MPL Communications (which stands for McCartney Productions Ltd.) (
NAICS 512230, SIC 2741) is the umbrella company for the business interests of
Paul McCartney and was established in 1969. In addition to handling McCartney's post-
Beatles work, MPL is one of the world's largest privately owned
music publishers through its acquisition of other publishing companies.[2]
Profile
The company was founded in February 1969 as Adagrove Limited but changed its name to McCartney Productions Ltd. in August 1969.[3] One of the company's first projects was the purchase of the rights to a film adaptation of Rupert Bear in early 1970.[4]
In 1976 MPL bought the North American rights to the Edwin H. Morris & Co. catalogue from Morris himself,[7] and most of Buddy Holly's compositions,[8][9] and in 2003 the rights to Carl Perkins' works.[10] The Holly acquisition was followed by McCartney's launch of 'Buddy Holly Day' with a concert presented annually from 1976 to 1999.
Additionally, MPL has acquired rights to other cover songs recorded by the Beatles, and on solo recordings by
John Lennon, McCartney,
Ringo Starr, and
Denny Laine as follows:
McCartney's second eldest daughter, photographer and photo editor
Mary McCartney, runs the picture department.
Trademark
In October 2006, the
Trademark Registry in London reported that MPL Communications had started a process to trademark McCartney's name on saleable goods.[14]
^Sanjek, t. l. R. (1988). American Popular Music and Its Business: The First Four Hundred Years, Volume III: From 1900-1984. United States: Oxford University Press. p.539