SANTA MONICA, Calif., May 5, 2011
/PRNewswire/ — Universal Music Enterprises (UMe) has acquired the
rights to the extraordinary catalog of WAR, the band that created such
oft-covered and much-sampled funk-rock classics as “Why Can’t We Be
Friends?,” “Low Rider,” “Spill The Wine,” “The Cisco Kid,” “Slippin’
Into Darkness” and “Summer.”  WAR is the centerpiece of a long-term
exclusive license agreement which brings the entire Avenue Records
catalog to UMe, a division of Universal Music Group, the world’s leading
music company.

During
the next month — celebrating the 40th anniversary of the band on its
own — several WAR albums will be made available for digital download
for the first time and fans will be able to obtain a free classic track
via Facebook.  WAR is also currently in the studio preparing a new
album.

Said Bruce Resnikoff,
President and CEO, UMe: “WAR is a multicultural melting pot that has
had an enduring influence on music.  This is a group that truly brought
together people of all races and backgrounds.  From the time its songs
were first released to its popularity with rap and hip-hop audiences
decades later, WAR has remained a fan favorite and a culturally relevant
band.  UMe is proud to make possible the continuation of the legacy of
WAR.”

Added Jerry Goldstein,
CEO, Far Out Records, and WAR’s co-producer: “It is a testament to the
quality of the music that 40 years after the first solo WAR album the
band’s music is still both critically acclaimed and popular.  Thanks to
this agreement, this great music will be available to fans old and new
far into the future.”    

Making their digital premieres on May 3rd will be 1997’s Coleccion Latina, which brings together WAR’s favorite tracks for Latin fans, and two original 1979 albums, The Music Band and The Music Band 2.

On Facebook, for one week only (May 3-10), fans who “like” WAR’s page
will receive a free download of the 1977 hit “WAR Is Coming! WAR Is
Coming!”  Also in May, WAR will stage its always very popular annual
show at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles.  The May 28th
concert will additionally feature Tower of Power and Tierra.  This
spring and summer, WAR will perform coast-to-coast, including Fiesta
Atlanta (May 1), the California State Fair (July 23) and the Los Angeles County Fair (September 16).

After two discs and the gold “Spill The Wine” with Eric Burdon as lead singer, WAR debuted as headliner with a self-titled album in 1971.  Later that year, All Day Music scored with the gold “Slippin’ Into Darkness.”  1972’s The World Is A Ghetto,
with the gold “The Cisco Kid” and gold title track, not only charted #1
but was named Billboard’s Album of the Year and went quadruple
platinum.  The multiplatinum Deliver The Word with the Top 10 “Gypsy Man” in 1973 continued the band’s success as did 1975’s multiplatinum Why Can’t We Be Friends?.
 The latter’s gold title track as well as “Low Rider” became the
group’s most recognizable hits.  The following year’s quadruple platinum
Greatest Hits featured the new song “Summer,” which went gold.  1987’s The Best Of WAR…And More also earned platinum.  

From
“Why Can’t We Be Friends?” being played for the world via a U.S.-Soviet
space mission to “Low Rider” being the theme for the recent “Lopez
Tonight” and “The George Lopez Show” sitcom; from national TV ad
campaigns to major motion pictures, hit TV shows and blockbuster video
games, the music of WAR has spanned cultures and generations, and
continues to prove timeless.

Universal Music Enterprises