[Dixielandjazz] Bing Crosby Press Release

[Robert Ringwald]

UMe Inks Deal to Unify Bing Crosby Musical Catalog
LOS ANGELES, March 18 -- Universal Music Enterprises has entered into a worldwide
arrangement to market and distribute Bing Crosby recordings that are overseen by
HLC Properties, LTD, the administrator for the Crosby estate.
Ten Bing Crosby albums will come out through Universal Music Enterprises on March
19. The releases include several long-unavailable albums, and new compilations of
unissued recordings spanning Crosby's five-decade career.
"Adding these rare Crosby recordings to the ones we already own on Decca gives us
a comprehensive view of one of the giants of American popular music," said Universal
Music Enterprises President/CEO Bruce Resnikoff. "We look forward to reintroducing
the music and videos of this iconic figure to a brand-new audience."
Universal Music Enterprises and HLC Properties, LTD plan to release up to six new
Crosby collections and a DVD every year. The archives include hundreds of previously
unavailable recordings, including glass acetates and radio transcriptions from Crosby's
early days as well as session tapes from the later period -- many including unissued
material from both the Decca era and Crosby's later period as a freelance artist.
"Having virtually the entire catalog under the auspices of Universal will help maximize
our marketing and promotional opportunities with this remarkable catalog," said Harry
Crosby, his eldest son, and one of the principals in managing the estate. "We look
forward to a long and successful partnership together."
Before Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley, Bing Crosby was the biggest pop music star
in the world. The most recorded artist in history, Crosby made over 2,000 recordings
and 4,000 radio programs, as well as a sizable number of TV and movie appearances.
He had 41 No. 1 records that collectively found him at No. 1 for 173 weeks. While
reaching the charts almost 400 times, his releases hit the Top Ten 203 times. Humbly
calling himself "an average guy who can carry a tune," Bing Crosby rewrote the history
book for popular music, the first to use his regular speaking voice to express emotion
within the context of a song.
Crosby's recording of "White Christmas" remains the best-selling recording of all
time, having worldwide sales of more than 50 million, and it entered the pop charts
20 separate times. Clear Channel Entertainment iHeartRadio listeners voted Bing Crosby's
"White Christmas" their all-time favorite holiday album in a recent HeartBeat survey.
Most recently, through the magic of modern technology, Crosby himself appeared to
sing a duet with Michael Buble on his NBC-TV special, "Home for the Holidays!" Buble
was inserted into a clip from Crosby's 1971 Christmas special to sing the Irving
Berlin-penned holiday chestnut, "White Christmas."
For a company that markets the music of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Nat King Cole
among many other great interpreters of the American songbook, Universal Music Enterprises
is the perfect home for Bing Crosby's remarkable recorded legacy.
Titles available March 19:
Bing Crosby: A Southern Memoir, Deluxe Edition
Bing Crosby: Bing in Dixieland
Bing Crosby: Bing on Broadway
Bing Crosby: Bing Sings the Great American Songbook
Bing Crosby: Bing Sings the Sinatra Songbook
Bing Crosby: El Senor Bing, Deluxe Edition
Bing Crosby: On the Sentimental Side, Deluxe Edition
Bing Crosby: Return to Paradise Islands, Deluxe Edition
Bing Crosby: Seasons, Deluxe Edition
Bing Crosby: So Rare: Treasures from the Crosby Archive (2-CDs)
Available April 9:
Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney: Bing and Rosie: The Crosby-Clooney Radio Sessions
(2-CDs)
About Universal Music Enterprises
Universal Music Enterprises (UMe), a division of Universal Music Group, is the centralized
U.S. catalog and special markets entity for the company Universal Music Group. Working
closely in concert with all of the UMG's record labels, UMe provides a frontline
approach to catalog management, a concentration of resources, a greater emphasis
on strategic marketing initiatives and opportunities in new technologies. Outside
North America, the Universal Strategic Marketing division of Universal Music Group
International works to maximize the profile and value of UMG's catalogue in international
markets. It acts as a service center adding value through marketing initiatives and
coordination of commercial issues through local and international markets.
Under the direction of Bruce Resnikoff, UMe was the leading catalog label for 2012
with the most number of charting hits (62) according to Billboard magazine.
-30-
-Bob Ringwald
www.ringwald.com
Amateur (ham) Radio Operator K6YBV
916/ 806-9551