Eighty years after establishing its first copyright, peermusic can proudly claim to be a major and still-independent publisher. From its very beginnings, under the keen vision of legendary founder Ralph S. Peer, peermusic has consistently and relentlessly broken new ground on its way to becoming home to some of the best and brightest talent in music.

What might come as a surprise is that the company modestly established by one man now boasts a 300,000-song-title catalog, not to mention 200+ employees populating 35 offices in 28 countries. To understand just how much the company has evolved from its humble beginnings to the global empire it is today is to understand the peermusic story.

1927 was a hot summer in Bristol, Tennessee when Ralph S. Peer, a field-recording engineer and A&R man arrived in town to scout fresh local talent on behalf of the Victor label. A few years prior, he had not only assisted in the first blues recording, but also co-produced the first commercially successful country session. During the next two weeks, he recorded what has become known as the Bristol Sessions with Jimmie Rodgers, The Carter Family and other artists. These pioneering sessions saw the birth of modern country music. He saw further potential in the development of this music through copyright ownership of original material from previously ignored niche markets, such as early African-American and country music.

And so, in January 1928, the company that would one day be peermusic was established under the name Southern Music. Peer wasted little time, acquiring such soon-to-be-standards as "Georgia on My Mind," "Will the Circle Be Unbroken," and "You Are My Sunshine." Furthermore, under an arrangement with Victor, Southern Music controlled copyrights to all original material recorded under Peer's auspices. At the same time, Peer entered into joint ventures with local publishers, introducing their finest material to U.S. audiences.

When Victor sought to increase its Latin-American influence, Southern Music moved far beyond its rural origins into Puerto Rico, Mexico, Argentina, and Cuba, signing such Latin luminaries as Agustin Lara, “the Musical Poet,” and Perez Prado, “the Mambo King.” These artists created some of peermusic’s signature Latin music hits, including Granada, Sólamente Una Vez and Mambo #5. The tradition continued to create many legends including material by Rafael Hernández, Benny Moré and Tito Puente.

peermusic's substantial presence in the Latin music world includes worldwide classics such as:

Perfidia -  Besame Mucho -  Brasil -  Mas Que Nada -  Bahía -  Guadalajara -  Sin Tí -  Cu Cu Rru Cu Cú Paloma -  Amor -  Frenesí -  Cuando Calienta El Sol (Love Me With All Your Heart) -  Mambo #5

While the '30s saw peermusic extending its presence in Latin America, the company was also opening offices throughout Europe. By the end of World War II the once-fledgling company had truly become a worldwide force, acquiring and developing local repertoire throughout Europe that have since become classics by artists such as Maurice Chevalier, Yves Montand, Henri Salvador, and Fred Bongusto.

Yet it hadn't forgotten its roots, for by the '50s peermusic was as vested in U.S. artists and their music as ever. At this point they were determined not to merely remain current, but to look forward. With this thought in mind, at the dawn of rock 'n' roll, peermusic signed none other than Buddy Holly. Before long, Holly's influence gave rise to a new wave of artists, including The Rolling Stones and Donovan who started their careers at peermusic.

Unfortunately, Ralph S. Peer passed away on January 19, 1960. Peer's widow, Monique, continued to deftly guide the company for the next 20 years, particularly continuing the focus on their beloved Latin music. In 1980 leadership passed to the capable hands of Peer's son, Ralph Peer II. Since his tenure began, peermusic has expanded its operations into nine new territories, including three offices in Asia-Pacific. In 1990, he referred to the Internet as the "tool of the future" in music marketing and established this company’s Web site, peermusic.com, as early as 1995. He further embraced the Internet as a tool in music appreciation when he became a managing director of Emusic in 1996. And in 1998 peermusic became the first international music company equipped with a different kind of Web site, digitalpressure.com, which offers direct downloads of master recordings for sale. The internet has helped foster the international collaboration necessary to bring peermusic’s songs to people all over the world.

At the dawn of a new millennium, peermusic is as committed to representing new and developing talent as it was during that sweltering summer back in Bristol. Yet history seems to repeat itself in the Peermusic family. “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” marked a crossroads, for the songs from the album were culled from early copyrights of the firm, which hadn't received deserved exposure in many decades. An incredible amount of long deserved recognition also came with the success of the Buena Vista Social Club. The movie and most importantly the traditional Cuban music were widely embraced by audiences. The success of both the “Buena Vista Social Club” and “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” has brought Peermusic full-circle. They honor the tradition of its founder, Ralph S. Peer, bringing timeless classics of the country and Latin genres to millions of people.

In order to get a feel for the extent and diversity of Peermusic’s catalog, consider a sampling of some famous artists who have performed Peermusic repertoire:

Elvis Presley -  Jerry Lee Lewis -  The Beatles -  The Allman Brothers -  Art Garfunkel -  Frank Sinatra -  Dean Martin -  Nat King Cole -  Bing Crosby -  Ray Charles -  Louis Armstrong -  Hoagy Carmichael -  Rod Stewart -  Bill Monroe -  Kenny Rogers -  Willie Nelson -  Garth Brooks -  Johnny Cash -  Boy George -  Britney Spears -  Freddie Mercury -  The Tragically Hip -  Julio Iglesias -  Desi Arnaz -  Sergio Mendes feat. Black Eyed Peas -  Jaguares -  Luis Miguel -  Marc Anthony -  Paulina Rubio -  Thalía -  Gypsy Kings -  Lokua Kanza -  Edith Piaf -  Johnny Hallyday -  Agoria -  Andrea Bocelli -  Coco Lee -  and even Donald Duck

Few publishing companies can boast such an esteemed roster of songwriters as peermusic. Among peermusic's talented songwriters:

Legendary writer-producer David Foster (The Power of Love – Celine Dion, Because We Believe – Andrea Bocelli) – Jimmie Davis (You are My Sunshine) -  Latin rock artist and songwriter Juanes (A Dios Le Pido, La Camisa Negra) - Bush front man Gavin Rossdale (Glycerine) -  Per Magnusson (Evergreen) – Will Young, Westlife, Anyone of Us (Stupid Mistake) – Gareth Gates) – Donovan (Mellow Yellow, Season of the Witch) -   Shelly Peiken (What a Girl Wants – Christina Aguilera, Bitch – Meredith Brooks) -  R&B writer/producer Tricky Stewart (Me Against the Music - Britney Spears and Madonna, Case of the Ex - Mya) -  Andrew Lum (Selina’s Song and Anticipation - 12 Girls Band)