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SINGER AND SONGWRITER RUSS BALLARD PARTNERS WITH
PRIMARY WAVE MUSIC
THE DEAL INCLUDES A STAKE IN BALLARD’S MUSIC PUBLISHING CATALOG, AS WELL AS THE SONGWRITER’S WRITER’S SHARE AND
WRITER’S SHARE OF PUBLIC PERFORMANCE
SONGS INCLUDE “NEW YORK GROOVE,” “YOU CAN DO MAGIC,”
“SO YOU WIN AGAIN,” “SINCE YOU’VE BEEN GONE,”
“I SURRENDER,” “LIAR,” AND MORE
NEW YORK, NY (March 12, 2023) – Primary Wave Music, the world’s leading independent publisher of iconic and legendary music in the world, announced today their partnership with the legendary singer and songwriter Russ Ballard. The multi-million deal will see the publisher acquire a stake in the chart-topping singer and songwriter’s music publishing catalog and writer’s share royalties, as well as his writer’s share of public performance.
Included in the deal are some of Ballard’s most well-known and biggest hits, “So You Win Again,” “Since You’ve Been Gone,” “I Surrender,” “New York Groove,” “You Can Do Magic,” the top 10 hit “Liar,” and others. “New York Groove” was written for the British pop band Hello and later covered by Ace Frehley of Kiss. Frehley’s version of the song became a huge hit in the States and soared to the Top 20 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. The 1982 hit “You Can Do Magic” was recorded by the rock duo America. Ballard also produced the track and was his first major hit as a producer. The single was a huge success for America, too. The song remained in the top ten at Top 40 for five weeks. Ballard’s songs have been covered by an incredible number of award-winning artists including Santana, The Pointer Sisters, and Three Dog Night.
Terms of the deal also include access to Primary Wave’s marketing team and publishing infrastructure, which includes digital strategy, licensing, synch opportunities, and film & TV production.
“I am delighted that I have found the right partner in Primary Wave,” says Ballard. He goes on, “I am looking forward to working with them on many of my future projects. I love their energy and their commitment. I would like to thank Larry and all his team. I would like to thank James Harman and to RG-C. The future looks bright!”
Primary Wave Music’s Robin Godfrey Cass added, “I am so thrilled that Russ Ballard has trusted Primary Wave as the custodian of his legendary catalog, spanning over five decades. We are excited to launch a true partnership and look forward to working with Russ. As if these timeless hits, most of which he is the sole writer, weren’t enough inspiration, Russ’s charm and involvement makes everyone around him want to work even harder.”
Russ Ballard’s music career started when he was only 14 years old and he wrote a tune, which was recorded by the Shadows, appearing on their album, ‘The Sound Of The Shadows’ in 1964. He went on to write for many others and has given us some of the greatest rock classics like “Since You Been Gone” (Rainbow), “God Gave Rock’n’Roll To You” (Argent and Kiss), “So You Win Again” (Hot Chocolate), “New York Groove” (Hello and Ace Frehley) – just to name a few.
As a singer and instrumentalist, he first found fame with The Roulettes, who started out as Adam Faith’s band in the 60s. After a stint with Unit 4+2, he went on to be front man of Argent in the early 70s. Since he left Argent, he has followed a solo career.
On his first solo album, Russ Ballard, he played all the instruments himself. Later, on America’s recording of his song, ‘You Can Do Magic’, he did the same again – except the strings.