BMG has purchased a 50% stake in the song rights of Primal Scream members Bobby Gillespie, Andrew Innes and the late Robert Young, as well as full neighboring rights for all three.
The deal encompasses the trio’s writers’ share from their entire catalog as a band, which spans an impressive eleven albums: from their 1987 debut Sonic Flower Groove to 2016’s Chaosmosis. The group’s biggest cuts include “Movin’ On Up,” “Loaded,” “Rocks” and “Come Together,” all of which are part of the deal.
The Scottish supergroup was founded in the ’80s by Jesus and Mary Chain drummer Gillespie, who assumed center stage as the band’s singer. After inking a deal with Creation Records, the group evolved from an indie-pop sound into the psychedelic and the electronic, with the release of their breakthrough record Screamadelica in 1991.
Another career highlight came in 1996, when Primal Scream was tapped to create the title track to the hit Danny Boyle film Trainspotting. Now, over 30 years since its release, the band will return to the stage for a special performance of Screamadelica at Wide Awake festival in London.
“Primal Scream are one of the most influential bands of the past 30 years with a cultural resonance which continues today. We are delighted to become custodians of their work,” said Alistair Norbury, BMG’s president of repertoire and marketing, U.K.
The deal is the latest in a string of rights acquisitions by BMG over the last few years, including from Mick Fleetwood, Tina Turner, ZZ Top and Mötley Crüe. In its announcement, the company claims Primal Scream is the first U.K. artist of its generation to strike this kind of rights deal.
