Bruce Springsteen Sells Masters, Publishing Catalog for $500M

Bruce Springsteen has become the latest high-profile musician to broker a major sale of their masters and publishing catalog for a massive sum.

Per Billboard, Springsteen also sold his masters and music publishing catalog to Sony Music and Sony Music Publishing, respectively, for a reported $500 million.

Reports of a potential masters/publishing deal between The Boss and Sony surfaced last month. Billboard reported at that time that this deal could yield a payday of up to $350 million. However, the outlet's latest report noted, "Sources tell 'Billboard' the floor to bid for the combined assets was $350 million, though that number was quickly surpassed."

The past 12 months have seen a number of artists sell off their various catalogs in massive deals. In October, Tina Turner brokered a major deal with Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG) to sell her recordings, publishing rights and other properties for reportedly over $50 million. In August, Aerosmith struck a deal with Universal Music Group (UMG) that includes their entire musical catalog and personal archives. In May, Red Hot Chili Peppers sold their catalog to Hipgnosis Songs for between $140 million and $150 million. In December 2020, Bob Dylan sold his entire songwriting catalog to Universal Music Publishing Group for a reported $300 million.