Primary Wave Music Publishing has entered into a partnership with the Estate of Whitney Houston.
The deal sees Primary Wave acquire a stake in the singer’s music assets, including royalty streams from her hit songs Count On Me from the film Waiting To Exhale, I Didn’t Know My Own Strength, I Got You, Like I Never Left and others.
According to the New York Times, Primary Wave will acquire 50% of the Houston Estate’s assets – including music and film royalties, merch and rights to her name and likeness – in a deal which values the estate at $14m. (This suggests the Primary Wave deal was worth $7m.)
The agreement will bring Primary Wave a profit share in Houston’s hit films The Bodyguard (both the film and musical), Waiting To Exhale, The Preacher’s Wife, Cinderella, and Sparkle.
The Estate of Houston will have access to Primary Wave’s entire marketing team, digital team, publicity department, branding team, and publishing infrastructure which includes licensing and synch opportunities.
Pat Houston, President and CEO of The Estate of Whitney E. Houston told The New York Times that a hologram tour and an album of unreleased tracks are currently in the works.
Born into a musical family in 1963, Whitney Houston remains one of the best-selling music artists of all time with over 200 million records sold worldwide.
The singer released seven studio albums and two soundtracks, all of which have been certified diamond, multi-platinum, platinum, or gold by the RIAA.
Houston is the only artist to chart seven consecutive No.1 Billboard Hot 100 hits, she was the first female artist to enter the Billboard 200 album chart at No.1, and her career-defining version of Dolly Parton’s I Will Always Love You is the biggest-selling single of all time by a female artist.
“Whitney Houston is an incomparable artist whose voice resonates in people’s lives to this day.”
Lawrence Mestel, Primary Wave Music Publishing
To date, Houston had won 411 awards which included six GRAMMY Awards, 16 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, an Emmy, MTV VMA, NAACP Image Awards, BET Awards, Soul Train Music Awards, and so many more.
With her countless hits continuing to find new audiences and her passing in 2012 being felt by her millions of fans around the world, her estate is committed to keeping her legacy alive.
“With Primary Wave’s global appeal and wealth of contacts, the partnership will advance the artistry and integrity of Whitney’s legacy to a stratosphere that she herself left us all to enjoy for a lifetime.”
Pat Houston, The Estate of Whitney E. Houston
Pat Houston, President and CEO of The Estate of Whitney E. Houston said: “We are more than elated to partner with an organization whose momentum in the marketplace is extraordinarily well respected by industry leaders worldwide.
“With Primary Wave’s global appeal and wealth of contacts, the partnership will advance the artistry and integrity of Whitney’s legacy to a stratosphere that she herself left us all to enjoy for a lifetime.”
Lawrence Mestel, CEO & Founder, Primary Wave Music Publishing, added: “Whitney Houston is an incomparable artist whose voice resonates in people’s lives to this day.
“She is the definition of an icon and we are thrilled to partner with Pat Houston and the entire Houston family to further the legacy of this legendary artist.”Music Business Worldwide
