Primary Wave Music, the leading independent publisher of iconic and legendary music in the world, announces today its partnership with keyboardist, songwriter, composer and one of the founders of the legendary rock band Toto, Steve Porcaro. Terms of the deal include Porcaro’s music publishing catalog, artist royalties, and neighboring rights. The multi-million-dollar deal includes royalties for some of Toto’s biggest hits, as well as rights to all songs Steve composed for film and television, including his work for the award-winning FX show, Justified.
As one of the founding members of the band Toto, Porcaro wrote some of and performed on all of the band’s groundbreaking repertoire. Their songs not only shaped the landscape of pop and rock music but also are timeless, with new fans finding their music every day. The band’s greatest hits such as the top 5 singles “Rosanna” and “Hold The Line,” as well as their number one classic “Africa” are all included in this new partnership with Primary Wave. “Hold The Line” was the band’s first single off their self-titled debut. It soared to #5 on the Billboard Hot 100, was an international success, and has since been certified 2x platinum. Released in 1982, “Rosanna” reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, staying there for five weeks. In 1983, “Rosanna” won the Grammy Award for “Record of the Year”. Toto’s most well-known hit “Africa” was released in October 1982 and was the third single off the band’s multi-platinum and Grammy winning album Toto IV. The single shot to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, making it their only Billboard #1. “Africa” also went to #1 in Canada and reached the Top 10 in the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, and Switzerland.
The deal also includes rights to a select number of compositions purchased jointly with the Estate of Michael Jackson, including Jackson’s mega-hit “Human Nature,” a song Steve co-wrote for Michael Jackson which was released in July 1983 as the fifth single from Jackson’s critically acclaimed Thriller album. After release, the single immediately shot to the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song also reached to the Top 5 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart, peaking at #2. Music critics raved about the single with Slant Magazine saying the song was "probably the best musical composition on the album.” In a 2012 article for the Los Angeles Times, Randall Roberts wrote “it’s the song that I never tire of hearing.”
Of the deal Primary Wave’s David Weitzman said, “We are thrilled to welcome Steve Porcaro to the Primary Wave family. His career arc from being a first call touring & session musician, to co-founding Toto, to writing songs with Michael Jackson in his home studio is a story for the ages.”
Additional terms of the partnership will also now give Steve access to the company’s marketing team and publishing infrastructure, working closely on new marketing, branding, digital, and synch opportunities, as well as film & television projects.
About Steve Porcaro:
Co-writing “Human Nature” on Michael Jackson’s Grammy-winning album Thriller, solidified his individual mark on the music industry. A sought-after session musician, Steve has worked extensively with music producer icons Quincy Jones and David Foster and many of music’s most successful artists including Don Henley, YES, Elton John, Boz Scaggs and many others.
Steve Porcaro’s touring career began with Gary Wright, in support of Wright’s hit album, The Dream Weaver and then with Boz Scaggs along with the other original members of Toto, prior to that band’s 1977 inception. Steve’s older brothers, Mike Porcaro (bassist) and Jeff Porcaro (drummer), also members of Toto were highly respected session musicians and their father Joe Porcaro is regarded was one of the world’s most influential session percussionists and educators. In 2010, Steve toured with Toto when the decision was made to reform the band in support of his brother Mike, during Mike’s lengthy battle with ALS.
Along with his work on “Human Nature”, Steve Porcaro performed as a musician on other Thriller tracks including “Beat It”, “The Girl Is Mine”, “PYT”, “The Lady in my life” and composed the song “For All Time”, which was included on the Thriller “25th Anniversary” Edition. A testament to his compositional influence, “Human Nature” has been covered and/or sampled by many artists including Miles Davis, Stevie Wonder, John Mayer, SWV, Nas, and Chris Brown. He has written or co-authored music on each of Toto's first six albums and most recently, performed on the band's highly acclaimed 2015 album Toto XIV, also co-writing and singing lead on “The Little Things” and “Bend” which is featured on the Japan edition of that release. After many years of success, Toto continues to play to sold-out audiences in Europe, US and Japan.
In 2016 Steve was thrilled to bring his highly anticipated solo album, Someday / Somehow to fans across the globe and is putting the finishing touches on its follow up.
About Primary Wave:
Primary Wave Music is the leading independent publisher of iconic and legendary music in the world. The company is home to some of the most iconic songwriters, artists, and record labels across the history of recorded music including Bob Marley, Prince, Stevie Nicks, James Brown, The Doors, Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons, Smokey Robinson, Whitney Houston, Ray Charles, Burt Bacharach, Neil Sedaka, Bing Crosby, Luther Vandross, Olivia Newton-John, Isaac Hayes, Andre 3000, Steven Van Zandt, Aerosmith, Def Leppard, America, War, Teddy Pendergrass, Count Basie, Traveling Wilburys (Bob Dylan), Donny Hathaway, Joey Ramone, Scott Weiland (Stone Temple Pilots), Bob Burns (Lynyrd Skynyrd), George Brown (Kool & The Gang), Sly & The Family Stone, Boston, Alice Cooper, Paul Anka, Boy George and Culture Club, Allee Willis, Paul Rodgers, Free, The Cranberries, Steve Cropper, Sarah McLachlan, Alice In Chains, Air Supply, Nuno Bettencourt (Extreme), Julian Casablancas (The Strokes), Huey Lewis and the News, PF Sloan, Glenn Gould, Gin Blossoms, Spin Doctors, Disturbed, George Merrill & Shannon Rubicam, Styx, Keith, Forsey, Jeff Porcaro (TOTO), Chris Isaak, Sun Records, Times Music (subsidiary of the Times of India Group), Nas Nuvens Catalog, and many more. The songs represented by Primary Wave include over 800 Top 10 singles, and over 400 #1 hits. Since its inception in 2006, Primary Wave Music has embraced an entrepreneurial spirit, offering, and executing proactive one-of-a-kind ideas, unique services, and marketing campaigns for our artists. Primary Wave has earned a stellar reputation for being forward thinking and re-introducing classic artists and their music into the modern marketplace as well as nurturing young talent to become legends themselves. This success is based upon our team of seasoned and creative executives collaboratively working together closely with our artists as partners. As a company, we strive for excellence in the pursuit of iconic artists and catalogs that not only reflect great artistry, but impact and influence culture.
