Linda Ronstadt has joined the growing list of famous veteran artists who recently have sold interests in their music catalogs and recordings.
According to Variety, the 74-year-old Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, who’s known for her classic interpretations of other people’s songs, has sold her recorded music assets to longtime Eagles manager Irving Azoff‘s recently launched Iconic Artists Group.
Variety reports that Iconic Artists Group says they’ll market Ronstadt’s catalog in partnership with Linda and her team, which includes her longtime manager, John Boylan, and Linda’s personal assistant, Janet Stark.
The agreement includes the master recordings Ronstadt owns as well as the royalties from those she doesn’t. Linda and Irving have had been longtime friends and associates, as the Eagles basically came together while playing as Ronstadt’s backing band.
“I’m very pleased about this partnership,” said Ronstadt. “It’s extremely gratifying to be in the company of Irving Azoff, his team, and his family of great artists, many of whom have been my friends and colleagues for years. It feels like home.”
Azoff notes, “In 1972 when I arrived in Los Angeles to pursue my dreams in the music business, as fate would have it, I soon thereafter became best friends and manager to Glenn Frey and Don Henley. Without Linda Ronstadt and John Boylan, there would have never been an Eagles. We were friends and family and grew up together, and what a ride it has been.”
He adds, “For Linda and John to entrust us with the honor of furthering her work is one of the most satisfying moments of my career…We will preserve [her] legacy for her at all costs.”
Iconic Artists Group also recently landed music-rights deals with David Crosby and The Beach Boys.
By Matt Friedlander
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