Legendary Singer-Songwriter John Prine Signs Worldwide Publishing Deal with Downtown

New York, NY & Nashville, TN, Thursday, April 5, 2018 -- Downtown announced that it has entered into a worldwide publishing agreement with legendary country-folk singer and songwriter John Prine. Downtown will represent over 230 compositions from Prine's songbook, covering the vast majority of his output as a solo artist, as well as works recorded by Johnny Cash, Bonnie Raitt, the Everly Brothers, John Denver, Kris Kristofferson, Carly Simon, Ben Harper, Joan Baez, George Strait, Old Crow Medicine Show, Norah Jones, Bette Midler, Miranda Lambert, Carla Bruni, Zac Brown Band, and many others.

Prine's indelible compositions include, "I Just Want To Dance With You," "In Spite Of Ourselves," "That's The Way The World Goes Round," "Long Monday," "20th Century Is Almost Over," and "Speed Of The Sound Of Loneliness."

The agreement will also cover Prine's highly anticipated new album, The Tree of Forgiveness, which is his first new material in over 13 years. Produced by Grammy-Award winning Dave Cobb, the album is set for release on April 13th on Prine's own independent label, Oh Boy Records.

On the signing Prine commented, "I'm very pleased to have Downtown represent my catalog of songs. Steve Markland in Nashville has been hugely supportive of our family owned independent label Oh Boy Records. We are looking forward to working with him and whole Downtown team."

"I've known John and his family for quite some time and am so excited for myself and Downtown to officially be apart of the team," said Steve Markland, Downtown's VP A&R, Nashville. "Working with John Prine and his vast catalog of timeless, immaculate compositions is truly a career milestone for me. I am simply honored and humbled to be apart of John's great work."

In celebration of the new album, Prine will embark on an extensive tour that will span throughout 2018, including a very special co-headline concert at New York's Radio City Music Hall on April 13, with another Downtown client, Sturgill Simpson.

About John Prine

A two-time Grammy-winner, Prine is among the English language's premier phrase-turners. Almost 50 years into a remarkable career that has drawn effusive praise from Bob Dylan, Kris Kristofferson, Bonnie Raitt, Roger Waters, Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen and others who would know, Prine is a smiling, shuffling force for good. Classics like, "Angel from Montgomery", "Sam Stone," "Paradise," and "Hello in There" speak to the everyday experience of ordinary people with a simple honesty, and an extraordinary ability to get right through to the heart of the listener. He is a Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member, a PEN New England Lyrics Award recipient, and an Americana Lifetime Achievement Award recipient. Prine's classic debut album, titled John Prine, is recognized as part of the Recording Academy's Grammy Hall of Fame. Following the 2015 death of his friend and business partner Al Bunetta, Prine is now President and sole owner of Oh Boy Records. He lives in Nashville, TN with his wife, Fiona, and enjoys spending time with their three sons, a daughter-in-law and his grandchildren.

About Downtown Music Publishing

Established in 2007, Downtown Music Publishing is a leading rights management company with offices in New York, Nashville, Los Angeles, London, Amsterdam, Tokyo, Paris, and Sydney. Downtown's catalog spans over seven decades of popular music, encompassing some of the world's most beloved songwriters and artists including The Beatles, John Lennon & Yoko Ono, Ryan Tedder, Benny Blanco, Hans Zimmer, The Kinks, One Direction, Mötley Crüe, Robin Thicke, Naughty Boy, Hardwell, Sturgill Simpson, Santigold, Carla Bruni, and Social Distortion. Downtown Music Publishing is wholly owned by Downtown & Company, which also owns New York-based Downtown Music Studios and Songtrust, the world's largest technology platform for songwriting and music publishing royalties, powering global royalty collection from over 120 territories and more than 20,000 unique income sources worldwide.