Katy Perry and Justin Bieber might be joining the ever-growing list of musicians who’ve sold their catalogues at eye-watering prices.
Katy Perry and Justin Bieber are reportedly looking to sell off their respective music catalogues, which could fetch the pop stars upwards of $100 million each. According to Variety, Bieber is nearing the completion of a reported deal to sell his music rights to Hipgnosis Songs Capital, a music investment company located in the UK. The deal could earn the Baby singer $200 million, according to Wall Street Journal’s estimations.
While rumours of the Bieber catalogue auction have been swirling for weeks, sources have confirmed that the singer has not yet inked the deal officially. The arrangement is said to include Bieber’s shares of his publishing and recorded music catalogue, in what is expected to be the biggest music acquisition in Hipgnosis Songs’ history. The deal will cover Bieber’s entire discography — from his 2010 debut, My World 2.0 to last year’s Justice.
Hipgnosis Songs is also expected to acquire Bieber’s standalone singles, EPs, and any collaborations he’s released over the past 22 years. The singer’s potential catalogue shopping comes amid similar buzz surrounding fellow pop star Katy Perry, who is likewise rumoured to be considering a multi-million dollar sale of her publishing rights. Although less reported, Perry’s deal is expected to be valued between $80 – $100 million.
The reach of the deal in terms of Perry’s discography, which began with her 2001 debut Katy Hudson, is not yet known. The singer’s last album, Smile, arrived in 2021. Variety reports that Hipgnosis Songs Capital is the same company that purchased the catalogue rights to Justin Timberlake’s discography earlier this year. That deal was also worth $100 million and encompassed the NSYNC alum’s smash hits Cry Me a River and SexyBack, among others.
In March, it was reported that Hipgnosis acquired the song catalogue of Hallelujah singer Leonard Cohen. All artists join the growing list of musicians who’ve sold off their discographies in recent years, with Keith Urban going through that process just last week for an undisclosed sum. Elsewhere, the likes of Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Nicks and more have all sold off their publishing rights for over $80 million each since 2020.
