Justin Bieber Sells Music Rights in Deal Worth $200 Mln

Canadian singer-songwriter Justin Bieber has sold his music rights to Blackstone-backed Hipgnosis Songs Capital for $200 million.

News of the impending deal had been rumored for weeks and was widely reported last month.

The deal includes Bieber’s shares of his publishing and recorded-music catalog, interest in his publishing copyrights (including the writer’s share of performance), master recordings, and neighboring rights for his entire back catalog, comprising over 290 titles released before December 31, 2021.

Bieber’s catalog contains shares of his multiple hits over the past 15-odd years such as “Sorry”, “Love Yourself”, and even older tracks like “Baby”.

The catalog is said to be relatively small, however, it is still massive global hits that for many defines an era.

Sources noted that Bieber’s songs will continue to be administered by Universal Music, the singer’s longtime home. His master recordings will continue to be owned by UMG in perpetuity.

The news arrives during a quiet time for the singer, just weeks after he postponed the remaining dates in his “Justice” tour to next year.

The tour was originally scheduled to launch in 2020 but has been postponed or delayed several times due to the coronavirus pandemic.

He most recently postponed the tour following his diagnosis of Ramsay Hunt syndrome, a rare virus that in his case caused facial paralysis. 

It finally kicked off in March and covered most of North America, but he postponed the remaining dates early in June after announcing his difficulties with the disease.

The Bieber deal is the largest music-rights acquisition for Hipgnosis to date.