Primary Wave partners with Verve Pipe frontman Brian Vander Ark
Primary Wave has struck a partnership with Brian Vander Ark, the lead singer, guitarist and songwriter of The Verve Pipe, covering his publishing and recorded music catalogues, Music Business Worldwide reported.
The deal, confirmed on 13 October 2026, covers two sides of his work. Publishing means the songwriting rights. Recorded music means the master recordings. It includes the songs Vander Ark wrote for the band.
The agreement also gives the band access to Primary Wave's marketing team and publishing infrastructure. That spans digital strategy, licensing, sync, the placing of music in film, television and adverts, and film and TV production.
At the centre of the catalogue are three songs: Colorful, Photograph and The Freshmen. The Freshmen is the band's highest-charting single. It was released in January 1997 as the third single from Villains, the band's 1996 debut album for RCA.
The numbers tell that story. The Freshmen reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, the US singles chart. It topped Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks and Triple A charts. Primary Wave said the song won an ASCAP Pop Award.
The Verve Pipe formed in Michigan in the early 1990s. That run started small. The band released the independent albums I've Suffered A Head Injury and Pop Smear before signing to RCA. Villains then reached No. 24 on the Billboard 200, the US albums chart.
The band's 2001 album Underneath produced Colorful, which featured in the film Rock Star. Primary Wave describes The Verve Pipe as a multi-platinum alternative rock band, Primary Wave said. The group released its album Reconciled in summer 2025, and Vander Ark is now listed in Primary Wave's contemporary artists roster.
