BMG has inked a new deal with Keith Richards that will bring his entire solo catalog to the diversified music company.
Even Mick Jagger couldn’t pull off a solo career. But Keith Richards attempts are now part of a brand-new deal with BMG.
Richards’ solo opus is actually bigger than you might imagine. Under the newly-inked deal, four albums will join an existing publishing deal signed with BMG in 2013. There’s also a solo debut track from 1978, a cover of Chuck Berry’s “Run Rudolph Run”.
To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the release of Richards’ first solo work, a new limited edition holiday red vinyl is coming later this year. “Run Rudolph Run” is being remixed and remastered by collaborator Steve Jordan.
The limited edition record will debut on November 23rd to celebrate Record Store Day in the U.S. and Canada. The record also includes a cover of Jimmy Cliff’s “The Harder They Come,” a version of “Pressure Drop” featuring Toots & The Maytals, and a “Santa Keith” holiday card with a personalized greeting from Richards.
BMG recently re-released Richards’ solo albums digitally.
Talk Is Cheap, Main Offender, and Vintage Vinos are now available on all music streaming platforms. The new deal will allow for physical reissues of the albums with deluxe and expanded CDs and LPs, box sets, and more special projects to be announced.
Richards said he is “looking forward to working with [BMG CEO] Hartwig Masuch and everyone at BMG”.
Richards released his debut solo album Talk Is Cheap in 1988. The album achieved gold-certified status with the RIAA and established Richards’ working relationship with Jordan.
Masuch said he’s thrilled to continue building a relationship with Richards to distribute all of his solo work. “It has been a pleasure to build a relationship with Keith and his exceptional team over the past five years,” Masuch said. “It is a real honor now to extend that relationship even further to work with his classic solo releases.”
BMG says fans can expect to see more physical editions of Richards solo work in the coming months and years.
I’m sure he’s sold his catalogue for a fair price. A couple of years back Keith Richards’ people put out a brief for two music videos they wanted made: the sum total, for the lucky winner (for BOTH videos): $15,000.