Today, Sony Production Music announced that after ten years, EMI Production Music has returned to its flagship brand name KPM Music. The company also unveiled a modernized KPM logo and symbol, an abstract visualization of vinyl records, reflecting KPM’s evergreen collection and rich heritage.
As one of the longest-running and most universally respected library music companies, KPM is celebrated by the industry’s premier music supervisors and creators and sought out by renowned producers, including Jay-Z, Drake, Gnarls Barkley and Fatboy Slim. Representing more than 40 labels, the company is home to titles across a diverse range of genres, with a roster of award-winning composers and producers who have penned No. 1 hits for the likes of Shirley Bassey, Blur, Lana Del Rey, Flo Rida, among others.
Among the company’s many accomplishments, most recently, Hannah Peel’s album Fir Wave was shortlisted for the Hyundai Mercury Prize’s Album of the Year, marking the first time a commercial album with its origins in a production music library has been nominated.
Russell Emanuel, President & CEO, Sony Production Music said, “Professional music aficionados throughout the industry hold KPM Music in the highest regard. Through the golden age of TV theme music, KPM set the bar that is still the blueprint for many of today’s high-end production music libraries. It is with the greatest respect that we retire the EMI Production Music name, and it is an honor and privilege to steer the ship into the future with the KPM brand as our figurehead.”
With a history spanning over sixty years, KPM is known for creating the original blueprint for synch music. The company was born out of London’s Denmark Street – the vibrant home of producers, publishers and hitmakers. Originating as a partnership in 1830 between musical instrument makers Robert William Keith and William Prowse, the company began operating as KPM (Keith Prowse Maurice) in 1960 after merging with the Peter Maurice music company. In 1969, KPM became part of EMI, and was rebranded to EMI Production Music in 2011.
Throughout the 1960’s, KPM provided some of the most celebrated themes in television history, from Wimbledon and Grandstand, Animal Magic, Grange Hill, and Mastermind to famed U.S. classics such as Peoples Court and Monday Night Football. These revered pieces of pop culture are still treasured today, making household names of KPM songwriters including Keith Mansfield, Alan Hawkshaw, Brian Bennett and Syd Dale, among others.
