NYP:
ZZ Top is selling its music catalog to investment firm KKR and record company BMG for $50 million, according to a report.
The legendary Texas trio, known for hits like “Legs,” “Cheap Sunglasses” and “Gimme All Your Lovin,’” sold their music interests, which include the publishing catalog as well as income from recorded music royalties and performance royalties, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.
The sale follows a slew of high-profile deals in which legendary rock stars are cashing out. Earlier this month, Bruce Springsteen reportedly sold his iconic song and publishing catalog to Sony Music for a whopping $500 million.
Last year, Bob Dylan sold his massive 600-song catalog to Universal Music Publishing Group for a reported $300 million to $400 million in December 2020. Around the same time, Fleetwood Mac singer-songwriter Stevie Nicks sold 80 percent of her rights to her own songwriting catalog, including hits like “Landslide” and “Edge of Seventeen,” to music publisher Primary Wave for a reported $100 million.
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Orchestrated versions coming to an elevator near you.
I can’t believe they got one tenth the money of Springsteen, shoulda got a better agent.
On it’s face, it appears short sighted for these music artists to sell off their body of work like this. Maybe they see the writing on the wall, that when China takes over, all licensing and royalty rights will removed, might as well get out now and go buy a desert island someplace.
“Just got paid today…got me a pocket full of change”
Heh, got the Eliminator album when I joined Columbia House. What a time to be a teen.
I love “Jesus Left Chicago” Bound for New Orleans.
The Big downside is that Their Music will now be used to sell Big Pharma’s next batch of side effect causing obscure prescriptions.
@ Rich – “…On it’s face, it appears short sighted for these music artists to sell off their body of work like this…”
On the other hand, they just saw their band mate, Dusty Hill, bite the dust (no pun or disrespect intended), and suddenly they go from rock god to rock mortal. Future royalties are worthless in heaven, so cash out now. It’s still plenty of cash to leave their estate when they do hit the BIG stage.
Springsteen got 200 million more for his crap music than Dylan? Dylan??!!
Does this mean these acts are done touring now?
“Does this mean these acts are done touring now?”
Not necessarily. There could be a condition in the contract that leaves them free to play their old tunes. They could also tour with brand new music.
OT- The Kim Potter jury reached a decision, news to follow shortly.
I used to think Stevie Nicks was the shit back in the day, when I was literally on the Edge Of Seventeen. In the decades since then, she’s moved the needles on the Hot/Crazy Matrix, both in the wrong direction.
Now, I’m just waiting for the crazy old doll to make that final trip to space she was on about when Trump Derangement his her hard, so I can sell my first editions, white vinyls, Westwood One interview pressings, and assorted candid recordings of somewhat dubious origins for at least a tenth of what the shit cost ME, back when I was starstruck in luv and she hadn’t yet lent her voice to crap like THIS…
(DISGUST WARNING)
https://youtu.be/58IpW-Bf5nI
Chuckie
DECEMBER 23, 2021 AT 1:46 PM
“Heh, got the Eliminator album when I joined Columbia House. What a time to be a teen.”
I had to send Columbia House a nastygram and threaten to send their albums back in pieces if they didn’t stop sending their shit to me unasked. I was only in it at the end as the last available source of new music on 8 tracks, then I got a casette player after my 8 track car burned up after a 150 mile trip back from a record expo in Lexington just because it didn’t have any antifreeze or oil in it, and so didn’t need them any more, but they were kind of slow on the uptake.
…good times indeed…
Dr. Tar
DECEMBER 23, 2021 AT 2:00 PM
“Does this mean these acts are done touring now?”
..if I owned their music catalog, I’d want them out singing MY songs that I now own every little chance they get, because nothing promotes nostalgia album sales like The Original Band, so it’s MY sales they are promoting at no cost or effort to ME at that point, so I’d be pleased as Punch to let ’em have at it…
Tony R
DECEMBER 23, 2021 AT 1:23 PM
“Orchestrated versions coming to an elevator near you.”
…you mean like THIS?
https://youtu.be/i8mqn8KHUI0
Now “Sharp Dressed Man” will somehow be used to sell depends.
She want a pearl necklace. Klammy’s theme song!
SNS: I was expecting Zanfir and his pan flute!
SNS: Awhile back my DIL was at the supermarket when the musac played an instrumental of CeeLo Green’s F**k You.
SNS – Had to laugh, as I never bought anything to complete the deal. I would forget to mail in the selection of the month to say I didn’t want it, then it would show up. Would just write “return to sender” on it and mail it back.
SNS
I have a Great Stereo / Surround that I don’t really use anymore mostly because Too many of the Concerts & Movies are full of Leftie Artists who became political and totally pissed me off to the point I Can Not Watch Them Any Longer.
Fleetwood Mac “The Dance” is one.
I would happily sell my catalog of music cheap. 5 mill lights do it.
Oh screw a whole bunch of autocorrect.
Kcir (cause I give a kcuf)
DECEMBER 23, 2021 AT 3:43 PM
It IS easier with the ignorance of youth. I really liked Judas Preist around the same time and somehow managed to convince myself it was TOTALLY not gay, despite the time I saw a concert where Rob Halford came out in leathers and a biker hat and whipped a Harley on stage while singing “Hell Bent For Leather”
LALALAA NO HOMO LALALA
…that rational ignorance gets harder to keep up with the years, like when he writes a song with the lyric “When he leaps amidst us
With combustive dance
All shall bear the branding Of his thermal lance,” or “On we catapult, we’re thrusting to the hilt
Unearthing every fault, go headlong into any dare” or Rob Halford admitting he’s gay in an interview in 1998.
Gets a little hard to not notice then…
…but you know what? I still can like the music because it speaks to good times in MY life, whatever HIS intentions may have been, and it reminds me of people and places and times I miss, and some that I don’t.
My second car (the one I burnt up coming back from Lexington) I had named “Exciter” in hommage to the Judas Preist song I blasted as my theme song when I’d show up in that car (I had it written in pinstripe, in cursive, on the windshield too) so it reminds me of THAT, not it’s dyed hair singer licking other men’s privates.
So I can still listen, on rare occasions when I need a nostalgia hit, to this old music and it doesn’t enrich it’s lefty star any more if I do since I already bought it long ago, so why not if it’s what I’m in the mood for, why let them take my youth away with their politics…
(My FIRST car I named “Lady Evil” and that was HER theme song, but that’s a different story for another day)…
Tony R
DECEMBER 23, 2021 AT 3:11 PM
“SNS: I was expecting Zanfir and his pan flute!”
…did you make it to the end of that? The piano fortissimo presentation of an iconic Jimmy Page double neck guitar solo is not to be missed…
The can’t tour anymore with Dusty Hill gone. Gibbons and Beard should cut an album with Les Claypool of Primus.
Nancy Wilson. That would be cool. She has these big fat Batman hands cause of all the years she played guitar with the action set too high. She can sing and would beat on that bass all Lemmy style.
Option 2 is Lita Ford. Not like she’s super busy…
I could roll with John Doe. Possibly Conrad R. Lozano.
They played here three weeks ago and were good. The tale was, their new bass player was their long time guitar tech.