Lionel Richie has inked an exclusive publishing agreement with Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG), it was announced today (Nov. 4). This new relationship with the world’s second largest music publisher will include some of Richie’s most iconic songs, like “All Night Long,” “Hello,” “Lady,” and “Dancing On the Ceiling,” among others.
It also sees Richie’s publishing and records united under the Universal Music Group (UMG) umbrella after a six-year stint with Kobalt Music Publishing, a relationship first announced in September 2015. Richie remains in contract with Capitol Records for his master recordings.
Jody Gerson, the chairman and CEO of UMPG, says, “I am thrilled that Lionel Richie has chosen UMPG to take care of his song catalogue. I have known Lionel personally for years and have always wanted to be his publisher. I am so happy the day has finally come. We will be the best publisher Lionel has ever had. My teams around the world couldn’t be more excited to work with his illustrious catalogue of hits spanning many, many decades.”
Alabama-born Lionel Richie first made his mark on music history as co-lead singer and songwriter for funk band The Commodores, one of Motown’s greatest exports. Over the course of nine studio albums from 1974’s Machine Gun to 1988’s Rock Solid, Richie penned career-defining hits like “Easy” and “Three Times A Lady,” both of which cracked the top 5 of Billboard’s Hot 100 chart at their peak.
By 1982, he was making hits for himself, launching his solo career with a self-titled solo album. Today, he’s one of music’s most decorated veterans, earning 32 Grammy nominations and eight total wins. Since establishing himself as one of the eighties’ greatest crooners, Richie has also been a judge on American Idol, held residencies in Las Vegas, and headlined festivals like Bonnaroo, Outside Lands and Glastonbury — drawing the festival’s largest crowd to date with more than 200,000 audience members.
“Having partnered with Universal Music as recording artist for almost my entire career, joining the UMPG family as a songwriter feels like coming home.” Richie explained. “With their outstanding global team, I know my songs are in the best hands and I’m excited for what we can accomplish together.”
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