List of largest music deals

In today's world, List of largest music deals has become a topic of great relevance and interest to a wide spectrum of society. The importance of List of largest music deals has left its mark on history and is present in people's daily lives. From its origins to the present, List of largest music deals has been the subject of debate and analysis in different areas, from politics to science, including culture and technology. For this reason, it is essential to understand the impact that List of largest music deals has on our lives and in the global context. In this article, we will explore in depth the importance of List of largest music deals and its implications in the contemporary world.

The following is a list of the largest music deals in history signed by artists, including recording contracts and multi-rights agreements with over $50 million, as well catalog acquisitions with a reported sum of over $150 million.[a] Some figures might not be entirely accurate, as some multi-million-dollar contracts were reportedly misrepresented or exaggerated,[1][2][3] and others were media estimations. Therefore, no rankings are given.

An early recorded five-figure deal in music history was reported by The Music Trades magazine in the late 1910s, made by American composer John Stepan Zamecnik.[4] The 1960s saw contracts with six-figures such as an advance deal for $143,000 to Led Zeppelin (Atlantic Records) in 1968, then the biggest deal of its kind for a new band.[5] The 1970s saw a rise in millionaire recording contracts, starting with a deal made by The Rolling Stones in 1971, which represented "a new benchmark in industry contracts", according to Billboard, and became the largest contract ever made by that point.[6] In a short span of years, Neil Diamond signed a $4–5 million deal with Columbia Records, which was later superseded by Paul McCartney's Capitol Records and Elton John's MCA Records deals of $8 million each, as well as Stevie Wonder's 1975 deal with Motown valued at $13 million,[b] reaching a new peak in the industry.[8][9] The 1980s saw more contracts of eight figures, including record-breaking Diana Ross' $20 million contract with RCA Records in 1980,[10] or the Rolling Stones with CBS Records for $28 million in 1983.[11] An increase of blockbuster deals began in the 1990s, with top-signing artists such as Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson, Madonna and Prince each exceeding the $40–60 million marks,[12][13] making multiple appearances in the Guinness World Records.[14] Up until 2016, only a few recording and multi-rights contracts outpaced the $100 million mark.[15] The largest music deals belong to catalog acquisitions which include songwriting and publishing rights, with an increase in the late 2010s and early 2020s.[16][17] The Estate of Michael Jackson made the largest recording deal, for a $250 million contract starting in 2010, and renewed in 2018 for the same amount,[15][18] while Sony Music acquired the Queen catalog and a number of other rights, excluding touring revenue, for US$1.27 billion, the largest sum ever paid for an artist's body of work.[19][20]

Multi-million-sized music deals have often raised skepticism and been criticized in corporate terms for bi-directional disadvantages,[21][22][15][23][24][25] including Prince's 1992 contract with Warner Bros deriving a contractual dispute.[21] Referred by a contributor from Forbes to as "the best-known and most-cited example" among misadventured contracts,[15] Mariah Carey's 2001 deal with Virgin Records marked "the first time that a major music corporation decided to cut its losses on a superstar agreement", according to The New York Times.[26]

List of largest recording contracts and multi-right deals

Year Artist Music company Approx deal Notes Ref.
2017 Michael Jackson (Estate) Sony $250 million The Estate of Michael Jackson extended the 2010 deal for an additional 7 years, effective January 2018 onwards. [27]
2010 Michael Jackson (Estate) Sony $250 million Reportedly the largest recording deal; The Estate of Michael Jackson signed a $250 million contract with Sony Music, spanning 2010-2017. [28]
2008 Jay-Z Live Nation $150 million [29]
2002 Robbie Williams EMI Records $125 million Labeled as the largest British record deal in history. [30]
2007 Madonna Live Nation $120 million Labeled as the largest contract deal in history by a female artist. [31][25][32]
1995 Michael Jackson Sony Music $100 Million [33]
2001 Whitney Houston Arista Records $100 million Considered the largest contract in music at that point. [34]
2001 Mariah Carey Virgin Records $100–80 million Considered the largest contract in music at that point. [26][24][34]
2008 Shakira Live Nation $100–70 million [35][36]
1996 R.E.M. Warner Records $80 million Considered the largest contract made by a band and in music industry at that time. [37][12]
1996 Janet Jackson Virgin Records $80–70 million Considered the largest contract in music at that point. [38][12]
2008 Nickelback Live Nation $70–50 million [39]
1991 Michael Jackson Sony Music $65–60–50 million[c] Considered the largest contract in music at that point. [12][44][13][45]
1991 Paul McCartney Capitol Records $65 million [14]
1992 Madonna Warner Records $60 million Considered the largest contract in music for a female pop entertainer at that time. [12][13][46]
1992 Barbra Streisand Columbia Records $60–40 million [12][14]
1995 Metallica Elektra Records $60 million [12]
1999 Backstreet Boys Jive Records $60 million [47]
2022 YoungBoy Never Broke Again Motown $60 million [48][49]
1998 U2 PolyGram $50 million [50]
1991 Janet Jackson Virgin Records $50–40–32 million Considered the largest contract in music at that point. [51][52][53]

Media estimations/expectatives

The following are contracts confirmed artists signed with respective record labels, but sums are largely based on media speculations.

Year Artist Music company Approx deal Notes Ref.
2022 Drake Universal Music Group $400 million [54]
1993 U2 Island Records $200 million [2]
2012 Lil Wayne Cash Money Records $150 million [55]
2016 Adele Columbia Records $130 million Originally reported by British tabloid The Sun, but reported by others as an undisclosed amount. [15][56][57]
1992 Prince Warner Bros $100 million Undisclosed price.[2] [21]
2016 Harry Styles Columbia Records $80 million Sum not confirmed. [58]

List of largest music catalog acquisitions

Year Artist Purchaser company Approx deal Notes Ref.
2020 Queen Sony Music Publishing $1.27 billion The deal comprises Queen's recorded music catalog and additional rights, including royalties from the film Bohemian Rhapsody, valued at US$1.27 billion, the largest sum ever paid for an artist's body of work, excluding touring revenue. [59][60][61]
2016 Michael Jackson (Estate) Sony Music Publishing $750 million Michael Jackson's estate has sold his 50% stake in Sony/ATV Music Publishing, which includes the music catalogues of several artists, notably the Beatles. [62]
2024 Michael Jackson Sony Music $600 million 50% acquisition. Considered the biggest transaction ever struck for half of a single artist's body of work. This puts total value of rights at $1.2 billion. [63][64]
2021 Bruce Springsteen Sony Music $550–500 million [65][66]
2020 Pink Floyd Sony Music $400 million The deal includes Pink Floyd's recorded music catalog, as well as their name, image, and likeness rights, but excludes music publishing assets [67]
2020 Bob Dylan Universal Music Group $400–300 million Undisclosed price. It is a songwriting catalog agreement. [68][69]
2022 Phil Collins
Genesis 		Concord Music Group $300 million [69]
2021 Sting Universal Music Publishing Group $300 million [69]
2018 Michael Jackson (Estate) Sony $287 million Michael Jackson's estate sold its 10% stake in EMI Music Publishing to Sony. [70]
2021 Paul Simon Sony Music Publishing $250 million [71]
2022 David Bowie Warner Chappell Music $250 million [69]
2023 Katy Perry Litmus Music $225 million [72]
2023 Justin Bieber Hipgnosis Songs Fund $200 million [71]
2021 Neil Young Hipgnosis Songs Fund $150 million [69]
2022 Bob Dylan Sony Music $150 million Catalog agreement. [69]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ The list excludes sponsorship deals, broadcasting rights, assets, or other business ventures made by recording artists with enterprises outside of the industry
  2. ^ Also reported for an amount of $37 million.[7]
  3. ^ Michael Jackson's 1991 deal with Sony largely vary by estimations. Established figures ranged from $50 million to 60 million and even $65 million. Originally, the deal was even also estimated at $1 billion by early media speculations.[40][41][42][43]

References

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