Pink Floyd Rumored to be Selling Their Catalog
Pink Floyd might be the next major act to cash in on the trend of selling their catalog for a hefty price tag. According to Bloomberg, “Representatives for the band have…
Pink Floyd might be the next major act to cash in on the trend of selling their catalog for a hefty price tag.
According to Bloomberg, "Representatives for the band have reached out to potential buyers, according to three people familiar with the matter who asked to not be identified because the discussions are private. The process began in the last few days, and it’s too early to know what the outcome will be, they said. Representatives of the band didn’t respond to requests for comment."
RELATED: Why Artists Sell Their Publishing Rights and Why They Get So Much Money For It
If Pink Floyd does secure a buyer for their catalog, they join an ever-growing list of artists who have netted massive paydays. Just this year,the estate of David Bowie and Sting have sold their catalogs in nine-figure deals.
In 2021, one of the biggest trends was rockers that sold their catalogs for massive sums of money.
Here are just 13 rockers that netted huge paydays this year from the sale of their catalogs, music rights, publishing rights and more.
Bruce Springsteen
Jamie McCarthy/Getty ImagesNEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 08: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY) Bruce Springsteen performs onstage during the 15th Annual Stand Up For Heroes benefit at Alice Tully Hall presented by Bob Woodruff Foundation and NY Comedy Festival on November 08, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for SUFH)
Aerosmith
Tommaso Boddi/Getty ImagesThe 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
Pascal Le Segretain/Getty ImagesTurner 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
Keystone/Getty ImagesIn 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
Kevin Winter/Getty ImagesIn 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
Ian Gavan/Getty ImagesIn 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
Steven Ferdman/Getty ImagesNEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 26: Honoree Lindsey Buckingham of music group Fleetwood Mac performs onstage during MusiCares Person of the Year honoring Fleetwood Mac at Radio City Music Hall on January 26, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Steven Ferdman/Getty Images)
Christine McVie
Dia Dipasupil/Getty ImagesIn 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
MTV/Getty ImagesIn May, the Chili Peppers sold their catalog to Hipgnosis for a figure between $140 million and $150 million.
Neil Young
Matt Kincaid/Getty ImagesIn 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
Frazer Harrison/Getty ImagesINDIO, CA - APRIL 25: Musicians Dusty Hill (L) and Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top perform onstage during day two of 2015 Stagecoach, California's Country Music Festival, at The Empire Polo Club on April 25, 2015 in Indio, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Stagecoach)
Bob Rock (far right)
Kevin Winter/Getty ImagesIn 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
Emma McIntyre/Getty ImagesIn 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."
