Hipgnosis, which invests in music catalogs, has indicated that a prime catalog's value is around 18 times its annual revenue. Investors see prized catalogs in the same way as shares in a company that pay regular dividends. The $1 billion valuation for Queen's music is based on annual income from the catalog, which chiefly comes from royalties. Newer artists are also cashing in - Justin Bieber sold his entire catalog to Hipgnosis for $200 million in January. Bob Dylan's music was sold to Universal for $300 million in 2020 and Neil Young's catalog was valued at a similar amount during a deal months later with Hipgnosis Songs Fund. That came amid a flurry of other high-profile deals.

The guarantee of sky-high annual revenues is viewed by prospective buyers including Universal, the rumored frontrunner, as justification for the massive price tag.Ī rep for Queen Productions and the band members did not rule out a sale when approached by .Ī $1 billion deal would smash the record for the sale of a music catalog, set when Bruce Springsteen sold the rights to his music for $550 million in 2021. The sale of Springsteen's (pictured on May 30, 2023) catalog came amid a flurry of other high-profile deals, including rights sales by Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Justin Bieber

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