George Michael’s estate has been reissued with Warner Chappell Music UK
As announced on Friday (December 17th), the music publishing giant will continue to represent the late British superstar’s works, which span over four decades and include both Michael’s solo work and the songs he wrote as the frontman of 80s pop duo Wham has.
The renewed deal comes before the fifth anniversary of Michael’s death. The singer passed away on December 25, 2016 on a day on which two songs he was involved in appeared in playlists with Christmas themes around the world, Whams “Last Christmas” and Band Aids “Do They Know It’s Christmas”.
Five years later, driven by streaming platforms, “Last Christmas” finally hit the top of the UK singles charts in early 2021, 36 years after its release. This performance set a new chart record for the longest time it took a single to reach the top.
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“We are very pleased that after many months of detailed discussions and negotiations, we have renewed our longstanding collaboration with WCM, which began in the early 1980s,” comments Chris Organ, George Michael’s lawyer and co-administrator of George Michael’s estate.
“We live in an age of sale and purchase, and there has been a lot of interest and competition for this catalog,” continues Organ. “George was a very loyal man who valued and maintained long-term business relationships; but ultimately wanted to be remembered as a great songwriter. “
Michael hit first poster‘s charted in 1983 with Wham! s “Young Guns (Go for It)” which appeared on the Dance Club Songs chart. Wham! and Michael scored 21 top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, including 10 No. 1s. Among these chart toppers: “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go”, “Careless Whisper”, “Faith”, “Father Figure”, “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)” (with Aretha Franklin) and “Don Lass die The sun does not set on me ”(with Elton John).
In all, Michael sold more than 125 million records worldwide, had 12 UK number 1 singles (including seven as a solo artist), grabbed six Ivor Novello Awards, three BRIT Awards and two Grammys.
Over the past few months, Warner Chappell Music has entered into agreements with several new partners, from Roblox to Peloton, and expanded its global network with offices in Hanoi and Shanghai to enter the Asian market.
These developments provide opportunities to introduce Michael’s music to even more people, notes Guy Moot and Carianne Marshall, co-chairs of Warner Chappell Music.
“George Michael is one of the greatest songwriters of all time,” said a joint statement. “We all still miss his engaging personality, but he left the most incredible legacy in the form of his songs and performances. We take our responsibility to curate and promote his catalog incredibly seriously, because even the greatest songs still need energetic champions. ”
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