The heartland rocker played by no one else’s rules but his own, and when he decided to file for bankruptcy midway through the recording of Damn the Torpedoes, most people knew enough to know that he wasn’t going to back down to anybody. No label could argue with him sticking to his guns, but they could limit the amount of exposure that one of his albums got.
Granted, if someone made an album about how evil you were, you’d probably want as few people as possible to hear it, too. Throughout The Last DJ, Petty holds nothing back about how much he hates the corporate side of the business, showcasing his higher-ups as nothing but greedy pigs looking to prostitute their favourite artists and get rich off the backs of a few good songs with as little quality as possible.
The label was already sheepish when Petty brought it in, but by the time he started putting out singles, half of them either sunk without a trace or got ignored entirely, with some radio stations refusing to play the tunes because they were too insulting. Then again, if someone creates an album that gets ridiculed from rock and roll’s manufactured side, that’s nothing to be ashamed of. If anything, wear that like a badge of honour.
Recently Tom Petty’s estate and Warner Chappell Music (WCM) announced the signing of a new worldwide administration deal for the late Rock icon’s storied music catalogue today, as Grungecake reports.
The milestone agreement includes the vast majority of songs written by Petty throughout his lifetime, including enduring hits such as ‘Wildflowers’, ‘Free Fallin”, ‘Learning to Fly’, ‘Refugee’, ‘Here Comes My Girl’, ‘I Won’t Back Down’, ‘The Waiting’, ‘Don’t Come Around Here No More’, ‘Mary Jane’s Last Dance’, ‘Runnin’ Down A Dream’, and dozens more. The pact encompasses Petty’s work with the Heartbreakers and as a solo artist.
“We’re looking forward to this new partnership with the team at Warner Chappell, as we expand the reach of Tom’s iconic song catalog. This partnership will open the door to new licensing opportunities and serve to introduce his music to a new generation across the globe,” the Petty Estate shares.
“We’re excited for this new chapter of growth, and the preservation of Tom’s legacy both at home and abroad. We look forward to working closely with Carianne, Greg, Guy, and their incredible team.”
Tom’s unmistakable sound and lyrics remain as timeless and vital today as ever, and all of us at Warner Chappell Music are honored to be joining with his estate to help amplify his extraordinary legacy on a global scale.
