My Morning Jacket and Jim James Sign Worldwide Publishing Deal With Peermusic
My Morning Jacket have signed a worldwide publishing deal with Peermusic, covering the band's future releases and the solo work of frontman Jim James, including his forthcoming album 'Wowed Out,' due August 28 via ATO Records. Peermusic, which describes itself as the largest independent music publisher in the world, confirmed the agreement on August 19, 2026, as reported by Billboard and MusicWeek.
A publishing deal, in plain terms, gives a publisher the right to administer a songwriter's compositions — collecting royalties, licensing the songs for film, television and other uses, and representing the catalogue globally. This agreement covers new My Morning Jacket material going forward and James's solo output.
The deal reunites James with Jamie Cerreta, Peermusic's president of U.S. and Canada, whose relationship with the band stretches back to 2002, when he signed them to Chrysalis Music Publishing. Cerreta later co-founded Big Deal Music, which became part of Hipgnosis Songs Group, and moved to Peermusic in August 2025. Along the way he signed artists including Ray LaMontagne, The Bravery and Manchester Orchestra, according to Peermusic.
Cerreta said in a statement that he has been "lucky to work with Jim for most of my career" and is "thrilled" James joined what Peermusic is building. James returned the warmth, saying he built "an incredible musical connection and friendship" with Cerreta and is excited to join the Peermusic family.
The connection between the two camps has deeper roots. In 2017, Peermusic signed a long-term sub-publishing agreement to represent the music copyrights controlled by Big Deal Music Group, a catalogue that already included My Morning Jacket. The new deal moves the band and James into a direct relationship with Peermusic for their future work.
My Morning Jacket — James on vocals and guitar, Tom Blankenship on bass, Patrick Hallahan on drums, Carl Broemel on guitar and Bo Koster on keys — have placed 12 albums on the Billboard 200, the U.S. chart that ranks the most consumed albums each week. Their 2011 album 'Circuital' peaked at No. 5. In 2025, the band's album 'Is' produced two No. 1 hits on Billboard's Adult Alternative Airplay chart: 'Everyday Magic' and 'Time Waited.'
James and the band are managed by Michael McDonald and Kristen Bunk at Mick Management. 'Wowed Out,' James's first solo album in eight years, arrives nine days from the deal's announcement.
For a band that has been releasing records for over two decades, the Peermusic deal is less a reinvention than a consolidation — a songwriter and an executive who first crossed paths 24 years ago choosing to keep working together under a new roof.
