hitsdailydouble.com
Sheer Publishing, a division of Downtown Music Services and the largest independent pubco in Africa, has inked a global deal with the estate of the late Johnny Clegg to administer his catalogue.
Spanning more than four decades, the South African singer/songwriter’s catalogue includes music from when he began mastering African traditional music, to the formation of Juluka, Savuka and the past 23 years as a solo artist.
Additionally, Sheer will administer Clegg’s royalties for his family, who own the rights.
“Clegg’s music has been one of the biggest cultural exports in our lifetimes,” said Sheer Publishing Founder/Managing Director David Alexander. “We are grateful to be the caretakers of his legacy for a new generation of African music fans.”
“Johnny Clegg is not only one of the greatest South African singer-songwriters of recent times but his work as an anti-apartheid activist, plus his support for the indigenous people of South Africa has been instrumental in showing the power of music to create significant change” added DMS Global President Mike Smith.
Hilton Rosenthal, who has looked after Clegg’s Juluka and Savuka publishing since 1979, said “Downtown Music Services has built a great team and technology that will enable us to maximise opportunities for Johnny’s incredible catalogue of works throughout the world.
The Clegg family added, “We look forward to this special collaboration that will celebrate and expand on the great legacy that Johnny Clegg left behind.”
Source: https://hitsdailydouble.com/pub_crawling&id=329342&title=JOHNY-CLEGG%27S-CATALOGUE-HEADS-TO-SHEER
digitalmusicnews.com
Downtown Music Services, via its Randburg, Gauteng-headquartered Sheer Publishing subsidiary, has officially inked a “global publishing agreement” covering the catalog of South African singer-songwriter Johnny Clegg.
Downtown unveiled its deal with the estate of Lancashire-born Johnny Clegg, who passed away in 2019, via a formal release this morning. The Juluka founder Clegg’s family members “ultimately own the rights” to his extensive catalog, the announcement message emphasizes amid an ongoing IP-sales boom, but 25-year-old Sheer Publishing is poised to “administer the music icon’s royalties” moving forward.
The text doesn’t disclose the administration pact’s length or financial specifics, but the contract between the Clegg estate and Sheer (which Downtown bought in May of 2020) arrived “after months of trying to find the right people to administer this significant body of work” on the part of Clegg’s family. Worth noting is that Johnny’s son Jesse late last month released a track entitled “Waiting on the Outcome.”
A vocal anti-apartheid activist, Johnny Clegg, and his fellow Juluka members released their debut album, Universal Men, in 1979. The work, including domestically popular tracks such as “Africa” and “Deliwe,” was followed by 1981’s African Litany, 1982’s Ubuhle Bemvelo, and a number of other albums (studio, compilation, and live), concluding with 1997’s Crocodile Love.
Additionally, Johnny Clegg – whose memoir, Scatterling of Africa, released last month – formed Savuka in 1986, and the group’s Grammy-winning studio albums encompass well-known songs like “Asimbonanga (Mandela)” and “Great Heart,” which Jimmy Buffett subsequently covered. Clegg also released solo projects including New World Survivor (2002) and One Life (2006), to name some.
Addressing his company’s latest administration deal in a statement, Downtown Music Services global president Mike Smith said: “Johnny Clegg is not only one of the greatest South African singer-songwriters of recent times but his work as an anti-apartheid activist, plus his support for the indigenous people of South Africa has been instrumental in showing the power of music to create significant change.
“The fact that his band was the first multi-racial group in the time of apartheid underlines his importance of direct action in bringing the apartheid to a close,” finished the former Warner Chappell managing director Smith.
More broadly, the contract between Johnny Clegg’s estate and Downtown arrives as Africa’s music industry is experiencing considerable growth, with streaming services and the major labels working to bolster their presence on the continent of about 1.22 billion people.
Spotify last week expanded into Libya, the Republic of the Congo, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, for instance, whereas TikTok began paying South African musicians and songwriters back in April. Apple Music and Deezer are likewise taking steps to establish a foothold in Africa.
Source: https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2021/11/22/johnny-clegg-estate-downtown-deal/
creativeindustriesnews.com
recordoftheday.com
Sheer Publishing entrusted to “create a new generation of fans.”
Johnny Clegg may no longer be with us, but his legacy lives on through his music. With a catalogue that spans more than four decades of groundbreaking music, Clegg still stands tall on the world stage. After months of trying to find the right people to administer this significant body of work, the Clegg family have finally entrusted the task to Sheer Publishing, the largest independent Music Publisher in Africa and a division of Downtown Music Services (DMS).
From the time he began mastering Zulu music as a teenager to the formation of Juluka, Savuka and the past 23 years as a solo artist, Clegg’s success has made him one of the world’s greatest musicians. Clegg’s mixing of English lyrics with Zulu musical structures came a full decade before Paul Simon’s global breakout album, Graceland. In fact, Johnny Clegg was an integral part of the South African music fabric since before Sheer Publishing was even founded.
David Alexander, Founder and Managing Director of Sheer Publishing, elaborates, “Clegg’s music has been one of the biggest cultural exports in our lifetimes. His role in speaking truth to power has been acknowledged by many countries with many of their highest awards. He was a writer who was able to articulate the South African narrative in a way that crossed over to multiple cultures and languages and garnered support for change when we needed it most.”
It’s easy to forget how radical Clegg was. Alongside heralding a new musical form, Clegg organised live performances away from the prying eyes of police. Getting airplay on South Africa radio was near-impossible at the time, and still Clegg managed to gain a devoted fanbase and continues to do so to this very day. His music not only spans cultural boundaries, but age groups as well.
Mike Smith, Global President of DMS says, “Johnny Clegg is not only one of the greatest South African singer-songwriters of recent times but his work as an anti-apartheid activist, plus his support for the indigenous people of South Africa has been instrumental in showing the power of music to create significant change. The fact that his band was the first multi-racial group in the time of apartheid underlines his importance of direct action in bringing the apartheid to a close.”
Hilton Rosenthal, who has looked after Johnny Clegg’s Juluka and Savuka publishing since 1979 says, “Downtown Music Services has built a great team and technology that will enable us to maximise opportunities for Johnny’s incredible catalogue of works throughout the world. We are excited to see what we can build together.”
Sheer Publishing will now administer the music icon’s royalties for the Clegg family, who ultimately own the rights. Without the power of Downtown, Sheer would not have had the opportunity to work with such an esteemed musician and are extremely grateful to DMS for entrusting them with this catalogue.
Alexander says, “We are very proud to be working with music from an African music industry icon. Johnny Clegg has been synonymous with the positive side of South Africa during some of our darkest days and we are grateful to be the caretakers of his legacy for a new generation of African music fans.”
The Clegg Family added, “We are proud to be a part of the Downtown family and excited that Johnny Clegg’s catalogue is in the esteemed company of other legendary artists such as John Lennon and Miles Davis. We look forward to this special collaboration that will celebrate and expand on the great legacy that Johnny Clegg left behind.”
Mike concludes, “We are thrilled to have this opportunity to work with this remarkable catalogue of songs and we will be doing everything we can to bring them to a new generation of global music fans. We are working hard to underline Johnny’s contribution to making this world a much better place to live in.”