Duran Duran have signed a new deal with Warner Chappell which will see the publisher administer most of the band's post-1986 songs catalogue on a worldwide basis.
Confirming the deal, the Warner publishing firm's co-Chairs Carianne Marshall and Guy Moot sang out in perfect harmony, to the tune of 'Rio': "Duran Duran redefined the modern pop landscape in the 1980s and, over the past four decades, they've remained endlessly creative, continuing to evolve and reinvent themselves".
Following a sneaky key change, they sang on: "As brilliant songwriters and visual pioneers, the band's distinctive, original approach has continued to influence successive generations of artists, even as they have continued to raise the bar. All of us at Warner Chappell are immensely pleased that Duran Duran has chosen Warner Chappell as their new publishing home, and we welcome Roger, Simon, Nick, and John into the family".
They're talking about Roger Taylor, Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes and John Taylor there, of course. Nice of them not to go with the frontman first in the list, isn't it? There'll be letting the bassist do the quote next.
No, not really! "We worked with both Carianne and Guy before they joined Warner Chappell", says Le Bon, "and we have long admired the kind of creative approach they bring to publishing. We are very much looking forward to this new partnership and to a successful future together for our catalogue".
Before Warner/Chappell, Moot was at Sony/ATV, which still controls the band's pre-1986 catalogue, including in the US. That latter point is somewhat controversial, of course, because Duran Duran reckon they should be able to employ the termination right under US copyright law and get the American rights in those songs back.
Moot's former employer argues that the termination right doesn't apply to British publishing contracts. That argument prevailed in a court battle in London, but the band quickly began appeal proceedings in what has become something of a test case on this point.