Universal Music acquires the catalog of “Cosmik Debris” guitarist Frank Zappa

June 30 (Reuters) – Universal Music Group (UMG.AS) announced on Thursday an agreement to acquire the catalog of music, recordings and film archives of rock guitarist and composer Frank Zappa for an undisclosed sum.

Big name artists such as Bob Dylan, Sting and Neil Diamond have recently sold their catalogs to music labels, helping them generate more revenue through licensing, brand deals and royalties. Read more

The label said its music publishing arm Universal Music Publishing Group would receive Zappa’s publishing catalog, including the “Joe’s Garage” album, the songs “Cosmik Debris” and “Uncle Remus”, among others.

Over the past decade, UMG’s global catalog company Universal Music Enterprises and The Zappa Trust have reissued many of Zappa’s iconic albums on vinyl and made its music catalog available for streaming and download.

UMG, which also represents and collects royalties for artists such as Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish and Korean pop group BTS, said in May that it expected the boom in the music streaming industry to continue. . Read more

Reporting by Akash Sriram in Bengaluru and Dawn Chmielewski; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri

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