- Sony Music is acquiring the rights to Queen’s songs
- The sale has been ongoing for some years but is now edging towards completion
- Queen have remained hugely popular for 50 years
Rock band Queen is set to sell the rights to their back catalog of songs and more for a huge amount to Sony Music.
Huge deal
Sony Music is said to be paying about $1.27 billion, according to Variety. The deal includes everything apart from live performances – Queen, featuring two of the four founding members, Brian May and Roger Taylor, still tour today.
The deal for the catalog has been several years in the making, with other parties said to have been interested, but now only Sony Music remains. The deal is complicated by a deal signed with Disney for the band’s recorded music rights in the US and Canada. It is thought Disney will retain the rights, but royalties that go to the band members will now go to Sony instead.
Enduring popularity
Queen remain a hugely popular band around the world. Formed in England in 1970, they had a string of hit singles and albums over more than 20 years, including ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, ‘We are the Champions’ and ‘We Will Rock You’. Iconic lead singer Freddie Mercury died in 1991, but the band has continued since, most recently with Adam Lambert as lead singer. In addition, songs from the band were used in the hugely popular jukebox musical ‘We Will Rock You.’
Nobody from Sony Music or Queen is commenting about this on the record at the moment, but this is not surprising as the deal has yet to be signed. Sony Music rarely comments on these deals, such as when deals for Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan’s recorded music rights were signed.
