Bowie 75, the experience that celebrates David Bowie 1:37
(Reuters) -
Warner Music Group's publishing unit has bought the late British rock star David Bowie's entire catalog, spanning six decades, including hits like "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 the age of 69.
The agreement between Bowie's estate and Warner Music includes songs from all 26 studio albums released during his lifetime, as well as the posthumous release of the studio album
Toy
.
Warner Music did not disclose the financial terms of the deal in its announcement Monday, but a person familiar with the matter said the purchase was valued at about $ 250 million.
David Bowie's artwork was auctioned for more than $ 108,000 0:49
Bowie's estate had signed an agreement in September granting Warner Music global rights to the artist's catalog from 1968 to 2016.
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Bowie rose to fame in the UK in 1969 with "Space Oddity", the lyrics of which he said had been inspired by watching the Stanley Kubrick film
2001: A Space Odyssey
while on drugs.
But it was his 1972 rendition of a bisexual space envoy, "Ziggy Stardust," that launched him to global stardom.
Bowie's "Starman" and other out-of-this-world songs for a spacewalk
The deal for its catalog is the latest in the audiovisual rights sector, in which companies have tried to increase copyright by buying artists' catalogs after the pandemic affected revenue streams in physical format. and delay the release of new recordings.
Warner Music, home to artists such as Cardi B, Ed Sheeran and Bruno Mars, has also partnered with pop queen Madonna to relaunch its entire catalog in the coming years.
His deal with Bowie's inheritance comes days before January 8, the date that will mark the 75th anniversary of the rock star's birth.
David Bowie