Universal acquires Neil Diamond catalogue

Neil Young has announced the fourth instalment in his ‘Official Release Series’ anthology, comprising three classic albums from the 1980s – one of his own, and two collaborative efforts – as well as a rare EP that was only ever sold in Australia and Japan.‘Official Release Series Volume 4’ is set for release on April 29 via Reprise. In addition to Young’s 1980 solo album ‘Hawks & Doves’, the box set includes his fifth album with Crazy Horse (1981’s ‘Re•ac•tor’) and his debut effort with The Bluenotes (1988’s ‘This Note’s For You’).It also marks the first time many fans will be able to hear the EP ‘Eldorado’, which was initially released in Australia and Japan in 1989.

EXCLUSIVE: Devon Bostick (Pink Skies Ahead) is the latest addition to the cast of Christopher Nolan’s film Oppenheimer for Universal Pictures.

Dolly Parton has shared her feelings on selling the rights to her back catalogue, as some of her peers have done recently, in a new interview.The likes of Neil Diamond, Sting, Bob Dylan, ZZ Top, Tina Turner, Stevie Nicks and more have all sold their back catalogues in recent months and years.Asked in an interview with the BBC if she was also planning to do the same, Parton replied: “I would not be above doing that. All I would do then is to take that money and do whatever for my family or other businesses.“Then I would start a whole new publishing company, start over in a few years, sell that too if I wanted to.

Steve Dymond tragically died on 9 May 2019 from a suspected overdose just days after appearing on ITV’s The Jeremy Kyle Show, leading to the programme being taken off air indefinitely.The tragic guest’s death will be discussed in upcoming Channel 4 documentary Jeremy Kyle Show: Death on Daytime, in which his devastating final text messages are seen. While the episode in which Steve appeared never aired, his death led to a probe into alleged lack of care on the ITV show. Who was Steve Dymond? Steve was a 63 year old who was tragically found dead seven days after appearing as a guest on The Jeremy Kyle Show.The construction worker had appeared on the show after his fiancee, Jane Callaghan, accused him of cheating on her.

Messages sent by a Jeremy Kyle Show guest before he took his life have been shown for the first time.

EXCLUSIVE: The cast of Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer continues to grow, with Harrison Gilbertson (Picnic at Hanging Rock) and Emily Dumont (Licorice Pizza) signing on for roles.

Dolly Parton has said "never say never" to selling the rights to her music back catalogue. The 76-year-old country music legend - who already owns her own publishing company - has considered following in the footsteps of a number of big-name stars, including Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and Neil Diamond, who have recently cashed in by selling their back catalogues for mega-money. On what she would do with the cash, the 'Jolene' hitmaker told the BBC: "I would not be above doing that.

Universal Music Group has become one of the latest media companies to suspend operations in Russia amid the country’s invasion of Ukraine. The music publishing giant on Tuesday said it was closing its offices in Russia, effective immediately. Meanwhile, major Western food and beverage companies Coca-Cola, McDonald’s and Starbucks are also pulling out.

Leonard Cohen is the latest artist whose song rights have been bought, after his estate reached a deal with the Hipgnosis Songs Fund for an undisclosed sum.According to Rolling Stone, the deal includes all 278 songs that Cohen wrote, including his most popular songs ‘Hallelujah’, ‘Suzanne’, ‘So Long, Marianne’, ‘First We Take Manhattan’ and more.The investment company obtained the “songwriter’s share” of 127 songs from Cohen’s Stranger Music catalogue, which covers the period of the inception of late musician’s career through to the year 2000; derivative works pushes the total to 211 songs.Hipgnosis also acquired the ownership of 100 per cent of the copyrights, “publisher’s share” and “songwriter’s share” of royalties of the latter part of his catalogue, spanning from 2001 to his death in 2016.“To now be the custodians and managers of Leonard Cohen’s incomparable songs is a wonderful yet very serious responsibility that we approach with excitement and fully understand the importance of,” Hipgnosis founder Merck Mercuriadis said in a statement.“Leonard wrote words and songs that have changed our lives, none more so obvious than ‘Hallelujah’ but there are so many more that we look forward to reminding the world of on a daily basis.

NEW YORK -- A musical about Neil Diamond has found the polished theater gem who will play the icon onstage — Will Swenson.Swenson has been tapped to lead “A Beautiful Noise, The Neil Diamond Musical” this summer when it makes its debut at Boston’s Emerson Colonial Theatre. Swenson calls it a not straightforward musical.

Neil Diamond has sold his entire songwriting and recording catalogue to Universal Music Publishing Group for an undisclosed amount.In addition to his publishing and masters, the deal includes 110 unreleased tracks, an unreleased album, and archival video footage.According to Rolling Stone, UMG will also handle any future Neil Diamond music if the musician decides to record any new music.“After nearly a decade in business with UMG, I am thankful for the trust and respect that we have built together and I feel confident in the knowledge that Lucian, Jody, Bruce, Michelle, and the global team at UMG, will continue to represent my catalog and future releases with the same passion and integrity that have always fueled my career,” Diamond said in a statement about the sale.Lucian Grainge, UMG’s chairman and CEO, added: “Neil Diamond is by definition, a truly universal songwriter. His immense songbook and recordings encompass some of the most cherished and enduring songs in music history.

Neil Diamond has joined the list of musicians who have made to sell their music catalogs, signing multi-million dollar music contracts over the last year, including Bruce Springsteen, Shakira, Stevie Nicks, and more.And while this seems to be the first time that the financial terms of the deal are kept private, it was announced that Diamond’s recording rights and his entire song catalog were officially sold to Universal Music Group.The deal includes rights to all recordings from the singer’s career, which lists 110 unreleased tracks, archival videos and an entire unreleased album. This means that Universal has control over his music, and can even release future songs or albums if the 81-year-old artist works in more music.Diamond’s music has been used in different movies and films, including ‘Friends,’ The Simpsons’ and ‘Pulp Fiction’ and many of his most iconic tracks have become hits with the help of other artists, who have cover versions of his songs, such as ‘Sweet Caroline,’ ‘Red Red Wine’ and ‘I’m a Believer,’ among others.’The successful artist retired in 2018, announcing he had Parkinson’s disease.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorVideo-game developer Epic Games announced that it has bought Bandcamp, the online music store and community geared around independent musicians.Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. “Fair and open platforms are critical to the future of the creator economy,” Epic Games, best known as the company behind battle-royale game “Fortnite,” said in announcing the pact.