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In a statement on Monday, UMG said the deal
also covered the rights to all recordings from Diamond's 60-year
career, including 110 unreleased tracks, an unreleased album and
archival long form videos. It said it would record and release
Diamond’s future music if he returned to the studio.
UMG did not disclose financial details for the deal.
Diamond, who has sold more than 130 million albums making him
one of the best-selling artists in the world, has worked with
Universal Music Publishing Group since 2014 with the company
acting as his publishing administrator.
"After nearly a decade in business with UMG, I am thankful for
the trust and respect that we have built together," Diamond, 81,
said in a statement.
"I feel confident in the knowledge that...the global team at UMG
will continue to represent my catalogue and future releases with
the same passion and integrity that have always fuelled my
career."
The deal merges Diamond's early Bang and post-1972 recordings
with those he made with UMG’s MCA Records between 1968 and 1972,
when he put out tracks like "Holly Holy" and "Sweet Caroline", a
still hugely popular song decades later and anthem at many
sports games.
Since 2013, Diamond has a recording agreement and licensing deal
with UMG for his non-MCA recordings through its Capitol Music
Group division and Universal Music Enterprises.
"Neil Diamond is by definition, a truly universal songwriter,"
Lucian Grainge, chairman and chief executive of Universal Music
Group, said. "His immense songbook and recordings encompass some
of the most cherished and enduring songs in music history."
Brooklyn-born Diamond began his career writing for others but
found success after penning his own tracks. He has had more than
70 songs in the Billboard charts and was inducted into the
Songwriters Hall of Fame and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
In 2018, Diamond said he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s
disease and would retired from touring. Inspired by his life,
production "The Neil Diamond Musical: A Beautiful Noise" is
scheduled to open in Boston in June.
Other artists to have done rights deals for their work include
Sting, Mick Fleetwood and Bob Dylan.
(Reporting by Marie-Louise Gumuchian, editing by Ed Osmond)
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