Universal Music Publishing Group To Administer Joy Division Catalogue Worldwide

LONDON,UK (Top40 Charts/ UMPG) - Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) has signed a new, long-term, exclusive agreement to administer the songs of Joy Division, one of Britain's most influential, iconic bands of the past 30 years.

The worldwide deal to represent the group's music publishing catalogue includes such Joy Division copyrights as "Love Will Tear Us Apart," "Atmosphere" and "She's Lost Control," authored by band members Ian Curtis, Peter Hook, Stephen Morris and Bernard Sumner.

The announcement coincides with the thirtieth anniversary of Joy Division's formation in Manchester. It anticipates the September 2007 release by Momentum Pictures of Control, Anton Corbijn's biographical film about the late Ian Curtis, the band's leader. This is based on Touching from a Distance, written by Curtis' widow, Deborah, who is also a co-producer of the film.

The publishing agreement was announced today by Paul Connolly, President, Europe, and Managing Director, U.K., for Universal Music Publishing Group, and Darryl Watts, Senior A&R Manager, Universal Music Publishing U.K. Connolly commented, "The songs of Joy Division define an era in British music, yet continue to resonate strongly with today's musicians and audiences. We're very proud to represent such a landmark catalogue, and look forward to making it even more popular in future."

Universal Music Publishing Group will administer the Joy Division song catalogue worldwide, including its representation for synchronisation licensing for film, TV, and advertising. The company intends to aggressively promote the catalogue through all such media.

"We're delighted to be working with Universal Music Publishing on the Joy Division catalogue," said Rebecca Boulton of Prime Management, which represents Joy Division and New Order. "The team has demonstrated their appreciation of this unique music, and an extensive commitment to taking it to a greater audience. With the release of a major feature film, documentary and associated albums, 2007 is going to be a huge year for Joy Division."