New York - Sony/ATV Music Publishing announced on Wednesday that it has agreed to acquire Viacom's music publishing arm, Famous Music, for about $370 million.

Founded in 1928, Famous Music owns the rights to more than 125,000 songs, including the catalogs of Bjork and Duke Ellington, and songs such as "Silver Bells," "Moon River," "Footloose" and the theme from "The Godfather."

The company also operates Extreme, a production music licensing division.

Sony/ATV was established in 1995 as a joint venture between Sony and trusts formed by pop singer Michael Jackson. The company owns or administers over 500,000 copyrights by artists such as The Beatles, Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen.

Sony/ATV also recently acquired the Lieber Stoller catalog.

"This is a milestone event for Sony/ATV Music Publishing," said Michael Jackson.

"The diverse collection of songs in this catalogue range from timeless classics to contemporary hits, and I am pleased to add the acquisition of Famous Music to Sony/ATV."

Related Links:
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/070530/nyw056a.html?.v=1

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/070530/sony_viacom.html?.v=6 (AP)

http://www.sonyatv.com

http://www.famousmusic.com