Mary J. Blige Partners With Primary Wave on Her Music Catalogue

Mary J. Blige has partnered with Primary Wave Music on her catalogue of songs and recordings, Billboard reported on 26 October 2026. A catalogue is the full body of work a songwriter or performer has created, and Primary Wave is a company that buys and manages the rights to music like it.

Under the agreement, Primary Wave will work with Blige and her team on marketing, branding, and digital opportunities. It will also pursue “sync” licensing, which means placing songs in films, television shows, adverts and games in exchange for a fee.

The deal covers some of her best-known songs, including “Family Affair,” “My Life,” “Mary Jane (All Night Long),” “You Bring Me Joy,” “Be Happy,” “Be Without You” and “I Can Love You.” “Family Affair” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, the weekly US singles chart, in 2001.

Blige, known as the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul, has sold more than 50 million records worldwide, according to Billboard. She was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2024.

Primary Wave describes itself as the leading independent publisher of iconic and legendary music. Its client list is wide. It has worked with Brian Vander Ark of The Verve Pipe, the Estate of Robert Palmer, Daniel Jones of Savage Garden and the Estate of Wilson Pickett. It also helped bring a Whitney Houston Barbie to life, working with the Whitney E. Houston Estate and Mattel.

The company has been buying major catalogues for some time. It partnered with Patti LaBelle on her catalogue in October 2025, and in February 2026 the Los Angeles Times reported that Britney Spears had sold her music rights to Primary Wave in a deal worth about $200 million.

For Blige, the agreement puts the day-to-day promotion of her older songs in the hands of a company whose job is to find new uses for them. For listeners, the most visible effect will be where those songs turn up next, whether in marketing campaigns, on streaming platforms or in film and television.