David Bowie Estate Sells Song Rights To Warner Chappell

David Bowie’s estate has sold the rights to the song catalogue to the Warner Chappell group, which is part of Warner Music Group. This means that the company now owns the rights to every song that the musician wrote as a solo artist, and in his other musical projects throughout his career.

The deal

An official statement came from Guy Moot, who is the Warner Chappell co-chair and CEO. Moot explained:

“All of us at Warner Chappell are immensely proud that the David Bowie estate has chosen us to be the caretakers of one of the most groundbreaking, influential, and enduring catalogs in music history. These are not only extraordinary songs, but milestones that have changed the course of modern music forever. Bowie’s vision and creative genius drove him to push the envelope, lyrically and musically — writing songs that challenged convention, changed the conversation, and have become part of the canon of global culture.”

Musical rights have been a hot topic in the news in recent times, both for living musicians who have signed new deals in order to cash in while they are able to enjoy the benefits themselves, and of course posthumous deals with estates such as in the case of David Bowie.

Bowie passed away in 2016, and had a deal with EMI prior to his death, however this led to the new arrangement due to Warner Music Group buying EMI, with Warner now establishing a new deal with the Bowie music catalogue involving both the recording and publishing rights.

Warner Chappell have expressed their excitement at the new arrangement, with Carianne Marshall, the co-chair and COO explaining:

“This fantastic pact with the David Bowie estate opens up a universe of opportunities to take his extraordinary music into dynamic new places. We were pleased that the estate felt that Warner Chappell has the knowledge, experience, and resources to take the reins and continue to promote a collection of this stature.”

The trend of selling music catalogue rights

In the last couple of years, the trend of selling music rights has gained momentum, with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Stevie Nicks, Paul Simon, Mötley Crüe, Madonna, Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen taking advantage of a lump sum deal in exchange for the song rights.

With Springsteen reportedly cashing in $500+ million in recent weeks, it seems understandable that after a long and successful career, the aforementioned artists would make this exchange for several reasons. Firstly, it is sensible that a lump sum pay-out can be dealt with and enjoyed while the artists are still around to reap the rewards of their hard work.

Secondly, it often becomes a hugely complex legal area when dealing with intellectual property following a death. Between taxes, copyright laws, and a lack of clarity when it comes to posthumous rights and distributing estates amongst the surviving family, it can seem avoidable and preferable for many artists to take this route. The families of James Brown and Sonny Bono for example have still been working through the legal system very recently.

With streaming and live concerts still providing a point of contention and deeply uncertain income stream for many musicians, it’s rather positive to see musicians and their loved ones being able to enjoy the fruits of their labour on their terms.

Also by Michelle Sciarrotta: