Katy Perry est la dernière musicienne à avoir reçu un paiement important pour ses droits musicaux.

Litmus Music – une société de droits de catalogue soutenue par la société de capital-investissement Carlyle Group LP – a annoncé en septembre 2023 avoir acquis les droits des cinq albums studio de Perry sortis avec Capitol Records : One of the Boys, Teenage Dream, PRISM, Witness et Smile . Billboard a rapporté que Litmus aurait payé 225 millions de dollars pour la participation de Perry dans les redevances d’enregistrement principal et les droits d’édition musicale.

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ublishing rights usually stay with publishers and songwriters, with recorded writs belonging to labels and performers. Over the years, Hipgnosis Songs Fund and Primary Wave have risen as the primary companies buying artists’ back catalogs, paying out millions (and in the case of artists like Perry, Justin Bieber and Bruce Springsteen, hundreds of millions) to artists and labels to own the rights to their classic songs.

After securing the rights, these companies get all the money from royalties, licensing, brand deals and other revenue streams that would generally go to the artists, per Rolling Stone.

There are many reasons for a musician to sell their catalog. There’s a tax benefit: doing a one-time multimillion-dollar payout with a 20 percent tax is much more appealing than facing an annual tax rate as high as 37 percent.

It might also be worth more for an artist to take the multimillion-dollar buyout due to the modern music landscape. Streaming pays less than actual album sales used to, so to make money, an artist needs to tour. Unless you’re Taylor Swift or Beyoncé, even touring doesn’t make as much money as it once did.

The move isn’t just for older legends securing a retirement fund for their golden years. Bieber sold his catalog for $200 million in 2023, ensuring that he will get that $200 million in his lifetime instead of holding onto the rights in the hope of accruing that money through licensing deals and royalties.

Scroll down for a list of major music stars who have sold their catalogs:

Katy Perry

Perry sold master recording royalties and music publishing rights to her first five albums — One of the Boys, Teenage Dream, PRISM, Witness and Smile — to Litmus Music, a catalog rights company backed by a private equity firm, Carlyle Group LP. The September 2023 deal was reportedly for $225 million, according to Billboard.

For Dan McCarrol, Litmus cofounder and CCO, it’s a happy reunion. He worked with Perry when he was president of Capitol Records. “Katy Perry is a creative visionary who has made a major impact across music, TV, film, and philanthropy,” McCarroll said. “I’m so honored to be partnering with her again and to help Litmus manage her incredible repertoire.”

Justin Bieber

Hipgnosis Songs Capital bought 100 percent of Bieber‘s publishing, including his artist royalties from his master recordings and neighboring rights, in January 2023. The sale was reportedly “north of $200 million,” according to Billboard. The deal covered all 290 titles in Bieber’s catalog up to December 31, 2021.