Sony Music Entertainment and the Estate of Prince Rogers Nelson have signed an exclusive distribution agreement covering 35 essential previously released album titles from the Prince catalog. Those albums, which include “1999,” “Diamonds and Pearls,” “Sign O’ the Times” and nine others, will move over to Sony in 2021.
Sony Music Entertainment & the Estate of @prince Rogers Nelson have inked an exclusive distribution agreement covering 35 essential previously released album titles from the Prince catalog. Read more: https://t.co/uc8xZ6md88 pic.twitter.com/4PMEQB8t0E
— Legacy Recordings (@SonyLegacyRecs) June 27, 2018
The Prince catalog covered under the new agreement will be distributed by Legacy Recordings, a division of SME, with worldwide rights beginning immediately to 19 previously released album titles (originally released between 1995-2010). The list of album titles includes The Gold Experience (1995), Emancipation (1996), Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic (1999), The Rainbow Children (2001) and 3121 (2006), as well as titles originally distributed by Sony including Musicology (2004) and Planet Earth (2007). Additional album titles from the 2014-2015 era will also be distributed with worldwide rights under the deal in the future.
In addition to the album titles from the 1995-2010 era, the agreement also includes rights to other previously released material recorded post-1995 including singles, b-sides, remixes, non-album tracks, live recordings and music videos.
“A true artiste and visionary, Prince changed the world with his music, bringing love, joy, and inspiration to millions,” Richard Story, President, SME Commercial Music Group was quoted as saying. “Sony Music is honored to play a part in keeping Prince’s music alive and making it available for generations of lifelong listeners and future fans.”
Music from the 1978 to 1996 era will be available in the US starting in 2021. Music from this period covered under the agreement includes the highly renowned albums Prince (1979), Dirty Mind (1980), Controversy (1981), 1999 (1982), Around The World In A Day (1985), Sign ‘O’ The Times (1987), Lovesexy (1988), Diamonds and Pearls (1991) and [Love Symbol] (1992) as well as hit singles “1999,” “Little Red Corvette,” “I Wanna Be Your Lover,” “Raspberry Beret” among others.
