Legendary songwriter and performer Bob Dylan has sold his entire music catalog to Sony for $150 million.
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In the deal, Sony also acquires the right to any future releases from the American artist. The company is calling the purchase “a major expansion” of its longtime, six-decade relationship with Dylan.
The deal is one of many for older songwriters cashing out on their catalogs. Other big-name acts that have earned tens of millions in sales include ZZ Top, Tina Turner, and Bruce Springsteen.
Springsteen’s sale also occurred with Sony. And his deal is reportedly worth $550 million.
According to a press release, Dylan and Sony will continue to work on a range of future releases and reissues, including as part of Dylan’s Bootleg Series, which first began to release tracks in 1991.
Dylan first signed to Sony’s Columbia Records in 1961. He released his debut LP, Bob Dylan, a year later.
In the years since, Dylan has sold more than 125 million records and he continues to tour today, playing an average of about 100 shows per year (in non-COVID-19-hampered years, of course).
“Columbia Records and Rob Stringer have been nothing but good to me for many, many years and a whole lot of records,” Dylan said in a statement. “I’m glad that all my recordings can stay where they belong.”
“Columbia Records has had a special relationship with Bob Dylan from the beginning of his career and we are tremendously proud and excited to be continuing to grow and evolve our ongoing 60-year partnership,” Rob Stringer, Chairman, Sony Music Group added. “Bob is one of music’s greatest icons and an artist of unrivaled genius.
“The essential impact he and his recordings continue to have on popular culture is second to none and we’re thrilled he will now be a permanent member of the Sony Music family.
“We are excited to work with Bob and his team to find new ways to make his music available to his many fans today and to future generations.”
In 2021, Universal Music Group bought the publishing rights to Dylan’s songwriting catalog in one of the biggest purchases in UMG history.
Dylan’s songs have been recorded more than 6,000 times, by various artists from dozens of countries, cultures, and music genres, including the Jimi Hendrix version of “All Along The Watchtower.”
Photo by Matthew Baker/Getty Images
