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Layne Staley and Mike Starr’s estates sell their Alice In Chains songs for an undisclosed sum

“Primary Wave is pleased to partner with the estates of Layne Staley and Mike Starr to honor their musical legacies.”

Alice In Chains

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The estates of late Alice In Chains members Layne Staley and Mike Starr have sold their parts of the band’s song catalogue to publishing firm Primary Wave Music. The sale is the latest in a slew of catalogue acquisitions, from grunge superstars Motley Crue to Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen.

Staley and Starr were part of Alice In Chains’ original lineup. Staley died in 2002, while Starr left the band in 1993, and died in 2011. The band have continued to record since, however, the songs sold as part of Staley and Starr’s catalogue include some of the band’s biggest hits.

Primary Wave will now own tracks such as Man In The Box, Dirt and Sludge Factory. The firm will also benefit from royalties on tracks released while the two were in the band despite neither Staley nor Starr being given writing credits, such as Rooster and Would.

“Primary Wave is pleased to partner with the estates of Layne Staley and Mike Starr to honour their musical legacies as part of the classic era lineup of Alice in Chains, who created the amazing songs and records that comprise the albums Dirt and Facelift, and the acoustic EPs, Jar of Flies and Sap,” Primary Wave’s David Weitzman said in a statement. “These projects represent the greatest works from one of the best artists of the iconic Nineties Seattle-based grunge era.”

Primary Wave did not disclose the financial details of the deal. However, as part of the sale, members of both estates will gain access to Primary Wave’s entire marketing team, digital team, branding team and publishing infrastructure, including licensing and sync opportunities.

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