The Notorious B.I.G.’s estate has struck a significant deal with Primary Wave, a prominent music publishing company.
This deal reportedly took place before the rapper's mother, Voletta Wallace, passed away last month.
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The estate has sold a controlling share of Biggie’s catalogue to Primary Wave. This includes 50% of both of his publishing rights, as well as his name and likeness.
Financial details of the deal have not been confirmed, but prior reports suggested it could be worth as much as $100 million for his publishing rights, with an additional $50 million potentially for his master rights.
<a href="https://www.euronews.com/culture/2023/01/26/justin-bieber-sells-music-catalogue-for-200-million-how-does-his-deal-compare-to-other-art"Compounding on this trend are other high-profile artists who have also sold their music catalogues to various firms. For instance, EDM producer Deadmau5 recently sold his catalogue to Create Music Group for a substantial sum.
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Queen's catalogue, one of the most notable sales in this area, was acquired by Sony Music for over $1.27 billion in June 2024.
Bruce Springsteen, another legendary artist, reportedly sold his back catalogue to Sony for an estimated $500 million in 2021.
Sony also acquired all of Bob Dylan’s back catalogue in 2022, along with a significant interest in Michael Jackson's music catalogue for approximately $600 million.
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<a href="https://www.euronews.com/culture/2023/08/13/50-years-of-hip-hop-a-chronological-look-at-the-genres-essential-records" Biggie's pioneering impact on the East Coast rap scene, and his classic debut album 'Ready to Die,' remains influential to this day.
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