Downtown Signs Shaggy To Worldwide Publishing Agreement

New York, NY, February 20, 2019 — Downtown Music Publishing has entered into a worldwide publishing agreement with GRAMMY-winning songwriter and recording artist Shaggy, whose album with Sting, 44/876, received Best Reggae Album at last week’s GRAMMY Awards. The deal covers his entire catalog of 12 studio albums as well as future releases.

The agreement was announced ahead of Shaggy’s upcoming solo album Wah Gwaan?!, set to release May 10, 2019. Wah Gwaan?! will feature both emerging and established artists representing different regions and genres including Jason Derulo, GRAMMY-nominated singer-songwriter Stacy Barthe, dancehall sensation Shenseea, reggaeton artist Nikki Jam, and 19-year-old Canadian vocalist Alexander Stewart.

“Shaggy is a global icon with such a diverse catalog,” said Bruce Lampcov, Downtown’s Head of West Coast Business Development. “Transcending borders and genres, he has countless evergreen songs and his latest GRAMMY-winning album with Sting is a clear indication of many more good things to come. We are delighted he has chosen Downtown as his publishing partner.”

The seven-time GRAMMY nominee’s past nods include six for Best Reggae Album: 1995’s Boombastic, which won; Clothes Drop (2005); Intoxication (2007); Summer In Kingston(2011); his 2013 collaboration with legendary production duo Sly & Robbie, Out Of Many, One Music, in addition to this year’s release with Sting. His 2000 hit single with longtime collaborator RikRok, “It Wasn’t Me,” was nominated for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals in 2001 as well. As a certified Diamond-selling artist, Shaggy is one of the top three streamed reggae artists on Spotify — having amassed 710 million plays.

In 1995, Shaggy released the certified Platinum single “Boombastic” from his album of the same name. Reaching number three on Billboard’s Hot 100, and number one on the hip-hop and R&B charts, the song solidified his status as a global star. The LP also achieved Platinum certification and topped the reggae charts. 1997’s Midnite Loverreached number one on the reggae charts as well and was followed by Hot Shot in 2000. Hot Shot earned Shaggy his first and second number one singles on the Hot 100 with “It Wasn’t Me” and “Angel.” The album eventually went six times Platinum and spent six weeks on Billboard's Top Albums chart.

Shaggy, managed by the Cherrytree Music Company, has collaborated with some of the most renowned reggae artists including Toots and the Maytals, Barrington Levy, and Maxi Priest, as well as pop icons such as Janet Jackson, Sting, and Chaka Khan, among others.

About Downtown Music Publishing

Established in 2007, Downtown Music Publishing is one of the world's leading rights-management firms with offices in major music markets around the globe, including New York, Nashville, Los Angeles, London, Amsterdam, Tokyo, Paris, and Sydney. The company's catalog spans over a hundred years of popular music, encompassing some of the world's most beloved songwriters including legends like The Beatles, John Lennon & Yoko Ono, Booker T. Jones, The Kinks, Mötley Crüe, Phish, Tori Amos, Hans Zimmer, and John Prine, as well as today’s hitmaker songwriters such as Ryan Tedder, Benny Blanco, One Direction, Santigold, and Jimmy Napes. Downtown also represents this era’s most exciting talent including Phony Ppl, Theophilus London, Mae Muller, Cautious Clay, Stella Donnelly, and much more.