The Bicycle Music Company issued the following press release on Wednesday, October 20, 2010. The news was picked up and published by Billboard.biz as well.

Los Angeles, CA – October 20, 2010– The Bicycle Music Company and its affiliate the AF Circle C Fund are proud to announce that they have acquired a significant interest in the catalog of singer, songwriter, poet, novelist, and industrial music pioneer Chris Connelly. As part of the comprehensive agreement, Bicycle will also publish Connelly’s future works.

Chris Connelly started his musical career in his native Scotland in 1980 with his first band The Fini Tribe. In 1988 he moved to the U.S. to become a full-time member of The Revolting Cocks and Ministry, fronting the former and contributing songwriting to both ground-breaking industrial bands. He quickly started collaborating with other artists such as Killing Joke, Jah Wobble, KMFDM, Cabaret Voltaire, and Shirley Manson, among many others. He has also been front-man for numerous industrial super-groups including Pigface, Murder Inc. and The Damage Manual. At the same time, Connelly has enjoyed a long solo career with his work often compared to David Bowie and the latter works of Scott Walker. Since his 1991 solo debut release “Whiplash Boychild,” Connelly has released 12 solo albums and continues to be a prolific songwriter. Recently, Connelly authored two books: Concrete Bulletproof Invisible and Fried: My Life as a Revolting Cock, the tell-all memoir of his days in Ministry and The Revolting Cocks, and this year he published his first novel, Ed Royal.

“It is a pleasure for us to be working with Chris Connelly and his diverse catalog of songs. From his early work with Ministry, The Revolting Cocks, and others at the vanguard of industrial music’s crossover to the mainstream, to his most recent acoustic and experimental solo record ‘How This Ends,’ Chris’ music is storied, impactful, and always on the cutting edge” said Bicycle President and Chief Investment Officer Roger Miller. “I look forward to the new opportunities we will create together through our partnership.”

On his new relationship with Bicycle Connelly says, “I am more than thrilled to be associated with Bicycle and its roster of great writers and song catalogs. It is a real pleasure working with such knowledgeable people who believe in what I do and have such vision for the future of my works.”

Check out the full press release (PDF).