brand Synergy Group | 2011 | Brand Synergy Group (BSG) is a lifestyle consulting company that connects brands with entertainment, music, sports, and culinary personalities. Historically BSG has partnered CeeLo Green with 7 Up, Rihanna with Nivea, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with its first corporate sponsor, Klipsch Audio.[19][20][21][22] |
| BrightShop Digital Marketing | 2010 | BrightShop is a digital marketing agency specializing in social, mobile, web, and streaming services. Acting as Primary Wave's in-house digital agency, BrightShop also services music, celebrity, and lifestyle brands.[23][24][25] |
Roster
Notable works
The Primary Wave Music Publishing catalog is home to some of the most iconic songwriters and artists across the history of recorded music, as well as contemporary singers and songwriters.
Some iconic songs in Primary Wave's catalog include "The Tears of a Clown", "You've Really Got a Hold on Me", "Get Ready", "My Girl", and "Cruisin'" by (Smokey Robinson); "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" by (Steve Cropper); "Piano in the Dark" and "Get Here" by (Brenda Russell); "Sunny" by (Bobby Hebb); "(They Long to Be) Close to You" and "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" by Burt Bacharach; and "Lost In Love" by Air Supply.
Some contemporary songs in Primary Wave's catalog include: "Needed Me" and "Cheers" performed by Rihanna; "Be Alright" performed by Ariana Grande; "Mirror Man" performed by Ella Henderson; "Lost on You" written and performed by LP; "Untitled 06" performed by Kendrick Lamar; "Don't Cha" performed by The Pussycat Dolls; "Blow Your Mind (Mwah)" performed by Dua Lipa; "Hard Love" performed by Needtobreathe; "Fight Song" performed by Rachel Platten; "My House" performed by Flo Rida; "Heart Attack" performed by Demi Lovato; "Heartbeat Song" and "Love So Soft" performed by Kelly Clarkson; "Barcelona", "Galway Girl", "Nancy Mulligan", and "What Do I Know?", performed by Ed Sheeran; "A No No" performed by Mariah Carey; and "Worth It” performed by Fifth Harmony.
Select publishing clients over the years
- Air Supply
- Alice Cooper
- Arthur Crudup
- Bill Gaither
- Blue Mountain Music
- Blue October
- Bob Ezrin
- Bob Marley
- Bobby Hebb
- Boy George
- Brenda Russell
- Burning Spear
- Burt Bacharach
- CeeLo Green
- Chicago
- Count Basie
- Counting Crows
- Dave Mason
- Dave Navarro
- David Rose
- Def Leppard
- Donny Hathaway
- Foy Vance
- Free
- Gloria Gaither
- Glenn Gould
- Hall and Oates
- Holly Knight
- Jimmy Van Heusen
- John Lennon
- Justin Hayward (The Moody Blues)
- Kenny Loggins
- Kurt Cobain
- Larry Smith
- Leon Russell
- LP
- Luis Dubuc
- Mac Davis
- Melissa Etheridge
- Paul Anka
- Pete Waterman
- Phil Pickett
- Robbie Robertson
- Sly and Robbie
- Sly Stone
- Smokey Robinson
- Steve Cropper
- Tom Cochrane
- Tom Hamilton (Aerosmith)
- Tom Scholz (Boston)
- Tommy Shaw (Styx)
- Toots and the Maytals
Primary Wave Annual Pre-Grammy Party
| Primary Wave Pre-Grammy Party | |
|---|---|
| Status | Active |
| Genre | VIP |
| Frequency | Annually |
| Location(s) | Los Angeles New York City |
| Years active | 14 |
| Established | 2006 |
Established in 2006, the Primary Wave Pre-Grammy Party is a noteworthy entertainment industry event held annually the evening before the Grammy Awards. The party was established in 2006 Primary Wave's in-house brand marketing agency. Through the years, party sponsors have included Smirnoff, Candy Crush Saga, Nivea, A. T. Cross Company, Ocean Spray, Steve Madden, Absolut Vodka, and American Greetings.
This is an invitation only red carpet party, frequented by clients, staff, and partners of Primary Wave, as well as industry executives and celebrities.
Aside from Primary Wave's A-list clientele, guests in years past have included: Post Malone, Alice Cooper, Ashanti, Cedric the Entertainer, Deborah Cox, Zendaya, Kerry Gordy, Ray J, Taraji P. Henson, Ace Hood, Bai Ling, Jonathan Bennett, Mýa, Natasha Bedingfield, Twista, and more.
Notable DJs have included DJ Cassidy, CeeLo Green, DJ Kalkutta, and DJ White Shadow.
Awards and nominations
In 2020, Primary Wave's CEO, Lawrence Mestel was recognized on Billboard's annual "Power List," highlighting music industry executives whose work elevates the entire music business.[26]
In 2014, Justin Shukat, President of Primary Wave Music Publishing, was recognized on Billboard's "40 Under 40 Power Players" list, ranking music executives on the rise.[1] In 2018, both Shukat and Mestel were recognized on the annual "Indie Power Players" list, ranking the top independent record executives.[27] Senior Vice President of Creative, Marty Silverstone was recognized on Billboard's "Branding Power Players" list for two years in a row, 2018[28] and 2019[29]. In 2019, President of Digital Strategy, Robert Dippold, was named as one of Billboard's "Digital Power Players" on their annual list that highlights the work of those responsible for driving the success of the music business through the use of digital data.[2]
In 2019, Larry Mestel was honored by Goldman Sachs as one of their "100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs" at the annual Goldman Sachs Builders & Inventors Summit.
Advocacy
Primary Wave employees are represented across multiple cause-driven organizations related to both music and goodwill. As a company, Primary Wave is a member of the National Music Publishers Association (NMPA) in the United States, an organization which safeguards and promotes the interests of music publishers and songwriters to government bodies, the music industry, the media, and the public.[30][31]
President of Primary Wave Music Publishing, Justin Shukat, is the founder of the Shukat Foundation, with support from Michelle Sullivan and founding benefactor Yoko Ono. The Shukat Foundation is a mentoring fellowship program for music executives on the rise.[32]
Additionally, Primary Wave employees are represented as members of The Recording Academy and the Guild of Music Supervision.[33]
References
- 40 Under 40: Music's Young Power Players at Billboard.com; published September 12, 2014; retrieved February 27, 2020
- Billboard's 2019 Digital Power Players Revealed at Billboard.com; published November 18, 2019; retrieved February 27, 2020
- Jane Reisman Joins Primary Wave Publishing as CFO at Billboard.com; by Chris Eggersten; published April 29, 2019; retrieved February 27, 2020
- The Story Behind Clorox's Mystery Recording Artist CLRX at AdWeek.com; by Paul Hiebert; published February 25, 2020; retrieved February 27, 2020
- Reuters Editorial (13 April 2007). "Julian Lennon sells stake in Beatles songs: report". Reuters.
- "The Daily Swarm".
- "Aerosmith collaborates with lottery ticket company for Aerosmith themed scratch off games. Prizes include money, backstage tickets and merchandise. - Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone.
- "John Oates' 'J-Stache' Cartoon Debuts Online". Billboard.
- "Daniel Johnston's "Space Ducks" Hits in April from BOOM! Town". Comic Book Resources.
- "Primary Wave strikes deal to represent Alice Cooper publishing rights - Music Business Worldwide". musicbusinessworldwide.com. 23 January 2018.
- "Primary Wave's CEO Explains a New $300 Million BlackRock Partnership, Getting Smokey Robinson a Sneaker Deal". billboard.com.
- "Primary Wave Entertainment - Home". Archived from the original on 2014-05-05. Retrieved 2012-03-14.
- "Buying a Piece of Bob Marley's Song Catalog, and His Enduring Legacy". nytimes.com.
- UPDATE: PRIMARY WAVE BUYS SLY & THE FAMILY STONE WRITER INCOME STREAM at Music Business Worldwide; by Murray Stassen; published December 5, 2018; retrieved April 16, 2020
- PRIMARY WAVE BUYS CULTURE CLUB CATALOG STAKE IN 'MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR DEAL' at Music Business Worldwide; published May 29, 2019; retrieved April 15, 2020
- PRIMARY WAVE MUSIC PUBLISHING ACQUIRES STAKE IN CATALOG OF THE MOODY BLUES' JUSTIN HAYWARD at Music Bsuiness Worldwide; by Murray Stassen; published April 16, 2020; retieved April 16, 2020
- Primary Wave Grabs Majority Stake in Ray Charles' Pre-1964 Catalog in Multi-Million Dollar Deal at Billboard.com; by Tatiana Cirisano; published May 20, 2020; retireved June 8, 2020
- Primary Wave acquires Godsmack catalogue at MusicWeek; by Andre Paine; published July 1, 2020; retrieved July 1, 2020
- The Story Behind Clorox's Mystery Recording Artist CLRX at AdWeek; by Paul Hiebert; published February 25, 2020; retrieved March 3, 2020
- Tour The Music-Inspired Offices Of Cee Lo Green's Publishing Company And Marketing Team at Business Insider; by Meredith Galante; published October 2, 2012; retrieved March 3, 2020
- Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Announces First-Ever Induction Sponsor at Billboard; by Andrew Hampp; published March 2, 2015; retrieved March 3, 2020
- Back to School With Marky Ramone at The Wall Street Journal; by Ralph Gardner Jr.; published June 22, 2015; retrieved March 3, 2020
- As Seen On TV selects BrightShop Digital to handle social media marketing at DMNews.com; by Erin Dostal; published July 30, 2012; retrieved March 3, 2020
- Primary Wave and Violator Management Forge Music Management Partnership at Deadline; by David Lieberman; published September 16, 2011; retrieved March 3, 2020
- PRIMARY WAVE ACQUIRES ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING STAKE IN $5M+ FINANCING DEAL at Music Buesiness Worldwide; published April 28, 2017; retrieved March 3, 2020
- The 2020 Billboard Power List Revealed at Billboard.com; published January 23, 2020; retrieved April 16, 2020
- Revealed: Billboard's 2018 Indie Power Players at Billboard.com; published August 27, 2018; retrieved February 27, 2020
- Revealed: Billboard's 2018 Top Branding Power Players at Billboard.com; published June 18, 2018; retrieved February 27, 2020
- Revealed: Billboard's 2019 Branding Power Players at Billboard.com; by Thom Duffy; published May 13, 2019; retrieved February 27, 2020
- [nmpa.org/press_release/nmpa-announces-top-gold-platinum-songwriters-for-january-2018/ NMPA Announces Top Gold & Platinum Songwriters for January 2018] at NMPA.com; by Katie McClenny; published February 28, 2018; retrieved March 3, 2020
- WE WILL PAY SIGNIFICANT SUMS FOR THE RIGHT DEALS – BUT WE DO BEST WITH ARTISTS WHO WANT THEIR LEGACIES PROPERLY VALUED at Music Business Worldwide; by Dave Roberts; published April 23, 2018; retrieved March 3, 2020
- Peter S. Shukat [In Memoriam (1945-2014)] at MusicLaw.com; retrieved March 3, 2020
- https://www.gmsawards.com/sponsors-1