MusicBird Acquires Midge Ure’s Catalog, Including His Work with Ultravox, Visage

MusicBird has acquired the music catalog of Scottish singer-songwriter-producer Midge Ure.

Under the acquisition, the music rights investment company has acquired the writer’s share, master recording, and neighboring rights income for more than 300 songs within Ure’s catalog, spanning his solo career and his work with bands Ultravox, Visage, Slik, Rich Kids, and more.

Ure’s 1984 single “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” which he co-wrote and produced with Bob Geldof as a charitable release to raise money for those impacted by the famine in Ethiopia—and recorded by Band Aid, a supergroup that they both assembled—is not included in the acquisition.

“It is a significant moment for me as an artist and songwriter to see my songs find a new home at MusicBird with people who are genuinely passionate about music,” said Ure in a statement. “I think this team will take the songs to new audiences and I am excited to be working with them on that.”

Throughout his 50-year career as a singer, guitarist, and songwriter in the aforementioned bands as well as a shorter stint in Thin Lizzy and the punk band Skids, Ure’s solo career also stretches across his No. 1 hit “If I Was,” off his 1985 debut, The Gift, and several more albums over the decades, including his most recent, Orchestrated, in 2017.

During his time with the New Romantic moving Visage, Ure wrote the band’s hit “Fade to Grey,”  in addition to Ultravox’s hits “Vienna” and “Dancing with Tears in My Eyes.”

Along with Ure’s works, the current MusicBird catalog portfolio also includes the master income and publishing rights of rapper Shaggy and his hits, including “It Wasn’t Me” and “Boombastic,” in addition to songwriter J.R. Rotem, who has written for Rihanna, Fall Out Boy, and Jason Derulo, among others.

“This is an important deal for MusicBird,” said Paul Brown, CEO of MusicBird, in a statement. “Midge has written some genuinely timeless hits that were ground-breaking, helping to define the 1980s new wave sound and literally paving the way for those that came after. We are hugely excited to become the custodian of these incredible songs and we are humbled that Midge has entrusted these precious pieces of art to the MusicBird team.”  

Ure, who joined Howard Jones on tour in 2022, recently published a book of photographs, In A Picture Frame, a collection of photos taken between 1980 and 1986, including behind-the-scenes moments captured with Ultravox and Visage. 

Photo by Lorne Thomson/Redferns