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PRIMARY WAVE MUSIC ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP WITH THE ESTATE OF BING CROSBY!

October 11th, 2021

AS PART OF THIS NEW DEAL WITH THE ESTATE, PRIMARY WAVE MUSIC HAS ACQUIRED A STAKE IN THE SINGER AND ACTOR’S PUBLISHING, MASTER RECORDING, FILM AND TELEVISION, NAME, LIKENESS, AND BRAND RIGHTS, AS WELL AS ARCHIVE OF OWNED MATERIALS

SONGS INCLUDE “WHITE CHRISTMAS,” “WINTER WONDERLAND,” “HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS,” “THE LITTLE DRUMMER BOY” AND MORE

“Today he is a kind of a national institution.”
– Life Magazine, 1945

NEW YORK, N.Y. (October 11, 2021) – As the world gets ready for the holiday season, it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas for Primary Wave Music who announced today their partnership with the Estate of the iconic singer and actor Bing Crosby. Born in 1903, Crosby would go on to become one of the most influential and popular recording artists and a force on the big screen and in broadcasting. Bing is considered to be an architect of 20th century entertainment with over 70 feature films on his resume and over 1600 songs recorded. Because of his influence in motion pictures, in music, and on radio he is one of only 33 people to have THREE stars on the iconic Hollywood Walk of Fame.

In this partnership with the estate, Primary Wave has acquired a stake in the assets owned by HLC Properties Ltd, the company owned by the Crosby Estate. This includes the Bing Crosby Archives featuring thousands of recordings by Bing and other artists, many have which have never been released. Terms of the deal also include artist royalties from master recordings featuring Bing’s performances, writer royalties from songs written by Bing, his rights in the film White Christmas, as well as other film, radio, and television productions. In addition, Primary Wave has acquired a stake in his name, likeness, and rights of publicity. The Estate will now have access to Primary Wave’s entire marketing team, digital team, publicity department, branding team, and publishing infrastructure which includes licensing and synch opportunities.

“We couldn’t be more excited about this partnership with Primary Wave. Going into our first meeting, our goal was to find a partner who believed in the vast life that he led, and we know Primary Wave will continue to sustain the legacy of dad.” said the family of Bing Crosby in a joint statement.

“Bing Crosby was one of the most influential stars of the 20th century and few could match his success over 4 decades beginning in the 1930s,” says Larry Mestel, CEO & Founder of Primary Wave Music. He continues, “Our team can’t wait to dive into our partnership with Harry Crosby, Robert Bader and the Crosby family to help reintroduce Bing’s music and legacy to the world.”

Bing began his career in the mid-1920s and would become a household name just a decade later when he launched his solo radio show in 1931. His radio program became a huge success, attracting as many as 50 million listeners and lasting nearly 30 years on the airwaves. Shortly after launching his radio show, Bing also signed a contract with Paramount Pictures and began making about three films a year. In 1941, Bing signed on to appear in the film Holiday Inn. The movie included several Irving Berlin songs including what would become Bing’s biggest hit, his cover of the classic song “White Christmas.” Released on October 3, 1942, “White Christmas” would reach #1 and stayed there for 11 weeks. A holiday classic, “White Christmas” would continue to chart years later and remains one of the best-selling songs of all time with over 50 million copies being sold around the world. Not only was he a fan favorite around the holidays, but Bing was the voice of 13 Oscar-nominated songs, four of which won the Academy Award for Best Song. Upon researching Crosby’s chart success, Billboard Magazine determined he was American’s most successful recording act of the 1930s and again in the 1940s. Crosby had approximately 41 #1 hits, charting singles every single year between 1931 and 1954. To date, he has sold close to one billion records worldwide – a feat only rivaled by The Beatles, Elvis Presley, and Michael Jackson.

Over the course of his incomparable career Bing would work with a number of incredibly iconic entertainers. He had a close friendship with Louis Armstrong that flourished as they worked together in movies, on radio and television for nearly 50 years. He was among the top acts in box office sales and his film partners included the likes of Fred Astaire, Pete Sellers, Grace Kelly, Joan Collins, Ingrid Bergman and so many others. He was nominated for two Academy Awards for his work in The Bells of St. Mary and The Country Girl and won in 1945 for his role in Going My Way. His role in Here Comes The Groom earned him a Golden Globe Award nomination in 1952 and in 1960 he would be awarded with the Cecil B. Demille Award. Two years later, Crosby was given the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Read More at AP News & Music Business Worldwide!