Legendary bassist, singer and songwriter Bootsy Collins has signed a long-term administration agreement with EMI Music Publishing, joining a roster of hit-making songwriters that includes: Beyoncé, James Blunt, Duffy, Norah Jones, Alicia Keys, Pink, Kanye West, Pharrell Williams, and Amy Winehouse.
Collins, who was a pioneer of the funk movement, has co-written a string of R&B chart hits including, “I’d Rather Be With You,” “Flash Light,” “Stretchin’ Out (In A Rubber Band),” “The Pinocchio Theory,” and “Bootzilla.”
Always representing the “funk,” Collins addressed the significance of his new deal with the publishing giant, stating: “It’s time, 2009, time to go back to the strong brew, that’s one of a kind, the only music publishing institution that’s as strong as moonshine, and smooth like vintage wine. If this is what it takes then I have committed the crime, yeah I signed, and we gone blow the music world’s funkin’ mind.”
EMI Music Publishing President of West Coast Creative Big Jon Platt also commented on the signing, saying: “To work with Bootsy is something music publishers dream of. His work, whether with his own bands or with James Brown and Parliament-Funkadelic, continues to inspire and impact music in exciting and powerful ways. We are honored to help make sure the force and influence of Bootsy’s music remains in the forefront of music culture.”
Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997, Collins’ extensive funk and R&B song catalog will be represented and marketed by EMI Music Publishing on a worldwide basis.
EMI Music Publishing owns more than one million copyrights, including some of the most popular known songs, 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.”
