$500m for Springsteen's Catalogue
$500m for Springsteen's Catalogue
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CardinalFang

Original Poster:

673 posts

184 months

Thursday 16th December 2021
quotequote all
Why? Why now?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-5968...

Somewhere along the line, I've missed the logic of this. Is it estate forward planning? I wouldn't have thought any close family & collaborators would need to worry about financial security when Bruce, or any other successful older artist dies, but...

Is the alternative financial warfare between future generations & lawyers, arguing over re-issues, compilations, lost tapes, adverts & film scores? Is there a tax break? Anyone on here have any insight into this concept which seems to have suddenly arrived in the last few years?

Chs CF

Honk

2,002 posts

219 months

Thursday 16th December 2021
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Did Bowie start all this in 1997?...Bowie bonds?

FourWheelDrift

91,036 posts

300 months

Thursday 16th December 2021
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That's an expensive book, Littlewoods used to send them out for free.

cuprabob

16,863 posts

230 months

Thursday 16th December 2021
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He should do some of those equity release adverts, ".. My catalogue helped pay for it" smile

CardinalFang

Original Poster:

673 posts

184 months

Thursday 16th December 2021
quotequote all
FourWheelDrift said:
That's an expensive book, Littlewoods used to send them out for free.
And as far as I’m aware, no Linda Lusardi in the underwear section. They’ve defo missed a trick there.

CardinalFang

Original Poster:

673 posts

184 months

Thursday 16th December 2021
quotequote all
Honk said:
Did Bowie start all this in 1997?...Bowie bonds?
Sort of. He was generating a lumps sum & a yield from his catalogue and retaining ownership (I think) but this is a straightforward sale, with all rights passing to Sony or in other cases, music venture capitalists. Could be wrong mind…

PHZero

1,376 posts

109 months

Thursday 16th December 2021
quotequote all
CardinalFang said:
Why? Why now?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-5968...

Somewhere along the line, I've missed the logic of this. Is it estate forward planning? I wouldn't have thought any close family & collaborators would need to worry about financial security when Bruce, or any other successful older artist dies, but...

Is the alternative financial warfare between future generations & lawyers, arguing over re-issues, compilations, lost tapes, adverts & film scores? Is there a tax break? Anyone on here have any insight into this concept which seems to have suddenly arrived in the last few years?

Chs CF
His music revenues were $15m last year. Given that his popularity could possibly wane over the next three decades, he'd almost certainly be dead before seeing that sort of return. I'm sure he's got his tax affairs nicely organised offshore.

Fair play to him.

CardinalFang

Original Poster:

673 posts

184 months

Thursday 16th December 2021
quotequote all
PHZero said:
His music revenues were $15m last year. Given that his popularity could possibly wane over the next three decades, he'd almost certainly be dead before seeing that sort of return. I'm sure he's got his tax affairs nicely organised offshore.

Fair play to him.
Agreed - don’t have a problem with it at all. I guess it’s now a thing because VC’s and media conglomerates have recognised a new investment product.

PHZero

1,376 posts

109 months

Thursday 16th December 2021
quotequote all
CardinalFang said:
PHZero said:
His music revenues were $15m last year. Given that his popularity could possibly wane over the next three decades, he'd almost certainly be dead before seeing that sort of return. I'm sure he's got his tax affairs nicely organised offshore.

Fair play to him.
Agreed - don’t have a problem with it at all. I guess it’s now a thing because VC’s and media conglomerates have recognised a new investment product.
I wonder if it will pay off for them! Half a billion dollars would require a lot of plays (~100 billion) on Spotify!

CardinalFang

Original Poster:

673 posts

184 months

Thursday 16th December 2021
quotequote all
PHZero said:
I wonder if it will pay off for them! Half a billion dollars would require a lot of plays (~100 billion) on Spotify!
Well yes, there's that, but there's probably some huge Prince/Dylan-esque vault, plus decades of rehearsal room/live-from-the-mixing-desk, best-of/remix, as well as 20 studio & 23 live album-remastered physical product to ship....then the limited edition heavy pressing/multicoloured/NFT (I've no more than a vague idea what NFT means, but they're bound to be in there somewhere).

Or at least that would be the basis of my pitch for getting a sign off on $500mill. (Whilst praying no--one spotted I was winging the whole thing....Media finance innit?)

Rod200SX

8,125 posts

192 months

Friday 17th December 2021
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Could be a couple things, if he was offered rather than if he enquired first would make a difference. "Hey Bob, you're 80 now, would you be interested in selling your catalogue to us for $500m?"

Can't imagine many artists that have peaked that'd turn it down.

don't know how it works where he lives/pays tax but it could be easier to deal with for his estate. He's got 6 kids according to wiki, likely easier for his estate to allocate funds(if they are getting any!) from a lump sum, rather than after his passing, where the values of these things would fluctuate massively, disputes between estate management/family members. That's my most likely thought.

Halmyre

11,969 posts

155 months

Friday 17th December 2021
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PHZero said:
CardinalFang said:
PHZero said:
His music revenues were $15m last year. Given that his popularity could possibly wane over the next three decades, he'd almost certainly be dead before seeing that sort of return. I'm sure he's got his tax affairs nicely organised offshore.

Fair play to him.
Agreed - don’t have a problem with it at all. I guess it’s now a thing because VC’s and media conglomerates have recognised a new investment product.
I wonder if it will pay off for them! Half a billion dollars would require a lot of plays (~100 billion) on Spotify!
Well, Bowie's 'Starman' is currently being used for a television advert, so there's one source of income right there.

OMITN

2,726 posts

108 months

Friday 17th December 2021
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Rod200SX said:
Can't imagine many artists that have peaked that'd turn it down.
Whereas Paul McCartney has been on the reverse journey for the last 50 years as he has tried to buy back the publishing rights to the Beatles songs….

CoolHands

21,007 posts

211 months

Saturday 18th December 2021
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Expect to hear on numerous adverts from now until kindom come. Also Noel Gallagher has stated he can’t wait to sell the oasis catalogue. As if people like this aren’t rich enough

Sgt Joe Roberts

200 posts

46 months

Sunday 19th December 2021
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I think it's a case of estate planning and decision making to protect his kids. This deal means his kids benefit financially without having to get involved in managing his legacy. It leaves them free to pursue their chosen careers.

Early in his career Bruce was involved in a long, ugly, bitter legal dispute with his former manager over the ownership of the publishing rights to his songs. He was basically screwed over by the guy. This may be his way of protecting his kids from getting involved in that type of situation in the future.

TwigtheWonderkid

46,522 posts

166 months

Sunday 19th December 2021
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PHZero said:
I wonder if it will pay off for them! Half a billion dollars would require a lot of plays (~100 billion) on Spotify!
Sony are very shrewd operators in the music publishing business. They don't get much wrong.

abzmike

10,462 posts

122 months

Sunday 19th December 2021
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It’s the kind of number that make it make sense, even though he doesn’t need any more. Many artists have done similar deals in the past few years, and as said makes life so much easier for his family later. I would imagine quite a lot will end up in foundations and charity.

Mikebentley

7,456 posts

156 months

Sunday 19th December 2021
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Didn’t Tina Turner sell hers a couple of months ago?