Legendary singer-songwriter Randy Newman has sold his stake in his recorded music and publishing rights to Litmus Music, a catalog acquisition company backed by private equity giant Carlyle Group.
The deal includes Newman's seminal film scores alongside his catalog of popular solo hits. Acquiring rights includes his compositions for Disney franchises such as Toy Story (“You've Got a Friend in Me”, “We Belong Together”), Monsters, Inc. (“If I didn't have you”) and The Princess and the Frog (“Almost there”), among others.
The list of non-animated films he has worked on over the decades includes; The Natural, Three Amigos, Awakenings, The paper, Unorthodox, Comedian, Pleasantville, Meet the parents, Sea biscuit and his recent pairing with director Noah Baumbach, for The Meyerowitz Stories and Marriage history.
The lifelong Angeleno, who turns 81 next month, began his career in 1968 with a self-titled solo debut, but came into his own over the next decade with a string of critically acclaimed albums, including the mature 1970 12 Songs1972 green Sail Awayprovocative of 1974 Good Old Boys and the 1977 slick Petty Criminals. His solo output slowed in the 1980s – as film work increased – but still included the pop bent of 1983 Trouble in Paradise and of 1988 with rock Land of Dreams. In 1995, a musical album based on the Faust story was released, followed by a more traditional pop-rock effort in 1999 Bad Love and then the jazz of 2008 Harps and Angels. He has also released three compilations of stripped down versions of his work under his own name The Randy Newman Songbook.
Is his catalog of solo hits, with this folk, getting cold? warble, includes 'I Love LA', 'Short People', 'It's Money That Matters', 'Feels Like Home', 'Short People', 'Baltimore' and 'It's A Jungle Out There'. Many of his songs have been collected and made hits by others, such as “Mama Told Me Not To Come” (Three Dog Night) and “You Can Leave Your Hat On” (Joe Cocker).
Newman's work ethic over the years has earned him seven Grammys, three Emmys, two Oscars, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and inductions into the Songwriters and Rock & Roll Halls of Fame.
Litmus did not disclose the financial terms of the acquisition. Launched in August 2022 with a $500 million investment from Carlyle's Global Credit Platform, Litmus has so far acquired publishing and recording rights to artists across a range of genres, including the rights to Katy Perry's first five studio albums for Capitol Records , Keith Urban's master. recordings and a publishing and performance copyright package from producer Benny Blanco.
Dan McCarrollco-founder of Litmus Music, expressed unbridled excitement about the acquisition, calling Newman a “brilliant songwriter and performer” whose work transcends generations. Hank Forsythco-founder and CEO, thanked Newman for entrusting them with his songs, which “continue to transcend time and light up movies.” And Alex Popovhead of private faith at the Carlyle, emphasized the enduring presence of Newman's music as “a staple of childhood memories and experiences for decades.”
