Robert Palmer Estate Teams With Primary Wave for Catalog, NIL Rights

Primary Wave has entered into a partnership with the estate of Robert Palmer to help manage the late artist’s publishing and recording catalog, the company announced Tuesday (Sept. 22).

Although the announcement doesn’t disclose whether Primary Wave acquired any assets, sources say that Palmer music assets had been shopped earlier this year, and the company typically partners with artists and/or songwriters after making an acquisition. As usual, the Primary Wave deal includes a stake in name, image and likeness for Palmer, who died from a heart attack in 2003.

As part of the deal, Primary Wave’s marketing and publishing infrastructure will work with the estate on new marketing, branding, digital and synch opportunities as well as film and TV projects.

“Robert Palmer was a truly unique artist whose distinctive voice, songwriting, and style left an indelible mark on popular music,” Samantha Rhulen, Primary Wave’s senior vp of business & legal affairs, said in a statement. “His catalog continues to resonate with audiences, and we are honored to welcome his incredible body of work to the Primary Wave family. We look forward to working alongside the Estate not only to preserve but also grow his legacy through innovative partnerships, new opportunities, and meaningful ways to introduce his music to fans around the world.”

While the announcement says Palmer sold millions of albums around the world during his career, which included 14 studio albums and 3 live albums, since 1991, Luminate data shows he has accumulated nearly 2.09 million consumption units.

Meanwhile, the RIAA has awarded him three platinum album certificates: for Riptide, Heavy Nova and Addictions: Volume 1. In the United Kingdom, BPI honored him with a BRIT platinum award for the latter album. (In the U.S., platinum is awarded for 1 million consumption units, while in the U.K., the platinum plateau is 300,000 units.) Palmer twice won the Grammy for best male rock vocal performance: in 1987 for “Addicted to Love” and in 1989 for “Simply Irresistible.”

“We are very excited to partner with Primary Wave,” the Palmer estate said in a statement. “As we continue to honor Robert’s incredible legacy, we also look forward to working with the team on exploring ways to bring his music to both new and existing audiences, preserving his lasting impact for years to come.”

While Primary Wave is making the Palmer deal announcement today, back in May, the company alluded to it in a blog post entitled “20th Anniversary of Culture, Catalogs & Legacy.”