The Blue Mountain Story

For 50 years, Blue Mountain has worked with the very best songwriters from around the world and currently controls a catalogue of 10,000 songs.

The cornerstone of Blue Mountain Music is the global administration of the entire Bob Marley song catalogue. Just a glimpse at the tracklisting for Legend shows the incredible quality of the songs comprising the Marley catalogue. Together with songs from Burning Spear, Black Uhuru, The Congos, The Heptones, Third World and many others, Blue Mountain has long been established as a goldmine of Jamaican songs.

The association with Island Records has resulted in Blue Mountain Music working with the very best songwriters in many genres, from John Martyn, Spooky Tooth and Free to U2. The late 1960s and early 1970s produced some important British psychedelic and pop music by bands such as Nirvana, Art, The Smoke, Twink, Supertramp’s Roger Hodgson, Jess Roden and others. Later, West African stars Salif Keita and Baaba Maal added to the mix.

Currently Blue Mountain Music is proud to publish and work with such writers as Manu Chao, John Grant, Ali Love, Paul Marshall (Lone Wolf), I Break Horses, David Tattersall (Wave Pictures) and Johan Karlberg (The Very Best).

Through its sub-publishing arrangements, Blue Mountain Music represents and administers a number of high profile and cutting edge catalogues.

Via its sub-publishing deal with Because Editions France, for example, Blue Mountain Music represents such acts as Justice, Sebastian, Mr Oizo and others from the Ed Bangers catalogue, as well as Amadou and Mariam, Akli D, and many other great French writers.

Through a sub-publishing arrangement with 401K Music, Blue Mountain Music represents the writers from such bands as the B-52s, The Drums, Drug Cabin and Bear Hands.

Blue Mountain Music also controls the V2 Music Publishing catalogue representing works by established songwriters such as Steve Robson (‘Shine’ by Take That), Shep Solomon (Daughtry’s ‘Feels Like Tonight’) as well as some classic Human League songs including ‘Don’t You Want me’ (Jo Callis) alongside works from Grandaddy, Fluke and more.

By virtue of a sub-publishing deal with Jeune Musique Blue Mountain also hold UK administration rights for the timeless classic ‘My Way’.

Meanwhile, a deal with Carthage Music brings to the Blue Mountain Music stable works by The Cowboy Junkies, Caetano Veloso Tony Allen and Kasse Mady Diabate.

Blue Mountain Music is a rich resource for the creative community. It continues to provide great music, cleared quickly and efficiently, for use in films, television shows, documentaries, DVDs, gaming and advertising.

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BMM

Blue Mountain Music

Blue Mountain Music is an independently owned music publishing company established in 1962 by Chris Blackwell. It grew up side by side with Island Records and has worked with some of the very best songwriters from all around the world.

Inevitably, the cornerstone of Blue Mountain Music is the global administration of the entire Bob Marley song catalogue.  The wealth of the Marley catalogue speaks for itself.  Together with songs from Burning Spear, Black Uhuru, The Congos, The Heptones, Third World and many others, Blue Mountain has for long been established as a goldmine of Jamaican songs.
The association with Island Records also resulted in Blue Mountain working with the very best rock songwriters, from Free to U2. The late 1960s and early 1970s produced some important British psychedelic music by bands such as Nirvana, Art, The Smoke, Twink and others.  Later, West African stars like Salif Keita and Baaba Maal added to the mix.
Currently Blue Mountain Music is proud to publish and work with such writers as Manu Chao, The Sunshine Underground, The Blood Arm, Kano and Fredo Viola.
Through its sub-publishing arrangements, Blue Mountain Music represents and administers a number of high profile and cutting edge catalogues.
Via its sub-publishing deal with Because Editions France, for example, Blue Mountain Music represents such acts as Justice, Sebastian, Uffie, Mr Oizo and others from the Ed Bangers catalogue, as well as Amadou and Mariam, Plasticines, Akli D, and many other great French writers.
A recent sub-publishing arrangement with V2 Music Publishing sees Blue Mountain Music represent works by established songwriters such as Shep Solomon as well as some classic Human League songs (Jo Callis) alongside works from Grandaddy, Fluke and more.
Meanwhile, a deal with Carthage Music brings to the Blue Mountain Music stable works by The Cowboy Junkies, Caetano Veloso and Ivo Papasov.
Recently Blue Mountain has entered a joint-venture deal with Bella Union/Show Pony, which boasts the ingenious John Grant and Lone Wolf.
Last, but not least, a partnership between Blue Mountain and Back Yard has opened up the door to electrconic funk, art-pop to new-wave with artists such as Ali Love, Teenagers In Tokyo and Tronik Youth.
Blue Mountain Music is a rich resource for the creative community. It continues to provide great music, cleared quickly and efficiently, for use in films, television shows, documentaries, DVDs, gaming and advertising.

Labels

BMM

BMM Because

The Blue Mountain Music/Because Publishing UK joint venture has brought together some of the most talented of artist/writers around.

These include one of UK’s top established grime artists Kano, who has already released two commercially successful albums in the UK.

The Sunshine Underground with a psychedelic combination of indie, dance and funk and have been touted as indie Britain's latest saviors.

Television Room came together in Dublin in 2007 and have creative a unique and distinctive sound by making  music using a combination of unusual instruments to produce their special brand of melodic guitar pop.

The Blood Arm formed in LA in 2002, and quickly grew into one of the most exciting and dynamic fixtures on the LA music scene and in May 2004, they were nominated for Best New Artist at the LA Weekly Music Awards.

New York based Fredo Viola’s first album on Because is due out in 2008, and young singer/songwriter Josephine Eleini, producer/writer Mikey J complete the roster.

Labels

BMM

Because Editions

'Because Editions’ was founded in Paris 2006 and it quickly became a distinctive platform where artists have the freedom to exchange, cross over and express themselves.

Not conformed to regimental practices of the usual compartmental structure of the music industry, ‘Because’ has welcomed a variety of artists, writers and styles from the electro-shocking Justice, the explosive mixture of Drum 'N Bass, Ragga from La Phaze, and The Plasticines who bring a combination of Disco House, thrash and glam to the catalogue.

For further information and a look at the diversity of writers signed to Because Editions including Mr. Ozio, Scratch Massive and Syd Matters visit http://www.myspace.com/becauseeditions

Labels

BMM

Carthage

Carthage Music is a specialist music publishing company that was founded in 2003 by a small partnership including the producer and writer Joe Boyd.

Our roster includes the works of some of the world’s most revered artists, from the legendary Brazilian singer/songwriter Caetano Veloso and Canadian alternative country band Cowboy Junkies, to Tony Allen, co-creator of Afrobeat and Fela Kuti’s drummer. Recent signings include the Bulgarian gypsy jazz clarinet legend Ivo Papasov, Argentine accordionist Chango Spasiuk and the Malian singer Kassé Mady Diabate. Carthage Music is also the UK sub-publisher for several labels with extensive catalogues, including the German world music label Piranha and Felmay, an Italian label specialising in indigenous folk music (see below for label profiles)

The three partners in Carthage Music – Joe Boyd, Guy Morris and Catherine Steinmann – have decades of experience in the field.

During his long career as a record producer Joe Boyd has worked with an impressive range of artists including Eric Clapton, Pink Floyd, Nick Drake, The Incredible String Band, Fairport Convention, Richard & Linda Thompson, Maria Muldaur, Toots and the Maytals, REM, Kate & Anna McGarrigle, 10,000 Maniacs, Billy Bragg, Cubanismo and Taj Mahal. In the early 70s Joe moved into the film world and as head of music for Warner Brothers Films he organized the scoring of Deliverance and Clockwork Orange and produced Jimi Hendrix, a feature length documentary. Later he was executive producer of the feature film Scandal. In the 80s Joe started Hannibal Records, which he ran for 20 years, and was part of the team that invented the term ‘World Music’. Following the critical success of his first book, White Bicycles: Making Music in the 1960s, published in 2006, Joe is currently working on a new book about world music.

Guy Morris helped to run Charlie Gillett’s Oval Music publishing company in the 80s and ran Hannibal and Ryko’s music publishing operations in the late 80s and 90s, during which time he and Joe pioneered the registration of arrangements of traditional songs in the face of opposition from many copyright societies. He then became general manager of World Circuit Records and is now managing director of Blue Mountain music.

Catherine Steinmann was Hannibal’s label manager during the 90s and then label manager for World Music Network. Since going freelance in 2001 she has worked as a live world music tour producer, programmer and project manager, with projects including The Shrine and Heatwave tours and clients including the British Council.

There isn’t a lot the three of us don’t understand about music publishing. Based in London, Carthage collects mechanical and performance royalties directly from copyright societies in the UK, France and Germany.  For the rest of the world, Carthage is able to utilize Blue Mountain’s worldwide network of collection organisations and sub-publishers to obtain the strongest possible publishing network for our artists.

PIRANHA MUSIK (Swimming among the sharks of the music industry since 1987):

Piranha is an independent record label and publisher based in Berlin. Their extensive and eclectic repertoire of music ranges from traditional to fusion, from classical over left-field to hip hop and electro, with regional concentrations ranging from metropolitan Cairo to the otherworldly Romanian village Zece Prajini. Piranha’s artist roster reads like a who’s who of world music Grammy and other award winning artists (see below). Publishing has also proved to be a great success, resulting in movie soundtracks from both Berlin and Hollywood, half a million CDs for Mercedes Benz, the soundtrack for a Microsoft TV ad and numerous additional projects.

Piranha artists: Adé Bantu feat. Adewale Ayuba (Nigeria), Ali Hassan Kuban (Egypt), Anastácia Azevedo (Brazil), Boban I Marko Markovic Orkestar (Serbia), Boris Kovac (Serbia), Cabruera (Brazil), Cascabulho (Brazil), Cello Trio (Brazil), Chango Spasiuk (Argentina), Darko Rundek (Croatia), Degas/Weiser (Brazil), Dr Olavo Alén Rodríguez (Cuba), Dunkelbunt (Austria), Eddie Bobé (Cuba), Emil Zrihan (Israel), Fanfare Tirana (Albania), Fanfare Ciocarlia (Romania), Fermin Muguruza, Frank London’s Klezmer Brass Allstars (USA), Gino Sitson (Cameroon), Jalilah (Egypt), Klezmatics (USA), Magnifico (Slovenia), Mahmoud Fadl (Egypt) Maurice El Medioni (Algeria), Robert Soko (Germany), Ruth Yakoov Ensemble (Israel), Salamat (Egypt), Simentera (Cape Verde), Sin Palabras (Cuba), Sister Fa (Senegal), Solomon & Socalled (UK), Stella Chiweshe (Zimbabwe), Watcha Clan (France) Wazimbo (Mozambique)

Carthage Music administers master rights and publishing rights for Piranha in the UK and Ireland. 

FELMAY:

Felmay is the modern incarnation of Robi Droli, an Italian independent record label and publisher founded in 1987. Set up as Felmay by Beppe Greppi and Renzo Pognant in 1995, it is one of the principle purveyors of Italian roots music in Italy and the rest of the world, with a roster including the most important names in the field – Tenores di Bitti, Riccardo Tesi, Baraban, Totore Chessa, La Piva del Carner, Banda Ionica, etc. As well as its homespun catalogue Felmay has a growing number of world music releases from Asia, Eastern Europe and Africa, with a focus on acoustic traditional folk music. The catalogue also includes reissues historical recordings by contemporary American composers including Steve Reich, Terry Riecent and Charlemagne Palestine as well new works by important jazz artists such as Gil Evans, Anthony Braxton and Steve Lacy.

Carthage Music administers master rights and publishing rights for Felmay in the UK

Labels

BMM

V2

Starting out as the publishing arm of Richard Branson’s V2 label in 1997, V2 Music Publishing signed publishing rights for many of the artists released by the label.

Covering a few genres including electronic, rock and folk artist/writers such as Fluke, Grandaddy, One Minute Silence, Ben Christophers, Eve Nelson and Fuzz Townshend were represented by V2. 

A change of tack in 2004 saw them sign talented and established songwriters such as Shep Solomon, production duo First Man (Adam Midgley and Jamie Reddington) as well as acquiring Jo Callis’s songwriting share of the classic Human League catalogue.

In 2008 Blue Mountain secured the right to represent this fine catalogue which includes such classics as ‘Don’t You Want Me’ and songs recorded by artists as diverse as  James Morrison, Natalie Imbruglia, Rascal Flatts, Eva Cassidy, Kelly Clarkson and Paris Hilton.

Labels

BMM

Back Yard Music

Back Yard Music, founded in London 2006, has quickly become a recognised
leader within the ever evolving trend setting music scene.


Current artists include:


Ali Love
Described by Time Out magazine as “a soulful disco funkster with a mega star persona,” Ali Love writes powerful disco floor supertunes. It’s only a matter of time before you’re dancing your socks off to his latest songs, as he’s currently locked away working on his new record.

 

Teenagersintokyo
Currently recording their debut album with producer Dave Kosten (Bat for Lashes, Chew Lips), teenagersintokyo are a great looking Australian 5 piece creating a stir on the live scene.

 

They’re album full of astounding alt-pop songs is set to send tastemakers wild as soon as it lands.

Tronik Youth
Within a year of making his debut, Tronik Youth (aka Neil Parnell) has become one of the hottest new producers on the block, and he has remixed everyone from The Gossip and New Young Pony Club to Late Of The Pier and Goose. His trademark machine-tooled electro-filth has already won over many dance floors.

Labels

BMM

Showpony

This exciting new Joint venture between Blue Mountain and record label Bella Union came into existence in early 2009.

This exciting new Joint venture between Blue Mountain and record label Bella Union came into existence in early 2009. This eccentric and cutting-edge indie label boasts an array of songwriting talent across various genres. The joint venture overseas the emrgance of two incredible singer/songwriters, Lone Wolf & John Grant.