Kobalt secures John Denver catalogue

PRESS RELEASE:

Kobalt Music Publishing has signed a new publishing deal for the catalogue of the late John Denver.

Covering all works, the deal sees Kobalt take over admin duties in the US. It was agreed with Denver’s estate, and marketing and management team.

John Denver’s Greatest Hits has gone 9x platinum in the US alone and with 14 other platinum albums he is suitably regarded as one of America’s most celebrated artists. Awarded some of the industry’s greatest accolades, including two GRAMMY awards, his longstanding career spanned four decades, recording favourites such as “Take Me Home Country Roads” and “Leaving On A Jet Plane”.

Denver was respected not only as a musician, but for his environmental and humanitarian work, which inspired his songwriting and philosophy of using music to bring people together. Awarded the NASA Medal for Public Service and serving on the Presidential Commission for World and Domestic Hunger, Denver sought to use his musical notoriety to encourage change. Taking his surname from his favourite state, Denver lived most of his life there and was named as the Poet Laureate of Colorado in 1974. His well-known “Rocky Mountain High” was declared the state song in 2007, ten years after his death.

Richard Sanders, President of Kobalt Music Group said, “We feel extremely privileged to be able to work with the Denver Estate and help bring John’s music to a new audience. His gift for songwriting sees his music continue to resonate with both new and old fans, and with record sales in the millions his legacy lives on.”

Deal maker Merril Wasserman-Serling added: “I am very excited that the Estate chose Kobalt to represent these wonderful copyrights and look forward to working with them, and their team, to widen interest in John and his music.”

Brian Schwartz and Amy Abrams, the John Denver Estate's management team, commented: "We're excited to be working with this forward-thinking and technologically advanced company to continue John's legacy."