APPLE MUSIC ACQUIRES A SONGWRITER

The documentary Songwriter, an up-close examination of the intimate songwriting process of Grammy-Award winning singer- songwriter Ed Sheeran, has been acquired by Apple Music.

The company won an auction for the world screen rights, after the film debuted at the Berlin International Film Festival and before moving on to Tribeca's. The deal is reportedly in the low seven-figure range, and the content will come with a theatrical tie-in and be released on multiple Apple platforms.

The doc was a true organic production, with extraordinary access chronicling both Sheeran's craft and process, plus his journey to becoming a superstar, because the director Murray Cummings is Sheeran's own family—his cousin. When the singer first moved to London to make it, he slept on Cummings' couch, just as his cousin was working on a filmmaking career. Naturally, he made Sheeran his subject.

“Then, it ended up with, ‘Wow, I’ve got a lot of content of you writing, and I don’t think anyone’s seen that. Let’s do something with that," Cummings explained to Deadline.

There was certainly some wheeling and dealing going on behind the scenes, with Larry Jackson negotiating for Apple Music and the sellers previewing the film for other prospective suitors prior to its Tribeca premiere.

Is it worth mentioning that Ed Sheeran is Spotify's top streaming artist?