DIAMONDS ON THE SOLES OF HIS WINGTIPS

There was surprise across the biz by the announcement on 3/31 of a major catalog deal that put the songs of Paul Simon in the portfolio of Sony Music Publishing. Simon, one of the top songwriters of all time, occupies a rare berth alongside iconic contemporaries like Stevie Wonder, Elton John/Bernie Taupin, Billy Joel, the Eagles and Carole King.

Pulling back the curtain on the deal, we find the artist repped by Grubman Shire Meiselas & Sacks, certainly among the foremost law firms of the modern era, led by the legendary Allen Grubman.

As regards the size of the deal currently being celebrated by Jon Platt, Rob Stringer and teams, it’s being discussed in terms similar to those surrounding the Bob Dylan catalog deal UMPG secured in December. The deals for the two music icons are also similar in another respect: the way both flew under the radar until they were done. This level of stealth is rare, leading some insiders to reason that the NDAs must have been exceptionally restrictive—there were no leaks.

For the record, Allen would like to note that we are still meshuggeh after all these years.