Purchase by Warner/Chappell Extends Companies’ Partnership and Paves Way for Future Collaboration
Extensive Miramax Collection Includes Scores to Oscar® Winning Movies
Warner/Chappell Music, the global music publishing arm of Warner Music Group, and Miramax, one of the world’s leading independent film and television studios, today announced an agreement under which Warner/Chappell will acquire the masters and publishing rights for all film music owned by Miramax. The agreement builds on the companies’ existing relationship through which Warner/Chappell administered Miramax’s film music publishing across most of Europe and South America. Terms are not being disclosed.
The Miramax music library contains music from Academy Award® winners The Cider House Rules, Chicago, Cold Mountain and Frida, acclaimed movies such as Gangs of New York, Finding Neverland, Good Will Hunting, Chocolat, Sin City, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas and music from several hundred other Miramax films. The catalog includes works from celebrated composers such as Academy Award® winners Howard Leslie Shore, Jan A. P. Kaczmarek, Gabriel Yared and Rachel Portman (the first female composer to win the Oscar® for “Best Original Score”) as well as Grammy Award® winner Danny Elfman.
Warner/Chappell will license performance rights from the Miramax music catalog in screenings and broadcasts of the films, and will develop new synchronization usages of the music across TV, film, advertising, games and the internet. The addition of the highly in-demand Miramax film catalog expands Warner/Chappell’s existing strength in providing music to film and TV production companies, advertising agencies and brands, and video game and new media companies.
“This deal is a good example of Warner/Chappell’s focus on developing extraordinary repertoire, through both organic growth and acquisition. The Miramax library of music is filled with gems from decades of renowned films, and our expertise in creating new opportunities for great music makes Warner/Chappell the perfect home for this incredible collection” said Cameron Strang, Chairman & CEO, Warner/Chappell Music.
“We are very pleased with this agreement, which ensures the music from the iconic Miramax film library is further nurtured by the outstanding and innovative music industry experts at Warner/Chappell, and enables us to continue to focus on our studio and our films, our core creative product,” said Mitzi Reaugh, SVP, Business Development and Strategy, Miramax. “Miramax’s partnership with Warner/Chappell is the perfect example of our strategy to collaborate with the best, and we look forward to working with Warner/Chappell on catalog and future initiatives.”
In recent months, Warner/Chappell and its songwriters have been recognized with some of the industry’s most prestigious awards, including tying for the title of ASCAP’s 2012 Pop Music Publisher of the Year and picking up 19 “Most Performed Song of the Year” awards, as well as “Song of the Year” for “Just the Way You Are,” written by Bruno Mars and Khalil “Cassius D. Kalb” Walton. Also, musicals created by Warner/Chappell songwriters were honored with a total of 15 wins at the 66th Annual Tony Awards. Once—composed by Warner/Chappell songwriters Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová of The Swell Season—won more awards than any other show this year including Best Musical, while Newsies, composed by Warner/Chappell songwriter Alan Menken, won Best Original Score. Warner/Chappell songwriters also took home 13 titles at Billboard’s Latin Music Awards, with rock band Maná claiming five awards and Prince Royce winning eight.
About Warner/Chappell Music
Warner/Chappell Music is WMG’s award-winning global music publishing company. The Warner/Chappell Music catalog includes standards such as “Happy Birthday To You,” “Rhapsody in Blue,” “Winter Wonderland,” the songs of Cole Porter and George and Ira Gershwin, as well as the music of Eric Clapton, Green Day, Katy Perry, Led Zeppelin, Lil Wayne, Madonna, Nickelback, Paramore, Red Hot Chili Peppers, T.I., Timbaland, fun. and others. Warner/Chappell Music is a leader in creating innovative strategies for marketing and promoting its songwriters and their music. The company’s extensive catalog makes it a natural first stop for A&R executives and record producers, feature film and television production companies, advertising agencies and brands, video game and new media companies, and others looking to record or license some of the world’s greatest music.
About Miramax
Miramax is a leading worldwide film and television studio with a library of more than 700 motion pictures. Miramax sells directly and licenses its titles globally through strategic partnerships including: Lionsgate, Netflix, Facebook, Hulu and StudioCanal. The Miramax library holds some of the world’s most original and acclaimed independent films including Pulp Fiction, Shakespeare in Love, Chicago, Good Will Hunting, The English Patient, No Country for Old Men, Kill Bill Volumes I and II, Life is Beautiful, Reservoir Dogs, Sex, Lies and Videotape, Cinema Paradiso and My Left Foot – as well as scores of commercially successful films such as Bridget Jones’s Diary, Bad Santa, and the Scream, Hellraiser, Scary Movie and Spy Kids franchises. In 2011, Miramax released three new films including the critically acclaimed film The Debt, starring Helen Mirren and Jessica Chastain, directed by John Madden. Collectively, the Miramax library has received 284 Academy Award® nominations and 68 Oscars®, including four Best Picture awards.
Miramax is headquartered in Santa Monica, California with a sales office in London. For more information, please visit www.miramax.com, “like” the company on www.facebook.com/miramax and follow Miramax on Twitter @Miramax.
Source: Warner/Chappell Music
