Kenny G Signs New Agreement With Arista Records, Bolstered by New, Exclusive Long-Term Music Administration Deal With BMG Songs

Business Wire, March 5, 2001

Entertainment Editors

NEW YORK--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--March 5, 2001

Biggest-Selling Instrumentalist of the Modern Era Wraps Up Year 2000

as Billboard's #1 Top Contemporary Jazz Artist and Garners Grammy

Nomination in Pop Instrumental Category

'Classics In the Key Of G' Logs 86Th Week On Jazz Chart,

Stays in Top 10

In recognition of his extraordinary success, it was announced today that mega-platinum artist Kenny G has entered into a new long-term agreement with Arista Records.

In conjunction with the new contract the artist has signed an exclusive, long-term music administration deal for North America with BMG Songs, the U.S. division of BMG Music Publishing Worldwide. Under terms of that contract, BMG Songs will administer Kenny G's entire back catalogue as well as all future works. Previously, he was published by Randall Wixen in North America.

"Kenny G is a core artist whose presence on the Arista roster defines the long-term commitment that this label is all about," said Antonio "L.A." Reid, President and CEO, Arista Records. "He has enjoyed spectacular success for more than a decade and these two new deals recognize his tremendous creativity, imagination and growth. At the same time, this is an affirmation of our warm relationship with Kenny, and our belief that, as successful as he has already been, his best years are still ahead."

"BMG Songs is thrilled to be representing Kenny G," said Scott Francis, President, BMG Songs. "Kenny is a career artist and songwriter whose music will continue to move people for years to come. We look forward to taking care of his catalog and helping him reach new creative heights as a composer."

"Having spent nearly half my life and all of my professional recording career, since 1980, as a member of the Arista and BMG music family, I am very lucky to have such a nurturing environment in which to be creative," said Kenny G. "I am very excited about the new deals which are a result of a great association that will benefit us all for years to come."

Today's announcement marks yet another plateau for Kenny G, the biggest-selling instrumental musician of the modern era - and #6 best-selling overall artist of the entire Soundscan era, which began in 1991. He has sold more than 60 million records worldwide since his solo debut on Arista in 1982, nearly half that in the U.S. alone.

Kenny G was nominated for a Grammy award this year in the Best Pop Instrumental Album category for November 1999's best-selling Faith - A Holiday Album, which contains "Auld Lang Syne (The Millennium Mix)," the eight-minute aural collage representing some 80 `sound bites' of the events that shaped the last century. The album was the long-awaited follow-up to the 9-times RIAA platinum Miracles - The Holiday Album of 1994, the biggest-selling seasonal album in history.

At the same time, Kenny G stays inside the top 10 on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz chart with Classics In the Key Of G. Released in June 1999, the album is now in its 86th week, one of the longest runs in the chart's history. Over the course of 1999 and 2000, it spent 27 weeks at #1 on the chart, interrupted only by Faith's 9 weeks at #1. Their predecessor, 1997's RIAA double-platinum Kenny G's Greatest Hits, spent over 80 weeks in the top 10 on the Contemporary Jazz chart, including 44 weeks at #1, and was named Billboard's #1 Contemporary Jazz album of the year.

As a result of the success of Classics and Faith, Billboard's 2000 year-end issue named Kenny G the #1 Top Contemporary Jazz Artist for the fourth consecutive year. (Faith was named the #1 Top Contemporary Jazz Album of the year, and Classics came in at #2.) Arista Records, in turn, won the #1 spot in the four crucial categories of Top Contemporary Jazz Imprint, Top Contemporary Jazz Label, Top Combined Jazz Imprint, and Top Combined Jazz Label, which resulted in BMG being named the #1 Top Combined Jazz Distributor.

Kenny G (G for Gorelick) began playing saxophone in the high school band in his hometown of Seattle, Washington. At age 17, he performed his first professional gig, backing up Barry White at a concert in Seattle. Kenny enrolled at the University of Washington - an accounting student by day but a musician by night, playing in the touring concerts of Johnny Mathis, the Spinners, Liberace and other performers passing through Seattle. After graduation from college, Kenny joined Arista recording group the Jeff Lorber Fusion (1980), where he was discovered by Arista president Clive Davis, who offered him a solo recording contract. In 1982, his first release was produced, simply entitled Kenny G, and a new era in instrumental music was launched.

Two more albums followed, G-Force (1984) and Gravity (1985). Kenny's breakthrough came with his fourth release in 1986, Duotones, which introduced the classic, "Songbird"; the album has gone on to 5-times platinum since then. In 1988, Silhouette joined the top 10 on pop charts, followed by Kenny G Live, (1989), both of which have passed the 4-times platinum mark.