Bucks Music Group has signed the catalogue of Matthew Jay in a worldwide administration deal, as the late singer-songwriter's debut album Draw marks its 25th anniversary.
Jay signed to EMI imprint Food Records in 1999 and released two EPs, Four Songs and Friendly Fire, the following year, prior to Draw's release in 2001.
Jay toured extensively around the album, supporting artists including Doves, Starsailor, Lowgold, Stereophonics and Dido.
Following Draw, Jay continued writing and recording extensively for a second album, while also collaborating with other writers. A number of recordings and songs from the period remained unreleased during his lifetime.
After parting ways with EMI in 2002, Jay secured a place at the University Of Westminster in London to study recording. He died in 2003, aged 24, following an unexplained fall from the window of a friend’s apartment.
It’s a privilege to work alongside Matthew’s family as custodians of his songs
Simon Platz, Bucks Music Group
“Matthew Jay was a brilliant songwriter who had so much more to give," said Bucks Music Group MD Simon Platz. "The material he did leave behind is fantastic and, on the 25th anniversary of his album, Draw, it’s a privilege to work alongside Matthew’s family as custodians of his songs, making sure they are treated with the care and respect they deserve.”
In 2024, Jay's parents established their own record label, Jays Music, and released a collection of tracks titled Matthew Jay: Too Soon, with backing from EMI. A further collection of songs that Jay had been working on prior to his death was released in 2008 as Further Than Tomorrow.
A tribute concert was held at London's Shepherd’s Bush Empire on what would have been Jay's 30th birthday, October 10, 2008. Artists including Jay’s backing band, Starsailor frontman James Walsh, Squeeze co-founder Chris Difford and Passenger performed Jay’s songs alongside their own work, with profits from the event donated to Amnesty International and UNICEF.
Twenty-five years after the release of Draw, it means an enormous amount to us that Bucks Music Group shares our belief in the enduring quality of Matthew’s songwriting
Hilary and Tony Jay
Jay's parents, Hilary and Tony Jay, said: “Matthew lived for his music and cared enormously about the craft of songwriting. He believed deeply in the songs he wrote and wanted them to reach and connect with people, but he rarely explained what a song meant to him. He felt that once a song was out in the world, listeners should be free to find their own meaning in it and make it personal to them.
“Twenty-five years after the release of Draw, it means an enormous amount to us that Bucks Music Group shares our belief in the enduring quality of Matthew’s songwriting. We hope that new listeners will discover the songs and find their own meaning in them, just as Matthew intended, and that a new generation of artists will discover them too and perhaps find new ways of interpreting them.”
Bucks’ catalogue includes works written by David Bowie, The Rolling Stones, Black Sabbath, Procol Harum, DJ Fresh, James Blunt, Professor Green, Rudimental, Beyoncé, CAN, Pete Doherty, Roni Size & Reprazent, David Arnold, Guy Chambers and more.
Label publishing partners include Heavenly, Nude, Full Time Hobby, Brownswood, Rekids and Arts & Crafts.
