Queen Catalog Rumored to be Sold for Over $1 Billion
Queen could soon be the latest artist to sell their catalog, and the reported estimated sum of the sale would be historic. Per CNN, Universal Music Group is in discussions…
Queen could soon be the latest artist to sell their catalog, and the reported estimated sum of the sale would be historic.
Per CNN, Universal Music Group is in discussions to acquire the Queen catalog from Disney Music Group. The price tag? Reportedly over $1 billion. However, Disney Music Group denies the potential sale telling CNN they have "no plans to sell the catalog."
CNN noted, "That sum remains arguably the highest amount a music catalog has sold for, but if the Queen sale goes through, a new record will be set."
Since the release of the hit Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody in 2018, there has been a renewed interest in the Queen catalog. In fact, Billboard reported back in May 2019 the Queen catalog generated $18 million in revenue in the six months following the film's release. Streams of Queen's music more than tripled during that time going from "588 million to 1.9 billion." Track sales and downloads increased from "527,000 to 1.9 million units," and album sales rose 483% from "184,000 to 1.1 million units."
Artists Who Have Sold Their Catalogs in 2022
One of the biggest trends of 2021 was artists selling their catalogs for massive paydays. In 2022, that trend has continued.
Here are some of the biggest names in rock and classic rock/pop who have cashed in on selling their catalogs, music rights, publishing rights and more in 2022.
David Bowie
Bryan Bedder/Getty ImagesIn January 2022, it was announced the Bowie estate brokered a nine-figure deal upwards of $250 million with Warner Chappell Music for the singers publishing catalog. The deal included the songs featured on Bowie's 26 studio albums, posthumous releases, his two studio albums with Tin Machine and other stand-alone singles.
Nancy Wilson
Kristin Murphy/Getty ImagesWilson sold her Heart catalog rights to Round Hill Music in a deal announced in January 2022. The cost of the deal was not disclosed.
Sting
Andrew Toth/Getty ImagesSting made a massive splash in February 2022 selling his entire catalog -- both solo and his music with The Police -- to Universal Music Publishing Group. While Universal did not disclose the price tag of this deal, 'The New York Times' reported the deal is worth at least $250 million or more.
Neil Diamond
Theo Wargo/Getty ImagesAfter Sting's blockbuster sale, Universal Music Publishing Group announced just over two weeks later they purchased the catalog of Neil Diamond. The worldwide agreement included Diamond's entire catalog including 110 unreleased tracks, an unreleased album and archival long form videos. The cost of the deal was not disclosed but was estimated to be nine-figures.
Phil Collins/Genesis
Patrick Balls/Martin GriffinIn September 2022, 'The Wall Street Journal' reported the music rights for Phil Collins and Genesis, along with some of the music of Mike + the Mechanics, sold to Concord Music Group Inc. for a reported $300 million.
Joey Ramone
Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty ImagesIn October 2022, 'The Wall Street Journal' reported Primary Wave acquired a majority stake in Joey Ramone's music-publishing catalog. The deal cost about $10 million and included all of Ramone's songwriting interests.
