The U.S. rights and certain foreign rights for nearly the entire Tim Hardin song catalog have been acquired by Raleigh Music Publishing and ICM Crescendo. The catalog includes such songs as “If I Were a Carpenter” and “Reason to Believe.” Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The catalog was bought from the heirs of Hardin, who died in 1980. According to the announcement, the deal marks the first acquisition completed under the Raleigh and ICM Crescendo joint venture created earlier this year. As part of the deal, Raleigh Music will administer the catalog and lead its royalty collection, synchronization licensing and promotion efforts.
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“When we formed this joint venture, we said we expected to move quickly on the right opportunities,” Raleigh co-president Steven Storch said in a statement. “The Tim Hardin catalog is exactly the kind of iconic, enduring body of work we set out to acquire, and it shows what the partnership can do. ‘If I Were a Carpenter’ and ‘Reason to Believe’ are as moving today as when he wrote them, and there is a whole songbook behind them waiting to be rediscovered.”
SecondHandSongs, which tracks cover versions of songs, counts nearly 200 for Hardin’s “If I Were A Carpenter.” Johnny Cash & June Carter, Dolly Parton, Robert Plant, Sheryl Crow and Willie Nelson are among the artists who’ve covered the song, which is also featured in the Bobby Darin musical Just In Time, currently playing on Broadway. Meanwhile, SecondHandSongs counts nearly 125 cover versions of “Reason to Believe,” with the most well-known coming from Rod Stewart.
“The Tim Hardin catalog combines cultural significance with a long record of covers and licensing activity,” ICM Asset Management president and portfolio manager David Vankka said in a statement. “It is a strong first transaction for our joint venture with Raleigh, and we look forward to building on it together.”
Other songs in the catalog include “Misty Roses,” “Lady Came From Baltimore,” “Hang on to a Dream” and “Black Sheep Boy,” which have a combined count of around 120 cover versions, according to SecondHandSongs.
“Tim Hardin wrote songs that other great artists couldn’t resist,” Raleigh Music Publishing co-president Peter Raleigh said in a statement. We’re honored to be the stewards of this catalog, and there could be no better first acquisition for our partnership with ICM Crescendo.”
