LOS ANGELES (CelebrityAccess) – Universal Music Group (UMG) has acquired about 200 recordings by Nat King Cole from the singer’s estate, bringing all of his recordings under UMG ownership. The songs, recorded between 1961 and 1964, were previously licensed to Capitol Records under a deal negotiated after Cole’s rise to fame.
Billboard was the first to report the acquisition, stating the financial terms of the deal to be in the range of between $10 – $20 million. Recordings included in the deal are “Nature Boy”, “Mona Lisa”, “Unforgettable”, and “Smile”, among others.
UMG also announced that it will release Capitol Rarities (Vol. 1), a collection of tracks by Cole, five of which were previously unavailable on any streaming platforms. They are “The Magic Tree”, “Early American”, “The Day Isn’t Long Enough”, “My First and My Last Love” and “Easter Sunday Morning.”
The UMG deal follows the recent announcement that Irving Azoff’s Iconic Arts Group purchased rights to all assets from Cole’s estate, including his recorded music, publishing, TV shows, and name and likeness. That deal and the UMG acquisition are being billed as part of an effort to expand bring Cole’s music to new generations.
