Mexican superstar Juan Gabriel, one of the leading names in Latin Mexican and pop music, signed global recording and publishing agreements with Universal, Billboard.biz has learned.
New recordings by Juan Gabriel will now be released worldwide through Universal Music Latin America while his publishing catalog — among the most prolific and recorded in Latin music — will be represented exclusively by Universal Music Publishing Group worldwide. Juan Gabriel’s Universal publishing deal encompasses his entire catalog, including such classics such as “Hasta Que Te Conocí” and “Querida.”
Juan Gabriel, a veteran whose career spans nearly four decades of recording, is considered one of the living legends of Latin music, with over 100 million albums sold worldwide. Long signed to BMG (previously RCA), at one point he stopped recording for nearly eight years due to disputes with the label, but returned in 1994 with “Gracias Por Esperar.” His last album for the label was 2003’s “Inocente de Tí.”
Juan Gabriel’s publishing was also signed to BMG, which was later acquired Universal Music Publishing Group.
Juan Gabriel’s signing with Universal reunites him with Jesús Lopez, the company’s chairman for Latin America/Iberian Peninsula, and the person who negotiated his return to the recording while at BMG years before.
