Universal Music has bought the entire back catalog of Bob Dylan’s songs, it announced Monday, in a purported nine-figure deal for one of the …
Universal Music has bought the entire back catalog of Bob Dylan’s songs, it announced Monday, in a purported nine-figure deal for one of the most prized rights’ collections in music history. The deal covers more than 600 song copyrights spanning 60 years including “Blowin’ In The Wind,” “The Times They Are a-Changin’,” “Like A Rolling Stone,” “Lay Lady Lay” and “Forever Young,” Universal Music said in a statement. The music company gave no financial details of the purchase but the Financial Times reported it was a “nine-figure deal.” The New York Times estimated the price at more than $300 million. “The deal is the most significant music publishing agreement this century and one of the most important of all time,” Universal Music said in its statement. The value of owning music rights has soared in recent years with the surge in popularity of streaming sites such as Spotify, a trend that has grown during the pandemic lockdowns. Dylan, who burst onto the folk scene in New York in the early 1960s, has sold more than 125 million records around the world.
