An ever-growing number of superstar musicians and songwriters are selling their music catalogues for megabucks as traditional record companies, upstart rights firms, and investment vehicles vie for the most lucrative masters and publishing assets.
Read on to discover the big names who have already parted with their precious songbooks, and uncover the 20 biggest sales to date. All dollar amounts in US dollars.
Note: our round-up comprises artists who have sold their catalogues for verified figures. Many other music icons who aren't listed, including Blondie, Stevie Nicks, Mick Fleetwood, Aerosmith, and The Killers, have also sold their music catalogues for undisclosed (yet undoubtedly huge) sums in recent times.
Rock band Imagine Dragons sold its music catalogue to Concord in a deal valued at over $100 million (£80m) back in 2020.
The Vegas-based band is one of the most successful rock groups of the modern era, thanks to hits such as Radioactive and Believer. To date, the band has racked up sales of at least 35 million singles and 20 million albums worldwide, and three of its songs are among the top 100 most streamed on Spotify.
Music management company Iconic Artists Group acquired The Beach Boys' music catalogue in a deal estimated at between $100 million (£80m) and $200 million (£160m) in 2021.
In addition to obtaining the entire song catalogue, which includes catchy tunes like I Get Around and Kokomo, the deal also included the rights to the Californian band's brand. This encompasses a share of publishing royalties and revenue from licensing memorabilia, as well as control over the name "The Beach Boys" and likenesses.
Red Hot Chili Peppers sold its music catalogue to UK-based music management firm Hipgnosis for more than $140 million (£112m) in May 2021.
The iconic rock band has been making music since the 1980s, and its impressive collection of hits includes Under the Bridge, Dani California, and Give It Away.
The music was largely written by the band's key members, namely singer Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea, drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist John Frusciante. Undoubtedly lucrative, the catalogue reportedly generates somewhere between $5 million (£4m) and $6 million (£5m) each year.
Berlin-based music group BMG snapped up Mötley Crüe's music catalogue for a reported $150 million (£120m) in 2021. At the time of the deal, BMG stated it was its largest single catalogue acquisition since the company was founded in 2008.
Formed in 1981, the shock rockers of Mötley Crüe have sold an estimated 100 million albums globally throughout their decade-spanning career.
The band's catalogue includes nine studio albums, featuring rock anthems like Girls, Girls, Girls and Kickstart My Heart.
Neil Young, who had steadfastly turned down offers to commercialise his music in the past, raised eyebrows in January 2021 when he sold 50% of the rights to his 1,180-song catalogue to Hipgnosis for an estimated $150 million (£120 million). His lucrative catalogue includes folk-rock favourites like Heart of Gold and Harvest Moon.
The music veteran can rest easy, though. Hipgnosis has agreed never to license his music for ad campaigns that Young might object to.
In 2022, the songwriter asked Spotify to remove his music in protest against vaccine misinformation spread by Joe Rogan, the streaming service's most popular podcaster. Earlier this year, he announced he would be returning to the music platform.
OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder is a prolific songwriter and raked in an estimated $200 million (£160m) in March 2021 when he sold a majority share in his back catalogue to the investment company KKR.
As well as writing a string of chart-toppers for his own band, Tedder has composed or co-composed hit after hit for a long list of stars, including Beyoncé (Halo), Adele (Rumour Has It), and Ed Sheeran (Happier).
While it's more common for older artists to cash in on catalogue sales, young musicians are also hopping on the trend at the moment. Among them is Justin Bieber, who sold 100% of his music catalogue to Hipgnosis for a juicy $200 million (£160m) in 2023.
Bieber, 30, released his debut song, One Time, in 2009 at the tender age of 15. He's since gone on to sell 150 million records worldwide. His lucrative catalogue includes beloved pop bops like What Do You Mean? and Baby.
In 2023, music mogul Dr. Dre sold his music rights and other music income assets to Universal Music and Shamrock Holdings. The combined deals were valued in excess of $200 million (£160m).
The lucrative assets in question included artist royalties from two of his solo albums and his share of N.W.A. royalties, as well as his producer royalties and the writer’s share of his song catalogue.
In addition to his success as a recording artist, Dr. Dre has written and produced hits for some of the biggest names in hip-hop, including Eminem, 50 Cent, and Snoop Dogg.
Another modern-day music star who recently sold her catalogue is none other than I Kissed a Girl crooner Katy Perry.
The 39-year-old songstress is one of the biggest-selling artists of all time, with iconic pop anthems Firework and California Gurls among her biggest hits.
Last year, Perry sold her stake in her master recordings and her publishing rights for the five albums she released between 2008 and 2020 to Litmus Music in a $225 million (£180m) deal. However, Universal Music Group continues to own the masters for those albums.
In 2022, the David Bowie estate sold the late star's entire publishing rights for a rumoured $250 million (£200m) to Warner Chappell Music, Warner Music Group's publishing arm.
The deal includes songs from the 26 studio albums released during his lifetime, as well as the posthumous studio album Toy. His epic song catalogue spans six decades and features hits such as Let's Dance and Starman.
Sony made a jaw-dropping acquisition in 2021 when it snapped up Paul Simon's entire back catalogue. Comprising more than 400 songs, the deal was valued at an estimated $250 million (£200m).
Renowned singer-songwriter Simon has penned and performed some of the greatest songs in modern history, both as a solo artist and as part of the musical duo Simon and Garfunkel. His career spans seven decades and his catalogue includes enduring classics such as Bridge Over Troubled Water, The Sound of Silence, and You Can Call Me Al.
Glam rock band Kiss recently sold its music catalogue, as well as its brand and likenesses, to Swedish investor group Pophouse Entertainment in a deal thought to be worth more than $300 million (£240m).
The sale, which was announced in April, marked the band's retirement from live performances, having wrapped up its final End of the Road world tour.
Since launching the band in 1973, the music veterans have sold over 100 million records globally and are behind some of the biggest hard rock anthems of all time, including I Was Made For Lovin' You.
Genesis frontman Phil Collins and his bandmates sold the band's music catalogue to Concord Music in 2022 in a deal reportedly worth $300 million (£240m).
The sale also included the rights to solo works by Collins, including epic power ballads like In the Air Tonight and Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now). As a solo artist alone, Collins has sold an impressive 150 million records worldwide.
The late Tina Turner, who passed away in 2023, sold her music catalogue to BMG in 2021 in a deal that was reportedly worth $300 million (£240m).
The deal encompassed her entire song catalogue, which included 10 studio albums, soundtracks, compilations, as well as the rights to her name and likeness.
The music icon sold more than 100 million records throughout her career, with Private Dancer and What's Love Got to Do with It among her biggest hits.
Universal purchased Sting's entire back catalogue in 2022. The $300 million (£240m) deal included both his solo work and his hits with his band, The Police.
According to Universal, the award-winning Sting, whose real name is Gordon Sumner, has sold more than 100 million albums since making his debut in the 1970s.
This is an interesting one. Eager to land a record contract with Big Machine Records back in 2005, a then-15-year-old Taylor Swift agreed to give up the rights to her first six albums. This was a decision she came to regret bitterly when her song catalogue was acquired by music mogul and sworn enemy Scooter Braun, who bought the record label in 2019.
Braun sold the masters to investment fund Shamrock Capital in November 2020 for $300 million (£240m) – without Swift's consent. In response to the news, Swift wrote on Twitter at the time that it was "the second time my music had been sold without my knowledge".
While Swift couldn't veto the deal, she still owns the publishing rights as the writer or co-writer of her music and can prevent the use of the songs in certain situations. Shamrock has said it would now like to partner with Swift, though the Bad Blood singer has said that as Braun reportedly retains an interest in the songs, she can't "bring [her]self to be involved in benefiting Scooter Braun's interests".
Swift is famously in the process of re-recording her old albums so that she will own the masters, and she has already pulled off the remarkable feat of delivering near-identical copies of four of the six albums.
Universal finalised "the most significant music publishing agreement this century and one of the most important of all time" at the end of 2020 when it bought Bob Dylan's entire catalogue of 600-plus songs, including Blowin’ in the Wind and Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door.
Regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan's body of work is beyond iconic and the price tag reflects this – according to sources, Universal paid more than $300 million (£240m) for the masters.
The musician later went a step further, selling his recording catalogue to Sony Music in a deal that was finalised in July 2021. Billboard Magazine has claimed that the catalogue was worth around $200 million (£160m), bringing Dylan's total sales to approximately $500 million (£400m).
Bruce Springsteen sold his master recordings and publishing rights to Sony in December 2021, in a deal that music industry title Billboard reported was worth $500 million (£400m).
Experts say Springsteen's music generated around $15 million (£12m) in revenue in 2020 alone, with Sony keen to increase that figure over the coming years.
Earlier this year, it emerged that Sony Music Group paid at least $600 million (£480m) for half of Michael Jackson's music catalogue, in the largest deal ever made for the work of a single musician. The figures mean the late singer's musical assets are valued at a whopping $1.2 billion (£960m).
Jackson, who passed away in 2009, was one of the best-selling artists ever and sold a staggering 400 million records throughout his career.
His 1982 album Thriller is the best-selling of all time, according to Guinness World Records, while his hit songs Billie Jean and Beat It have each racked up more than one billion streams on Spotify.
And finally, Queen is reportedly on the brink of sealing a staggering $1.2 billion (£960m) deal for its music catalogue. When this colossal sale goes through, it will comfortably shatter Michael Jackson's record for the largest music catalogue sale in history.
Queen's surviving band members, Brian May, Roger Taylor, and John Deacon, are in advanced negotiations with Freddie Mercury's estate to sell the rights for the eye-watering sum. The iconic rockers are among the best-selling artists of all time, and the band has sold over 300 million records.
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