Primary Wave Music Publishing has sealed a deal acquiring the copyright
interests of Sara and Janna Allen, the sisters who co-wrote many hit songs
with Hall & Oates, Billboard.biz has learned.
Among the catalog of roughly 70 songs co-written by the sisters are such No.
1 hits on The Billboard Hot 100 as "Kiss On My List" (April 1981, Janna,
Hall); "I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)" (Nov. 1981, Sara, Hall); "Maneater"
(Dec. 1982, Sara, Hall); and "Private Eyes" (Nov. 1981, Sara, Janna, Hall,
Warren Pash). Other top 10 hits on the chart include "Method of Modern Love"
(No. 5, Feb. 1985, Janna, Hall); "You Make My Dreams" (No. 5, July 1981,
Sara, Hall); and "Did It In A Minute" (No. 9, May 1982, Sara, Janna, Hall).
Primary Wave also owns the copyright interests of Hall & Oates in many of
their songs, some of which are co-published by Warner/Chappell Music and
others by BMG Music Publishing.
"This solidifies our interest in all the other Hall & Oates acquisitions,"
Larry Mestel, CEO/partner of Primary Wave, tells Billboard.biz.
Primary Wave did not acquire the writers' shares in the Allen sisters'
songs, Mestel says.
The Hall & Oates single "Sara Smile" was written for Sara, Hall's girlfriend
at the time. Janna passed away in 1993 at the age of 36 after suffering from
leukemia.
Primary Wave Increases Stake In Hall & Oates Songs
