Universal Acquires Frank Zappa’s ‘The Vault’ Recordings, Song Catalog and Complete Content Containing Over 1,000 Hours of Films and Videos
“Iconic Works and Iconic Writers. Works that have defined and moved culture.
That’s how Sir Lucian Grainge, chairman and chief executive of Universal Music Group, set out his company’s criteria for acquiring music catalogs this month.
Speaking at an NMPA event in New York, Grainge added that UMG was only interested in acquiring underlying rights with such buyouts. He clearly stated, “We don’t buy income streams.”
Those words all ring true today, as Universal Music Group announces a multi-rights, career-spanning acquisition agreement for music icon Frank Zappa’s lifetime achievement.
UMG has acquired Frank Zappa’s recordings, publishing catalog, film archives and complete contents of The Vault, the warehouse that houses the late Zappa’s work.
The acquisition also includes the name and likeness of Frank Zappa. UMG did not disclose the price of the transaction.
According to Universal, Zappa, who died of prostate cancer at the age of 52, “was a composer, a virtuoso guitarist, a songwriter, an advocate for the rights of the artist, a provocateur, an advocate for the fight against censorship, a musical pioneer and a former cultural ambassador in Czechoslovakia”. .
He was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 and received the Recording Academy’s Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award in 1997.
With the acquisition, UMG says its global catalog company Universal Music Enterprises (UMe) and Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) will now “build on the company’s already successful track record of working with the Zappa Trust to Amplify Frank Zappa’s Career”.
According to UMG, over the past decade, the Zappa Trust and UMe “have revitalized Frank Zappa’s catalog” through a stream of archival releases, vinyl reissues of his classic albums, and streaming initiatives. .
UMG says it has grown Zappa’s music streams by double-digit percentages every year and recently much of Zappa’s catalog has been made available in High-Res Audio for download and streaming for the first time. time.
On the heels of the collaboration between UMe and the Zappa Trust, and the documentary feature film by Alex Winter in 2020 Zappaof which UMe provided the soundtrack, UMG claims that “Zappa and his music have enjoyed a newfound popularity that is only growing nearly two decades after his death”.
Zappa released over 60 albums in his lifetime, both as a solo artist and with his bands, The Mothers of Invention and The Mothers.
Some of these albums include the early psychedelic rock of The Mothers Of Invention’s 1966 debut album, Pinball!more 1969 hot ratsthe 1969 version Uncle Meat and the surreal 1971 film and soundtrack, 200 motels.
In addition to these albums, some of the highlights of Zappa’s studio and live album discography include We’re only here for the money (1968), Burnt Weeny Sandwich (1970), Chunga’s Revenge (1970), Apostrophe(‘) (1974), Zoot Allures (1976), Zappa in New York (1978), Joe’s Garage (1979), Sheikh Yerbouti (1979), A ship arrives too late to save a drowning witch (1982), jazz from hell (1986) and the last album to be released during his lifetime, The yellow shark (1993).
As part of the new deal with Moon, Dweezil, Ahmet, and Diva Zappa (the Zappa Trust), Universal’s UMPG publishing division also acquires Zappa’s entire publishing catalog, including Watermelon in the Easter hay, Cosmik Debris, Peaches En Regalia, Uncle Remus, Joe’s Garage and hundreds more.
Also as part of the deal, Universal is acquiring The Vault, Zappa’s storage facility that houses more than 1,000 hours of movies and videos.
UMG notes that Zappa recorded nearly every session, rehearsal, live performance, and “even the occasional jam” in a variety of audio and video formats for nearly his entire life. Universal says it now plans to “dive into” The Vault for new archival projects.
Additionally, with Zappa’s name and likeness included in the acquisition, UMG says it will engage existing fans and new audiences worldwide with merchandise, feature films, interactive experiences, as well as tokens. non-fungible (NFT) and other new generations. Web3 projects.
News of the deal with the Zappa Trust is part of an emerging trend at Universal to enter into multi-rights acquisition deals.
In February, for example, Universal Music Group acquired iconic artist and songwriter Neil Diamond’s entire catalog of songs (through Universal Music Publishing Group), as well as the rights to all recordings from his career.
Other acquisitions made by UMG this year include a huge deal with Sting, which sold its entire catalog of songs to Universal’s publishing division UMPG in a deal according to an expert source. industry. MBW reached a final acquisition cost north of $300 million.
“UMG has more than proven its passion for Frank’s art and the entire Zappa family – Moon, Dweezil, Ahmet and Diva – are thrilled to hand over to the new stewards forever for all things Frank Zappa.”
The Zappa Trust
The Zappa Trust said: “Ten years ago, Gail Zappa partnered with UMe to bring Frank Zappa’s music into the digital age and help grow Frank Zappa’s business around the world, bringing set in motion a successful partnership that has resulted in exponential growth.
“Together, over the past decade, we’ve made Frank’s vast catalog of music available for streaming and download, reissued many of his crucial albums on vinyl, created a host of exciting archival releases and massive box sets, including a series celebrating FZ’s legendary Halloween concerts, and were nominated for a Grammy for the orchestral album 200 Motels (The Suites).
“UMG has more than proven its passion for Frank’s art and the entire Zappa family – Moon, Dweezil, Ahmet and Diva – are thrilled to hand over to the new stewards forever for all things Frank Zappa.
“Fans old and new will get more of what they want – more Frank Zappa music for years to come. Frank released his first album with Verve Records in 1966 with The Mothers Of Invention’s debut album, Freak Out!, so it’s a very complete looping moment over five decades later and we know his music and his legacy will be in the best possible hands for generations to come.”
“We will continue to develop innovative ways to celebrate his vast and influential catalog for both longtime fans and those new to his genius.”
Bruce Resnikof, UMG
UMe President and CEO Bruce Resnikoff said, “It has been a privilege to work with the Zappa family to bring Frank Zappa’s music to the world, expand his audience and protect his legacy at course of the last decade.
“Zappa was a pioneering and visionary artist who created incredible work and we are incredibly proud that Gail, and now her children, have entrusted her important legacy to us.
“We will continue to develop innovative ways to celebrate his vast and influential catalog for both longtime fans and those new to his genius.
“As a prolific artist well ahead of his time, Frank Zappa was constantly creating and recording and he left a treasure trove of extraordinary, yet unreleased music and videos in his vault that will help us usher in the next era of fans of Frank Zappa.”
“We are honored to welcome Zappa’s catalog of influential songs and that his estate has chosen UMG to champion his artistry and develop his immense legacy around the world.”
Marc Cimino, Universal Music Publishing Group
Marc Cimino, COO of Universal Music Publishing Group, said, “A powerful voice in music and culture, Frank Zappa was one of the most brilliant artists of his time.
“We are honored to welcome Zappa’s catalog of influential songs and that his estate has chosen UMG to champion his artistry and develop his immense legacy around the world.”
After Zappa’s death in 1993, there were over 60 posthumous releases, starting with those in 1994. Civilization Phase III and extending from Zappa’s last album completed before his death, Dance me thatreleased in 2015 as his 100th album, to expanded multi-disc box sets for albums such as 200 Motels, Hot Rats, Orchestral Favorites, Zappa in New Yorkplus super deluxe editions of his legendary Halloween concerts, complete with costumes, and other live favorites like The Roxy Performances.
Recent versions include Zappa ’88: America’s Last Showa box titled The Mothers 1971, which celebrates Zappa’s lineups in 1971, and Zappa/Erie, a six-disc collection of previously unreleased concerts performed in Erie, Pennsylvania and surrounding areas between 1974 and 1976.
In 2012, Zappa Records and the Zappa Trust – run by his widow, Gail Zappa – made Zappa’s entire recorded catalog available digitally for the first time through a partnership with UMe, with half of the albums remastered from the original analog sources and the remaining albums. retransferred and prepared from the original digital tapes for CD, streaming and download.
Many albums have also been remastered for reissue on vinyl.
Soon after, the Zappa Trust struck a deal with UMe for a worldwide licensing and distribution deal which saw the release of 60 of Zappa’s recordings.
In 2015, they partnered on a long-term worldwide licensing agreement for Zappa’s entire registered catalog, as well as participating in the management of the rights to the rest of Zappa’s work.
The partnership grew into an expansive license with UMe President and CEO Bruce Resnikoff and UMe, which also includes new product releases, brand licensing, film and theatrical productions.
To date, there have been 122 official Zappa releases, however, according to UMG, this “only scratches the surface of what the future holds as it only represents a small fraction of the records in the vast vault. -fort of Zappa which have been made public”.The music industry around the world
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