Photo by David Uzzardi

Recently the members of the Sex Pistols, Steve Jones, Paul Cook and Sid Vicious, made a new global publishing deal with BMG.  The deal includes the entirety of each of the three artist’s portion of credit for their whole catalogue. I big change for the artists this could mean a lot of money being transferred around the group due to the punk bands legendary status. 

According to NME, “In a statement, BMG said: ‘Sex Pistols are among the most important and recognisable rock bands in history, and their legacy is felt across fashion, art and society.’

The company’s VP in music publishing, Michael Howe, added: ‘Steve, Paul, and Sid’s works with Sex Pistols are among the most important cultural and creative music of the last half-century.’

‘Their impact on society and the performing arts is orders of magnitude greater than the group’s incredibly brief lifespan and recorded output would suggest. The band’s influence resonates as deeply today as it did in 1977.’

Jones added: ‘Where’s my money?!’”

This deal came out after John Lydon distanced himself from the Sex Pistols because he believed they were trying to “cash in” on the death of the Queen. 

NME states on the subjet, “In a thread shared on Twitter, Lydon’s band Public Image Ltd explained the former Pistols singer disavows any alleged activity linked to the band’s 1977 single ‘God Save The Queen’ which has gone ahead.

‘John Lydon wishes to distance himself from any Sex Pistols activity which aims to cash in on Queen Elizabeth II’s death,’ the statement began. ‘The musicians in the band and their management have approved a number of requests against John’s wishes on the basis of the majority court-ruling agreement.’” Overall this deal is a huge one and many bands and artists have been making deals with their catalogues.