Many music catalogs have been changing hands recently, and the acquisition of 50 percent interest in Glenn Tipton’s song catalog by Reach Music Publishing is one of the latest major deals in the industry. The songwriter’s works in the catalog nearly reach 200, including works from the 1970s with Judas Priest’s Sin After Sin until their 2018 album Firepower.
The activity by Reach Music is similar to that of Primary Wave in their acquisition of a 50 percent stake in the publishing catalog of KT Tunstall, which also entailed the rights to 50 percent of the singer/songwriter’s royalties from her masters.
Songwriters are commonly faced with the dilemma of whether to sell their catalogs for instant payoff or gamble for greater financial gain in the future. This is common for older artists such as Bob Dylan, who sold his catalog for a massive $300 million last year. Artists often resort to the forfeiture of long-term revenue by selling their song catalogues due to financial reasons, which was the recent situation of David Crosby of legendary band Crosby, Stills & Nash.
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