Primary Wave Music, the leading independent publisher of iconic and legendary music in the world, announced its partnership with keyboardist, songwriter, composer and one of the founders of the legendary rock band Toto, Steve Porcaro. Terms of the deal include Porcaro’s music publishing catalog, artist royalties, and neighboring rights. The multi-million-dollar deal includes royalties for some of Toto’s biggest hits, as well as rights to all songs Steve composed for film and television, including his work for the award-winning FX show “Justified.”
As one of the founding members of the band Toto, Porcaro wrote some of and performed on all of the band’s groundbreaking repertoire. Their songs not only shaped the landscape of pop and rock music but also are timeless, with new fans finding their music every day. The band’s greatest hits such as the top 5 singles “Rosanna” and “Hold The Line,” as well as their number one classic “Africa” are all included in this new partnership with Primary Wave. “Hold The Line” was the band’s first single off their self-titled debut. It soared to number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, was an international success, and has since been certified 2x platinum. Released in 1982, “Rosanna” reached number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, staying there for five weeks. In 1983, “Rosanna” won the Grammy Award for “Record of the Year”. Toto’s most well-known hit “Africa” was released in October 1982 and was the third single off the band’s multi-platinum and Grammy winning album Toto IV. The single shot to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, making it their only Billboard number one. “Africa” also went to number 1 in Canada and reached the Top 10 in the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, and Switzerland.
The deal also includes rights to a select number of compositions purchased jointly with the Estate of Michael Jackson, including Jackson’s mega-hit “Human Nature,” a song Steve co-wrote for Michael Jackson which was released in July 1983 as the fifth single from Jackson’s critically acclaimed Thriller album. After release, the single immediately shot to the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100. The song also reached to the top 5 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart, peaking at number two. Music critics raved about the single with Slant Magazine saying the song was "probably the best musical composition on the album.” In a 2012 article for the Los Angeles Times, Randall Roberts wrote “it’s the song that I never tire of hearing.”
Of the deal Primary Wave’s David Weitzman said, “We are thrilled to welcome Steve Porcaro to the Primary Wave family. His career arc from being a first call touring & session musician, to co-founding Toto, to writing songs with Michael Jackson in his home studio is a story for the ages.”
Additional terms of the partnership will also now give Steve access to the company’s marketing team and publishing infrastructure, working closely on new marketing, branding, digital, and synch opportunities, as well as film & television projects.
