The Most Valuable Music Catalogs of All Time
David Bowie has one of the most valuable music catalogs of all time – Author: Charles Ken, Photo via Jimmy King
Even though music is art, it’s also certainly a business. The most valuable music catalogs of all time are actually worth more than $1 billion. Yes, that’s billion with a “b.” So, let’s get into these valuable music catalogs that are the most in-demand of all time.
Some of the Most Valuable Music Catalogs
David Bowie
The talented and multi-faceted David Bowie had a massive catalog of music that’s worth a lot. Bowie passed away in 2016, but his music is as valuable as ever. In 2021, Warner Chappell Music bought the publishing rights to Bowie’s catalog, and that transaction was reportedly worth $250 million. So, Warner Chappell Music got the exclusive publishing rights for Bowie hits such as “Ziggy Stardust,” “Under Pressure,” “Space Oddity” and more. They also got the exclusive rights for all 26 of his studio albums, including his soundtracks and recordings with the band Tin Machine. If you’re wondering, Warner Chappell Music is a subsidiary of the Warner Music Group and has a catalog with more than 1.4 million compositions. His works comprise some of the most valuable music catalogs of all time.
Phil Collins and Genesis
Phil Collins and Genesis had some mega hits back in the day, and those songs are still among the most popular of all time. In 2022, the remaining members of Genesis sold their full publishing rights to Concord Music Group for $300 million. That package also included the solo recordings of Collins, Banks and Rutherford. However, the solo works from Peter Gabriel and other former band members were not included in the deal. Concord Music Group is an independent music company based in Beverly Hills, California, and they have international distribution through Universal Music Group.
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is one of the most prolific songwriters of all time, and his catalog is mighty. He sold exclusive rights to his songwriting catalog in 2020 for roughly $300 million to Universal Music Publishing Group. Then, in 2021, Dylan sold his master rights to Sony Music Entertainment for around $200 million. That means, his total sales were around $500 million for both his songwriting catalog and master rights. Not too shabby.
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen is a legend, and his catalog is legendary. Springsteen sold his music catalog in 2021 for a $500 million to Sony Entertainment Music. The exclusive contact handed over complete rights to Sony, including iconic songs such as “Born in the USA” and “Born to Run.” The deal included both Springsteen’s songwriting rights and recordings.
Queen
Queen has some of the most recognizable songs in rock music, from “We Will Rock You” to “Bohemian Rhapsody.” That said, it shouldn’t be a surprise that Queen’s catalog is reportedly worth more than a billion dollars.
The Beatles
The Beatles’ catalog is the most valuable of all time, worth well over $1 billion. This totally makes sense, since The Beatles are widely considered the greatest rock band of all time. So, currently, Queen and The Beatles are the only artists out there with catalogs worth more than $1 billion. According to Startlemusic.com, other artists wit very valuable catalogs include Michael Jackson, Kiss, Tina Turner, Sting and Katy Perry, among others.
So, there are some of the most valuable music catalogs of all time. If you’re interested in expensive music, check out some valuable CDs that you might own.
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