Jet signs global publishing deal with BMG

BMG has signed Australian band Jet to a worldwide publishing deal. The band is currently back in the spotlight after a seven year hiatus opening for Bruce Springsteen & The E-Street Band as well as their own headline shows.

The deal with BMG includes global rights to the international hits Are You Gonna Be My Girl, Cold Hard Bitch, Look What You’ve Done, Rollover DJ, Get Me Outta Here, Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is, Rip It Up, She’s A Genius and Seventeen.

The band sold 6.5 million albums worldwide before announcing their split in March 2012.

BMG Australia’s Sydney-based Managing Director Heath Johns said, “Jet have created some of the most iconic Australian songs of all time and it is a true honor for BMG to both protect and build this undeniable legacy.

“On a personal level it is a huge thrill to have our new Australian company bring such an internationally relevant catalogue to the incredible global BMG team.”

Jet added: “We’re really happy to have struck a worldwide deal with BMG. Heath Johns backed us before we released our first album so it also feels great to be working with him again.”

When Jet formed in Melbourne in 2001, they were heavily inspired by You Am I’s seminal Hi Fi Way as well as their father’s guitar rock collection from the 1960s and 1970s.

Their join-the-dots music, blistering live shows and Nic Cester’s aggressive voice, instantly found an audience. Their debut album Get Born sold went 9x Platinum in Australia for sales of over 630,000 and saw them win six gongs at the 2004 ARIA awards.

The singles Are You Gonna Be My Girl and Rollover DJ were voted at #1 and #3 in triple j’s Hottest 100 competition in 2003.

Are You Gonna Be My Girl was picked by Apple for its iconic debut global TV ad for its iPod and iMac. The album went on to receive Platinum certification in the US and the UK.

The follow up Shine On (2006) was certified platinum in Australia and gold in the US. They headlined the 2007 Big Day Out alongside Tool, Muse and The Killers.

Third album Shaka Rock (2009) only made it to gold in Australia, but won rock work and most played Australian work at the APRA awards.

Get Born and Shine On have been re-issued in all formats (including vinyl for the debut) for the current tour. The CD and digital versions come with added extras previously unreleased rarities and B-sides.

BMG notes that Jet music has been heavily synched in the past 15 years, in global ad campaigns, films, TV series and video games. Of the films, Are You Gonna Be My Girl was featured in The Holiday (2006), Cold Hard Bitch in She’s Out of My League (2010) and Black Hearts (On Fire) in Tomorrow, When the War Began (2010). The thundering Rip It Up was the official theme song for WWE SummerSlam (2010).

Since their split, Nic Cester has continued living in Lake Como in Italy, and working on a solo album. Chris Cester played in Mystic Knights of Amnesia in his Los Angeles base.

There were no plans to reunite, but the offer to open for Springsteen was too good to give up, especially for Chris Cester, who’s a huge fan of the Boss.

A warm up show before the tour at the Gasometer in Melbourne on January 31 sold out in minutes, and the band put in a blistering 23-song set accompanied by previous keyboardist Louis Macklin.

In between the Springsteen shows, Jet are also playing their own dates, at the Taronga Zoo in Sydney tomorrow (Thursday February 16) and on Sunday February 19.

Whether the 2017 reunion extends to a comeback album is unknown. Before the shows, Nic Cester said he was “curious… and hopeful” about how the band would fare.