Downtown Grabs Lennon, Ono Catalogs

LENONO GOES DOWNTOWN: Downtown Music Publishing has signed Lenono Music and Ono Music, home to the song catalogs of John Lennon and Yoko Ono. The deal covers Lennon's complete solo works including "Imagine," "Instant Karma (We All Shine On)," "Power to the People," "Happy X-Mas (War Is Over)," "Jealous Guy," and "(Just Like) Starting Over" as well as Ono's full catalog. Downtown will provide administration, royalty collection and creative marketing services in the United States. Downtown Music Publishing President Justin Kalifowitz interrupted his Billboard interview to tell us: "We couldn't be more appreciative of the opportunity to represent John and Yoko's timeless music." Still, the Walrus was Paul. (1/25p)