Warner Chappell Music (WCM) bought the complete catalog of the British David Bowie, as announced yesterday by the multinational, which highlighted that he has acquired songs published over six decades from his 26 studio albums.
The magazine “Variety” ensures that Warner has paid Bowie’s heirs more than 250 million dollars for the catalog of the musician who died in 2016 at the age of 69.
Among the songs purchased are hits like “Heroes”, “Changes”, “Let’s Dance”, “Ziggy Stardust”, “Starman”, “Rebel Rebel”, “Fame”, or his collaboration with Queen from 1981, “Under Pressure “.
“These are not just extraordinary songs, but milestones that have changed the course of modern music forever,” WCM CEO Guy Moot said in a statement, describing the catalog as “groundbreaking, influential and timeless.”
The deal also includes the posthumous album “Toy”, which includes new recordings made in New York in 2000 of his songs released between 1964 and 1971, along with a couple of new songs.
Last September, the record giant announced that it had acquired the rights to all the albums Bowie recorded throughout his career.
The figure of 250 million dollars is less than half of the 535 million that some British media had talked about in November, and is far from the 500 million that Sony paid last December for the catalog of another icon of music, Bruce Springsteen.
The settlement reached with Bowie’s estate has been announced less than a week from what would have been his 75th birthday on January 8.
