Courtney Love sells 25% stake of Nirvana catalog for $50 million

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

Courtney & Nirvana: Smells Like a Sellout

http://news.yahoo.com/s/eo/20060331/en_music_eo/18696

Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit"--coming soon to a soap ad near you? So far Courtney Love is ruling that out, but chances are we'll be hearing more of the seminal grunge band's music in unexpected places now that Kurt Cobain's cash-strapped widow has agreed to sell off a 25 percent stake in the Nirvana song catalog in a deal valued at $50 million, per Rolling Stone. On the other end of the deal is Larry Mestel, the former COO of Virgin Records and current head of Primary Wave Music Publishing.

To preemptively squelch backlash from fans worried about the over-commercialization of a decidedly anticorporate band, Love sought to assure the Nirvana faithful that the music won't simply be licensed to the highest bidder. "We're going to remain very tasteful, and we're going to the spirit of Nirvana and take Nirvana places it's never been before," Love told the magazine.

"I took on a strategic partner, Larry Mestel, to help me comanage the estate because it was overwhelming," Love said. "The affairs of Nirvana are so massive and so huge, and they've all fallen on my lap.

"I own almost all of the publishing...and it proved to be too much for me. I needed a partner to take Kurt Cobain's songs and bring them into the future and into the next generation. And this guy's the guy to do it," she said.

[DS1]

1. Nirvana weren't that fucking great, okay people? In fact a lot of it is

crap.

[BigMcLargehuge]

3. THANK YOU!!!!!

I knew someone else here had to have the same opinion I did.

I for one can't wait for the pantyshields commercial using "Smells Like Teen Spirit"

[mvd]

21. Hey - we'll have to have a mod hot tub fight over this

:P

[Nailzberg]

8. Can I get an amen.

They were probably the worst songwriters of the Seattle grunge era, and for some reason the mainstream media latched onto them and appointed them the leaders of the entire movement.


I don't get it. With all the bands in that period of time, why Nirvana?

[jakefrep]

10. AMEN!

[jakefrep]

9. I would feel ripped off...

if I paid 50 cents for the entire catalog.

[Ariana Celeste]

2. "And this guy's the guy to do it."

Or you know, the actual band members...

[flamingyouth]

4. "We're going to remain very tasteful."

Says Courtney Love.

[henslee]

5. Coutney is vile and a thief. I used to know her... pre-Nirvana. And I

I would not be suprised if she killed Kurt.

[Taverner]

17. Really? I've heard that argument

Is she as evil as she comes across?

[mvd]

20. Bad person, yes - but killed Kurt, no IMO

I'm a fan of her music, and don't focus on her personality.

[henslee]

23. Yes. Fame obsessed. Cold blooded. Hygenically challenged.

Ugly inside. A thief who steals from her friends. I once saw her argue with a plumber. It was the ugliest ten minutes I've ever seen. Maybe she has changed in 17 years. I doubt it.

[asthmaticeog]

6. 50 million? That'll keep her in the booze & dope for a couple weeks.

[no name no slogan]

22. Just hope she doesn't hook up with Whitney

They'd blow through that in 72 hours, tops

[MrScorpio]

7. Not being a Nirvana fan...

I really don't have an opinion about this.

Good on her

[jane_pippin]

11. What about the other Nirvana guys?

Do they have/want a shot at getting to own the publishing rights to it? How does that work? I know there was some legal wrangling between Courtney and the other Nirvana guys going on a while ago but I didn't pay a lot of attention to it.

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

12. If her statement is correct...

..."I own almost all of the publishing"...then no, they don't have a shot.

Courtney was the reason the box set was in limbo for so long. I don't know the details regarding how an agreement was reached (I consider myself a "casual fan"), but I do know that she's basically the keeper of the keys.

[jane_pippin]

13. That's too bad.

Now that you mention it I do remember that box set stuff. I've never been a huge fan either but it just doesn't sit right with me that she gets to shut the other guys out.

[Bucky]

14. My prediction

Lithium

I'm so happy 'cause today i found my friends
They're in my head
I'm so ugly
That's okay 'cause so are you
We've broken our mirrors
Sunday morning is everyday for all i care
And i'm not scared
Light my candles in a daze...
Chevy Tahoe

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

15. Yep...the minute Courtney sees the bottom of the $50 million barrel.

That money won't last.

[xmas74]

16. I hope that most of that money is going into a trust for

their daughter but I suspect that it won't.

[ghostsofgiants]

18. Seriously. Poor kid.

[xmas74]

24. I'm waiting for her tell-all book when she's an adult.

You know it will happen eventually.

[mvd]

19. Well, I hope she does it right

I love the CD Nevermind, and would love to get a clearer opinion of their other stuff. I know that many singers now in modern rock can't come close to Kurt.