Pete Townshend — Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, solo artist and legendary main songwriter for the Who — has partnered with powerhouse publisher Primary Wave Music in a nine-figure deal that sees the company acquiring certain music rights, along with name, image and likeness assets and the “exploitation of future creative projects.”
Terms of the deal were not disclosed and a rep for Primary Wave Music declined to provide further details. But a spokesperson for Spirit Music, which acquired Townshend’s publishing in 2017 for a reported $100 million after a partial acquisition five years earlier, confirms to Variety that the company no longer holds those rights, and a different source confirms to Variety that rights to songs from Townshend’s iconic catalog, including “My Generation,” “Baba O’Riley,” “Behind Blue Eyes,” “Pinball Wizard,” “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” “Let My Love Open the Door” and others, are included in the Primary Wave deal.
Townshend’s Eel Pie Recording Productions owns the recorded-music rights to most or all of his solo catalog, with many titles distributed by Universal, so presumably at least some of those rights are included in the deal as well. The Who’s recorded-music catalog is owned by Universal.
Townshend has mined his catalog extensively over the years, with his songs appearing in multiple archival releases, films, commercial synchs, musicals and even ballets; his iconic conceptual albums “Tommy” and “Quadrophenia” have been reimagined multiple times and ways over the decades. He and Primary Wave, which has exploited its vast catalog holdings aggressively but always in cooperation with the artist or the artist’s estate, see vast opportunities in the partnership.
Townshend said in the announcement: “Moving forward with my creative and performative work with Primary Wave, at this time of my life when most creatives might be slowing down, is a joy for me. Their entire team exhibit an energy that is truly stimulating. Challenging too. I need that.
“I write songs, stories and poetry, and even draw and paint almost every day of my life. I work with musicians and other creatives, and spend a lot of my time building charitable solutions for organisations that help young creative people grow and succeed in this very hard time. Music is my main medium. With my incredibly talented wife Rachel I have been supported on every level to remain as young as I can, and if I get too old to paint I will borrow Matisses’s scissors. I have a feeling Primary Wave are sharpening up a special pair for me.
“Then there is Roger [Daltrey] and all my friends and colleagues in and around The Who. We are always trying to come up with SOMETHING special, and God Willing will continue to do that, hoping one day we can astound you the way we used to.
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“I have always been something of an ex-art student, and that means my work spans a lot of genres. Primary Wave span even more genres than I do, and I know we will have a lot of fun working together. Our first few meetings have been wonderfully inspiring moments of shared adventure.”
Primary Wave Music Founder and CEO Larry Mestel said, “Pete Townshend is one of the greatest and most influential rock icons in music history.” We are honoured that he has chosen Primary Wave as a partner and collaborator and look forward to creating new opportunities together.”
Adam Lowenberg, Primary Wave’s chief marketing officer, added, “There is no rock music without the genius of Pete Townshend. An artist, innovator and songwriter who stands alone in his own category of icon and legend. We are extremely honoured to partner with Pete on his future endeavours.”
Townshend has sold over 100 million albums worldwide as a solo artist and as a member of the Who and has received lifetime achievement awards from the Grammys and the Brit Awards. In 1990 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and in 2008 he received Kennedy Center Honors.
“Tommy,” reimagined as a film in 1975, more recently enjoyed a long run on Broadway and was revived in 2024. The show was nominated for 11 Tony Awards and won five including Best Original Score. “Quadrophenia,” written entirely by Townshend, was originally released in 1973 to critical acclaim, reimagined as a film in 1979 and in 2007 the album premiered as a musical at the Sherman Theatre in Cardiff. In May 2025, the music on the album was revived as a ballet premiering at the Sadler’s Well Theatre in London.
Since its founding in 2006, Primary Wave Music has become one of the premiere music catalog properties in the world, including Bob Marley, Prince, Stevie Nicks, Notorious B.I.G., James Brown, the Doors, Smokey Robinson, Whitney Houston, Ray Charles, Burt Bacharach, Harry Chapin, Neil Sedaka, Bing Crosby, Dave Brubeck, Gilberto Gil, Luther Vandross, Olivia Newton-John, Patti LaBelle, Isaac Hayes, Andre 3000, Ric Ocasek, the Cars, Eartha Kitt, Axl Rose, Steven Van Zandt, Aerosmith, Def Leppard, Teddy Pendergrass, Count Basie and dozens of others.
From Variety US