The Warner Music Group publishing unit purchased British rock star David Bowie’s entire catalog spanning six decades, including hits such as Space Oddity, Ziggy Stardust, 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 age 69.
Bowie’s Estate and Warner Music deal includes songs from all 26 studio albums released during his lifetime, as well as the studio album Toy, published posthumously.
A deal worth around US $ 250 million
Warner Music did not disclose the financial terms of the deal in its announcement on Monday, but someone familiar with the matter said the purchase was worth around US $ 250 million.
Bowie’s estate had in September signed an agreement which gave Warner Music the worldwide rights to the artist’s catalog from 1968 to 2016.
WATCH | Review of Bowie’s impact on music and culture:
Our special panel takes a closer look at David Bowie’s impact on music and culture. 13:41
Bowie rose to fame in Britain in 1969 with space oddity, whose lyrics he says were inspired by watching Stanley Kubrick’s film 2001: A Space Odyssey while stoned.
But it was his take on the character of Ziggy Stardust, a doomed bisexual rock envoy from the album’s eponymous song. The rise and fall of Ziggy Stardust and the spiders of Mars which propelled Bowie to global stardom starting in 1972.
The deal for its catalog is the latest in the media rights sector, where companies have sought to increase royalties by purchasing artist catalogs after the pandemic hit physical revenue streams and delayed the release of new recordings .
Warner Music, home to musicians such as Cardi B, Ed Sheeran and Bruno Mars, has also teamed up with pop star Madonna to relaunch their entire catalog over the next several years.
News of the deal comes days before what would have been Bowie’s 75th birthday on January 8.