Jack White, the highly revered singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer, has signed a first-ever global, multi-year agreement with Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) to administer the iconic artist’s entire song catalogue.
Effective immediately, UMPG is responsible for servicing and administering White’s song catalogue with The White Stripes, The Raconteurs, The Dead Weather, his highly acclaimed chart-topping solo albums Blunderbuss and Lazaretto, as well as collaborations and future projects.
With the agreement, UMPG will work closely with White and his Third String Tunes and Peppermint Stripe Music publishing companies to develop creative and commercial outlets for his new projects and existing songs. The deal marks the first time a single publisher will administer rights around the world for White’s song catalogue.
“Jody and the entire UMPG team uphold a culture that fosters creativity. They are continually at the forefront of the industry,” said Ian Montone, founder of Monotone, Inc. and Jack White’s long time manager. “We are excited to be part of the UMPG family.”
Jody Gerson, Chairman and CEO of UMPG, said, “Jack White is a brilliant and prolific performer, songwriter and producer, whose immense artistry, talent, dedication and uncompromising approach to songwriting have found a new home at UMPG. I’m looking forward to putting the entire global resources of UMPG to work on expanding the popularity and commercial opportunities for his music. I’m thankful to my team for making this agreement a reality and for the passion, focus and meticulous care they bring every day to making UMPG a premiere destination for the world’s most successful songwriters.”
During his 20-year musical career, White has amassed 170 songwriting credits, including collaborations with Beyoncé and Alicia Keys, won 12 GRAMMY Awards and received 35 GRAMMY nominations, and has accumulated Platinum and Gold certified albums and singles. He is known as the lead singer and guitarist of the duo The White Stripes, an internationally renowned rock band. In 2006, while on hiatus with The White Stripes, White recorded Broken Boy Soldiers, his first of two albums with The Raconteurs, and in 2009, he released Horehound, the first of three albums with The Dead Weather. Solo albums Blunderbuss (2012) and Lazaretto (2014) both debuted at No. 1 in the U.S.
In addition to his celebrated music career, White is an entrepreneur and innovator who in 2009 opened Third Man Records in Nashville, a combination record store, record label, distribution center, photo studio and live venue with the world’s only direct-to-acetate recording capabilities. Recently, White founded Third Man Books, a publisher dedicated to the best in poetry, fiction and non-fiction with the same diversity, craftsmanship, and aestheticism that are the hallmarks of Third Man Records, along with Third Man Pressing, a brand new vinyl pressing plant located within Third Man Records Detroit. White, who has appeared in several films during his musical career including Coffee and Cigarettes (2003), Cold Mountain (2003), and It Might Get Loud (2008), is starring in and executive producing American Epic, the four-part television event airing on PBS in May 2017 about the roots of music in America.
