(l to r): Warner Chappell Music A&R SVP Greg Sowders, WCM CEO Guy Moot, Bernie Leadon, WCM COO Carianne Marshall, and publicist Trevian Kutti. Photo Credit: Warner Chappell Music

Eagles founding member Bernie Leadon has officially inked a global publishing pact with Warner Chappell Music (WCM).

The Warner Music-owned publisher and the 78-year-old “Witchy Woman” co-writer reached out with word of their “long-term, worldwide publishing agreement” today. According to the involved parties, said agreement isn’t a straight catalog deal and won’t see any IP change hands.

Nevertheless, the signing, finalized less than two weeks before the release of Leadon’s first solo album in over 20 years, is interesting on multiple levels. Most immediately, the tie-up is apparently one component of a wider return and Warner Music partnership for the Rock Hall of Famer, who performed at Nashville’s Americanafest earlier in September.

Meanwhile, the seemingly ADA-powered album, Too Late to Be Cool, will drop on October 10th; Leadon “penned all the songs,” and the project “was recorded live to analog tape with all the musicians performing together in the studio, with no overdubs,” per Warner Chappell.

Furthermore, it’s not exactly a secret that several legacy artists have criticized (and sought to recapture IP from) the majors as of late.

On the other hand, Leadon had positive things to say about Warner Music as well as Warner Chappell itself amid a multi-decade professional relationship.

“I have been associated with Warner Chappell and the rest of Warner Music since 1971,” the Dillard & Clark and Flying Burrito Brothers vet said. “I am delighted to renew my connections with them now at this point in the 21st Century. Warner Chappell and Warner Music have always been at the pinnacle of support for songwriters and other music creators, and that reality is still very evident in the current leadership and staff. My sincere thanks go to all of them.”

And in comments of their own, WCM co-chairs Guy Moot (who’s also CEO) and Carianne Marshall (COO) touted the career accomplishments and Americana influence of Leadon.

“It’s no exaggeration to say that much of the music we call Americana today owes a deep debt to Bernie’s boundary-crossing inspiration,” the execs relayed in a joint statement. “He has helped shape a canon of iconic music, from his early years with genre-defying groups like The Flying Burrito Brothers and Dillard & Clark to his generation-defining work with the Eagles to his countless collaborations with other artists.

“His creativity, musical brilliance, and pure devotion to his craft have made him a true American treasure, with six decades of extraordinary songs and sounds to his credit. We’re honored and excited to welcome him into the Warner Chappell family,” they concluded.