Neil Diamond Sings ‘Sweet Caroline’ at Red Sox Game

Author Erica Banas // Rock Music Reporter

June 20th, 2022 11:33 AM

Neil Diamond has been a fixture at every Boston Red Sox game at Fenway Park since 1997 thanks to “Sweet Caroline” being played during the 8th inning. Over the weekend, the man himself appeared at the legendary ballpark to sing his iconic song.

Diamond can be seen below singing “Sweet Caroline” with Will Swenson, the lead in the new Broadway musical Neil Diamond: A Beautiful Noise. It marked the first time Diamond appeared at Fenway to sing “Sweet Caroline” since 2013, which was shortly after the Boston Marathon bombings.

Diamond has kept a relatively low profile in recent years. In January 2018, the legendary singer-songwriter retired from touring after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. The move to no longer tour, however, hasn’t stopped Diamond from making serious paydays. In February, he became the latest high-profile musician to sell his catalog for an undisclosed, but likely high price tag.

13 Rockers That Sold Their Catalogs/Music Rights for Huge Paydays in 2021

• Bruce Springsteen

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  The Boss ended 2021 with a massive payday with the sale of his masters and music publishing catalog, which went to Sony Music and Sony Music Publishing, respectively, for a reported $500 million.

• Aerosmith

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  The Bad Boys from Boston struck a very unique deal with Universal Music Group (UMG) in August that includes their entire musical catalog and personal archives. Per a press release from UMG, Aerosmith's deal will feature the band's entire catalog under the UMG umbrella beginning in 2022, instead of being split with Sony Music Entertainment. The "new expansive worldwide alliance" with UMG will also include "merchandise and audio-video projects." The cost of the deal was not disclosed.

• Tina Turner

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  Turner struck a deal with BMG for the sale of her catalog and other properties including the artist’s share of her recordings, her music publishing writer’s share, neighboring rights and name, image, and likeness. The deal was worth a reported $50 million
• The Beach Boys

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  In February, conic Artists Group, which was launched by legendary music manager Irving Azoff, bought a majority stake in the intellectual rights of a number of facets of The Beach Boys. Among those rights are sound recordings, select compositions and other aspects of the Beach Boys brand, including memorabilia. This deal, however, does see the members of the Beach Boys and their various heirs retain a portion of their rights. The cost of the deal was not disclosed.

• Motley Crue

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  In December, it was announced that BMG acquired the entire Crue recorded catalog. The deal had a reported price tag between $90 million and $150 million.

• Paul Simon

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  In April, Sony Music Publishing acquired the entire Paul Simon catalog. The catalog sale includes over 400 songs written by Simon from both his solo career and with Simon and Garfunkel. The cost of the deal was not disclosed.
• Lindsey Buckingham

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  In early January, Lindsey Buckingham sold his music publishing rights to Hipgnosis Songs. 'Variety' noted, "Along with the 25% share it acquired in September, Hipgnosis — which has invested more than $1.5 billion in music catalogs in just two and a half years — now owns 100% of Buckingham’s music publishing rights, including his publishing and writer’s share, of his entire catalog, comprising 161 songs, as well as a 50% share of any unreleased compositions." The cost of the deal was not disclosed.

• Christine McVie

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  In August, McVie sold her 115-title song catalog to Hipgnosis for an undisclosed sum. McVie said in a statement about the deal, "I am so excited to belong to the Hipgnosis family, and thrilled that you all regard my songs worthy of merit. I’d like to thank you all for your faith in me, and I’ll do all I can to continue this new relationship and help in any way I can! Thank you so much!"

• Red Hot Chili Peppers

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  In May, the Chili Peppers sold their catalog to Hipgnosis for a figure between $140 million and $150 million.
• Neil Young

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  In January, Young sold a 50 percent share of his massive catalog -- which includes nearly 1,200 songs -- to Hipgnosis for an estimated $150 million.

• ZZ Top

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  ZZ Top is closing out 2021 by striking a deal with BMG and global investment firm KKR for their catalog. The reported price tag for this deal was $50 million.

• Bob Rock (far right)

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  In January, producer Bob Rock sold his producer rights to 43 songs to Hipgnosis. Among those songs were the tracks from Metallica's self-titled 1991 album (aka: "The Black Album") and various Michael Bublé songs. The exact price tag was not disclosed, but the transaction was described by 'Metal Hammer' as a "multi-million dollar deal."
• Jimmy Iovine

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  In January, legendary producer/music executive Jimmy Iovine sold 100 percent of his world wide producer royalties to Hipgnosis. The deal included 259 songs and film production royalties to '8 Mile' and 'Get Rich or Die Tryin.'' While the price tag was not disclosed, 'Billboard' noted, "Iovine said in a statement that he will commit proceeds from the deal, the total of which was not disclosed, to help build a high school in South Los Angeles as part of the University of Southern California Iovine and Young Academy, the undergraduate program he co-founded with Dr Dre in 2013."

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Author Erica Banas // Rock Music Reporter

Category:

• Music
• Oldies News
• WMTR

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Neil Diamond