New York Times: Bowie Estate Sells Songwriting Catalog to Warner Music

By editorial board on January 3, 2022

In the latest blockbuster catalog deal, Warner has agreed to buy David Bowie’s songs for about $250 million, bringing nearly all of the star’s work under one corporate roof.

David Bowie’s estate has sold his entire songwriting catalog to Warner Music, including classics like “Space Oddity,” “Let’s Dance” and “Heroes,” in the latest blockbuster deal for music rights. (New York Times)

Warner’s music publishing division, Warner Chappell, announced the agreement on Monday, saying that it encompassed Bowie’s entire corpus as a songwriter, from the material on his 1967 debut album, “David Bowie,” to his final album, “Blackstar,” released just before Bowie’s death in 2016 at age 69.

The deal, for more than 400 songs, also includes soundtrack music; the material for Bowie’s short-lived band Tin Machine from the late 1980s and early ’90s; and other works.

The price of the transaction was not disclosed, but is estimated at about $250 million.

“These are not only extraordinary songs, but milestones that have changed the course of modern music forever,” Guy Moot, the chief executive of Warner Chappell, said in a statement.

Warner’s deal, signed late last month, is the latest in a series of huge transactions for music rights, driven by the rising value of music in the streaming age and growing Wall Street interest in music as an “alternative investment.” Last month, Bruce Springsteen sold his work as both a songwriter and recording artist to Sony Music for about $550 million. (The copyrights for recorded music are separate from those for songwriting, which cover the lyrics and melodies underlying any performance or recording of song.)

 

Warner’s deal for Bowie’s songwriting rights means it will be the home for nearly all of the star’s music. In September, the company announced another agreement with the Bowie estate giving Warner the rights to release all of Bowie’s recordings since 1968 — although that deal did not include Bowie’s debut, which remains controlled by Universal Music.

Last fall, the Bowie estate introduced “Bowie 75,” a “retail experience” tied to what would have been his 75th birthday, with pop-up locations in New York and London featuring immersive audiovisual exhibitions along with clothing, music and other memorabilia for sale. They will remain open until late January.

As well as music and videos, Bowie's widow Iman and children Alexandria and Duncan, are looking at releasing merchandise and other items of memorabilia to mark the milestone.

The Sun newspaper's Bizarre column reports that this could include collectors' books, artwork, clothing, footwear, ceramics and glassware are

 

What's more, a new logo with the 'Starman' musician's iconic lighting bolt and "Bowie 75" was submitted for trademarking and copyright approval.

A source told the newspaper: “David’s 75th birthday would have been a big deal, and the estate want to mark it.

Just recently, it was announced that Bowie's lost 2001 album 'Toy' will be released later this year.

The album features re-recorded and revamped versions of some of Bowie’s earliest tracks. It was due to be released as a follow-up to 1999’s ‘Hours…’ but was shelved after a dispute between Bowie and his then-label Virgin.

Back in 2011, the album leaked online and now a decade later it will see an official release as part of Bowie’s new Era Five box set, full details of which are coming later today (September 29).

“Depending where you are on the planet, if it’s 29th September you might be streaming the radio edit of ‘You’ve Got A Habit Of Leaving’ from the forthcoming ‘Toy’ album, via your favourite streaming service,” Bowie’s official Twitter account wrote. “More details regarding that and the rest of the Era Five box, later today.”

Listen to the radio edit of ‘You’ve Got A Habit Of Leaving’ below:

 

 

 

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