Justin Bieber sells entire music catalog to Hipgnosis for $200 million (2023)

FAQs

How much did Justin Bieber sell his music catalog for? ›

Justin Bieber has just sold the rights to his music to Hipgnosis, a music IP investment fund for $200 million (€184 million). The deal means Hipgnosis now have Bieber's share of the ownership of his 290 song back catalogue.

Justin Bieber is the latest musician to sell the rights to his entire catalog of music. NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with Billboard music publishing reporter Kristin Robinson to explain the deal.

Sony Music Publishing (formerly Sony/ATV Music Publishing) is the largest music publisher in the world, with over five million songs owned or administered as of end March 2021.

For an artist to sell their portion of publishing it means they would relinquish their percentage on that song and any future earnings. For an artist such as Future, who has already dropped a full studio album since 2020, and shows no sign of slowing up, this is a quick payday.

Bieber, one of the best-selling artists of the 21st Century, joins a growing group of artists who have cashed out on their catalogues. The move means Hipgnosis will receive a payment every time a song it owns is streamed or used on radio, TV or film.

Artists are cementing their legacies by selling their catalogs for cash as music becomes more valuable in the streaming era. Investors and music publishers have been buying catalogs for as much as 30 times their average annual royalties.

The rationale for Bieber and the other artists selling their rights is straightforward - they receive a lump sum payment giving them and their loved ones financial security.

According to Music Business Worldwide, the statistic showed that Sony Music Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group, and Warner Chappell Music each take a lion's share of the world's top tracks. 10 million songs are either owned or administered collectively between the three groups in a world first.

It was sound financial advice that McCartney may have come to regret giving on August 14, 1985, when Michael Jackson purchased the publishing rights to the vast majority of the Beatles' catalog for $47 million, outbidding McCartney himself.

The landmark deal with Atlas marks the first time Van Halen's music has been published by an independent music publishing company. Richard Stumpf commented: “Van Halen were the reason I first became an avid music fan, so it is both professionally and personally humbling to have Ed and Al join the Atlas family.

Is reselling music illegal? ›

The History of Music Reselling

Regardless, the practice is clearly legal under U.S. copyright law because there is a physical copy to resell under the “first sale doctrine.” It is also legal to resell books, DVDs and other media.

In general, profits from the sale of music rights are taxed as capital gains, meaning that in most cases, you'd pay a maximum tax rate of 20% on your proceeds. Royalties, on the other hand, are typically taxed as ordinary income, at rates up to 37% depending on your income.

The publishing rights are generally owned by the original writer or composer of the song. There are three (3) main types of royalties that come from publishing rights. ☑️ Performing royalties: Royalties produced by live performances of a song, like festivals, concerts, radio plays, or at a public venue.

They can hold on to their artistic intellectual property and receive an uncertain annuity — based on the vagaries of sales and popularity — or they can cash in for a windfall and do what they wish with the money. It really is that simple. There are tax benefits as well.

Music Copyright: Getting Access to Music for Your Business

When you want to play music in your business, you need to get a commercial license from a performing rights organization (PRO), find public domain or Creative Commons music, or even ask the artist directly for use of their song.

Songwriter and producer Ian Levine has sold his rights to a string of early hits by Take That to music publisher One Media iP Group. The deal covers Levine's producer royalties to tracks from the pop group's 1992 debut album Take That & Party, including A Million Love Songs, Could It Be Magic and I Found Heaven.

Catalog owners make money off of licensing when music is played in commercials or film and television shows. They are also paid royalties when it is streamed or played over a podcast or the radio.

Springsteen sold his catalogue to Sony for an estimated $550 million. The company also acquired Simon's catalogue for an estimated $250 million. Bowie's estate sold his to Warner Chappell Music for “a price upwards of $250 million,” according to Variety.

A music catalogue is a collection of songs coming from the same owner. In other words, it is a list of musical compositions and songs that are created and registered under the name of an individual or entity and are combined in the form of a “music catalogue”.

Did Justin Timberlake sell his entire song catalog? ›

Timberlake recently sold the entire music catalog from his 20-year career to London-based firm Hipgnosis Song Management, per a company announcement Thursday. The purchase includes all copyrights on tracks Timberlake has written or co-written.

Bob Dylan has sold his entire back catalogue of recorded music to Sony Music Entertainment, as well as the rights to multiple future releases, in a deal rumoured to be worth between $150m and $200m (£111m–£148m), Variety reports.

A decade after the initial deal, Jackson sold 50 percent of ATV to Sony for $95 million, creating the music publishing company Sony/ATV. Today, the company owns the rights to the Beatles' songs, as well as those from artists like Bob Dylan, Marvin Gaye, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Hank Williams, and Roy Orbison.

Taylor Swift. In what was a very public battle between the world's biggest pop star and label executive Scooter Braun, Taylor Swift's original masters were sold to Big Machine Label Group for $350 million. Swift's catalog alone was later sold to Shamrock Holdings, a private equity firm, for $300 million.

Yet, for fans of Bruce Springsteen, the recent selling of his master recordings and music publishing rights to Sony for $500 million, according to Billboard, does strike a personal note.

The news of the acquisition comes around two years after Dylan sold his songwriting rights in 2020 to Universal Music in a deal estimated to be worth around $300 million, according to The New York Times.

More Stories by Ed. The Sony Corp. has agreed to buy out the Michael Jackson estate's 50 percent interest in Sony/ATV, giving it complete control of the music publishing company.

After long, tense negotiations, Jackson was able to purchase ATV for a reported $47.5 million. In the mid-1990s, when Jackson was in debt, he sold half of ATV to Sony, forming the joint venture Sony/ATV. To get full ownership, Sony offered Jackson's estate $750 million.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Phil Collins and Genesis have sold “a bundle” of their music rights for a whopping $300 million, which includes the majority of their publishing copyrights, recorded music revenue streams, and masters.

Top-selling artists worldwide as of 2022. Perhaps unsurprisingly, British rock band The Beatles are top of the list for best-selling artists worldwide, with 183 million units certified sales. Second is Garth Brooks with over 157 million units sales, followed by Elvis Presley with 139 million units.

Why would a musician sell their music catalog? ›

They can hold on to their artistic intellectual property and receive an uncertain annuity — based on the vagaries of sales and popularity — or they can cash in for a windfall and do what they wish with the money. It really is that simple. There are tax benefits as well.

He is one of the best-selling musicians in history after having sold more than 150 million albums globally. He just sold his music catalog to Sony Music for a mind-boggling $550 million. Springsteen has released 20 studio albums, usually with the E Street Band.

BMG Rights Management has acquired Mötley Crüe's music catalog for a reported $150 million. The Berlin-based music rights group announced Nov. 30 that it acquired the rock band's entire catalog of songs, spanning nine studio albums over its 40-year career.

Bob Dylan Sells Songwriting Catalog For A Reported $300 Million Universal Music Publishing Group announced Monday that it had bought the lucrative publishing rights to over 600 Bob Dylan songs. The deal is worth a reported $300 million.

A source familiar with that deal told NBC News that the sale price was “a sizable nine figure amount, north of $200M.” Under the Sony agreement, Dylan and the company will collaborate on future catalog reissues and partner for additional projects.

Music manager Scooter Braun sold Taylor Swift's first six albums to an investment firm in a deal that values the assets at around $300 million, according to a person familiar with the matter, ending a contentious episode that drew rebukes from the pop star herself.