BMG Extends With Harrison Estate, Dark Horse
The deal expands on the relationship with Harrison’s Dark Horse Records, with BMG serving as its global partner across recorded music, music publishing, and merchandise, while also developing further areas of business. Dark Horse Records was founded by George Harrison in 1974 and now led by his son, Dhani Harrison and David Zonshine. “I’m delighted to announce that my father’s song catalogue will be joining BMG/Dark Horse Records,” Dhani Harrison said. “We have had a longstanding and successful partnership with BMG over the years and we look forward to continuing to expand our relationship well into the future.”
Harrisongs Limited, the music publishing entity created by Harrison, contains his nearly two dozen songs written with The Beatles, including “Here Comes The Sun,” “I Me Mine,” “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” and “Something.” The catalog also features Harrison’s 12 studio albums of solo works including songs from All Things Must Pass (containing “My Sweet Lord,” “What Is Life,” “Isn’t It A Pity,” “All Things Must Pass”) and Living In The Material World (featuring “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)”), as well as his songs from the two albums recorded by The Traveling Wilburys, featuring “End of the Line,” “Handle with Care,” “She’s My Baby,” and “Inside Out,” and others.
Thomas Scherer, BMG President, Repertoire & Marketing, New York and Los Angeles, said, “The music of George Harrison and Dark Horse Records is an inspiration for so many generations of musicians and songwriters. Nurturing the inner light, they are simply timeless! We are grateful to continue strengthening and expanding our relationship with the Harrisons, Olivia and Dhani, to ensure that one of music’s most cherished song catalogs will continue to reach new audiences around the world and play on for many years to come.”
The partnership with BMG has also expanded to include DH Merchandise, a one stop-shop offering creative design through to fulfillment, including the launch of new merchandise stores for George Harrison, Joe Strummer, Johnny Ramone, and additional partnerships with Traveling Wilburys and Buddy Holly; as well as the introduction of the Dark Horse Sounds wellness music series.
BMG also serves as the music publishing and recorded home of Dhani Harrison and released his most recent album, IN///PARALLEL. BMG’s long association with Harrison’s work also includes the 2016 release of George Fest: A Night to Celebrate the Music of George Harrison, the live concert tribute album featuring an all-star lineup performing the career spanning music of Harrison.
Pictured, (l-r): Hartwig Masuch, Dhani Harrison, Thomas Scherer and David Zonshine [Photo credit: Josh Giroux / George Harrison photo courtesy of the Harrison Family]