Primary Wave Music has partnered with the estate of Eartha Kitt and her daughter, Kitt Shapiro, in a deal covering the singer and actress’s catalog of music, plus her name, image, and likeness rights.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Kitt, who died on December 25, 2008, at the age of 81, was known for her recording career spanning several decades, which produced hits including Santa Baby, C’est Si Bon, and Let’s Do It.
Santa Baby, written for Kitt in 1953, has close to 500 million streams on Spotify alone, according to Primary Wave.
The deal also includes hit recordings such as Under the Bridges of Paris and Where Is My Man – the latter of which earned Kitt her first Gold record.
Primary Wave says that Kitt’s catalog encompasses 17 studio albums, 8 live albums, and more than 50 singles.
Kitt Shapiro, Eartha’s only child and the Executrix of her estate, said: “I am very excited to partner with Primary Wave to further share my mother’s legacy, and to continue spreading her message of kindness, love, acceptance and empowerment, to future generations.”
Primary Wave’s Dana DuFine added: “Eartha Kitt was a true icon with one of the most distinctive voices in music.
“We are thrilled to partner with Eartha’s daughter, Kitt Shapiro, and are honored she has entrusted us to preserve the legacy of her mother’s legendary catalog of music.”
The deal is the latest in a steady run of estate and heritage catalog acquisitions for Primary Wave, which describes itself as “the leading independent publisher of iconic and legendary music in the world”.
Primary Wave’s acquisition activity has been powered by a $2 billion partnership with Brookfield Asset Management, struck in 2022, which saw the financial giant take a minority stake in the New York-headquartered publisher founded and led by Larry Mestel.
Since being founded in 2006, Primary Wave has built a portfolio that includes rights to music from Bob Marley, Prince, Whitney Houston, Stevie Nicks, James Brown, Smokey Robinson, Ray Charles, Burt Bacharach, and Aerosmith, among others.
Last year, the company confirmed it had acquired a stake in the Notorious B.I.G.’s recordings and publishing catalog, plus name, image, and likeness rights, in a deal that valued the late rapper’s estate at over $200 million.
Primary Wave is also reportedly in talks to acquire Kobalt Music Group, in a deal that would create one of the largest independent music rights companies in the world.
Born on January 17, 1927, in North, South Carolina, Kitt rose from a childhood marked by hardship to become one of the most recognized entertainers of the 20th century. She began her career dancing with the Katherine Dunham Company, later becoming a star through her performances in Paris cabarets. Orson Welles once called her “the most exciting woman in the world”.
Kitt’s career spanned Broadway (including Tony-nominated turns in Timbuktu! and The Wild Party), film, and television – where she played Catwoman in the third season of Batman in 1967.
She won two Daytime Emmy Awards for voicing the villain Yzma in the Disney series The Emperor’s New School, and a third Emmy posthumously in 2010.
In 1968, Kitt’s outspoken criticism of the Vietnam War at a White House luncheon effectively saw her blacklisted in the United States for years. When she returned to American stages in the late 1970s, audiences welcomed her back.Music Business Worldwide
