John Paul Jones resigned as a director of one of Led Zeppelin’s publishing companies

(Flickr/jeffturner)

John Paul Jones is no longer a director of one of Led Zeppelin’s music publishing companies, leaving Jimmy Page and Robert Plant as the only surviving band members on the company’s board.

A Companies House filing published on December 15 shows that a “John Baldwin,” Jones’ legal name, resigned as a director of Superhype Tapes on November 27.

Superhype Tapes is one of the main corporate entities for Led Zeppelin in the UK, controlling the band’s music publishing and owning the global trademarks for the band’s name.

The business was set up on October 22, 1968, weeks before the release of the band’s first album, and has for decades been used as a major part of Led Zeppelin’s corporate empire.

Jones had been a director of the company since 1992, company filings show.

A 2012 filing showed that Page owns 80% of the company, with Peter Grant’s children Warren and Helen Grant each owning 10%.

Jones’ decision to leave his role as a director at the company and to vacate his board seat means he no longer has a say over Superhype’s activities. It could signal that Jones no longer wishes to be involved in future decisions about Led Zeppelin’s music.

John Paul Jones has been reducing his corporate links to Led Zeppelin

Throughout 2021, Jones has been reducing the number of corporate links he has to Led Zeppelin, according to a review of Companies House filings carried out by LedZepNews.

Led Zeppelin’s longterm accountancy firm, Joan Hudson & Co, has looked after the band and its members’ financial affairs for decades. The link is so strong that Hudson was a guest of the band at the Kennedy Center Honors performance in 2012.

Red Carpet at Kennedy Center Honors

Tracy Jaggers, the chief executive of Joan Hudson & Co, is also close to Led Zeppelin’s surviving band members. She was named along with Hudson in the acknowledgements for Plant’s 2017 solo album “Carry Fire.”

However, earlier this year Jones changed the boards of his two personal music companies, removing Led Zeppelin’s accountants and replacing them with independent directors.

This isn’t a total break

But Jones hasn’t undergone a total corporate break from Led Zeppelin.

He’s still a director of Flames Of Albion Music, another publishing company used by the band, as well as the band’s merchandising business Mythgem and Three P Films, the company used for Led Zeppelin film releases such as “Celebration Day.”

And Jones is also still a director of Company 2018, the business set up in 2018 to look after Led Zeppelin’s mysterious exhibition project.

LedZepNews contacted Led Zeppelin’s record label as well as Jones’ official Facebook page to request comment for this article.

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9 Comments on "John Paul Jones resigned as a director of one of Led Zeppelin’s publishing companies"

  1. I would love to be a fly on a wall in those meetings.

    One wonders if this is a shuffle for JPJ – perhaps for tax reasons or something mundane like tht.

    Good to hear tht Warren & Helen are invested. Circumstances between Peter & the band were less than ideal prior to his passing……

    I love any chance to look under the financial hood !

  2. Biggest takeaway from this is what ever became of the exhibition project ????
    2nd question …. what happened to the film from September? Man…. no wonder there’s no reunion over years. Too much red tape and thinking about things.

  3. I lived in Chicago when in through the out door was released Zep announced US tour and Chi town was one if the first stops, to stop scalping the only way to get tickets was to order from a full page ad in the Chicago tribune, get money order and mail it it in , $15.00 a ticket, max 4 tickets with no gaurantee fist come first serve and the day the paper came out to buy tickets was the day that JB died, that’s fucked up and so very sad so now At nearly 60 yo I have given up hope of any real Reunion for the Greatest Band of talent that ever was or will be, so very sad and so very disappointing, we (zep fans)all waited years for the only possible replacement for JB, his son Jason to grow into his father’s shoes and now still no possibility of any new music? or any multi date US shows?, why the hell not? Money? Ego’s? Contractual bullshit?
    If y’all are past it them stop tryin to get fat on rereleases and the same old video documentaries I own it all already, give something back.
    And Better hurry remember the Beatles? and all their excuses? and bullshit reasons? Well Too late for them now…

    • I’d stopped by the P.O. in the Chgo ‘burbs that Monday morning on the way to work to mail my Tribune coupon and money order-OMG, finally! Zep tickets!-only to find out when I arrived at work that Bonham had died. A sad day.

  4. Sometimes broken relationships can be as final as death itself. If the world is 2 ever get any more of this sweet juice, it may to be on Jay PJs blessing that the other 2 might continue 4 some final encores. It might be the last contribution he has to give their legacy.

  5. Jeffrey Collier | 18th December 2021 at 5:54 am | Reply

    I understand Mr.Plants reason to not continue with Led Zeppelin do to him and John being friends and jamming together for years before Zeppelin but I can’t understand why Mr.Plants would deny Jason B. a chance to carry on his fathers legacy as the drummer of Zeppelin, Im sure that John would have loved to see his son in his place as the drummer of the greatest Rock band ever considering John Bonzo was the back bone of if not for Bonzo Zeppelin would have never been.

  6. Yes my bf, and his friends went through it too….order tickets for the 1980 tour (that never came to be)…only to have our Hopes crushed by the sudden death of the drummer

  7. The reason this has come to this is ALL DUE TO THE RECORD LABELS & PRODUCERS who may capitalize indirectly if they did ressurect themselves for a tour. I’ve seen ZEPPILLIN 9 TIMES INCLUDING THEIR 1st DEBUT CONCERT in America a little place in Dania FLA. Called PIRATES WORLD ! They were so drunk they couldn’t play to well and were BOOED OFF THE STAGE !..After about 40-45 minutes they returned, blew back on stage and ROCKED THE HOUSE !..UNBELIEVABLE PERFORMANCE. That’s when there were 50+ card tables set up all around the perimeter selling not only Led Zep paraphernalia..but also some damn good orange barrel Sunshine acid, bags in great Jamaican red and Colombian gold Mescaline all kinds of great things to get you ready for LED ZEPPELIN ! Everybody enjoyed it and got HIGH AS A KITE and had a FANTASTIC TIME !

  8. Mod 'Mods' Squad | 27th May 2022 at 4:45 pm | Reply

    Orange Barrel Sunshine Acid! Been there, done that. (BTW – it was very good but would never suggest for anyone to take it in this day and age) Saw Zep 3x in early to mid 70’s – terrible. Half the time, the guys I was with nor I did not even recognize what they were playing and walked out 3x – AND WE WERE STRAIGHT!

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