Reference song
American Pie by Don McLean is included in the MRP Top Charted reference catalog. Billboard Year-End chart research: 1972 rank #3. Use this page as a research reference for music supervision across film, television, advertising, trailers, branded content and creative pitches. Inclusion is for discovery and research and does not imply that MRP or MFP controls or represents the recording or publishing rights.
Creative reference
For Music Supervisors
For music supervisors researching American Pie by Don McLean, this page brings the track's chart context and reference information together for film, TV, advertising, trailer and branded-content research.
Licensing & clearance
Rights representation
Publishing and master information below is reference research and should be independently verified for the specific use, territory, term, and budget.
Publishing Representation
- Publisher / rightsholder
- Benny Bird Company, Inc.
- Administrator
- Universal Music Publishing
- Share, when verified
- Research Required
- PRO
- BMI
- Licensing / contact information
- Universal Music Publishing
- Verification status
- Verified
- Verification date
- 2026-08-30
Master Representation
- Exact recording
- Don McLean – American Pie (original 1971 recording)
- Master owner / rightsholder
- Capitol Records, LLC (℗ 1971)
- Record label
- United Artists / later Capitol catalog
- Distributor / administrator
- Research Required
- Master licensing / contact information
- Research Required
- ISRC, when verified
- Research Required
- Verification status
- Research Required
- Verification date
- 2026-08-30
Rights note: Reference Catalog or playlist inclusion does not imply rights representation. This information is provided as a starting point for licensing research and may change over time. MFP can verify current master and publishing rights as part of the clearance process.
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Request Licensing & Clearance- Genre
- Rock
- Era
- 1970s
- Categories
- Recognizable · Era-defining · Nostalgia · Reflection · Advertising · Film/TV · Montage · Lifestyle
- Writers (existing research data)
- Don McLean
- Publishers (existing research data)
- Benny Bird Co. Inc.; Illegal Songs Inc.; Mayday Music; MCA Music; MCA Music Publishing; MCA Publishing Ltd.; Songs of Universal, Inc.; Universal Music Publishing Ltd.; Universal/MCA Music Publishing Pty Ltd.; Yahweh Tunes, Inc.
Catalog context
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MRP alternatives
Similar songs in participating MRP catalogs
These matches were explicitly identified for this reference song. The status describes the participating track's MRP rights record only; it is not a synchronization quote or clearance.
No participating MRP alternatives have been matched to this reference song yet.
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