In a significant coup for Universal Music Publishing Group chairman and CEO Jody Gerson, Bruce Springsteen has signed with UMPG, marking the first time a single publisher will administer the singer and songwriter’s entire catalog worldwide.
In announcing the exclusive agreement, UMPG will be tasked with developing creative and commercial opportunities for Springsteen’s song catalog, including songs from such classic albums as “Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.,” “The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle,” “Born to Run,” “Darkness on the Edge of Town,” “The River,” “Born in the U.S.A.,” and Tunnel of Love,” among others.
Said longtime Springsteen manager Jon Landau, President of Jon Landau Management: “We are thrilled to be working with Jody Gerson and her team. After forty productive years of working with the leading independents, it is now time for us to centralize Bruce’s publishing. UMPG combines putting the artist first with creating, leading, and managing the incredible changes occurring in the world of publishing. At this point in Bruce’s legendary songwriting career, they are an ideal fit.”
Springsteen works written for and covered by other artists, like Manfred Mann’s Earth Band’s “Blinded by the Light,” and Patti Smith’s “Because the Night,” will also be covered under the new UMPG deal.
“During a career spanning more than 40 years, Bruce Springsteen has amassed one of the most iconic catalogs of songs in the history of music,” said Gerson. “As an artist, his demand for excellence and his requirement for heart and passion in everything that you do is the standard for how we operate every day at UMPG. We are thrilled to put the entire global resources of our company into expanding the popularity of his music and creating exciting new fan experiences.”
