Un record number. After those of Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen, it is now the turn to sell part of the music catalog of Michael Jackson, who died in 2009, reports BBC. For no less than $600 million, Sony Music bought half of the publishing rights that belonged to the “King of Pop” family.
According to English media, Sony Music has also negotiated 50% of the rights to the musical “MJ: The Musical” and the next biopic titled “Michael”, which is scheduled to be released in 2025. Michael Jackson is one of the most popular pop stars and most popular albums of all time, with more than 400 million albums sold worldwide. His 1982 album “Thriller” is also the best-selling album of all time.
Legend Catalogs
Sony has already purchased several catalogs of music legends. At the end of 2021, all of Bruce Springsteen’s music rights ($500 million) and Bob Dylan’s ($200 million) were purchased by the Japanese company. According to several American media outlets, Universal Music Group was to offer Disney Music Group more than a billion dollars to acquire the music catalog of the legendary British rock group Queen, in a potentially historic transaction.ALSO READ Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” album with previously unreleased tracks is being released on the 40th anniversaryOver several years, Sony Music has become the world’s leading music publisher by purchasing the rights of artists whose listening experience on streaming platforms persists decades after their music was released.
