Dancing on the Ceiling: Lionel Richie sells entire catalogue to Universal Music
Iconic Grammy award-winning recording artist and songwriter Lionel Richie has signed a new global publishing deal with Universal Music Publishing Group.
The deal includes songs written throughout Richie’s solo career including super hits “Hello,” “Lady,” “Dancing on the Ceiling,” “All Night Long,” and numerous others.
With more than 125 million albums sold worldwide, six Grammy Awards, an Oscar and a Golden Globe, Richie (Capitol Records) is an international icon whose discography is a defining part of pop music history.
He is one of the only songwriters in history to have number one records for eleven consecutive years, as well as one of only two songwriters to solely write eight number ones hits on the Billboard Hot 100.
Jody Gerson, Chairman and CEO of UMPG, said: “I am thrilled that Lionel Richie has chosen UMPG to take care of his song catalogue. I have known Lionel personally for years and have always wanted to be his publisher. I am so happy the day has finally come. We will be the best publisher Lionel has ever had. My teams around the world couldn’t be more excited to work with his illustrious catalogue of hits, spanning many, many decades.”
Richie said: “Having partnered with Universal Music as recording artist for almost my entire career, joining the UMPG family as a songwriter feels like coming home. With their outstanding global team, I know my songs are in the best hands and I’m excited for what we can accomplish together.”