MPL Communications
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.
Also recorded as McCartney Productions Ltd.
MPL Communications
- Name
- MPL Communications
- Founded
- MPL Communications was established or created on 1 January 1970.
- Headquarters
- MPL Communications has its headquarters at London.
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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.
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wikidata · Q32294 · wikipedia · MPL Communications
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — MPL Communications • Type — Music publishing activities • Founder — Paul McCartney • Hq Location City — London, England New York City, United States • Website — mplcommunications.com
Profile
Profile
The company was founded in February 1969 as Adagrove Limited but changed its name to McCartney Productions Ltd. in August 1969. One of the company's first projects was the purchase of the rights to a film adaptation of Rupert Bear in early 1970.
Music publishing
Music publishing
MPL publishing owns a wide range of copyrighted material – covering over 100 years of music – by composers including McCartney, Buddy Holly, Carl Perkins, Jerry Herman, Frank Loesser, Meredith Willson, Harold Arlen and many others, with songs, such as "Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody" (made famous by Al Jolson in 1918), "I'm Glad There Is You", "Blue Suede Shoes", and "That'll Be the Day". MPL also publishes some early 1960s songs written by Bob Gaudio, including the US #1 hits "Sherry", "Big Girls Don't Cry" and "Walk Like a Man", all recorded by The Four Seasons. Lennon–McCartney songs such as "Love Me Do" and "P.S. I Love You" became part of the catalog in the late 2010s after McCartney reached a settlement with longtime Beatles catalog holder Sony/ATV Music Publishing allowing the co-author to reclaim his songs fifty-six years from their initial publication. MPL also controls 25 subsidiary companies. In 1976 MPL bought the North American rights to the Edwin H. Morris & Co. catalogue from Morris himself, and most of Buddy Holly's compositions, and in 2003 the rights to Carl Perkins' works. 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 solo recordings by John Lennon, McCartney, Ringo Starr, and Denny Laine as follows:
Buddy Holly songs
Buddy Holly songs
• "Words of Love" (Beatles for Sale, 1964) • "Crying, Waiting, Hoping" (Live at the BBC, 1994) • "That'll Be the Day" (Anthology 1, 1995) • "Peggy Sue" (Lennon's Rock 'n' Roll, 1975, John Lennon Anthology, 1998, Instant Karma, 2002, and Gimme Some Truth box set, 2010) • "Heartbeat" (Lennon's Power to the People, Deluxe box set, 2025) • "Maybe Baby" (Lennon's Power to the People, Deluxe box set, 2025) • "Rave On!" (Lennon's Power to the People, Deluxe box set, 2025) • Denny Laine's album Holly Days (1976)
Carl Perkins songs
Carl Perkins songs
• "Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby", (Beatles for Sale, 1964, and Live at the Hollywood Bowl, 2016) • "Honey Don't" (Beatles for Sale, 1964) • "Matchbox" (Long Tall Sally EP, 1964 and Past Masters, 1988) • "Sure to Fall" (Live at the BBC, 1994, and Starr's Stop and Smell the Roses, 1981) • "Blue Suede Shoes" (Anthology 3, 1996, The Beatles: Get Back, 2021, Lennon's Live Peace in Toronto, 1969, Lennon box set, 1990, and Instant Karma, 2002) • "That's Right" (Lennon's Power to the People Deluxe box set, 2025)
Other songs
Other songs
• "Twist and Shout" (Please Please Me, 1963, The Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl, 1977, Anthology 1, 1995, The Beatles: Get Back, 2021) • "Till There Was You" (With the Beatles, 1963, Live at the BBC, 1994, Anthology 1, 1995) • "Your Feet's Too Big" (Live! at the Star-Club in Hamburg, Germany; 1962, 1977) • "Reminiscing" (Live! at the Star-Club in Hamburg, Germany; 1962, 1977) • "Ain't She Sweet" (Anthology 1, 1995, Anthology 3, 1996, John Lennon Anthology, 1998) • "Hi-Heel Sneakers" (The Beatles: Get Back, 2021, McCartney's Unplugged (The Official Bootleg), Lennon's Power to the People Deluxe box set, 2025) • "Carolina Moon" (The Beatles: Get Back, 2021) • "Bluejean Bop" (McCartney's Run Devil Run, 1999) • "Let's Have a Party" aka "Party" (McCartney's Run Devil Run, 1999) • "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter" (McCartney's Kisses on the Bottom, 2012) • "More I Cannot Wish You" (McCartney's Kisses on the Bottom, 2012) • "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive" (McCartney's Kisses on the Bottom, 2012) • "The Inch Worm" (McCartney's Kisses on the Bottom, 2012) • "Sentimental Journey" (Starr's Sentimental Journey, 1970) • "Blue, Turning Grey Over You" (Starr's Sentimental Journey, 1970) • "Blue Christmas" (Starr's I Wanna Be Santa Claus, 1999)
Trademark
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.
Institutional history
Dated record
Institutional history
Explore 1970
The full dated record · 3 entries
1970
MPL Communications established.
1970
MPL Communications is recorded from 1970.
1970
MPL Communications was established or created on 1 January 1970.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
MPL Communications is situated in United Kingdom.
Country
MPL Communications is associated with United Kingdom.
Country
Primary material
Context
The circumstances in which MPL Communications stands. Established or created on 1 January 1970. Communications has its headquarters at New York City. Communications has its headquarters at London. Recorded as holding company. Situated in United Kingdom. Founded by Paul McCartney.
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Partially resolvedreference work
Partially resolved
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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