Santa Monica, CA- Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) has signed an exclusive worldwide publishing agreement with the Grateful Dead’s company, Ice Nine, it was announced today by Evan Lamberg, President, North America. The new agreement with UMPG marks the first time in history the Grateful Dead have chosen to work with a music publisher in the US.
The administration deal covers the Grateful Dead’s entire discography including songs written by Jerry Garcia, Mickey Hart, Robert Hunter, Bill Kreutzmann, Phil Lesh, Donna Jean Godcheaux-MacKay, Ron “Pigpen” McKernan, Bob Weir and others.
“The Grateful Dead are one of the most iconic bands and songwriters of any generation. They epitomize the essence of free spirit and rock & roll, and I would consider lyricist Robert Hunter one of the greatest poets of our time,” said Lamberg. “It’s an honor that the band, and their representatives, have entrusted us with administering their entire catalog. We look forward to working with them, as well Rhino Entertainment President Mark Pinkus and his wonderful team.”
On Sept. 9, Rhino Records released the Dead’s SPRING 1990 (THE OTHER ONE), a limited edition colossal 23-disc boxed set that covers eight complete shows, previously unreleased, that were recorded in 1990. SPRING 1990 (THE OTHER ONE) boasts a staggering variety of songs. Of the 159 tracks that are spread across 23 discs, more than half are unique song titles, including the Dead’s first-ever live performance of The Band’s mournful track, “The Weight.”SPRING 1990 (THE OTHER ONE) also includes the official debut of one of the most sought-after shows in the Dead canon: the March 29, 1990 show at Nassau Coliseum, where Grammy®-winning saxophonist Branford Marsalis sat in with the group. The entire second set is one continuous highlight, especially the breathtaking version of “Dark Star.”SPRING 1990 (THE OTHER ONE) can be purchased now at Dead.net.
Their latest archival set released in May, DAVE’S PICKS VOLUME 10: THELMA, LOS ANGELES, CA: 12/12/6 (Rhino) became their highest album debut ever at No.17 on the Billboard 200.
Celebrating their 50th anniversary in 2015, the Grateful Dead have sold over 35 million albums, and achieved 20 gold and platinum albums in the U.S. alone. Though “The Dead” officially disbanded in 1995, they regularly release new live albums from their vaults to some of the most devoted fans in popular music. While the Grateful Dead enjoyed success with signature songs like “Casey Jones,” “Truckin’,” “Uncle John’s Band,” “Bertha,” “Ripple,” “Sugar Magnolia,” “Dark Star,” and “Touch of Grey” (the band’s only top 10 hit, in 1987), albums were much more important to their career than singles. The group has so far released over 140 albums, most of them concert recordings. Grateful Dead studio albums include their 1967 self-titled first album, Anthem of the Sun (1968), Aoxomoxoa (1969), Workingman’s Dead (1970), American Beauty (1970), Wake of the Flood (1973), From the Mars Hotel (1974), Blues for Allah (1975), Terrapin Station (1977), Shakedown Street (1978), Go to Heaven (1980), In the Dark (1987) and their final 1989 studio album, Built to Last.
Live albums remain some of the Grateful Dead’s most popular, often showcasing their extended, experimental jamming and improvisations, and frequently containing previously unreleased original material. Among the more well-known live albums are Live/Dead (1969), Europe ’72, Grateful Dead (Skull and Roses) (1971), History of the Grateful Dead Vol 1 (Bear’s Choice) (1973), Steal Your Face (1976) Reckoning (1981), Dead Set (1981), and Without a Net (1990).
