Sony's Michael Jackson Deal, Queen, And The Biggest Music Catalog Sales Of All Time

Quick Links

• Queen's Potential Billion Dollar Music Catalog Deal

• Sony's Michael Jackson Deal Is Likely The Most Expensive To Date

• Bruce Springsteen

• Bob Dylan

• Phil Collins (Genesis)

• Sting

• Paul Simon

• Katy Perry

• Justin Bieber

Highlights

• Both Queen and Michael Jackson's catalogs are immensely valuable, with Jackson's catalog alone being worth $1.2 billion.
• Queen is currently seeking a record-breaking deal for their catalog, with Universal Music Group rumored to be offering at least $1 billion.
• Sony's purchase of half of Michael Jackson's catalog for $600 million is the largest catalog sale to date, dwarfing all previous deals.

Two of the greatest musical acts in history – King of Pop, Michael Jackson, and King of Rock Freddie Mercury's iconic band Queen – are in the news, due to the immense value of their catalogs.

In the 1980s, both Jackson and Queen were beloved the world over, fans buzzing over their massive talent and industry dominance.

In 2024, they are both still among the brightest stars music has ever seen – and while many have tried, no one has matched their fame.

Both Queen and Michael Jackson's everlasting legacies in music rake in millions every year.

In 2023, Michael Jackson was the highest-paid deceased celebrity, earning a whopping $115 million in a year, and the band (Queen) also earned an average of $30 million to $40 million in royalties.

Despite the respective deaths of Freddie Mercury (33 years ago) and Michael Jackson (14 years ago), audiophiles are still enjoying their eternal tunes.

Many timeless songs – such as "Beat It," "Barcelona", "Leave Me Alone," "Killer Queen," and several others – are still on the playlists of young people, and fans are continuing to purchase their music to celebrate them as well.

These music monarchs of the 1970s and 1980s are taking the mainstream by storm again, as Sony Music Group has purchased half of Michael Jackson's music catalog for a staggering sum of $1.2 billion, thought to be the biggest musical catalog sale ever.

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On February 9th, the New York Times covered the Sony Michael Jackson deal, citing sources "briefed on" the matter:

"Sony has agreed to acquire half of Michael Jackson’s catalog from the star’s estate, in what is likely the richest transaction ever for a single musician’s work, according to two people briefed on the agreement.

"The deal, which has been gossiped about in the music industry for months, is said to involve Sony purchasing a 50 percent stake in Jackson’s recorded music and songwriting catalogs.

"That includes not only the estate’s share of megahits like 'Beat It' and 'Bad,' but also the music publishing assets that are part of Jackson’s Mijac catalog, among them songs written by Sly Stone and tracks made famous by artists like Ray Charles and Jerry Lee Lewis."

At the same time, Queen, one of the greatest bands in the history of rock, is also seeking a record-breaking deal for their extraordinarily valuable music catalog.

The largest music industry corporation, Universal Music Group (UMG), is rumored to be in talks with Queen Production Ltd, and they believed to be seeking a minimum of $1 billion in a prospective sale involving their music catalog.

Will Queen get their desirable deal from Universal Media Group?

How did Michael Jackson's catalog become officially the only billion-dollar catalog in the world?

Let's crunch the numbers, and look at some of the most expensive music catalogs sold by popular artists.

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Queen's Potential Billion Dollar Music Catalog Deal

On May 28th, CNN first broke the news that Queen could potentially sell their catalog to Universal Music Group for $1.2 billion.

As was the case with the Times' coverage of the Sony Michael Jackson deal in February 2024, CNN cited sources in the industry in their reporting:

"The songs of Queen are known the world over, and the band’s body of work might soon sell for a staggering sum.

"A source familiar with the music acquisition tells CNN that discussions are 'well underway' for Universal Music Group to acquire Queen’s catalog from Disney Music Group."

Queen is the fourth largest-selling artist ever, having sold 281.67 million copies globally to date.

After the death of Freddie Mercury, the band sold 25 million albums, and their music has been streamed 41.7 billion times globally.

Queen is still selling two to three million albums a year, through sales and online streams.

Artists are raking in many millions through music royalties, so companies – like Universal Music Group, Sony Music Group, and Disney Music Group – are always seeking opportunities to acquire music catalog rights.

These big music industry conglomerates pay hefty sums to artists to obtain and license musical catalogs; the artist, in turn, receives a massive upfront payment for surrendering future royalties from their music (which will be received by companies after the sale).

This is the part of music that is purely business.

But the Queen deal is not as straightforward as it seems, as in North America, Disney Music Group owns the entire Queen catalog.

Disney Music Group purchased Queen's rights "cheaply" for $10 million in 1991; the catalog has almost certainly paid for itself dozens of times over since the acquisition.

Queen's original members – Brian May, Roger Taylor, John Deacon, and Freddie Mercury's estate – retain a 25 percent stake in Queen's catalog outside North America, through the UK-based company Queen Productions LTD.

But after the Sony Michael Jackson deal, Billboard reported that Queen was close to getting a billion-dollar deal for its complete catalog, including the North American rights ... which makes the deal more complicated.

It appears that the Queen Corporation must either pay Disney Music Group to relinquish their North American deal, or sell the rights to their entire catalog to Disney Music Group ... which is also in line to acquire Queen's global catalog rights.

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Sony's Michael Jackson Deal Is Likely The Most Expensive To Date

Michael Jackson's empire has earned $1.92 billion in the last ten years through royalties, merchandise sales, tribute concerts, equity stake sales, theatrical shows, and exhibitions.

When Michael Jackson was alive, his net worth was around $500 million, but there is a financial axiom which goes: "the world learns the worth of a person when the person dies."

After the legend's untimely death in June 2009, Michael Jackson's empire was worth over a billion dollars.

People came out to honor him in droves, and tribute concerts were arranged all over the world.

People are still proud to pull off his iconic, signature dance moves, like The Moonwalk, The Spin, The Thriller Dance, and others.

Jackson's legacy is so massive that he is still among the top three highest-selling solo artists, having sold 340 million copies worldwide.

Every year, millions are added to his overall sales. People still love him, and his musical legacy is still young, raking in millions.

Michael Jackson Estate's Ten-Year Earnings

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As such, acquiring Michael Jackson's catalog would be any music company's dream.

Sony Music Group (which was professionally linked to Michael Jackson), started the venture Sony/ATV in 1995; Sony leveraged this connection, and hit the jackpot with this deal, buying half of Michael Jackson's catalog for $600 million.

In the Sony deal, Michael Jackson's royalties from Broadway plays and theatrical productions featuring music are not included. That means MJ's estate will still receive the royalties from Broadway plays and theaters, not Sony.

Sony paid $600 million for 50 percent of Jackson's catalog, indicating the entire catalog is worth $1.2 billion dollars.

The Sony Michael Jackson deal has dwarfed all other catalog deals; the next biggest deal was just $550 million, for Bruce Springsteen.

Now, let's look at other high-value music catalog sales.

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Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen's Music Catalog Sold For $550 Million

In 2021, 20-time Grammy winner "The Boss," Bruce Springsteen, sold his entire music catalog.

In total, the deal included his recording and songwriting catalog, which went for an impressive $550 million to Sony Music Group.

At the time, Springsteen's was the most expensive music catalog ever. Now Michael Jackson has surpassed it by miles.

Michael Jackson's catalog was valued at $1.2 billion, more than twice that of Bruce Springsteen's music rights.

Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan's Songwriting Catalog Sold For $300 Million To $400 Million

The biggest music company in the world, Universal Music Group, has acquired the songwriting catalog of Nobel Prize winner Bob Dylan, who is hailed as the world's greatest songwriter.

According to various sources, the deal is worth $300 million to $400 million, but neither Bob Dylan nor Universal Music Group has disclosed the amount.

Bob Dylan’s entire catalog consists of 600 songs, including his hits "Like A Rolling Stone," "Visions Of Johanna," and "Idiot Wind."

Bob Dylan has sold more than 145 million copies of his music worldwide.

Phil Collins (Genesis)

Phil Collins, Tony Banks, And Mike Rutherford's Genesis Catalog Sold For $300 Million

Grammy winning English rock band Genesis has sold approximately 115 million copies worldwide.

In 2022, Genesis' main members, Phil Collins, Tony Banks, and Mike Rutherford, elected to sell their music catalog to Concord Media Group for $300 million.

The deal did not include Peter Gabriel's songs, nor those of other singers who left Genesis.

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Sting

Sting's Songwriting Catalog Sold For $300 Million

Seventeen-time Grammy winner Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner, known as Sting, is among the most prominent singers, actors, and songwriters in the music industry.

Sting has decided to sell his entire back catalog to Universal Music and Publication Group for $300 million.

Sting's songs have sold 82.5 million times worldwide.

Paul Simon

Paul Simon's Catalog Sold For $250 Million

Paul Simon, a legend in the music industry, has won twelve Grammy Awards, and sold more than 52 million copies of his music.

In 2021, Paul Simon decided to sell his songs to Sony Music Group.

The entire catalog of music, spanning over six decades, was sold for $250 million.

Katy Perry

Katy Perry's Catalog Sold For $225 Million

Modern virtuoso Katy Perry shifted her attention towards music and sold her entire catalog, including master recordings and publishing rights, to Litmus Music for a hefty $225 million.

Perry is the wife of Orlando Bloom and a judge on American Idol, and she is involved in many philanthropic works.

Now, there are reports that Katy Perry is leaving American Idol to concentrate on lifting her arguably neglected music career.

Justin Bieber

Justin Bieber's Catalog Sold For $200 Million

In 2023, at the age of 28, two-time Grammy winner Justin Bieber decided to sell his entire music catalog to Hipgnosis Songs Capital.

In late January 2024, Variety reported that the sale was completed:

"As expected, Justin Bieber has sold his music rights to Blackstone-backed Hipgnosis Songs Capital for north of $200 million, the company has announced. News of the impending deal, which had been rumored for weeks, was widely reported last month."

Bieber's sale marked the first instance in which a singer younger than 30, who has sold more than 100 million copies (107 million to be exact), sold his entire music catalog.

Ultimately, Sony's Michael Jackson deal is the biggest catalog sale to date, but Queen could approach (if not exceed) that record acquisition.

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