In 2009, Because Éditions set up a fund to acquire publishing catalogues in partnership with a group of financial investors including Xavier Niel (majority shareholder of Iliad/Free), Bertrand de Labbey and Kyril Courbouin.
JEUNE MUSIQUE
Jeune Musique SA, a publishing company created by Claude François in 1967 and whose catalogue includes the co-publishing rights for the global hit “My Way”, was acquired by the Because Group in November 2009.
“My Way” is Paul Anka’s English-language adaptation of the song “Comme d’habitude” and – with over a thousand different versions in dozens of languages – still remains one of the world’s most significant music publishing copyrights.
The song first shot to fame with a version recorded by Frank Sinatra in the late 1960s. It went on to become one of the three most covered songs in the world, being reinterpreted by an impressively eclectic range of big-name stars including Elvis Presley, Julio Iglesias, Celine Dion, Sid Vicious, Luciano Pavarotti and, more recently, Robbie Williams.
Managed by an experienced independent publisher, Jeune Musique’s catalogue, which also includes some of the most popular and ground-breaking creations in French music with “Comme d’habitude”, “Alexandrie Alexandra” and “Magnolias for Ever”, will remain an integral part of French musical heritage.
MALLIGATOR
Malligator represents the complete catalogue of Marc Cerrone, a pioneer of French disco (credited with inventing the word “disco” and recording astronomical hits such as Supernature, Love in C Minor and Give Me Love).
He has written over 24 albums and film scores, selling millions of albums worldwide. The track “Supernature” was recently used in a global commercial for Gucci, featuring Tyler the Creator, A$ap Rocky and Iggy Pop.
FREE DEMO
Because Éditions also acquired Free Demo, the publishing company set up by Bertrand de Labbey, the ubiquitous cinema and music talent scout. This catalogue of several hundred French songs includes the latest creations from Julien Clerc and the first songs recorded by Carla Bruni (including “Quelqu’un m’a dit”) as well as tracks by Polnareff with lyrics by Jean Loup Dabadie, including “Holidays” and “On ira tous au Paradis”, and Calogero’s hit “Avant toi”, written by Alex Beaupain.
The catalogue also comprises some 30 scores from François Truffaut films (Georges Delerue), including “Le Dernier Métro”, and a number of scores by Gabriel Yared.