Paul McCartney, former Beatle and activist. (Gannett News Service, Mark Seliger)
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Kobalt Music Group Ltd., an upstart music publisher that is now one of the world's biggest, says that it will manage the copyrights of Paul McCartney's post-Beatles songs such as "Ebony and Ivory" and "Band on the Run," along with works managed by McCartney's MPL Communications outside of North America and the U.K.
The deal marks a break for McCartney from EMI, which was acquired for $2.2 billion by a group of investors led by Sony/ATV last month, forming the world's biggest music publisher.
The move ensures different managers for McCartney's Beatles and non-Beatles hits in markets not already served by MPL.
It also represents the growing popularity of Kobalt among artists.