Bowie catalog changes hands in latest music mega-deal

Late artist’s estate sells over 400 songs, joining Springsteen, Dylan as streaming raises value

David Bowie’s estate has sold his entire songwriting catalog to Warner Music, including classics like “Space Oddity,” “Let’s Dance” and “Heroes,” in the latest blockbuster deal for music rights.

Warner’s music publishing division, Warner Chappell, announced the agreement Monday, saying it encompassed Bowie’s entire corpus as a songwriter, from the material on his 1967 debut album, David Bowie, to his final album, Blackstar, released just before Bowie’s death in 2016 at age 69.

The deal, for more than 400 songs, also includes soundtrack music; the material for Bowie’s short-lived band Tin Machine from the late 1980s and early ’90s; and other works.

The price of the transaction was not disclosed but is estimated at $250 million.

“These are not only extraordinary songs, but milestones that have changed the course of modern music forever,” Guy Moot, the chief executive of Warner Chappell, said in a statement.

Warner’s deal, signed late last month, is the latest in a series of huge transactions for music rights, driven by the rising value of music in the streaming age and growing Wall Street interest in music as an “alternative investment.” Last month, Bruce Springsteen sold his work as both a songwriter and recording artist to Sony Music for about $550 million. The copyrights for recorded music are separate from those for songwriting, which cover the lyrics and melodies underlying any performance or recording of song.

Over the last year or so, other major sales have included the work of Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Tina Turner, Mötley Crüe, ZZ Top and Shakira.

Warner’s deal for Bowie’s songwriting rights means it will be the home for nearly all of the star’s music. In September, the company announced another agreement with the Bowie estate giving Warner the rights to release all of Bowie’s recordings since 1968 — although that deal did not include Bowie’s debut, which remains controlled by Universal Music.

Last fall, the Bowie estate introduced “Bowie 75,” a “retail experience” tied to what would have been his 75th birthday, with pop-up locations in New York and London featuring immersive audiovisual exhibitions along with clothing, music and other memorabilia for sale. They will remain open until late January.