SPIRIT SONGS POWER TOP ALBUMS!!!

[ Jun 14, 2010 ]

Usher's Making Love (Into The Night), a soulful rework of the Benny Mardones classic Into The Night is featured on the nearing-platinum smash 'Raymond Vs. Raymond'.

Spirit's Allan Rich (along with frequent collaborator Jud Friedman) has a new song, If I Have To Wait on Toni Braxton's latest Atlantic set and another, The Truth Is, on the buzzing debut of David Foster protege Charice.

Spirit songs are featured on two chart-topping soundtracks from Fox' smash hit Glee - a cast cover of Young MC's Bust A Move on 'Glee Volume 1' another of Madonna's Open Your Heart on 'Glee: The Power Of Madonna'.

The Scissor Sisters Isn't It Strange, an original song written for Dreamworks' 'Shrek Forever After' is a lead track on the charting soundtrack album.

Finally, the new live album from best new artist Grammy winner Zac Brown Band features a sizzling duet with Kid Rock on Marshall Tucker Band's Can't You See.

SPIRIT MUSIC ANNOUNCES COMPLETE CATALOG DEAL WITH ALAN & MARILYN BERGMAN

[ Jan 08, 2010 ]

PACT WITH LEGENDARY SONGWRITERS INCLUDES FIVE DECADES’ OF POP STANDARDS, FILM AND TELEVISION THEMES

Spirit Music, in conjunction with parent company Spirit Catalogue Holdings, is pleased to announce the acquisition of Threesome Music, the song catalog of acclaimed multiple Grammy, Oscar and Emmy-winning songwriters Alan and Marilyn Bergman – two of the most respected names in the Great American Songbook.

Through the agreement, Spirit has acquired rights to more than 300 songs including such timeless standards as Frank Sinatra’s “Nice N Easy”, Fred Astaire’s “That Face”, chart-topping Neil Diamond/Barbra Streisand duet “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers”, Michael Jackson’s “Someone In The Dark”, Sergio Mendes’ samba hit “Like A Lover”, calypso evergreen “Yellow Bird” and holiday perennial “A Christmas Love Song”.

The deal also includes rights to title songs from such major motion pictures as Tootsie (“It Might Be You”), A Star Is Born (“I Believe In Love”), Sabrina (“Moonlight”), Shirley Valentine (“The Girl Who Used To Be Me”), Major League (“Most Of All You”) and Yes Giorgio (“If We Were In Love”) as well as all of the songs from Yentl (including “Papa Can You Hear Me”, “The Way He Makes Me Feel”) and the themes from such popular television shows as Good Times and Maude.

Additionally, Spirit and the Bergmans have signed an exclusive, long term worldwide publishing administration agreement covering new and future works. The go-forward deal with the Bergman’s Alamar Music includes songs written for a new Broadway-bound version of Ballroom (based on the couple’s Emmy winning made-for-tv dramatic musical Queen Of The
Stardust Ballroom), a collaboration with the late Cy Coleman on the Kennedy Center-commissioned song cycle titled Up Close And Musical and “Trust Me”, the end title to Warner Brothers Pictures’ recent feature The Informant.

Mark Fried, President & CEO, Spirit Music Group, said, “Alan and Marilyn Bergman’s legacy of work represents some of the most beloved and enduring songs of the last five decades. Their gift for crafting the perfect lyric, working alongside such famed composers as Michel Legrand, Marvin Hamlisch, Johnny Mandel and Dave Grusin, has given the world a collection of classy, evocative, life-affirming songs which continue to charm generations of fans and serve as a master class in song craft. We are thrilled to be working closely with Alan and Marilyn in promoting their standards and the new classics they are creating.”

The Bergmans said, “We are delighted to join this forward-thinking and energetic company. Songs need a loving and nurturing home and we feel Spirit is such a place.”

Alan and Marilyn Bergman, born and raised in Brooklyn, began their historic collaboration in the early 60’s, working with the late composer (and Spirit songwriter) Lew Spence penning a series of hits for Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sarah Vaughan and Peggy Lee. A long association with Barbra Streisand from the 70’s onward yielded such classics as “The Way We Were”, “What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life”, “On My Way To You” and “Ordinary Miracles”, including two songs on the singer’s recent global chart topping CD Love Is The Answer, “Where Do You Start” and “You Must Believe In Spring”. The Bergman’s work with Quincy Jones for the 1967 Oscar-winning In The Heat Of The Night, marked the start of a lifetime of work in feature film, including key contributions to such acclaimed movies as The Thomas Crown Affair, Summer Of ’42, The Way We Were, Same Time Next Year and Yentl. Their long list of television credits include the theme songs for Good Times, Maude, and Brooklyn Bridge as well as the score for the acclaimed television drama Sybil.

Among numerous accolades, the Bergmans have won three Academy Awards, three Emmy Awards and two Grammys. They were inducted into the Songwriters’ Hall of Fame in 1980 and received honorary doctorates from the Berklee College of Music and a lifetime achievement award from the National Academy of Songwriters in 1995. In 1997, they were awarded the Johnny Mercer Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame and, in 2000, the National Music Publishers Association Lifetime Achievement Award. Further, the Bergmans were honored in 2002 by the National Association of Recording, Arts & Sciences (NARAS) with the Governor’s Award and received the first ever Johnny Mercer Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003.

In addition to her success as a lyricist, Marilyn Bergman has a long and distinguished record of service to songwriters. After being the first woman elected to the Board of Directors of ASCAP, she was elevated to President and Chairman in 1994. During her 15-year tenure, she presided over the largest expansion of ASCAP membership in its history, led the performing rights organization to several major legislative victories and was instrumental in the launch of A Bill Of Rights for Songwriters and Composers, an advocacy and awareness-building initiative designed to remind the music industry and the public at large of the rights of those who create music. Alan Bergman serves as a member of the Library of Congress National Film Preservation Board, the Johnny Mercer Foundation Board and the Artists’ Rights Foundation Board.

LAURIE BERKNER SIGNS MULTI-YEAR ADMINISTRATION DEAL WITH SPIRIT MUSIC

[ Nov 23, 2009 ]

GLOBAL DEAL MARK’S FIRST MUSIC PUBLISHING PACT FOR TOP CHILDREN’S MUSIC ARTIST

Spirit Music is pleased to announce the signing of a global, multi-year publishing administration deal with songwriter/artist Laurie Berkner, widely recognized as one of the most popular children’s performers in America.

The deal, Berkner’s first music publishing association since her debut in the late 1990’s, covers her entire creative output including 5 acclaimed CD’s, an award-winning DVD, two music-driven picture books and all future works.

With a background in choral and orchestral performance and pre-school music education, Berkner entered the children’s music scene in 1997 with the release of her first album, Whaddaya Think Of That. Encouraged by a strong response in New York and her native New Jersey, Berkner formed Two Tomatoes Records for the release of her second CD, 1998’s Buzz Buzz. Berkner’s third set, 1999’s Victor Vito, received enormous critical acclaim and enough national attention to warrant the artist’s first significant tour for the newly-formed Laurie Berkner Band.

Following the release of her fourth CD, Under A Shady Tree, and her first picture book-with-CD distributed by Scholastic’s Orchard Books, Berkner burst onto the national stage thanks to a recurring guest role on the Nick Jr. cable network’s popular series, Jack’s Big Music Show. Buoyed by a massive new fan base thanks to the ongoing television exposure and years of national touring, Berkner’s first DVD, We Are…The Laurie Berkner Band, entered at the top of Billboard’s Top Music Video chart and eventually sold quadruple platinum.

After the release of a second book-with-CD project, a sheet music folio and production of a custom software cartridge to accompany Fischer-Price’s award-winning toy, ‘Learning Through Music Plus’, Berkner released her fifth studio CD, 2008’s Rocketship Run.

In announcing the signing, Peter Shane, Spirit’s VP of Creative Services & Marketing noted, “Laurie has a one-of-a-kind ability to create timeless songs that connect with children as well as their parents. We’re on a mission to find ways to bring her music to an even wider group of young fans.”

“Laurie Berkner has made an indelible imprint on children’s music,” said Spirit President/CEO Mark Fried “and we are thrilled to have the opportunity to work with her and her team in bringing her music to new and different media and identifying branding partners here and around the world to extend her reach.”

Said Berkner, “I'm excited to be working with Spirit Music Group. I love their
passion for music and for the artists that create it! It's why I feel they genuinely understand me and the appeal of my songs and why they will be great at finding situations that are just the right fit.”

SPIRIT SONGS TOP CHARTS, BOX OFFICE

[ Oct 12, 2009 ]

Songs by Spirit writers are featured in new chart-topping CD’s from Barbra Streisand and Madonna, as well as the top two films at the U.S. box office, Couples Retreat and Zombieland.

Streisand’s ‘Love Is The Answer’, the 8-time grammy winner’s latest set for Columbia Records, has debuted at #1 in both the US and UK and includes the Johnny Burke-penned standard “Here’s That Rainy Day”. The song is performed with both a full Johnny Mandel-arranged orchestra and with a stripped down quartet produced by Diana Krall.

There are three Spirit songs on Madonna’s latest hits collection, ‘Celebration’, which made a Top 10 US debut and also topped charts in the UK and throughout Europe. Included are “Holiday”, written by Spirit writers Curtis Hudson and Lisa Stevens, “Open Your Heart”, a collaboration between Madonna and Spirit’s Peter Rafelson and “The Power Of Goodbye“, another Madonna collaboration with writer/producer Rick Nowels.

Meanwhile, Spirit creatives placed Billy Squier’s “Lonely Is The Night” in Universal’s Couples Retreat (as well as Pitbull’s “I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)” in the movie’s trailers) and Lou Reed’s “Oh Sweet Nothin” in Sony’s Zombieland – currently the #1 and #2 films in the country.

SPIRIT PARTNERS WITH LEGENDARY RECORD PRODUCER JAMES WILLIAM GUERCIO

[ Sep 29, 2009 ]

ADDS HITS OF CHICAGO, THE BUCKINGHAMS AND BLOOD SWEAT & TEARS

Spirit Music, along with parent company Spirit Catalogue Holdings, has acquired a majority interest in the publishing rights and a significant stake in the producer royalties of legendary record producer James William Guercio.

The landmark deal includes a decade’s worth of music recorded by Chicago through the 1970’s, a prolific period during which the famed rock band released 11 albums and charted 24 Top 40 hits including Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is, Colour My World, Saturday In The Park, Just You ‘N’ Me, (I’ve Been) Searchin’ So Long, If You Leave Me Now and Baby What A Big Surprise.

Also included in the deal is the breakthrough mid-60’s work of another Guercio discovery, rock quintet The Buckinghams, who topped the charts with 'Kind of A Drag', 'Don’t You Care', 'Hey Baby (They’re Playing Our Song)' and 'Susan' as well as several mid-70’s hits by seminal funk band Rufus including 'Close The Door', 'Everlasting Love' and the much sampled 'Hollywood'.

Additionally, Spirit will participate via producer royalties in Blood Sweat & Tears’ eponymous 1969 breakthrough album, which featured the standards 'You’ve Made Me So Very Happy', 'And When I Die' and 'Spinning Wheel'.

The company’s creative staff have worked with Guercio to build an extensive plan to revitalize both songs and original recordings via proactive synchronization licensing into film, television, advertising, video games and a wide range of new media along with the reinvention of classic tracks through re-mixes, samples and covers. The Chicago catalog has already proven fertile ground for samples, most recently the global Pitbull smash I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho), which samples 'Street Player', an album cut from 1979’s Chicago XIII.

In addition to aggressively promoting the song catalogs of the various bands Guercio helped found, shape and produce, SMG plans to work with the still-active producer in telling the story of the Caribou Ranch recording studio, a sonically and environmentally unique facility he built on more than 4,000 acres in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, which attracted a who’s-who of rock, country and jazz music royalty through the 1970’s and 80’s. In addition to five multi-platinum albums by Chicago, the studio gave birth to such acclaimed projects as Steven Stills’ Manassas, Earth Wind & Fire’s That’s The Way Of The World, Supertramp’s Even In The Quietest Moments, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s Stars & Stripes Forever, Return To Forever’s Romantic Warrior and Elton John classics Caribou (named for the ranch and studio), Captain Fantastic & The Brown Dirt Cowboy and Rock Of The Westies.

Said Spirit Music Group President/CEO Mark Fried, “We consider Jim Guercio a renaissance man in rock and roll. While he is clearly one of the pre-eminent record producers of the last half century, his uncanny ability to put musicians together, to build complex yet beautiful arrangements and to consistently create an environment where creativity and artistry thrived is unparalleled in the modern business. We are thrilled to be partnering with him to shine a light on the legacy of his work and the story of the historic Caribou studio”.

Jim Guercio added, “We are deeply impressed with the team that Mark Fried has put together at Spirit and the long-term game plan they’ve laid out. We look forward to a long and fruitful creative relationship.”

Spirit Music Taps Veteran Advertising Exec, Paul Greco, For New Creative Post

[ Sep 08, 2009 ]

Spirit Music is pleased to announce the appointment of Paul Greco as its new Senior Creative Director.

Greco, a veteran advertising executive with more than 20-years experience in the field, will pitch Spirit catalog songs for use in advertising campaigns, work with agencies and consumer product companies to secure branding opportunities for the company’s writer/artists and help author marketing plans for new clients.

“We are extremely excited to add someone of Paul’s caliber and experience to our senior staff,” said Spirit Creative VP Peter Shane. “Spirit is in the midst of a very active expansion, adding catalog and staff, growing our global offices and pushing into non-traditional areas to super-serve our songwriters. Paul will be a critical contributor to our progress on all fronts.”

Greco commented, “Having worked with Spirit for years as a music buyer, I was already a fan of their diverse catalog and service-oriented creative culture. I’m looking forward to helping match songs and writers to campaigns and branding projects in a way that pushes envelopes and benefits everyone.”

Prior to joining Spirit, Greco was Vice President/Executive Music Producer & Supervisor in Young & Rubicam’s New York office, where he oversaw music production, designed audio strategies and directly managed client relationships for such companies as Kraft/General Foods, Colgate/Palmolive, Ford Motor, KFC and Campbells Soup. During his Y&R tenure, Greco was instrumental in developing and implementing a standalone internal music production unit and led the agency’s first internet/interactive campaign on behalf of Campbells’ Chunky Soup.

Before that, Greco was a Music Producer at BBDO New York, where he helped determine musical direction and produced commercials for such clients as PepsiCo, Visa, FedEx and Gillette.

Greco holds a Certificate in Business Administration from Fordham University, a Certificate in Music Theory from Trinity College and a BA in Communication Arts from Iona College. Campaigns he piloted have earned him multiple industry accolades including 3 Effie awards, 2 London International awards and a first place AICP award for his work with the City of New York’s Mayor’s Office on a campaign to attract the 2012 Olympics.

RAFELSON RE-UPS

[ Aug 24, 2009 ]

Songwriter and producer Peter Rafelson, a member of the Spirit family for 10 years, has signed another multi-year pact keeping both his classic catalog and buzzing newer work with the company. Peter burst onto the Los Angeles music scene in the 80’s, collaborating with such artists as Jane Wiedlin (“Rush Hour”), Stevie Nicks (“Some Become Strangers”) and Madonna on the #1 smash “Open Your Heart”, which will appear on her latest hits collection Celebration. He became an in-demand record and soundtrack producer through the 90’s and beyond, working with such global stars as The Corrs, Lili Haydn and Fem 2 Fem and such media projects as Fox’ Lucas. HBO’s Poodle Springs and National Lampoon’s Dorm Daze. In recent years, he has signed and developed artists for his own RM label, including pop/dance divas One Sun, Leana and Erika Jayne, who have collectively scored a string of 5 Top 10 Billboard and Music Week charting Dance records.

SPIRIT SIGNS MARKETING PACT WITH 311

[ Aug 03, 2009 ]

Spirit has signed an exclusive multi-year marketing deal with famed West Coast rockers 311. The deal includes the Omaha band’s entire catalog, from their heralded 1992 debut album Music through their recently released Uplifter. 311 have enjoyed both critical and commercial acclaim, landing no less than 20 songs on the Billboard Pop, Mainstream and Modern Rock charts including Top 5’s “All Mixed Up”, “Down”, “Creatures (For A While)”, “Love Song”, “Don’t Tread On Me” and “Hey You”. Spirit creatives and 311 management have authored an aggressive plan to license the band’s songs into traditional and new media and establish unique promotional tie-ins with sponsors and partners connected to the band’s devoted fan base.

VIVINO BROTHERS BRING THEIR 'LATE NIGHT' VIBE TO SPIRIT

[ Jul 20, 2009 ]

Jerry and Jimmy Vivino, acclaimed East Coast musicians best known in recent years as key players and writers for Conan O’Brien’s band, have signed a global multi-year administration agreement with Spirit. The deal includes two decade’s worth of the Vivino Brother’s recorded work, including their 1992 release Chitlin’s Parmigiana (which spawned “Cornell Knowledge”, the theme to both Late Night With Conan O’Brien and now the Tonight Show) and their 2000 CD, Blues Band. Also included is Jerry Vivino’s recent Walkin’ With The Wazmo release, a record which swings with a mix of inspired originals and covers of classic blues rockers.

ERIC SCOTT APPOINTED ROYALTIES DIRECTOR

[ Jun 22, 2009 ]

Spirit is pleased to announce the appointment of Eric Scott to the position of Director of Royalties. Eric will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of the royalty collection and distribution process, analyzing statements from societies and record companies, desk-auditing and challenging inaccuracies, processing royalties and preparing distributions. Eric comes to Spirit with a strong background in royalties and client services, having served as Publisher Services Manager at the Harry Fox Agency, where he problem-solved royalty, registration and payment issues and was responsible for overall relationship management between Fox and its 38,000 publishers and sister societies.

SPIRIT MUSIC ADDS SOUL POWER WITH VAPAC AND MCLAUGHLIN MUSIC

[ Apr 07, 2009 ]

Long term global administration deals just concluded with VAPAC Music and McLaughlin Music have brought a treasure trove of soul hits from the 60’s and 70’s to Spirit Music Group.

The deal with VAPAC, concluded with the family of catalog founders George and Ernie Leaner, includes such hits as “Shake A Tail Feather” (a Pop and R&B chart hit for the Five Du-Tones and James & Bobby Purify) and Alvin Cash’s “Twine Time”, along with acclaimed deep soul sides by Otis Clay, McKinley Mitchell, Betty Everett, Harold Burrage and The Exciters. Along with the publishing, Spirit will represent and promote the entire master library of more than 1,000 recordings produced by the Leaner’s One-Derful, Mar-V-Lus and M-Pac labels, a leading source of Chicago soul and blues through the 60’s.

The McLaughlin deal, made with owner Ruth McLaughlin, brings more than 20 charted soul hits spanning the 60’s and 70’s including Young Holt Trio’s “Wack Wack”, the Capitols’ “Soul Brother Soul Sister”, “We Got A Thing That’s In The Groove” and “I Got To Handle It”, The Fabulous Count’s “Get Down People”, Deon Jackson’s “Ooh Baby” and Barbara Lewis’ “Puppy Love”. The catalog’s repertoire of more than 500 songs is drawn from the output of Ollie McLaughlin’s Karen and Carla Records imprints, the Detroit labels responsible for helping launch the careers of Barbara Lewis, Deon Jackson, Betty LaVette and The Capitols, among others.

According to Spirit President Mark Fried, “These deals represent a golden opportunity to shine a light on the legacy of two of the most prolific producers of Northern Soul in its heyday.”

In addition to revitalizing interest in the songs and artists via proactive sync licensing, new cover versions and samples, Spirit plans to work with the owners to restore and digitize the labels’ complete output and make it available, in many instances for the first time in 30 years, to music fans worldwide.

Spirit Gets Nu Shooz

[ Feb 09, 2009 ]

Spirit is pleased to announce the signing of a global administration deal with 80’s pop/dance duo Nu Shooz. The deal was concluded with founding members John Smith and Valerie Day along with original producer/manager Rick Waritz.

The group shot to fame in the mid-80’s on the heels of “I Can’t Wait”, an irresistibly catchy single that melded Valerie’s soulful vocals with a classic electro-synth backing track. “I Can’t Wait” hit the Billboard Top 5 in June 1986, logging 15 weeks in the top 40, while also buzzing the upper reaches of the R&B and Hot Dance/Club Play charts. “Point Of No Return”, the second single from the group’s Atlantic debut, also hit the Top 40 and showed similar staying power while “Don’t Let Me Be The One” became another dance staple, making the group one of the most influential club artists of the time. By the end of the year, Nu Shooz had completed a 70 city tour in 73 days, saw its album reach Gold sales status and found itself nominated for a Best New Artist Grammy.

Their 1988 follow-up album yielded another Top 30 pop hit in “Should I Say Yes”, followed by the Dance chart-topper “Are You Lookin’ For Somebody Nu”.

John and Valerie, still making music from their Portland, Oregon home base, recently recorded and released an acoustic version of “I Can’t Wait”, produced a DVD chronicling the band’s meteoric rise and has formed an eclectic new ensemble mixing funk, jazz and world beat dubbed the Nu Shooz Orchestra.

Spirit Music Acquires Fats Washington Catalog

[ Jan 16, 2009 ]

January 15, 2009 – Spirit is proud to announce the purchase of the complete publishing catalog of Ferdinand “Fats” Washington, a pioneering Blues and R&B songwriter best known for his collaborations with B. B. King and Lowell Fulson.

The deal, concluded with the Washington Estate, includes such standards as “Pledging My Love”, which hit the Billboard Singles chart four times through the 50’s and has been covered more than 150 times by such artists as Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin, Roy Orbison, Emmylou Harris and Marvin Gaye, and “I’ll Be Home”, a Top 5 hit for Pat Boone in 1956, charting later for the Flamingos and the Platters and covered by a wide ranging list of artists from Gerry & The Pacemakers to Barbra Streisand.

The nearly 200-song catalog also contains numerous Blues classics. Washington is recognized as one of the only songwriting collaborators of Blues icon B. B. King, with whom he wrote the seminal hit “Get Off My Back Woman” as well as “No Good”, “You’re Losing Me”, “Don’t Waste My Time” and “Waiting On You”. His prolific work with Lowell Fulson includes “Black Nights”, “Talkin’ Woman”, “Blues Around Midnight” and “No More”. Other noteworthy Blues songs in the catalog include “Dirty Work Going On” recorded by Little Joe Blue and the Willie Mae Thornton cut, “Don’t Do Me This Way”.

Having been a radio disc jockey and newspaper columnist in Louisiana in the late 40’s and 50’s, Washington began his songwriting career via a chance meeting and ensuing collaboration with veteran writer/musician Don Robey, with whom he wrote “Pledging My Love”. His work with King and Fulson took him to such major music centers as Muscle Shoals, Shreveport, Los Angeles and Dallas, where he later settled, bringing him into contact with other collaborators including Stan Lewis, Larry Green and Maxwell Davis.

Washington’s work has remained active thanks to more recent cover recordings by such artists as Johnny Winter and Steve Miller. Further, catalog songs have appeared in a long list of motion picture soundtracks including Back To The Future, Christine, The Color Of Money and Divine Secrets Of The Ya-Ya Sisterhood.

“Fats Washington’s songs left a huge imprint across Blues, R&B and Pop,” said Spirit President/CEO Mark Fried “and we are excited about working with Betty Washington and her family in promoting his influential legacy of work.”

Latin Hip Hop Star Malverde Joins Spirit

[ Dec 19, 2008 ]

Latin Hip Hop star Malverde has signed a worldwide publishing administration deal with Spirit Music Group.

Malverde, the first major Mexican Hip Hop artist signed to Machete/ Universal Records, made his move to the majors three years ago as a result of the tremendous buzz he built up with his underground classic Mi Palabra. The album was critically acclaimed, becoming the first urban project to receive a five star rating in Batanga Magazine and making Malverde the first Spanish language MC to be acknowledged by The Source Magazine as an artist to watch. His February ’08 major label debut, La Levenda Continua, was one of the most acclaimed of the burgeoning Spanish Hip Hop movement and has established him as a lead voice in Latin Hip Hop.

In recent months, Malverde has been omnipresent in Latin media, appearing regularly on MTV Tr3s, Mun2 and SiTV while headlining shows around the country sponsored by Heineken, Hennessey and Xbox. His music has been featured actively in television programming, most recently on HBO’s Entourage.

Following an introduction by Spirit creative exec Michael Rivera, Malverde began a collaboration with songwriter/producer Marthin Chan. The resulting project, known as the MalEco Collective, combines Hip-Hop, Rock and Pop with Dub Reggae and Latin percussion to create a sound completely unique within the Latin and Urban musical soundscape. Malverde and Marthin are in the studio and plan their first MalEco release in early ’09.

Spirit Adds David "Fathead" Newman

[ Dec 15, 2008 ]

David “Fathead” Newman has signed a global administration deal with Spirit, bringing five decades and more than 30 albums of acclaimed recorded work, ranging from deep soul to hard bop to commercial jazz.

The renowned saxophonist, who got his start in Texas clubs working with Ornette Coleman and Red Connors, moved in a soulful direction in the early 50’s via collaborations with Lowell Fulson and T-Bone Walker. This led to a 10-year stint with Ray Charles, during which he established himself as both a leading accompanist and soloist and an accomplished band leader and recording artist in his own right.

David recorded actively through the 60’s and 70’s, turning out a series of sets for Atlantic Records – including the widely hailed 'House Of David' and 'Newmanism' - that ranged from gritty, hyper-rhythmic pieces to more melodic, orchestrated fare. He also continued to make his mark as a session player, adding his unique sound to classic recordings by such seminal artists as Aretha Franklin, Eric Clapton, B.B. King and Dr. John.

He’s remained prolific in the new millennium, releasing 8 discs since 2000, spanning bop, soul/jazz and swing and including tributes to Ray Charles, Herbie Mann and the city of New York.

While his work continues to find a home on the radio and in the clubs, the Spirit team are devoted to expanding awareness of David’s range of work via exposure in contemporary film, television and new media projects.

Randazzo Family Chooses Spirit

[ Oct 13, 2008 ]

Following a long search for the right home for his songs, the family of legendary songwriter Teddy Randazzo has chosen Spirit Music.

The multi-year global publishing deal includes a treasure trove of classic hits from the 60’s and 70’s, including “Hurt So Bad” (Little Anthony & The Imperials, Linda Ronstadt), “It’s Gonna Take A Miracle” (Little Anthony, Deniece Williams), “Pretty Blue Eyes” (Steve Lawrence) and “Have You Looked Into Your Heart” (Jerry Vale). Randazzo, a prolific songwriter, also contributed hits and cuts by such artists as Frank Sinatra, Dionne Warwick, Joe Simon, Lesley Gore, the Royalettes and the Manhattans.

Randazzo began his career in the 50’s, emerging as an artist in the style of such contemporaries as Paul Anka and Bobby Darren. A reputation for stellar repertoire and passionate performances stoked interest in his live shows and landed him numerous appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show as well as in such feature films as Rock Rock Rock and The Girl Can’t Help It.

But his songwriting eventually eclipsed his work as an artist. After scoring initial hits with Brook Benton and Jose Feliciano, a chance introduction to New York lyricist Bobby Weinstein led to one of the most prolific and successful collaborations in pop music. The Randazzo/Weinstein team compiled more than a dozen charted career hits, including “Hurt So Bad”, “Going Out Of My Head”, “I’m On The Outside (Looking In), “Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind” and “It’s Not The Same” for renowned pop/soul vocal group Little Anthony & The Imperials (among the nominees for next year’s Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame induction class). Led by such standards as “Hurt So Bad” and “Going Out Of My Head”, their songs are among the most covered in the Pop era. Randazzo was inducted, along with Weinstein, into the Songwriters Hall Of Fame in 2007.

Spirit plans to work closely with Teddy’s widow, Shelly Randazzo, and their children in the aggressive revitalization of both hit songs and lesser known gems.

Spirit Music Appoints Jennifer Scher CFO

[ Sep 04, 2008 ]

Spirit Music is pleased to announce the appointment of Jennifer Scher as our new CFO.

Jennifer will oversee all aspects of the company’s finances, including preparing and managing budgets, analyzing financial performance, overseeing information systems, assisting in analysis of potential catalog acquisitions and contributing guidance on new ventures and overall strategic planning.

Jennifer comes to Spirit after an 11-year stint at EMI Music Publishing. In her most recent post as Senior Director of Corporate Finance, Jennifer played an integral role on the company’s senior financial team, overseeing domestic and international budgets, internal and external audits, post-investment reviews and the reorganization of overseas offices. Before that, she was EMI’s Director of North American Finance, responsible for managing the finance staff, participating in acquisition due diligence and creating software designed to integrate royalty and accounts payable systems.

Before her work in music publishing, Jennifer was a Senior Analyst in the Sports Finance division of Westinghouse/CBS and a Senior Accountant in the Audit and Business Advisory Practice department of Arthur Andersen.

Said Spirit President/CEO Mark Fried, “We are extremely excited to add someone of Jennifer’s caliber and experience to our senior staff”. He continued, “Spirit is in the midst of a very active expansion, adding catalog and staff, growing our global offices and pushing into non-traditional areas to super-serve our songwriters. Jennifer will be a critical contributor to our progress on all fronts.”

Before her work in music publishing, Jennifer was a Senior Analyst in the Sports Finance division of Westinghouse/CBS and a Senior Accountant in the Audit and Business Advisory Practice department of Arthur Andersen.

MGMT Signs With Spirit

[ Jul 28, 2008 ]

New York rock band MGMT has signed a multi-year publishing administration deal with Spirit Music.

The Brooklyn-based band, founded by the duo of Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser while undergrads at Wesleyan University, has enjoyed almost non-stop kudos from fans and critics alike since releasing their Columbia Records debut, Oracular Spectacular, last January.

Since the start of the year, MGMT has seen its CD top the Billboard Heatseekers chart (selling more than 100,000 units), was named among the best new bands of the year by Rolling Stone, Spin and the UK’s NME and has wowed festival audiences during buzzing sets at Coachella, Bonnaroo and Glastonbury. They begin a U.S. tour with Beck in mid-September.

Their music has already been featured in several high profile film and television projects, including the opening title and soundtrack CD of Sony Picture‘s 21, the season finale of CW’s Gossip Girl and highly anticipated widescreen documentary American Teen. Their videos for lead singles “Time To Pretend” and “Electric Feel” have been featured on MTV and are among the most viewed on the web.

According to Sprit chief Mark Fried, “MGMT is one of the most musically innovative bands to come along in quite some time. We’re looking forward to working with Andrew, Ben and their team to bring their simultaneously complex and beautiful songs to music fans via sync licensing and a wide range of traditional and non-traditional marketing”.

MGMT joins a Spirit roster that already includes some of today’s most respected artists including New York’s Scissor Sisters, France’s Justice, the U.K.’s Manu Chao and Scotland’s Aberfeldy.

Spirit Adds 70’s Hits With Schine Catalog

[ May 08, 2008 ]

Spirit Music has added to its already considerable collection of 1970’s hits with the acquisition of Schine Music.

The Schine catalog, built by advertising executive David Schine, includes “Heartbeat, It’s A Love Beat,” the Top 3 debut hit by pop artists Tony DeFranco and the DeFranco Family. “Heartbeat”, which has remained a radio staple since its 1973 release, has been covered by artists as diverse as Tina Arena and the Replacements and was sampled last year by artist/producer Swizz Beatz.

The catalog also contains “Is Anybody There”, a song recorded in the early 70’s by Bobby Sherman and the Jeff Barry-penned “Baby You Don’t Know How Good You Are”, recorded by Lou Rawls, among others.

SPIRIT MUSIC GROUP PLANS EXTENSIVE BRAND REVITALIZATION FOR THE LEGACY OF GLAM ROCK LEGEND MARC BOLAN AND T.REX

[ Jan 03, 2008 ]

Following the addition of the complete post-1971 catalog of glam rock legend Marc Bolan and T.Rex, Spirit Music will launch an aggressive marketing campaign to promote the legendary rocker’s songs and legacy.

The landmark deal includes the artist’s entire song library and recorded masters from 1972-1977 beginning with his album The Slider through Dandy In The Underworld.

The repertoire and rights acquired represent a prolific period during which the influential songwriter, musician and artist released 16 UK charted singles (including 10 that reached the Top 5) and sold millions of records. Included in the acquisition are 260 songs featuring such hits as “Children Of The Revolution”, “20th Century Boy”, “Metal Guru”, “Telegram Sam”, “Solid Gold Easy Action” and “I Love To Boogie”.

Also included in the deal are audio/visual rights to rare interview and live performance footage from different periods throughout Bolan’s career, including a 50% interest in the Ringo Starr-produced rock film Born To Boogie, which highlights the legendary T.Rex shows at Wembley Stadium.

Trademark, name and likeness rights have also been acquired, which will enable Spirit to create Marc Bolan and T.Rex branded products, plus a broad range of music and media marketing events designed to highlight the artist’s life story and his unique, widely influential contributions to music and popular culture.

Spirit President Mark Fried said “We are thrilled to become caretakers of Marc Bolan’s singular and timeless legacy. Marc was ahead of his time, not just with respect to the music, but in his push-the-envelope style sense and electric live performance. With the songs, masters and the trademark rights, we will be in a position to tie in traditional publishing exploitation with a wide range of brand-building marketing.”

The artist’s son, Rolan Bolan, has agreed to take an active role in Spirit’s efforts to carry his father’s musical legacy to a new generation of fans. “My father’s music has stood the test of time and has influenced fans and musicians around the world. I look forward to working with Spirit Music to bring on a new wave of T.Rextasy,” said Bolan.

SPIRIT MUSIC PACTS WITH ALLAN RICH FOR CATALOG, NEW SONGS

[ Jan 03, 2008 ]

Spirit Music Group has acquired rights to the back catalog of veteran songwriter Allan Rich, an acclaimed lyricist who helped define pop song craft in the 80’s and 90’s penning covers for Tina Turner, Barbra Streisand, Chaka Khan, Barry Manilow, Dolly Parton and Ray Charles. The company also concluded a global co-publishing deal for future works.

Rich’s Nelana Music, a 450-song collection spanning two decades, contains a long list of Pop, Soul and Adult Contemporary hits including the chart-topping James Ingram smash “I Don’t Have The Heart”, Natalie Cole’s “I Live For Your Love” and Gladys Knight’s “Love Overboard” and “Lovin’ On Next To Nothin”. The collection also includes the oft-covered “Crazy Love” (Luther Vandross, Patti LaBelle, Ada Dyer), Chaka Khan’s “Your Love Is All I Know” and Oleta Adams’ “We Will Meet Again”. More recent hits include the Kristine W dance music anthem “Stronger”, the title track from Phyllis Hyman’s final album “I Refuse To Be Lonely”, Luis Fonsi’s Latin crossover hit “Diselo Ya (Tell Her Tonight)” and blues man Keb Mo’s “Remain Silent”.

The prolific writer, based in Los Angeles, has also enjoyed a great deal of success writing songs for motion pictures. The catalog contains two Oscar-nominated songs, “Run To You”, performed by Whitney Houston for the soundtrack to The Bodyguard and “For The First Time”, the Kenny Loggins hit from 1997’s George Clooney/Meg Ryan starrer One Fine Day. Rich also penned “Something Special’s Gonna Happen Tonight”, the main title for Disney’s Outrageous Fortune and “Before I Fall In Love” for Paramount’s The Runaway Bride.

“Allan Rich is one of a very few lyricists over the last couple of decades who’ve managed to consistently deliver powerful, lasting work across so many music genres” said Sprit Music CEO Mark Fried. “We’re thrilled to be representing Allan’s legacy of hit songs as well as working with him to ensure his newest songs continue to find their way to the greatest voices and most evocative films”.

Spirit Storms the Charts!

[ Nov 19, 2007 ]

Spirit published songs have appeared on no less than six CD’s debuting in the Top 20 on Billboard’s Album charts over the last few months. These include Common’s #1 smash Finding Forever, Chaka Khan’s powerful return to form with Funk This!, Swizz Beatz’s One Man Band Man and buzzing greatest hits sets from Andrea Bocelli, Santana and Eric Clapton. Two more appear on the just released Trust Me, the fourth studio CD from Euro soul sensation Craig David.

Spirit Music Adds Fotine Catalog

[ Oct 08, 2007 ]

Adding to an already considerable collection of standards and classics from the 40s and 50s, Spirit has concluded a global, multi-year administration deal with the Estate of songwriter Larry Fotine.

Best known for collaborations with such renowned writer/artists as Duke Ellington, Mel Torme, Rod McKuen and Sammy Kaye, the deal brings such blues and pop classics as Ellington’s “Ain’t Got Nothin’ But The Blues”, Chet Atkins’ “Blue Guitar”, Roger Miller’s “If We All Said A Prayer”, Gene Autry’s “You’ve Gotta Take The Bitter With The Sweet” and Jack Jones “Travelin’ On”.

Fotine came to prominence as an arranger for Sammy Kaye and Lawrence Welk. By the early 50s, he was leading and actively recording his own New Orleans-based band, The Beale Street Buskers. It is likely his love for the ‘Dixieland’ sound, which permeated nearly all of his composition, entranced high profile collaborators and fans alike, leading to a string of covers by well known artists. While his credentials as a successful musician and songwriter are indisputable, Fotine also wrote and published short stories as well as several well regarded books on music theory.

EMMY-WINNING, OSCAR-NOMINATED, TV AND FILM COMPOSER EARLE HAGEN INKS WITH SPIRIT MUSIC GROUP

[ Aug 03, 2007 ]

Earle Hagen, one of the entertainment industry’s most prolific and well-respected TV and film composers, has signed an exclusive worldwide administration deal with Spirit Music Group, it was announced today by Mark Fried, CEO of Spirit Music Group.

The pact marks Hagen’s first administration deal in more than six decades of composing. Under the deal, Spirit will represent more than 3,000 scores and themes composed for such classic TV series as The Andy Griffith Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Mod Squad and I Spy, for which he earned an Emmy award for Best Theme in 1967.

The New York-based independent music publisher will market and promote Hagen’s classic TV themes for synchronization for new film/TV uses, ringtones, and games, as well as for new creative uses in recordings, mixes and sampling.

“Earle Hagen's vast catalog contains some of the most familiar themes and score pieces of the 20th Century,” said Fried. He added, “We are honored to be working with Earle in re-purposing these compositions for licensing into a wide array of traditional and non-traditional media.”

Hagen has gained acclaim for his popular TV themes and scores, but is also noted for the musical innovation that characterized his work. For two decades, Hagen was the resident musical director for legendary TV producer Sheldon Leonard. Other series for which he provided the theme music include The Danny Thomas Show, Gomer Pyle, Eight Is Enough, Mayberry RFD, The Barbara Stanwyck Show, That Girl, The Dukes of Hazzard, The Don Rickles Show and Mary Hartman, Mary Harman, among others.

Hagen’s career began after World War II, when he joined 20th Century Fox, where he orchestrated many films in the late ‘40s and ‘50s, including Carousel, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Daddy Long Legs and Flower Drum Song. In 1960, he earned an Oscar nomination as co-musical director of Let’s Make Love. Hagen was also a freelance composer, providing orchestrations and arrangements for legends like Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby. During his stint with the Ray Noble orchestra, he composed “Harlem Nocturne” which has remained a standard to this day. He was also a house arranger for several record labels, including Liberty, Mercury and MGM. His Earle Hagen Workshop provided instruction in film scoring and was run under the auspices of BMI and the National Academy of TV Arts and Sciences. Hagen also received BMI’s Richard Kirk Award for Lifetime Achievement in 1981 and the organization’s President’s Award in 1995. ASCAP honored him with the Irwin Kostal Award.

HITMAKING WRITER/PRODUCER RICK NOWELS PACTS WITH SPIRIT

[ Jun 18, 2007 ]

Spirit Music Group has acquired the rights to the complete back catalog of writer/producer Rick Nowels. The Nowels catalog, a collection spanning three decades, contains more than 300 songs and 33 chart hits spanning Pop, Soul and Dance. The prolific songwriter/producer broke through in the mid-80's, contributing the hits “I Can’t Wait” and “Rooms On Fire” for Stevie Nicks and helping launch Belinda Carlisle’s solo career, writing and producing such songs as “Heaven Is A Place On Earth” and “Circle In The Sand”. In the 90's, Nowels continued to work with singular voices, penning Celine Dion’s “Falling into You”, Anita Baker’s “Body And Soul” and collaborating with Madonna on several songs from her Ray Of Light project including worldwide smash “The Power Of Goodbye”.

Nowels’ more recent work includes two ASCAP Songs Of The Year - Santana/Michelle Branch collaboration “The Game Of Love”in 2004 and Dido’s “White Flag” in 2005 - as well as such contemporary standards as Jewel’s “Standing Still”, Dido’s “Sand In My Shoes””, N’Sync’s “I Drive Myself Crazy” and the New Radical’s ubiquitous “You Get What You Give”. While dominating the pop charts, Nowels has also managed to write a string of dance floor classics including Amber’s “Sexual (Li Da Di) and Sonique’s “Sky” as well as collaborating with top artists in the United Kingdom and throughout Europe, penning and producing such defining pop hits as Mel C’s “I Turn To You”, the Corrs “Intimacy”, Robert Miles’ “One And One”, Craig David’s “Hypnotic” and a series of charters for Ronan Keating including “Life Is A Roller Coaster”, “I Love It When We Do” and “Lovin’ Each Day”.

“I’ve been a fan of Rick’s song writing since the ‘80s”, said Mark Fried, Spirit Music CEO, “and I’m hard pressed to think of another writer/producer who’s been able to create so many powerful songs spanning multiple eras and genres.” He added, “We are ecstatic to be working with Rick in aggressively promoting his brilliant catalog to traditional and new media and shining a light on his incredible legacy of work.”

SPIRIT SONGS POISN'D

[ Jun 05, 2007 ]

Poison, the California rockers best known for such hits as “Talk Dirty To Me”, “Fallen Angel” and “Every Rose Has Its Thorn”, has covered two Spirit songs – Alice Cooper’s “I Never Cry” and the Marshall Tucker Band’s “Can’t You See” - on their new CD Poison’d.

The collection of classic covers was released by Capitol Records today.

Charlie Musselwhite at Blues Music Awards

[ May 14, 2007 ]

The Blues Foundation had its 28th Annual Blues Music Awards in Memphis on May 10th. This year, the big winner was Charlie Musselwhite who took home four of the five awards he was nominated for including Album of the Year ("Delta Hardware"), Song of the Year ("Church Is Out"), Traditional Blues Album of the Year ("Delta Hardware") and Best Instrumentalist (Harmonica Category).

This is the same organization that last year honored R&B legend and Spirit writer Bobby Robinson by inducting him into the Blues Music Hall of Fame.

Michael Corda Swings to Spirit

[ Apr 04, 2007 ]

Michael Corda, a composer who helped define the ‘swinging 60s’ sound, has joined the Spirit Music family.

Best known for such songs as “Let’s Make The Most of a Beautiful Thing”, “You Perfect Stranger” and “Lover of the Simple Things”, the Las Vegas-based songwriter racked up a non-stop string of cuts through the 60s and 70s with such acclaimed artists as Nancy Wilson, Joe Williams, Robert Goulet and Wes Montgomery. In his heyday, he became the go-to guy to write defining songs for regulars on the Vegas scene, penning songs for Sammy Davis, Johnny Crescenzo and Wayne Newton. The Crescenzo rendition of Michael’s “In Las Vegas” still reigns as the town’s unofficial theme song.

Michael’s catalog, which Spirit will represent exclusively for the world, also includes his earliest cuts with rock and roll pioneers Bill Haley & The Comets as well as the fruits of a series of collaborations with such vaunted songwriters as Johnny Mercer (“Bittersweet”), Paul Francis Webster (“Green Years of Love”) and Johnny Burke (“Here She Is”).

At 86, Michael continues to write songs and can be found on weekends playing his and others’ hits at Charlie Palmer Steakouse in Vegas’ Four Seasons Hotel.

Mooney Suzuki and DKNY Jeans

[ Mar 06, 2007 ]

The Mooney Suzuki has scored the spring version of the DKNY Jeans website. When entering the site, viewers will hear original music created specifically for DKNY, to reflect the urban energy of brand and New York City. A band native to the city and on the verge of a new record release, The Mooney Suzuki is a perfect fit for DKNY's vibe.

DKNY commissions a different band to score the website each season. Spirit's Ambulance LTD recently did the score for the winter season.

To read an interview with Sammy James Jr. and find out more about DKNY, check out www.dknyjeans.com

Velvet Underground voted Top NYC Musicians

[ Mar 02, 2007 ]

The latest issue of Time Out New York ranked the top 50 musicians from New York City. Spirit is proud to announce that the number 1 spot was given to Lou Reed's "The Velvet Underground." Quoted as "the ultimate NYC band," The Velvet Underground and all of Lou Reed's works are administered by Spirit.

Mooney Suzuki on Tour

[ Feb 27, 2007 ]

The Mooney Suzuki, currently finishing their headlining tour, is heading out again in March with Albert Hammond Jr.

The band is preparing for a spring release of their long-awaited 4th album "Have Mercy."

To hear some of the new stuff and a complete list of tour dates, visit the band's Myspace page at www.myspace.com/themooneysuzuki

Lumidee on the charts!

[ Feb 26, 2007 ]

Spirit Music writer/artist Lumidee is back on the charts with her first single for TVT: a cover of “She’s Like the Wind” Featuring Tony Sunshine. Lumi’s album, which features guest features and production from Snoop Dogg, Wyclef Jean, Shaggy and Pitbull is set for worldwide release later this spring.

Grateful Dead receives lifetime achievement award

[ Dec 21, 2006 ]

Spirit Music is proud to announce The Grateful Dead will be receiving a lifetime achievement award at the 2007 Grammy's. Some other recipients of this award include The Doors and Joan Baez. Spirit represents the Grateful Dead catalog for film and television. Formal acknowledgement of the award will be made at the Grammy Awards ceremony on February 11th on CBS.

Curtis Richardson Lands #3 Single in Japan!

[ Dec 19, 2006 ]

Spirit Music congratulates Songwriter/Producer Curtis Richardson on his recent cut, "Cherry Girl" by Kumi Koda (Avex) which has just debuted at #3 on the Japanese Oricon Charts. The song, which was co-written and co-produced by Richardson and placed by Spirit Music’s Yuko Yasumoto, is currently featured in a nationwide mobile phone commercial for Softbank and is also the theme to the J-Pop star's new soap opera. It is scheduled for release again later this month on Kumi Koda's next full length album, "Black Cherry."

Drake Bell Joins Spirit

[ Dec 01, 2006 ]

Spirit Music Group is pleased to announce the signing of an exclusive, worldwide administration agreement with songwriter/artist Drake Bell and his co-writers Michael Corcoran and Chris Abraham.

Co-star of Nickelodeon’s wildly popular teen sitcom Drake & Josh, Bell will release his major label debut on Universal Records December 5. The multi-year agreement covers all songs written by the trio on the forthcoming CD, “It’s Only Time”, a prior independent release entitled “Telegraph”, and all songs composed for Drake & Josh, including the show’s theme “Find A Way”.

According to Spirit President Mark Fried, who has been working closely with Drake’s managers and label on the album launch, “While Drake is best known at the moment for his popular acting roles, we’re convinced this new CD will bring him similar credibility as a songwriter and artist. Drake, Michael and Chris have created new music that owes as much to the Beatles, Beach Boys and Queen as any modern influence and it’s going to turn a lot of heads around.”

Spirit Music in “Best Feature” Nominees

[ Nov 28, 2006 ]

Spirit Music Group is pleased to have music in some of this year’s most influential independent pictures. Spirit songs appear in two of the five films nominated for Best Feature in the 2007 Film Independent Spirit Awards. The films, Little Miss Sunshine and Half Nelson, also have the highest amount of nominations in all categories. Half Nelson features the Marshall Tucker Band classic “Can’t You See” while Little Miss Sunshine includes the widely adored beauty pageant theme “There She Is Miss America”. The Film Independent Spirit Awards have become the premier awards event among the independent film community.

Spirit Music in Billboard Magazine

[ Oct 21, 2006 ]

MAKING THE BRAND: URBAN ENERGY
Ambulance Ltd. Frontman Gives DKNY Site A New York Groove
BY MICHAEL PAOLETTA

Several days ago, a friend suggested I log on to the newly launched DKNY Jeans Web site. My friend was confident that I would be pleased by what I would see—and hear. He was right. Hip fashions and cool street scenes from New York are complemented by lush, groovy music created by Ambulance Ltd. frontman Marcus Congleton.

According to Congleton, who owns his publishing (Impervious Music), there was no hesitation on his part to write and produce three original tracks for the fashion brand. "Music for specific things, not for Ambulance Ltd., interests me," he says. In fact, recent conversations with Peter Shane, senior director of creative at Spirit Music Group, which administers Congleton's publishing, have focused on film and TV work, Congleton says. "With DKNY, I'm getting my feet wet in this area."

For this project, Congleton was given free creative reign, with one stipulation from the folks at DKNY: The music had to express the urban energy of the brand and the city it represents. Congleton wholly acknowledges that he is "not the poster boy for New York attitude," but he was confident that he could create "pretty and interesting music to capture that sensibility." Mission accomplished.

While Congleton's getting his feet wet, DKNY Jeans is getting exclusive content, which it has licensed from Spirit and Ambulance Ltd.'s label, TVT Records, for three years. "Both sides win," Shane says. "The music strengthens DKNY's lifestyle brand, while DKNY opens Marcus up to a new audience."

DKNY Jeans marketing director Michelle Ryan concurs. "This site educates consumers on what our brand has to offer, while creating a community," she says. "It also educates consumers about cool, new sounds from Ambulance Ltd."

Ryan and her DKNY colleagues view the noncommerce site as 100% lifestyle branding. "The music, imaging and essence of the site need to be as hip and edgy as the brand," Ryan explains. "We want to keep people on the site as long as possible."

Those logging on to dknyjeans.com experience Ambulance Ltd.'s music from the get-go. The three featured tracks are available as free MP3 downloads, and a couple of Ambulance Ltd. videos can be streamed. The site also features an interview with Congleton, a profile of the band and a link to its Web site.

For her part, Christina Zafiris, senior director of new media and strategic marketing at TVT, is overseeing the marketing and promotional tie-ins between the band's and DKNY's respective Web sites. "We're letting Ambulance Ltd. fans know that they can hear new music from the act at the DKNY Jeans site," Zafiris says. "It's important for an act like Ambulance Ltd. to stay in touch with fans, especially when it is between albums."

This is not lost on Ambulance Ltd. manager Veronica Gretton, who says the DKNY offer came forward at the right time—just as the act had finished touring and just as its first album had run its course. "The DKNY project ended up opening Marcus' creative floodgates," Gretton says.

After completing the tour, she recalls that Congleton had five new songs under his belt. Fast forward to the completion of his work with DKNY, and he had 23 new songs. "The DKNY project got him back into songwriting," Gretton notes.

Congleton's newfound creativity coincided with a move, in June, from New York to Los Angeles. The new songs are forming the foundation for the next Ambulance Ltd. album, with John Cale producing. Congleton says the album is "more like a solo project" since "the guys from the last album are not on this one." He also says it will not be as guitar-heavy or dreamy as past Ambulance Ltd. projects

Spirit Music Produces Top Album in Japan

[ Oct 10, 2006 ]

Spirit Music would like to congratulate Universal Japan Recording Artist AI on the chart-topping release of her new album "What's Goin' On A.I." The album, released last week, debuted at #2 on the Japanese Sales Charts and featured production, remixing and songwriting by a number of Spirit songwriters and affiliated producers including D/R Period ("Beautiful" with Trey Songz & "We Gonna") Coptic ("Beautiful" Remix), The Orange Factory ("Too Much" Remix With Rain) and The Insomniax ("Ooh.") Spirit Music has also placed songs on upcoming Japanese projects including Crystal Kay (Sony) and Kumi Koda (Avex.)

GRATEFUL DEAD SONGS COME ALIVE AT SPIRIT

[ Sep 21, 2006 ]

We are proud to announce the signing of an exclusive three-year deal to represent the songs of the Grateful Dead for synchronization into film, television and new media.

The agreement, which covers virtually all songs written by the group as well as long-time lyricist Robert Hunter via their company Ice Nine Publishing Co., is the first-ever formal association of this kind for the iconic American band.

Alan Trist, longtime manager of Ice Nine, will continue to oversee day-to-day activity for the catalog.

"The Grateful Dead are one of the most adored bands on the planet" said Spirit President Mark Fried, "yet many people are not fully aware how deep and brilliant their song catalog is". He continued, "We are humbled and inspired to work with the Grateful Dead to connect their remarkable collection of songs with interesting and appropriate media projects."

Ambulance works with DKNY

[ Sep 20, 2006 ]

Spirit's Ambulance LTD recently coupled with DKNY JEANS in the brand's launch of their new website. The site acts as an on-line magazine to visitors by introducing them to the world of DKNY JEANS.

In keeping with the brand's focus on all things music related, DKNY JEANS is featuring a website score created by Ambulance Ltd. The music was entirely created for and inspired by the urban energy of the brand, and New York, the city it represents. Ambulance is the premiere band for the website, as a new band will be commisioned for each season.

You can check out the music, fashion and an interview with Marcus at www.DKNYJeans.com

Spirit Music Signs Coptic

[ Sep 15, 2006 ]

Spirit Music is proud to announce the signing of Eric "Coptic" Matlock to a long-term publishing agreement covering both his existing catalog of works as well as future songs.

Brooklyn based producer Eric "Coptic" Matlock was born and raised in Ghana where his early influences ranged from Bob Marley to Madonna. During his career in the music industry Coptic has been a staple in the Bad Boy Records family--producing records for Notorious B.I.G, Ma$e, Black Rob, G.Dep, and Diddy himself.

Coptic scored his first Billboard Hot 100 #1 producing Diddy's "I Need a Girl" (Part 1) Featuring Usher and Loon and was recently a featured producer on "B.I.G Duets: The Final Chapter" with his track "Wake Up" featuring Korn.

Outside of Bad Boy, Coptic has also worked with artists such as Jermaine Dupri, Goodie Mob, and Memphis Bleek. He's also recently taken his production skills to Japan producing a song for Avex's Lisa as well as remixing a song on the upcoming release of Def Jam Japan's multi-platinum artist AI featuring Trey Songz.

Coptic is also producing a series of critically acclaimed mixtapes including the recent "Red, Gold & Green Album" -- a mash-up of Jay-Z's "Black Album" with classic Reggae songs by artists such as Bob Marley, Shabba Ranks and Tenor Saw.

Spirit Wins at BMI Awards!

[ Aug 30, 2006 ]

On Wednesday, August 30, 2006 Spirit Music was one of the winning publishers at the 6th Annual BMI Urban Awards for "Lose Control" as performed by Missy Elliot Featuring Ciara and Fatman Scoop. The song, which was co-authored by Spirit's Curtis Hudson, topped the Billboard Charts in 2005 and was one of BMI's most performed songs of the past year. On hand with Hudson to accept the award on Spirit's behalf was Senior Director, A&R, Justin Kalifowitz.

Scissor Sisters Get "Single of the Week" Honors!

[ Aug 28, 2006 ]

Congratulations to Spirit Music Writer/Artists Scissor Sisters on once again taking the UK by storm. The track, I Don't Feel Like Dancin has reached the #1 spot on the UK Airplay Charts and was just named Single of the Week by Music Week. Co-written by Scissor Sisters' Jake Shears and Babydaddy with Sir Elton John, this is the first single off their highly anticipated sophomore album Ta-dah due out in late September and the first follow up to their 3.3 million selling self-titled debut.

Spirit Signs Deal With Charles Mingus Heir

[ Aug 07, 2006 ]

Spirit Music Group is proud to announce the signing of a multi-year North American publishing administration deal for the catalog of the late jazz Icon Charles Mingus, via a deal with his son Charles Mingus III.

The deal includes Mingus IIIís rights to the entire Mingus catalog, a body of work reflecting four decades of groundbreaking composing and musicianship, including such jazz standards as ìEcclusiasticsî, ìBetter Git It In Your Soulî, ìPithecanthropus Erectusî, ìHaitian Fight Soingî and ìCumbia And Jazz Fusionî.

Mingus is regularly acknowledged as one of the leading names in mid-20th century jazz. Mastering the upright bass at a young age, he went on the road in the 40ís with a list of accomplished jazzers from Louis Armstrong to Lionel Hampton. By the early 50ís, heíd moved to New York where his reputation as both a player and a writer grew during stints with the bands of Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and Bud Powell. The 1956 release of Pithecanthropus Erectus on Atlantic was the first of a series of recordings exploring the range of free jazz, a relatively new form featuring fast-shifting rhythms and unique harmonies. While Mingus hit a creative lull in the 60ís, when music and culture underwent a seismic shift, he came back with a vengeance in the mid-70ís, introducing a new young quintet and a more mature take on free jazz including the influence of global music. His music became even more powerful following his death in the late-70ís, as a dedicated repertory group became the acclaimed Mingus Big Band, performing his classic works all over the world and several boxed sets have been released chronicling his prolific and challenging body of work.

Spirit is honored to represent so esteemed a catalog and looks forward to exploring multiple avenues ñ from inspiring young jazz artists to respectfully interpret Mingus pieces to coordinating new compilation and tribute CDís to licensing his work into appropriate Film, Television, Advertising and New Media projects.

Sugarmusic Joins Spirit Family

[ Jul 10, 2006 ]

Sugarmusic, the largest independent music publisher in Italy, has signed an exclusive sub-publishing agreement with Spirit Music.

The third-generation family-owned publisher has amassed a treasure trove of hits dating from the 1930's to present day. The 60,000 song catalog spans a wide variety of genres from local and global standards to pop, rock and disco/dance.

Sugarmusicís best known Italian titles include hits by vocalists Carlo Buti, Johnny Dorelli, Caterina Caselli, Paolo Conte and rockers Raf and I Pooh. Among its best known global hits are the works of Umberto Tozzi, including ìTi Amoî as well as Laura Branigan smashes ìGloriaî and ìSelf Controlî and tracks by Giorgio Moroder. The company also brings the complete catalog of international superstar Andrea Bocelli, whose CDís are perennial Top 10's. His most recent Sugar/Universal release, ìAmoreî, remains at the top of the charts here and abroad.

Sugarmusic also owns and operates one of Italyís most successful independent record labels, responsible for Bocelliís work as well as such recent successes as Elisa, Negramaro and Piccola Orchestra Avion Travel.

Spirit staff have launched an aggressive campaign to introduce the extensive Sugarmusic catalog to Film, Television and Advertising creatives and are working closely with Sugar and Universal Records personnel promoting current and classic Bocelli tracks.

New Mooney Suzuki Album!

[ Jun 08, 2006 ]

The Mooney Suzuki have completed 15 new tracks in the studio with producers Kevin Salem and Niko Bolas (fresh off of producing Neil Young's "Living with War"). The new album, which will be released on the band's new label, V2, also features the return of original drummer Will Rockwell-Scott from the band's first two albums: "People Get Ready" and "Electric Sweat". More details to follow!