Jon Landau, who has been Bruce Springsteen‘s manager and co-producer for nearly 50 years, has sold his producer and neighboring rights royalties to Primary Wave Music.
Landau has co-produced most of Springsteen’s albums beginning with 1975’s classic “Born to Run” and has also worked with Jackson Browne — and, in his first stint as a producer (at the age of 19), the MC5, although that group is not involved in this transaction.
Landau has worked with Springsteen since 1974 on such albums as “The River,” “Darkness on the Edge of Town,” “The Promise,” “Born in the U.S.A., Live 1975-1985,” “Human Touch,” “Lucky Town” and “Tracks.”
Landau also worked on Browne’s fourth studio album, “The Pretender.” The album reached the Top 5 on the Billboard 200 chart and was nominated for a Grammy in 1977. He also managed Shania Twain in the 1990s, contributing to her 1997 album “Come On Over.”
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In a statement, Landau said, “I thank all at Primary Wave for recognizing my contributions over the last fifty years and look forward to having an ongoing and productive relationship with them.”
President of Global Synch for Primary, Marty Silverstone, added, “We’re honored to be partnering with Jon Landau and all of the legendary music he helped shape. He’s an influential figure in music, and we’re proud to welcome him to the Primary Wave family.”
Landau’s illustrious career in the music industry began when he was a music journalist with bylines in Crawdaddy and The Boston Phoenix. In 1967, he became the lead writer for newly established bi-weekly Rolling Stone, a position he held for a decade during the early years of the magazine.
Over the years, he has worked Natalie Merchant, Train, Alejandro Escovedo, Livingston Taylor and many others. In 2020, Landau was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.