Bob Dylan sells entire song catalog to Universal in blockbuster deal

[Tanuki]

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/07/arts/music/bob-dylan-sells-publishing.html

..."On Monday, the Universal Music Publishing Group announced that it had signed a landmark deal to purchase Dylan’s entire songwriting catalog — including world-changing classics like “Blowin’ in the Wind,” “The Times They Are A-Changin’” and “Like a Rolling Stone” — in what may be the biggest acquisition ever of the music publishing rights of a single act.

The deal, which covers Dylan’s entire career, from his earliest songs to the tunes on his latest album, “Rough and Rowdy Ways,” was struck directly with Dylan, 79, who has long controlled the majority of his own songwriting copyrights.

The price was not disclosed, but is estimated at more than $300 million.
....
Dylan’s deal includes 100 percent of his rights for all the songs of his catalog, including both the income he receives as a songwriter and his control of each song’s copyright. In exchange for its payment to Dylan, Universal, a division of the French media conglomerate Vivendi, will collect all future income from the songs."...(more)

[exboyfil]

1. Sell out

That 60s sensibility is entirely gone.

So what is he going to do with the $300 million?

[MineralMan]

2. Nonsense. His work; his choice.

What will he do with the money? You'll have to read his last will and testament to find out. Frankly, that's none of our business.

I don't own Bob Dylan and neither do you. His songs influenced my life as a teenager. Now, near the end of his life, he can do whatever he damn well pleases with his own works.

[TexasBushwhacker]

3. He's 79

He's getting his affairs in order. He has 6 kids. It's much easier to divide cash up when he dies than pass the rights to his catalog to multiple children and other heirs. Jann Wenner sold Rolling Stone for the same reason.

[Captain Zero]

9. 300 million seems low to me, though.

But, I assume he banked a lot more off the rights up until now?

[Solomon]

23. I agree. Its low.

[TexasBushwhacker]

39. He was getting about $4 Million per year before

With the popularity of illegal file sharing, publishing rights aren't worth as much as they once were.

[TeamPooka]

55. It is about the licensing. That's where the money is. Commercials and film/TV money

the publishing money is just gravy nowadays

[onenote]

6. so artists aren't artists unless they starve?

At least Dylan was able to hold onto his rights and be the beneficiary of their value, unlike the many artists, often Black, who gave up those rights and have received nothing for them. But at least those artists aren't "sell outs" so I guess we should be grateful they got screwed over, eh?

[panader0]

11. From a business point of view, it's the right move.

At 79, what if he dies before this is done? It's much easier for him to divide his estate as he wishes
if it's cash and not blocs of songs.

[angrychair]

16. I have a feeling

He intends to give it to charity. If I were 79, set aside some for kids/grandchildren and give the rest away to help others before I died.

[cbdo2007]

26. Dylan sold out in 1964, why not continue doing so?

[maxsolomon]

31. You can't take it with you.

Maybe he's going to endow something? Can't think of what; he's so guarded about his interests beyond old-time music and whiskey.

[KatyMan]

36. Is it wrong for a painter to sell their paintings?

Or a wood carver their carvings?
The songs belong to Bob, he can do what he wants with them. If a person hears one of his songs in an insurance commercial and feels the song is devalued, that song was never of real value to the person anyway.

[treestar]

53. This was said about him back in the 80s

Joan Baez even did a song about letting him be.

[TeamPooka]

56. He's not selling out, he's cashing in.

[JohnnyRingo]

4. I guess Dylan is officially "The Man".

The man we're all supposed to stick it to.
Because there's something happening here and you don't know what it is, do you Mr Jones?

Get ready for Lady Clairol ads to "Blowin' In The Wind".
or "Everything is broken" for Flex Seal.

Look at what Ex-Lax did to Arlo Guthrie's "City Of New Orleans".

[RobinA]

29. I Was Thinking

Dodge Rams to The Times They Are a'Changin' "Don't go with a Ford this time, try a Dodge Ram pickup!!!!"

[jayfish]

48. "Hooker With a Penis"

I
met a boy
wearing vans
501s
and a dope
beastie Tee
nipple rings
new tattoos that claimed that he...

was OGT
back from '92
from the first EP.

and in between
sips of coke
he told me that he thought we were selling out
laying down,
sucking up
to the man

well now
I've got some advice for you little buddy
before you point your finger you should know that I'm the man
and if I'm the man then you're the man and he's the man as well
so you can point that fucking finger up your ass

all you know about me is what I've sold you
dumb fuck
I sold out long before you ever heard my name
I sold my soul to make a record
dip shit
and then you bought one

I've got some advice for you little buddy
before you point your finger you should know that I'm the man
and if I'm the fucking man then you're the fucking man as well
So you can point that fucking finger up your ass.

all you know about me is what I've sold you
dumb fuck
I sold out long before you ever heard my name
I sold my soul to make a record
dip shit
and you bought one

all you read and
wear or see and
hear on tv
is a product
begging for your
fatass dirty
dollar

shut up and
buy
buy
buy
my new record

buy
buy
buy
send
more money

FU buddy
FU buddy
FU buddy
FU buddy

[aidbo]

5. You can prepare to hear a bunch of Dylan songs in commercials in the upcoming years.

[empedocles]

7. To advertise all sorts of crap

[aidbo]

10. Lyrics to "Silvio"

Stake my future on a hell of a past
Looks like tomorrow is coming on fast
Ain't complaining 'bout what I got
Seen better times, but who has not?

Silvio, silver and gold
Won't buy back the beat of a heart grown cold
Silvio, I gotta go
Find out something only dead men know

Honest as the next jade rolling that stone
When I come knocking don't throw me no bone
I'm an old boll weevil looking for a home
If you don't like it you can leave me alone

I can snap my fingers and require the rain
From a clear blue sky and turn it off again
I can stroke your body and relieve your pain
And charm the whistle off an evening train

Silvio, silver and gold
Won't buy back the beat of a heart grown cold
Silvio, I gotta go
Find out something only dead men know


I give what I got until I got no more
I take what I get until I even the score
You know I love you and furthermore
When it's time to go you got an open door

I can tell you fancy, I can tell you plain
You give something up for everything you gain
Since every pleasure's got an edge of pain
Pay for your ticket and don't complain

Silvio, silver and gold
Won't buy back the beat of a heart grown cold
Silvio, I gotta go, go
Find out something only dead men know

One of these days and it won't be long
Going down in the valley and sing my song
I will sing it loud and sing it strong
Let the echo decide if I was right or wrong

Silvio, silver and gold
Won't buy back the beat of a heart grown cold
Silvio, I gotta go
Find out something only dead men know

Silvio, silver and gold
Won't buy back the beat of a heart grown cold
Silvio, I gotta go
Find out something only dead men know
.......

[onenote]

8. And if he died and his estate inherited those songs

Last edited Mon Dec 7, 2020, 12:22 PM - Edit history (1)

they almost certainly would sell them to pay off the tax bill.

Sold now, sold later. Does it really make a difference?

At least this way, Dylan gets a pile of money and no one but Dylan knows what he might do with that money.

[aidbo]

13. Im actually excited to see what Universal does with his catalog.

A Pampers ad with “The times they are a changin”?

An ad for Beano with “Blowin’ in the Wind”?

“Forever Young” could be good for a cosmetic company.

Dunkin’ Donuts will have “One more cup of coffee” I bet

So many exciting opportunities!

[jalan48]

21. LOL-ain't it the truth.

[Tanuki]

19. Good point. Jointly inheriting the catalog could set up conflict and even lawsuits among the heirs,

some of whom might want to sell and some who might not.

[Solomon]

24. "Sold now, sold later. Does it really make a difference?"

Well actually, yes it does. Whatever gets passed at his death gets a step up in basis. Whatever he sells before death he will have to pay capital gains tax on.

[onenote]

28. true. but the estate tax is greater than the capital gains tax.

[Solomon]

49. No its not. Depends on the assets and how

much the gain is.

[Solomon]

50. No its not. Depends on the assets and how

much the gain is.

Plus, he will still have estate tax even if he sells now.

[onenote]

51. Top Capital gains rate is 20%. Top estate tax rate is 40%.

And he'll have a lot more flexibility in trying to shield the money he gets for his catalogue from estate taxes than he would have trying to shield his estate if the assets were his intellectual property rights.

[treestar]

52. Do songs gain value over time?

Is there capital gain in a song?

[RobinA]

38. A Huge Difference

To Dylan fans he stands for something that is reflected in but goes beyond the music. Of course, he can do what he wants with his stuff. And fans can think what they want about Mr. Dylan.

[onenote]

41. Fans can think whatever they want.

And I suppose folks could object to Barack and Michelle Obama getting a $65 million book deal. But, imo, being upset at either of those situations is silly.

I know a lot of Dylan fans who are perfectly happy that Dylan is taking care of his affairs rather than leaving them to be dealt with by others.

[RobinA]

45. The Obamas Can Make

whatever they can make. They haven't spent their careers, and made major bank, flipping off The Man. Dylan has to be a little more careful on the subject of money or run the risk of being fairly called a fraud. Again, he can do what he wants if he doesn't care about his legacy. And maybe he doesn't.

[LisaM]

18. We already do.

I was hearing "Shelter from the Storm" all over on TV in the spring, and I can't even remember what the ads were for!

[hunter]

22. I doubt it. I've banned commercials that move or make sound from my daily life.

Quitting traditional television has been one of the better decisions my wife and I have made. The television in our house plays Netflix and DVDs. That's pretty much all it does.

The ad-blockers I use on my computers aggressively reject multi-media advertising of all types.

If Bob Dylan wants to sell his music, that's entirely up to him. It's his music.

Tom Lehrer put all his music in the public domain, but he had a day job.

[stopbush]

12. Pretty decent payday for a catalog of songs all sung on one note.

[Tanuki]

14. Alternatively, a catalog of songs by a Nobel Prize for Literature lyricist

[Happy Hoosier]

15. Ya can't take it with you!

Might as well enjoy the fruits of his success now.

FWIW, I hate Dylan. I cannot STAND his voice. and everyone I personally know who ever saw him in concert was disappointed.

[IsItJustMe]

30. Have to agree. All his songs sounds the same and they all sound like he is singing them through his

Last edited Mon Dec 7, 2020, 06:08 PM - Edit history (1)

nose.

The only song that he sang that did sound different was "Lay Lady Lay". Blew my mind when I found out that this song was sang by Dylan.

[maxsolomon]

32. Sheriff Matt Dillon?

Dylan stopped smoking for a short while during the Nashville Skyline sessions.

It's why he sounds more adenoidal.

[Buckeyeblue]

17. His kids may not have interest in managing his copy rights.

Dylan never wanted to be the voice of the anti-establishment. He wanted to write interesting songs. I think he is one of the best lyric writers ever. But his songs are about a lot of different things. And if people hear one of his songs in a commercial, maybe it will cause them to look up his greater body of work.

[Fiendish Thingy]

20. The Lennon/McCartney catalog was sold to Universal a decade ago for around $1billion

So this seems undervalued for Dylan’s much larger catalog (although with fewer megahits)

I’m wondering who gets the rights/income from any new songs he writes?

[Tanuki]

25. Dylan retains the rights to any future songs, according to the linked OP article

..."The new deal with Universal does not include any songs Dylan writes in the future, leaving open the possibility that he could choose to work with another publisher for that material."...

[cbdo2007]

27. I doubt there is much interest in the future stuff from a publishing perspective...

Even the amazing song he did earlier this year about the Kennedy assassination, it's not like anyone is looking to use it to sell toothpaste or rental cars or something.

[bigtree]

33. glad he got the deal he wanted

...hilarious responses.

If you've ever listened to a Dylan interview, especially recent ones, he's really grounded on what the industry is all about. He's that much more grounded on what he's all about.

[RobinA]

44. So He's A Fraud

like so many others? The industry doesn't pretend to be something it's not.

[bigtree]

46. lol

...as far as I know, he hasn't defrauded anyone.

The only obligation most listeners to his music have is to open their ears.

[onethatcares]

34. I guess he'll always

have a place to stay, and his kids too if they don't piss him off. Maybe he'll buy a new car. Or wipe his ass with $100.00 bills.

Meanwhile kids are going hungry in the great country of america.

That kind of money is obscene, no matter who you are.

[onenote]

42. What is the exact amount of money that is obscene?

$300 million
$100 million
$65 million
$25 million

[onethatcares]

43. I wish I knew, it's almost like

knowing how much money is enough.

[hunter]

54. It depends how you made it.

Did you make the world a better place or not?

Bob Dylan, not obscene.

Bill Gates? I'm sort of neutral. He didn't force people to buy his shit and now he seems to be applying his wealth in positive ways.

Betsy Devos? That's obscene money.

And all the levels of wealth below hers, into the darkest pits of hell.

[bigtree]

47. Bob is well known for his support for charitable causes

...he just doesn't make them all public. That's something anyone actually familiar with this artist would know.

some recent (public) charity:


Bob Dylan is to help homeless people in the UK find shelter this Christmas by donating proceeds from his new album to charity. He has pledged to give all of his international royalties from Christmas In The Heart, released on October 12, to the UK charity Crisis and the World Food Programme.

Initial proceeds are expected to pay for 15,000 meals for homeless people in the UK over Christmas, as well as 500,000 meals for schoolchildren in the developing world.

Dylan said: “That the problem of hunger is ultimately solvable means we must each do what we can to help feed those who are suffering and support efforts to find long-term solutions. “I’m honoured to partner with the World Food Programme and Crisis in their fight against hunger and homelessness.”

https://metro.co.uk/2009/09/24/dylan-royalties-for-crisis-charity-443557

https://blog.charitynavigator.org/2009/11/bob-dylan-releases-holiday-record-to.html

Bob Dylan Calls MusiCares a Blessing for 'Red Hot' Billy ...
https://www.samaritanmag.com/musicians/bob-dylan-calls-musicares-blessing-red-hot-billy-lee-riley

Bob Dylan's Christmas album to benefit charity | Reuters
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-dylan-idUSTRE57P4NG20090826

[GusBob]

35. When Dylan went electric, all the hippies pitched a hippy fit

He would switch the power on half way thru his shows and the hippies would all start booing

He thought it was funny as hell, them buying tickets just to boo. I think its funny too, the earliest phases of poutrage syndrome

This description is from Levon Helm's biography

[msongs]

40. actually it was the folkies who pitched a fit, hippies were not quite a thing yet nt

[Brother Buzz]

37. Bob Dylan will be happy to sell his gates, too

"I’ve been around iron all my life ever since I was a kid. I was born and raised in iron ore country – where you could breathe it and smell it every day. And I've always worked with it in one form or another. - Bob Dylan