One year on from the passing of David Bowie, the man in charge of his catalogue talks us through the plans for the Thin White Duke's incredible body of work...
2016 was surely the grimmest year for rock star deaths that anyone in the music business can remember. But if there’s one comfort that can be taken from the loss of so many great musicians, it can be found in the spotlight untimely death shines upon an artist’s catalogue.
Last year saw sales surges for the likes of Prince and Leonard Cohen as people discover and rediscover their best work. But how does a label balance the public’s interest with preserving the artist’s legacy and quality control?
Music Week spoke to Nigel Reeve, Warner Music International’s VP of global A&R and content development and the man charged with looking after Bowie’s Warner catalogue, about his plans for the singer’s much-loved work…
How were your plans for David Bowie releases affected by the sad events of last January?
We have a five-year plan that David had bought into and that hasn’t changed. Some releases in the early part of this year, such as the Bowie At The Beeb vinyl and Golden Years 40th anniversary picture disc, had been delivered in 2015 and set-up had begun before David’s passing, so we stuck to the agreed plan.
What have you learned about Bowie’s back catalogue from the huge outpouring of interest and affection that followed his passing?
Personally, the responsibility and enormity of what goes with our tiny role in his musical legacy. I remember watching the news that night and it was incredible. We all, as a team, realised – if we hadn’t realised already – that what we were dealing with went way beyond music. This is going to sound like a contradiction in that the day of his passing was a blur, and yet there are moments in the day that I can remember like it happened a minute ago. I won’t go into how I heard the sad news other than to say that, even before I was actually told what the news was, I instinctively knew he’d gone, odd as that may seem. In terms of his catalogue, different periods of his career, and different songs touch people in different ways and we should never forget that. The man and his music did connect with a younger audience too, not just the more obvious demographic, but not in the traditional way. It’s our job to keep those audiences in touch with his legacy.
What plans for future releases are in the works?
It’s not giving too much away to suggest a third box set will be forthcoming at some point, along with further 40th anniversary picture discs. With David we always supported Record Store Day and so, again, it’s fair to say we’ll be doing something again next year and it should be pretty special.
How will you work with his estate and other partners on future releases?
To be honest, nothing has changed (no pun intended). The same team is in place and we will continue as we’ve always done. We all know the vision David had and what he would and wouldn’t be happy with so, whilst he is no longer with us, we have our ‘instructions’. We all know our roles and will continue to fulfill them until such time as natural change occurs and the situation evolves.
Are there particular periods of his career that you feel deserve more attention?
Indeed there are and that will happen naturally as our agreed schedule is realised. Iconic and ground breaking as Ziggy was, for now, the rest of his career post the Five Years box will be in focus.
Obviously, there’s huge demand from the public for more Bowie releases – is it difficult to accommodate that and preserve his legacy?
It’s difficult to manage the expectations of core fans who feel everything that exists should be released, but that is absolutely not how David viewed his catalogue. We won’t be flooding the market, we will be keeping the quality control as tight as ever and hope that the fans and the public will both understand and appreciate that. However, one thing I’ve learnt is that you can never truly please the fans, no matter how hard you try or how perfect the release.
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