The Who's Pete Townshend Signs Nine Figure Deal With Primary Wave

The Who’s Pete Townshend has landed a deal with music publishing company, Primary Wave, reportedly worth nine figures.

The partnership will see Primary Wave partner with the legendary UK musician “on the exploitation of his name, image, and likeness and the development and exploitation of future creative projects”.

Townshend will also now have access to the indie company's digital department to establish a footprint across social media, while its licensing and synch division is working with the artist and copyright owners of his catalog to place his songs across film and television.

“Moving forward with my creative and performative work with Primary Wave, at this time of my life when most creatives might be slowing down, is a joy for me. Their entire team exhibit an energy that is truly stimulating. Challenging too. I need that," Townshend said in a statement.

"I write songs, stories and poetry, and even draw and paint almost every day of my life. I work with musicians and other creatives, and spend a lot of my time building charitable solutions for organisations that help young creative people grow and succeed in this very hard time. Music is my main medium. With my incredibly talented wife Rachel I have been supported on every level to remain as young as I can, and if I get too old to paint I will borrow Matisses’s scissors. I have a feeling Primary Wave are sharpening up a special pair for me.

"Then there is Roger and all my friends and colleagues in and around The Who. We are always trying to come up with SOMETHING special, and God Willing will continue to do that, hoping one day we can astound you the way we used to.

"I have always been something of an ex-art student, and that means my work spans a lot of genres. Primary Wave span even more genres than I do, and I know we will have a lot of fun working together. Our first few meetings have been wonderfully inspiring moments of shared adventure.”

Primary Wave CEO and founder Larry Mestel, who was only recently in Sydney for the 2026 APRA Awards, added: “Pete Townshend is one of the greatest and most influential rock icons in music history. We are honoured that he has chosen Primary Wave as a partner and collaborator and look forward to creating new opportunities together.”