McLaughlin & Stern Client Irving Burgie Reacquires Copyrights to Signature Songs of Harry Belafonte

As a result of the sale of Cherry Lane Music to the BMG Publishing Group, McLaughlin & Stern client, Irving Burgie (represented for 25+ years by Alvin Deutsch) exercised both contractual and copyright termination rights, reacquiring Mr. Burgie’s copyrights in his catalog of ever-green hits (i.e., “Island in the Sun”; “Jamaica Farewell”; “Day O”; “Yellow Bird”; “Angelina” et. al.) all of which, over the last 50 years, became the signature songs of Harry Belafonte.

Mr. Burgie simultaneously entered into a 15-year world-wide administrative agreement with BMG, receiving a 6 figure bonus and control of his copyrights and dramatic-stage and audio-visual rights. Mr. Burgie will shortly be publishing an updated version of his autobiography; a newly recorded collection of his major hits and a comprehensive anthology of his catalog.