Imagem USA Concludes New Long-term Publishing Deal With The Irving Berlin Music Company
26 April 2017 - Press releaseIconic catalog includes "God Bless America," White Christmas," "Blue Skies" and many more from The Great American Songbook
Rodgers & Hammerstein, an Imagem Company, also renews long-term brand management representation and theatrical licensing agreements for Annie Get Your Gun, White Christmas, Holiday Inn and Top Hat
Imagem USA, part of Imagem Music Group, the world's largest independent music publishing company, today confirmed the extension of their decades-long publishing and brand management agreement with The Irving Berlin Music Company. Under the terms of the extension, Imagem USA will continue to act as the exclusive agent administering the company's music publishing rights throughout the United States and Canada. Rodgers & Hammerstein, or R&H, began representing The Irving Berlin Music Company in 1990, just after Mr. Berlin passed away.
"Irving Berlin was one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century," said André de Raaff, CEO and co-owner of Imagem. "It is our honor to oversee this exceptional catalog of more than 1,000 songs and continue our great relationship with the Irving Berlin Family and Estate." Bill Gaden, Imagem USA CEO added, "Songs like 'White Christmas,' 'Cheek To Cheek,' 'Blue Skies,' 'Always' and 'There's No Business Like Show Business' have become the foundation of the American Songbook, we are thrilled to continue our work bringing Irving Berlin's music to a new generation of fans."
R&H Theatricals also renewed its worldwide theatrical licensing representation agreement for the iconic Berlin musicals Annie Get Your Gun, White Christmas and Top Hat, and also entered into a new worldwide theatrical representation agreement for the new Irving Berlinmusical Holiday Inn, which opened on Broadway in 2016. The R&H Concert Library also renewed its representation of The Irving Berlin Music Company's complete catalog of songs to license as concert performances worldwide.
Ted Chapin, Chief Creative Officer of Rodgers & Hammerstein said, "It has been a privilege to manage the Berlin catalogue since we first set up the arrangement in 1990 between the Berlin family and Rodgers & Hammerstein. Berlin had a reputation for keeping things awfully quiet, and we woke up both the music publishing and the theatrical worlds of Irving Berlin. In addition to the five new stage productions created - two of which played Broadway - we have made certain the name and work of Irving Berlin remain in the forefront of music and musical theater worldwide."
Irving Berlin was an iconic composer and lyricist, and widely considered one of the greatest songwriters in American history. Berlin's timeless compositions make up a significant portion of the Great American Songbook and continue to be performed by contemporary artists today including; Tony Bennett, Lady Gaga, Michael Bublé, Michael Feinstein, Kelly Clarkson, Bob Dylan and many more. As the great American composer Jerome Kern once said, "Irving Berlin has no place in American music – he is American music."
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