One Media iP Group has made one of its most significant music acquisitions to date, closing a deal for the majority catalogue of the late country music star Don Williams.
The deal covers Williams’ 1970s and ‘80s output, during which time he delivered a series of US hits. In 1975, The Who’s Pete Townshend covered Till The Rivers All Run Dry with Ronnie Lane. The 1978 hit Tulsa Time was a regular in Eric Clapton’s live set.
One Media iP Group CEO Michael Infante said: “There has been a steady rise in the popularity of country music in the UK and Europe, with events such as the Country 2 Country festival, which have drawn in huge crowds in recent years. Don Williams – like Johnny Cash – is revered by younger artists, which has in turn fed through to a new generation of fans. In life he was known as the Gentle Giant… and in his musical legacy we believe we have a Sleeping Giant, as fans of all generations are drawn to his timeless music.”
The deal was completed through One Media’s Harmony iP scheme, which will make use of the firm’s advanced Technical Copyright Analysis Tool (TCAT), which utilises AI software to monitor streams across digital music platforms such as Spotify, Amazon and iTunes.
TCAT also identifies unauthorised use of copyrights, patrolling over 600 digital music stores across the world. Any unauthorised plays can be identified dating back up to six years and lost royalties can be recovered.
The deal completes a successful round of acquisitions from One Media iP Group. In January, the firm acquired the producer royalty share of Take That’s early hits. In May, ‘80s pop star Kid Creole And The Coconuts signed a deal for his 250-song catalogue.
In June, record producers Steve Levine (Culture Club) and Barry Blue (Heatwave) partnered with One Media on its TCAT technology to help monitor and protect their works.
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