BMG Acquires Andrew Stockdale’s Wolfmother Publishing and Royalty Rights

BMG has expanded its long-running relationship with Wolfmother frontman Andrew Stockdale, acquiring his publishing, recorded music royalty and neighbouring rights interests in the rock band's back catalogue, per Music Business Worldwide. 

Announced on Tuesday, August 4th, the agreement brings all three categories of rights under BMG, who has represented Stockdale's publishing globally since 2016. The new deal adds his recorded music royalties and neighbouring rights.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The news follows BMG's recent acquisitions of both JET and The Living End rights in May and June respectively.

Stockdale co-founded Wolfmother in Sydney in 2004, and still serves as the band's vocalist, guitarist and main songwriter. 

The group broke internationally with their self-titled debut album in 2005, which was certified five-times platinum in Australia, and achieved gold status in the United States, Canada and Germany.

Standout single “Woman” won Best Hard Rock Performance at the 2007 Grammy Awards, while the band collected three ARIA awards in 2006, including Best Group and Best Rock Album. Stockdale was also named APRA's Songwriter of the Year in 2007.

Heath Johns, President of BMG for Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia, first signed Stockdale to a publishing deal over two decades ago.

“Few Australian bands have built a catalogue with the global reach, cultural impact, and enduring influence of Wolfmother,” he said per MBW. “I signed Andrew to his first publishing deal in 2005, before the band took over the world and two years before they won a Grammy. I still have that original demo CD with ‘Woman’, ‘Joker and the Thief’, ‘Dimension’ and ‘White Unicorn’ on my desk.

“For Andrew to entrust BMG with his publishing and recorded rights more than 20 years later is a great honour and an incredibly proud moment for the team. Acquisitions with long-term clients are about more than transactional investments, they're a reflection of partnerships built on creativity, trust, and consistently delivering beyond expectations.”

Stockdale shared he couldn't think of a better place to have his share of the catalogue than with BMG. 

“Heath Johns is a legend of the Australian music industry with an extensive reach across international markets,” he said. “His enthusiasm for Wolfmother's has been there from the original demos to ‘Joker’ being played at major sporting events.

“We appreciate the amazing syncs BMG has created over the years, helping cement Wolfmother's music in popular culture, and we're looking forward to seeing what great opportunities await with the great team at BMG.”

Wolfmother followed their debut with 2009's Cosmic Egg, which peaked at No. 3 on the ARIA chart.

The band's music has also featured across films, television programs and video games, including The Hangover, Ted Lasso, Guitar Hero and the Madden NFL franchise.