MOJO ACQUIRES 50% STAKE IN THE COMPLETE CHEAP TRICK CATALOG / INDIE PUBLISHER WILL AGGRESSIVELY PROMOTE NIELSEN’S SONGS AND BRAND AND INTRODUCE NEW CREATIVE OPPORTUNITIES
NEW YORK (August 4, 2020) — Mojo Music & Media, the global independent publishing and legacy marketing company, is excited to announce its acquisition of a 50% interest in the complete publishing catalog of Rick Nielsen, the co-founder and principal songwriter for Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band Cheap Trick.
The joint venture, which totals more than 400 songs spanning five decades, features 20 Billboard chart hits including such rock standards as “Surrender,” “I Want You To Want Me,” “Dream Police,” “Voices,” “If You Want My Love,” and “Can’t Stop Fallin’ Into Love.”
As the son of opera singer parents, Nielsen’s passion for music began at an early age. After cutting his teeth in several local rock bands, Nielsen formed Cheap Trick in the mid-1970’s in his Rockford, IL hometown along with vocalist Robin Zander, bassist Tom Petersson, and drummer Bun E. Carlos. The band’s 1977 self-titled debut and follow-up, In Color, won over fans and critics alike, establishing them as a leading American rock band. 1979’s Cheap Trick At Budokan became one of the best-selling live albums in history, launching the band into global stardom and setting the stage for a series of chart singles and Gold and Platinum LP’s including Dream Police, All Shook Up, One On One and Lap Of Luxury. Over the course of their career, Cheap Trick has sold more than 20 million albums and performed more than 3,700 live shows. They were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2016.
Nielsen’s masterful guitar shredding, kinetic stage persona, and standout outfits have made him a singular figure among rock’s lead guitarists. In addition to writing or co-writing nearly every song Cheap Trick has recorded, he has also contributed songs to projects by Rick Derringer, Dave Grohl, and House Of Lords. He has guested live or in the studio with a who’s who of rock royalty including The Yardbirds, The Who, John Lennon, Alice Cooper, Motley Crue and Foo Fighters. The Mojo marketing team, working closely with Nielsen, have authored an extensive multi-year plan to revitalize his song catalog via covers, samples, syncs, and collaborations and promote his story and brand via film, television, theatrical, and custom retail projects.
According to Mojo Co-Founder and CEO Mark Fried, “For the last four decades-plus, Rick Nielsen has been teaching a master class in how to write jangly, melodic pop-punk anthems. He and his Cheap Trick bandmates, over the course of 20 studio albums and thousands of shows, have been pied pipers to the most devoted fans in history while in some way influencing nearly every alt-rock, arena pop and heavy metal band that followed in their footsteps. As fans since day one, we couldn’t be more psyched to work with Rick in promoting his music and shining a light on his unique rock and roll adventure.”
According to Nielsen, “I’d almost given up on the chance of finding a publisher who actually knew all my songs and had a vision for how to keep them alive for another 1,000 years or so. Turns out, Mark & The Mojo’s are it! I’m looking forward to all the noise we’re gonna make together.”