BMG Acquires Publishing Catalog of The Living End’s Chris Cheney
BMG has acquired the publishing catalog of Chris Cheney, frontman, guitarist, and primary songwriter of Australian rock band The Living End. The deal expands BMG’s existing long-term relationship with Cheney, who has been signed to the company as a global publisher since 2016 (with The Living End on BMG as a global label since 2018).
The acquisition covers Cheney’s songwriting catalog, which includes the band’s iconic body of work spanning more than three decades. No financial terms were disclosed.
Background
Formed in Melbourne in the 1990s, The Living End broke through with the double A-side single “Second Solution/Prisoner of Society,” the biggest Australian single of the decade. Their self-titled debut album debuted at No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart, earned 4x Platinum certification, and spent 83 weeks on the chart. The band has released multiple Top 10 and Platinum albums with enduring singles including “All Torn Down,” “Roll On,” “White Noise,” and “Who’s Gonna Save Us?” Known for their high-energy fusion of punk, rockabilly, and rock ‘n’ roll, they have toured with The Rolling Stones, AC/DC, Green Day, and The Offspring, and earned six ARIA Awards plus APRA Song of the Year honors. The band was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame on June 11.
Chris Cheney: “One of the great joys of being a musician is songwriting. The magical feeling you get from the process of creating something from nothing! Songs can take weeks to write, or they can appear in minutes seemingly out of nowhere, they are the most wonderful, mysterious, powerful things! The Living End have always had an incredibly strong connection with our audience around the world through our catalog of songs. I’m thankful and very honored to have done this deal with BMG who I know share the same passion and enthusiasm for music and for this catalog.”
Heath Johns, President, Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia, BMG: “The Living End has been the soundtrack to countless Australian stories and memories while the band has simultaneously achieved cult status internationally as one of the best live rock bands of all time. As The Living End enter the ARIA Hall of Fame, we are incredibly honored that Chris has chosen BMG as his forever home for these iconic publishing rights, and we look forward to finding new opportunities for them at home and abroad.”
Catalog Context
This is a textbook example of ongoing catalog consolidation in rock and indie-adjacent publishing. BMG continues to deepen relationships with established songwriters and bands by bringing iconic, high-engagement catalogs in-house, creating opportunities for renewed sync, international exploitation, and long-term administration while the original creators retain creative alignment with a partner they already know.
