Bob Dylan is one of the greatest songwriters of our time. From Woodie Guthrie-inspired advocate to Nobel prize-winning writer, Dylan’s legacy will thrive long after his already five-decade-long career comes to an end.
Videos by American Songwriter
With such an extensive catalog that has been covered by over 6,000 popular artists, Dylan remains one of the wealthiest artists in the world. At $500 million in net worth, Dylan’s value in the music industry is beyond clear, numbers included and numbers aside.
Early beginnings
Born Robert Zimmerman, the young songwriter made a bold move to start his career. He dropped out of his freshman year of college at the University of Minnesota to move to New York City to perform. He got the opportunity to play the harmonica on Carolyn Hester’s third album and was noticed by the producer, John Hammon. Hammond was impressed by Dylan’s skill and signed him to Columbia Records.
Dylan’s first self-titled album didn’t attract much attention when it was released in 1962. Hammond, who knew that the writer was just “getting his feet wet,” encouraged him to write the album that launched his career as an activist, a free thinker, and a worldwide writer.
The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan touched on more of his signature classic protest-style, Woody Guthrie-inspired folks tunes. He used this momentum to build again to his next release, The Times They Are a-Changin’ – another iconic protest album of his that has been studied for decades.
“The Times They Are A-Changin’”
While Dylan established himself as a folk player, he never limited himself to one genre. Inspired by many genres, he dabbled in country and gospel, blues, and others. His versatility has been praised and recognized by many but notably, he was included in the Time 100: The Most Important People of the Century list. Dylan was called “master poet, caustic social critic and intrepid, guiding spirit of the counterculture generation.”
Dylan is the only singer/songwriter to win a Nobel prize for literature. And it doesn’t stop there. Other awards and accolades Dylan has won include ten Grammy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, an Academy Award, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Prolific Artist and Figure Across All Mediums
Some people are blessed with all the talent in the world, and Bob Dylan is one of them. Not only a prolific writer, but Dylan is also a multitalented visual artist.
His first public art exhibition, “The Drawn Blank Series”, opened in 2007 at the Kunstsammlungen in Chemnitz, Germany, and featured over 200 watercolors and gouaches made from original drawings.
Dylan has created other exhibits that feature artwork such as “The Brazil Series”, an exhibit of 40 large acrylic paintings at the National Gallery of Denmark; “The Asia Series”, an exhibit of his paintings of scenes in China and the Far East at the Gagosian Madison Avenue Gallery in New York City; “The New Orleans Series” at the Palazzo Reale in Milan; and “Face Value”, an exhibit of twelve pastel portraits at Britain’s National Portrait Gallery in London, and the list goes on.
His drawings and other artistic works have been published over the course of eight books. A writer and creator through and through.
Dylan’s Legacy Catalog
Over the course of his decades-long career, Dylan has sold more than 125 million records, making him one of the best-selling musicians of all time. And the work is well-deserved. The writer alone has released 39 studio albums, 95 singles, 54 music videos, has been the subject of seven documentaries, has written and published lyrics, artwork, and memoirs in 11 books and three of his songs have been made into children’s books. The list goes on truly.
His legacy is not lost on the music industry, either.
In the era of catalog sales from legacy artists, high-profile catalogs such as Dylan’s had been selling at a 20X annual income multiple. This implies Dylan was earning around $20 million per year in royalties from his catalog.
In January 2022, it was revealed that Dylan struck a deal with Sony to acquire his master records for $200 million. In the deal, Sony also acquired the rights 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 sale was previously made to Universal Music Publishing Group in December 2020; it was reported that Bob sold 100% of his publishing rights for $300 million. The actual sale price was revealed to be $400 million two months later. The catalog contains 600 song copyrights including “Blowin’ In The Wind,” “The Times They Are a-Changin’,” “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door,” and “Tangled Up In Blue.”
Despite this massive move, the songwriter is still touring today as part of his “Neverending Tour” that is set to last through 2024. Click HERE for more details.
