Warner Music Group’s publishing unit bought the entire catalog of the late British rock star David Bowie, which spans six decades and includes hits like “Heroes” and “Let’s Dance.”
Bowie, who pushed the boundaries of music and his own sanity to produce some of the most innovative songs of his generation, died in 2016 at the age of 69.
The agreement between the Bowie succession and Warner Music includes songs from all 26 studio albums released during his lifetime, as well as the posthumous release of the studio album “Toy.”
Warner Music did not disclose the financial terms of the deal in its announcement Monday, but a person familiar with the matter said the purchase was valued at about $ 250 million.
Bowie’s estate had signed an agreement in September that gave Warner Music global rights to the artist’s catalog from 1968 to 2016.
Bowie rose to fame in the UK in 1969 with “Space Oddity,” the lyrics of which he said he wrote after watching the Stanley Kubrick film “2001: A Space Odyssey” while on drugs.
But it was his 1972 rendition of a bisexual space envoy, “Ziggy Stardust,” that launched him to global stardom.
The catalog deal is the latest in the audiovisual rights sector, in which companies have tried to increase copyright by buying artists’ catalogs after the pandemic affected physical revenue streams and delayed the launch of new recordings.
Home to musicians like Cardi B, Ed Sheeran and Bruno Mars, Warner Music has also partnered with pop star Madonna to relaunch its entire catalog in the coming years.
His deal with Bowie’s succession comes days before the rock star’s 75th birthday anniversary, on January 8.
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