Not 'Royal'? Not Far Off: Lorde Signs Multi-Million Publishing Deal
New Zealand pop star Lorde has signed a publishing contract rumoured to be worth up to £2.5 million after her single 'Royals' topped the UK chart last month. The just-turned-17 singer's signature was fought over in a major bidding war which is said to have included Sony and the publishing arm of her label, Universal.
Unlike with a label, music publishing deals give a company the right to license songs and hold copyright. When a song is used commercially, the company will work to ensure that a fee is paid which is then usually split between the songwriter and the company.
However, the Auckland-born performer and youngest chart topper in 25 years apparently did not opt for the most lucrative deal on the table when she signed with Songs Music Publishing. The company's founder and CEO Matt Pincus, did not specify the exact amount of the deal, but revealed it was "competitive" and in the millions of dollars, reports the Wall Street Journal, via The Telegraph.
He indicated that Songs Music had been pursuing Lorde since before her hit single 'Royals' and following album Pure Heroine were released. Lorde's manager, Tim Youngson, said: "Even before signing her [Sounds Music] were bringing her options for collaborations and introducing her to other songwriters. The decision wasn't made on money."
Songs Music is said to be keen to set up collaborative links between Lorde and other pop acts, including The Weeknd and Diplo with plans also to encourage the young act to write songs for other artists.
The company's president Ron Perry described Lorde, real name Ella Maria Lani Yelich-O'Connor, as "a once-in-a-generation type artist" and vowed that "She's gonna be a really big songwriter outside of Lorde [...] She's going to have a lot of big songs out there as Ella," via The Guardian.
Happy 17th Birthday @lordemusic! pic.twitter.com/vMWvP7qf7h
— Billboard (@billboard) November 7, 2013