Legendary songwriter Bob Dylan has made a major publishing deal for his entire songwriting catalog. Universal Music Publishing Group announced today that they have purchased the rights to his expansive body of work, and The New York Times reported the deal to be valued at around $300 million. Dylan has been accumulating material since the early 60s, and this landmark deal gives Universal ownership of over 600 songs. It is possibly the largest publishing deal in history for a single artist.
Lucian Grainge, the chief executive of the Universal Music Group released a statement saying, “It’s no secret that the art of songwriting is the fundamental key to all great music, nor is it a secret that Bob is one of the very greatest practitioners of that art.”
Jody Gerson, chief executive of Universal’s publishing division, added, “To represent the body of work of one of the greatest songwriters of all time — whose cultural importance can’t be overstated — is both a privilege and a responsibility.”
Bob Dylan had no comment about the deal.
It does not include any unreleased music, so anything released after this year's Rough and Rowdy Ways is open to a different publishing deal.
