GEORGE MICHAEL'S SONGS STAY WITH WARNER CHAPPELL

Warner Chappell Music U.K. has renewed its global deal with the estate of George Michael. The agreement covers Michael’s solo work and the songs he wrote as a member of Wham!

The global publisher will continue to shepherd the legacy of Michael, who sold more than 125m records worldwide. The agreement extends a deal that was originally signed in the early '80s.

Calling Michael "one of the greatest songwriters of all time," Guy Moot and Carianne Marshall, co-chairs of Warner Chappell Music, said jointly, "We all still miss his engaging personality, but he’s left the most incredible legacy in the form of his songs and performances. We take our responsibility to curate and promote his catalog incredibly seriously, because even the greatest songs still need energetic champions.”

Chris Organ, Michael’s lawyer and co-executor of the George Michael estate, said interest in, and competition for, the catalog was "fierce," affirming, "We strongly believe that George’s legacy as a songwriter and the protection and enhancement of this stellar catalog of songs is best served by a traditional, hands-on day-to-day relationship with an established music publisher. Warner Chappell Music’s current structure and management is ideally suited to achieve those goals.”