Primary Wave Music acquired an exhaustive list of rights to The Doors publishing catalog, master recordings, trademarks, merchandising options and even income, which the independent publisher called a “monumental acquisition”.
According to Rolling Stone, the acquisition applies only to the rights previously owned by guitarist Robby Krieger and the property of the late keyboardist Ray Manzarek. Those owed to the late frontman Jim Morrison and drummer John Densmore were not taken into account when selling. To this end, Primary Wave has not yet disclosed how much they paid for the aforementioned rights.
In a statement, Krieger welcomed the acquisition. “After 58 years and at the most magical time, I decided to sell my stake in The Doors to Primary Wave,” he said. “This will allow me to help many charities in which I participated, as well as some new ones. I know that Primary Wave cares about music, art and helps heritage to reach an even higher level.
“Our longtime Doors manager Jeff Jampol will continue to protect our legacy in partnership with Primary Wave, so I am pleased and pleased with The Doors’ future.”
Manzarek’s interests also seem to be taken into account, as his widow Dorothy said in her own statement: “Ray and I spent a lot of time discussing the future of The Doors’ legacy and how to behave after he leaves this world. . Our family has worked patiently to find suitable partners to continue Ray’s efforts to protect and promote his art, and now we are happy that we have finally come to an agreement with Primary Wave.
“Under the constant guidance of our manager Jeff Jampol, Primary Wave will be the right partner in this endeavor to create future generations of new Doors fans.”
In 2021, Krieger released a memoir dedicated to his time at The Doors, titled Set The Night On Fire: Living, Dying, And Playing Guitar With The Doors. As his synopsis boasts, the album features “never-told stories from the vital years of The Doors”, as well as a unique first-hand look at the most iconic moments of the band’s life.
The Doors were originally active from 1965 to 1973 (two years after Morrison’s death in 1971), and a one-time reunion occurred in 1978. They released six albums with Morrison at the helm and two more after his death (both featuring other vocalists). In 1978, they also released American Prayer, an album of original music that included archival poetry readings by Morrison.
