It was announced on Tuesday that Blue Raincoat Publishing signed a deal with the estate of Nick Drake to acquire the singer-songwriter’s entire back catalog of recorded music. Drake, who died in 1974 at the age of 26, only released three albums before his death: Five Leaves Left, Bryter Layter, and Pink Moon.
The deal follows similar ones inked with Neil Young, Lindsey Buckingham, and more. Established in 2019 when Blue Raincoat Music partnered with the New York-based independent music company Reservoir Media, Blue Raincoat Publishing now owns the publishing rights to Drake’s entire back catalog. While a pair of posthumous collections have been released, including the Fruit Tree box set which has been reissued a number of times, no newly-unearthed recordings have appeared since 2004’s Made to Love Magic.
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A statement from Drake’s sister, actor Gabrielle Drake, stated that though she has done her “best to protect [Drake’s] legacy” for nearly 50 years, she thought this deal was the right thing to do.
“My reward has been witnessing the burgeoning recognition of his talent but above all the ability his songs have had to help so many,” Gabrielle said in a statement. “The downside has been trying to anticipate his wishes. He was a perfectionist. He always knew exactly what he wanted for his music.
“In his utter absence I have so often agonised about what to do,” she continued. “But every now and then it is as though he nudged my elbow and said ‘this is right’. Such has been the case with Blue Raincoat. I knew, from the beginning, that they would be right for Nick – from the moment I first heard of their interest from Cally [Callomon], Nick’s manager – whose appointment was another elbow-nudge from my brother.”
This deal would now allow Blue Raincoat Publishing to license Drake’s music to a variety of media. These could include everything from advertisements to streaming services to blockbuster films. In 1999, a Volkswagen commercial using the Nick Drake song “Pink Moon” renewed public interest in his music—which was largely ignored during his brief lifetime—and delivered a large boost in sales of his music. For their part in receiving this highly-coveted collection of songs, however, Blue Raincoat Music CEO Jeremy Lascelles promises to treat it with dignity.
“There are very, very few song collections that have meant more to me over the years, and my sentiments are clearly widely shared both within and without the artistic community,” Lascelles said in a statement. “It is no mean feat to have written songs that are era defining but remain utterly timeless, but that is what Nick has left behind for us all.”
[H/TÂ NME]