David Bowie’s Estate Sells Publishing Catalog For $250 Million To Warner Chappell Music

Warner Chappell Music has acquired David Bowie’s publishing catalog for close to $250 million after months of negations with Bowie’s estate.

The catalog includes six decades of Bowie’s music including songs such as “Heroes,” “Changes,” “Space Oddity,” Fame,” Let’s Dance,” Rebel Rebel,” Golden Years,” “Ziggy Stardust,” “All The Young Dudes,” his 1981 collab with Queen “Under Pressure” and many more.

Securing this deal brings almost all of Bowie’s music into the Warner system. Last September, the estate announced a global partnership with Warner Music that will bring Bowie’s music from 1968 through 2016 under Warner control. The deal includes the albums Bowie made from 2000 to 2016, which were originally released by Sony music.

The announcement comes during the “Bowie 75” celebration, surrounding the late singer’s 75th birthday on Saturday. The campaign includes pop-up stores in New York and London and the release in November of the “Brilliant Adventure (1992-2001)” boxed set. On Friday, his previously unreleased Toy album includes re-recorded versions of obscure and unknown songs from the singer’s early career. The album is available as part of the boxed set but will be released secretly on Friday.

A new Bowie film that went through thousands of hours of rare footage, much of it unseen, is in its final stages and could premiere in time for the Sundance Film Festival later this month. Brett Morgan, the director behind Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck, Jane and The Kid Says in the Picture, has been working on the project for four years with longtime Bowie collaborator Tony Visconti as music director.

Warner Chappell has been making other catalog deals while gaining Bowie’s, with artists such as Bruno Mars, Cardi B, Quincy Jones, Anderson Park, Saweetie, and the estate of George Michael, to name a few.

Warner Chappell Music Co-Chair and CEO Guy Moot confirmed the news in a statement on Monday, and said, “All of us at Warner Chappell are immensely proud that the David Bowie estate has chosen us to be the caretakers of one of the most groundbreaking, influential, and enduring catalogs in music history. These are not only extraordinary songs but milestones that have changed the course of modern music forever.”