Stsecond Music Business Worldwide, a negotiation would be underway for the purchase of Queen’s copyrights and masters. And we talk about a figure exceeding one billion dollars.
Queen: a catalog that exceeds one billion
The music catalog of group by Freddie Mercury would have a value of $1.1 billion. A huge amount, considering the 500 million paid by Sony Music for the rights Bruce Springsteen and the 450 million paid by Sony Music and Universal Music for those of Bob Dylan.
But selling Queen’s copyrights and master tapes is not such a simple act. Indeed, in North America the masters belong to Disney Music Group, which has a global distribution agreement with Universal Music Group. Additionally, band members Brian May, Roger Taylor, John Deacon and the Freddie Mercury Estate have shares in Queen Productions Ltd. which own the band’s master tapes outside the US and Canada. Finally, the publishing rights belong to Queen Music Ltd., however administered by Sony Music Publishing.
In short: the subdivision of shares and influences is not so easy to do. But, as reported by MBWnegotiations are said to be underway. Fighting over Queen’s royalties and masters – now the 48th most popular artists globally on Spotify with 47.7 million monthly listeners – they would be Universal Music and some investment funds.
A historical photo of Queen (Roger Taylor, Freddie Mercury, Brian May and John Deason). (Getty Images)
The failure of the negotiation for the purchase of the Pink Floyd catalog
With this deal, Queen could soon wear a new crown: the one for the sale of the richest music catalog ever. In fact, a few months ago the news of a possible negotiation for the sale of the Pink Floyd catalogue. A sale that would have been about 500 million dollars. But in recent weeks, as reported by varietythe negotiation would have ended due to some disagreements between the band members.
variety wrote a couple of months ago: «It can be said that it is no longer in progress but at the same time it is still on the table. It’s a strange situation.” In fact, while Blackstone, Sony Music and Warner Music were busy competing for this important heritage, some members of the band – Roger Waters and David Gilmour above all – would have expressed positions very distant from each other. And, apparently, Waters’ political stances towards Israel and Ukraine would have reduced the value of the catalog, far from the billions.
In fact, at a concert in Germany, Roger Waters he effectively compared Israel to Nazi Germany And he said Russia’s invasion of Ukraine would not be unjustified.
iO Woman © REPRODUCTION RESERVED