Canada-based rights management company ole has purchased Core Music, the 40-year home of music publishing rights for rock band Rush.
The deal means that the music publishing affairs of the band will be handled by ole for the foreseeable future.
Said ole Chairman and CEO Robert Ott, “ole is very honored to have been chosen by Rush to manage their incredible living legacy and to be a partner in their ongoing creative journey in music publishing. ole looks forward to working hard to ensure that Rush’s music continues to find new and wider audiences.”
Geddy Lee, singer/bassist of Rush, said, “We are pleased with the news of Core Music’s deal with ole and happy that our publishing will be handled by a Canadian company with worldwide expertise.”
“With the changing times in the music business, the responsibilities of a publisher have become much more complex. This deal will allow me to devote my time and energy to managing the live touring and recording aspects of Rush’s ongoing career,” said Ray Danniels, President of SRO/Anthem and Rush’s longtime and only Manager.
As part of the ole-Core deal, Pegi Cecconi, who has overseen the administration of Core Music since inception, will continue to work full-time at the management and label home of Rush, SRO/ANTHEM, but will also take on a consulting role with ole in regards to the vast Rush catalogue.
The terms of the deal were not disclosed.
ole has raised investments of over $320M in music intellectual property (IP) since launching in 2004. It now has operations in Toronto, Nashville, New York and Los Angeles, with a catalogue that includes over 45,000 songs and 60,000 hours of TV and film music.
Copyrights under ole’s control include songs recorded by artists such as the Backstreet Boys, Beyoncé, Blake Shelton, Britney Spears, Carrie Underwood, Eric Church, Jay Z, Justin Timberlake, Kelly Clarkson, Madonna, Michael Jackson, One Direction, Rihanna, Rush, Steven Tyler, Taylor Swift, and Timbaland.
ole also controls substantial A/V music and secondary rights including catalogs from Sony Pictures Entertainment, DHX, MGM, Miramax, Nelvana and Nu Image/Millennium. MusicBox, the Production Music division of ole, owns over 150,000 tracks in its library.
Current ole writers include Timbaland, Steven Tyler, Tyler Farr, Josh Dorr, Gord Bamford, Brett Jones, Dave Turnbull and Marty Dodson.
[Pictured from left: Robert Ott; Chairman and CEO of ole; Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson of Rush; and Ray Danniels, President of SRO/ANTHEM and Manager of Rush – Photo by Richard Sibbald]Music Business Worldwide
