Sony Music Entertainment and EMI Music Publishing Strike Historic New Licensing Deal To Release Philles Records Monumental 'Wall of Sound' Catalog Through Legacy Recordings

Sony Music Entertainment and EMI Music Publishing Strike Historic New Licensing Deal To Release Philles Records Monumental 'Wall of Sound' Catalog Through Legacy Recordings

Legacy Recordings Launches Major Reissue Campaign with New Physical & Digital Release of Out-of-Print Yuletide Classic "A Christmas Gift For You" Available Tuesday, November 10

NEW YORK, Sept. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Sony Music Entertainment and EMI Music Publishing have struck an historic licensing deal to release, through Sony's Legacy Recordings, the monumental catalog of Phil Spector's Philles Records recordings from a range of artists including the Ronettes, the Crystals, Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans, Lenny Bruce and more. The new deal covers the United States, with an international roll-out to follow.

The first release under the new arrangement will be a Legacy Recordings reissue of the seminal yuletide pop classic A Christmas Gift for You, one of only 12 full-length albums to be released during the history of the Philles label. Originally released as A Christmas Gift for You from Philles Records in 1963, the album, repackaged and retitled (as "Phil Spector's Christmas Album") for the Beatles' Apple Records, rocketed to #6 on the Billboard 200 in 1972, securing its enduring reputation as the template for holiday pop music. Out of print since 2007, A Christmas Gift for You presents a repertoire of iconic seasonal sounds including the Ronette's "Sleigh Ride" and "Frosty the Snow Man" and Darlene Love's electrifying performance of "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)," a majestic pop heartbreaker written for the album by Ellie Greenwich, Jeff Barry and Phil Spector.

A Christmas Gift for You will finally be available online and in stores on Tuesday, November 10.

Plans for the Legacy/Phil Spector reissue project will include digital and physical (including CDs and vinyl 12" and 7" with replica artwork) releases of titles drawn from the original albums and singles (and b-sides) from the groundbreaking Philles Records catalog.

New compilations -- including Artist's Playlists, Best of collections, and first-ever releases of Philles studio rarities -- as well as facsimile reproductions of original singles and albums are under development under the new agreement.

All releases in the Legacy/Spector Reisssue Project will be newly remastered for the series.

Philles Records was home to one of the most readily identifiable and influential studio sounds in the history of recorded music. The label, launched in 1961 by producer/songwriter/recording artist Phil Spector (inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1989) and veteran music business executive Lester Sill, takes its name from the first names of its founders. By the time the label shuttered in 1967, eighteen Philles Records had charted on America's Top 40, a string of landmark recordings including "Uptown" (#13), "He's A Rebel," (#1), "Da Doo Ron Ron" (#3), and "Then He Kissed Me" (#6) by the Crystals and "Be My Baby" (#2) and "Baby I Love You" (#24) by the Ronettes, 2007 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees.

"There may be no pop music more iconic than 'Be My Baby' or 'Da Do Ron Ron'," said Adam Block, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Legacy Recordings. "The Philles 'Wall of Sound' is embedded in our musical DNA, the craft of these recordings, the quality of the songwriting and the power of the productions have established a standard that continues to inspire artists and musicians. The style, attitude and voices of great artists like Ronnie Spector and Darlene Love remain a presence in pop culture. We are delighted to be bringing these records to a whole new generation."

"Songs like 'And Then He Kissed Me,' 'He's A Rebel' and 'Baby, I Love You' are a vital part of American life, and we wanted to partner with a team that was as passionate about this music as we are," said Keith D'Arcy, Senior Vice President of Music Strategy at EMI Music Publishing. "Rob Santos and the team at Legacy have a deep knowledge of Philles Records history and artists, and a clear understanding of the ever-changing physical and digital landscape. I know that their expertise with packaging, liner notes and especially audio re-mastering will thrill current fans and bring new listeners to these classic songs."

About EMI Music Publishing

EMI Music Publishing represents more than 1.3 million copyrights including some of the best-known songs ever written, such as New York New York, You've Got A Friend, The James Bond Theme, Lady Marmalade, Ain't No Mountain High Enough, Always On My Mind, Over The Rainbow, I Heard It Through The Grapevine and Singin' In the Rain. Its current hit-making writers and producers include Arctic Monkeys, Beyonce, James Blunt, Duffy, Alan Jackson, Norah Jones, Alicia Keys, Panic At The Disco, Pink, Stargate, Usher, Kanye West, Pharrell Williams and Amy Winehouse.

About Legacy Recordings

The multiple Grammy-winning Legacy Recordings, Sony Music Entertainment's catalog division, produces and maintains the world's foremost catalog of historic reissues, an unparalleled compendium of thousands of digitally remastered archival titles representing virtually every musical genre including popular, rock, jazz, blues, R&B, folk, country, gospel, Broadway musicals, movie soundtracks, ethnic, world music, classical, comedy and more.

Founded in 1990 by CBS Records (rebranded Sony Music in 1991), Legacy's original mission was to preserve and reissue recordings from the extensive catalogs of Columbia Records (including ARC, Brunswick, OKeh and Vocalion), Epic Records (including Philadelphia International Records) and associated CBS labels. Following the creation of Sony BMG Music Entertainment in 2005, Legacy assumed responsibility for the preservation and ongoing availability of recordings from the archives of the BMG family of labels including RCA Records, Arista, J Records, Jive, Profile, Silvertone, Sony BMG Nashville and Windham Hill, as well as imprints including American, Bang!, CTI, Mainstream, Monument, Ode, and others.

legacyrecordings.com

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Source: Legacy Recordings

CONTACT: Tom Cording, VP of Media Relations, Sony Music - Legacy
Recordings, tom.cording@sonymusic.com, +1-212-833-4448; or Dylan Jones, EMI
Music Publishing, djones@emimusicpub.com, +1-212-492-1230

Web Site: http://legacyrecordings.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment