BMG Acquires Hal David, John Lee Hooker & ARC Music’s Full Publishing Catalogs
Categoria: Musica
The acquisition completes a transaction that first got underway in 2016.
Por Billboard | 13/07/2026
BMG has acquired the remaining interests in the publishing catalogs of Burt Bacharach collaborator Hal David , late blues legend John Lee Hooker and ARC Music, the company announced on Monday (July 13). BMG had been administering ARC Music’s catalog since 2010, when the company partnered with Fuji Music Group. It acquired a majority stake in the catalog in 2016. In 2022, BMG and Fuji jointly purchased the music publishing catalog of Hooker, including such classic tunes as “Boom Boom,” “One Scotch, One Beer” and “Boogie Chillen’.” Related BMG Goes ‘Boom Boom,’ Acquires John Lee Hooker Music Assets DJ Quik Says His Son 'Made a Mistake' Following Murder Conviction, Pleads With Fans to Stop Asking About It Naoshi Fujikura of Universal Music Japan on Japan's Unique Superfan Culture & Global Ambitions: Billboard Global Power Players Interview In that 2022 transaction, BMG also individually purchased Hooker’s recorded master royalties and certain recorded masters spanning from 1980’s Alone Vol. 1 to 2020’s Black Night Is Falling . The acquisition of ARC Music’s catalog brings songs by Chuck Berry, Etta James, Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters and more into BMG’s portfolio. “The musical catalogs of Hal David, John Lee Hooker and ARC Music are cornerstones of modern music,” Monti Olson , BMG’s executive vp and head of publishing, North America, said in a statement. “Their timeless melodies and lyrics continue to resonate across generations and in pop culture around the world. Completing our ownership of these catalogs further strengthens BMG’s position as a home for some of the most significant works in American music history, ensuring these songs continue to be protected and introduced to new audiences for generations to come.” Hooker is widely recognized as one of the grandfathers of pop music. Artists including Bonnie Raitt, Van Morrison, the Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Bruce Springsteen, Carlos Santana and ZZ Top have cited Hooker’s rich, sonorous voice and brooding rhythmic guitar as an influence on their music. Hooker’s longest-lasting hit, “Boom Boom,” peaked on the Hot 100 at No. 60 back in 1962; however, the song was popularized over the years through synch licensing deals and is immortalized by San Francisco blues club the Boom Boom Room. Hooker created several other blues standards, including “Crawlin’ King Snake” and “I’m in the Mood.” He had a crossover hit in 1970 with the album “Hooker ‘n’ Heat,” a collaboration with Canned Heat. The late blues icon died in 2001 of natural causes. He was believed to be between 83 and 88 years old.