List of largest music deals#Largest music acquisition
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The following is a list of the largest music deals in history signed by artists, including recording contracts and multi-rights agreements with over $50 million, as well catalog acquisitions with a reported sum of over $150 million.{{efn|The list excludes sponsorship deals, broadcasting rights, assets, or other business ventures made by recording artists with enterprises outside of the industry}} Some figures might not be entirely accurate, as some multi-million-dollar contracts were reportedly misrepresented or exaggerated,{{cite magazine|url=https://variety.com/1993/music/news/u2-inks-6-album-deal-with-island-records-107427/|title=U2 inks 6-album deal with Island Records|magazine=Variety|date=June 3, 1993|access-date=September 4, 2023|first=Bruce|last=Haring}}{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/article/1993/06/25/money-tree/|title=The Money Tree|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|date=June 25, 1993|access-date=September 4, 2023|author=EW Staff}}{{cite book|page=177|first=David|last=Buckley|title=R.E.M.: Fiction: An Alternative Biography|publisher=Virgin|date=2002|isbn= 1-85227-927-3}} and others were media estimations. Therefore, no rankings are given.
An early recorded five-figure deal in music history was reported by The Music Trades magazine in the late 1910s, made by American composer John Stepan Zamecnik.{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lptQAAAAYAAJ&dq=contracts&pg=RA5-PA45|title=Zamecnik Renewe With Fox|magazine=The Music Trades|date=August 2, 1919|access-date=September 4, 2023|page=45}} The 1960s saw contracts with six-figures such as an advance deal for $143,000 to Led Zeppelin (Atlantic Records) in 1968, then the biggest deal of its kind for a new band.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d0-nmLBW-SUC|title=When Giants Walked the Earth: A Biography of Led Zeppelin|publisher=Macmillan Publishers|date=2010|access-date=September 6, 2023|page=84|first=Mick|last=Wall|isbn=978-1-4299-8561-1 |author-link=Mick Wall}} The 1970s saw a rise in millionaire recording contracts, starting with a deal made by The Rolling Stones in 1971, which represented "a new benchmark in industry contracts", according to Billboard, and became the largest contract ever made by that point.{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rg0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=SL1-PA56|title=Ahmet Ertegun Interview|magazine=Billboard|date=January 17, 1998|access-date=September 5, 2023|page=A-56|volume=112|number=3}} In a short span of years, Neil Diamond signed a $4–5 million deal with Columbia Records, which was later superseded by Paul McCartney's Capitol Records and Elton John's MCA Records deals of $8 million each, as well as Stevie Wonder's 1975 deal with Motown valued at $13 million,{{efn|Also reported for an amount of $37 million.{{cite web|url=https://www.kcrw.com/culture/shows/the-treatment/2022-emmys-preview-shy-and-for-the-treat-a-stevie-wonder-masterpiece/nabil-ayers-my-life-in-sunshine-stevie-wonder-songs-key-life|title=The Treat: Writer-musician Nabil Ayers on Stevie Wonder's 'Songs in the Key of Life'|publisher=KCRW|date=September 10, 2022|access-date=September 5, 2023|first=Elvis|last=Mitchell|author-link=Elvis Mitchell}}}} reaching a new peak in the industry.{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aBEEAAAAMBAJ&dq=contract&pg=PA1|title=Pricing Tops List of Racker's Beefs|magazine=Billboard|date=August 16, 1975|access-date=September 5, 2023|page=1|first=Bob|last=Kirsch|volume=87|number=33}}{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PQkEAAAAMBAJ&dq=deal&pg=PT14|title=The Russ Regan Story|magazine=Billboard|date=August 31, 1974|access-date=September 5, 2023|page=TC-4|first=Nat|last=Freedland|volume=86|number=35}} The 1980s saw more contracts of eight figures, including record-breaking Diana Ross' $20 million contract with RCA Records in 1980,{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nJ3TyeTf6tIC&q=20million&pg=PA39|title=Ebony Interview with Diana Ross|magazine=Ebony|date=November 1981|access-date=September 5, 2023|page=39|volume=37|number=1}} or the Rolling Stones with CBS Records for $28 million in 1983.{{cite web|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1983/08/26/Stones-28-million-deal-richest-in-recording-history/9563430718400/|title=Stones' $28 million deal richest in recording history|publisher=UPI|date=August 26, 1983|access-date=September 5, 2023}} An increase of blockbuster deals began in the 1990s, with top-signing artists such as Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson, Madonna and Prince each exceeding the $40–60 million marks,{{cite news|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1992-04-21-1992112052-story.html|title=Madonna signs deal 'dramatically greater' than $60 million|newspaper=The Baltimore Sun|date=April 21, 1992|access-date=September 5, 2023|author=Knight Ridder|author-link=Knight Ridder}} making multiple appearances in the Guinness World Records.{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/guinnessbookofre00pete/page/162/mode/2up?q=contrats|title=Largest contrats|publisher=The Guinness Book of Records|date=1994|access-date=September 5, 2023|first1=Peter|last1=Matthews|first2=Norris D.|last2=McWhirter|page=162|isbn=978-0-8160-2645-6 }} Up until 2016, only a few recording and multi-rights contracts outpaced the $100 million mark. The largest music deals belong to catalog acquisitions which include songwriting and publishing rights, with an increase in the late 2010s and early 2020s.{{cite magazine|url=https://loudwire.com/why-music-artists-selling-catalog-rights/|title=Why Musical Artists Are Selling Their Catalog Rights|magazine=Loudwire|date=December 2, 2022|access-date=September 5, 2023|first=Gary|last=Graff}}{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/pro/features/famous-musicians-selling-catalog-music-rights-1114580/|title=Why Superstar Artists Are Clamoring to Sell Their Music Rights|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=January 15, 2021|access-date=September 5, 2023|first1=Tim|last1=Ingham|first2=Amy X|last2=Wang}} The Estate of Michael Jackson made the largest recording deal, for a $250 million contract starting in 2010, and renewed in 2018 for the same amount,{{cite web | url=https://variety.com/2017/biz/news/michael-jackson-estate-and-sony-extend-recorded-music-deal-1202640787/ | title=Michael Jackson Estate and Sony Extend Recorded-Music Deal | date=December 14, 2017 }} while Sony Music acquired the Queen catalog and a number of other rights, excluding touring revenue, for US$1.27 billion, the largest sum ever paid for an artist's body of work.{{cite web | url=https://variety.com/2024/music/news/queen-catalog-acquired-by-sony-music-1-billion-1236042619/ | title=Queen Catalog to be Acquired by Sony Music for £1 Billion | date=June 19, 2024 }}{{cite magazine | url=https://www.billboard.com/lists/biggest-music-deals-2024-queen-michael-jackson-hipgnosis/concord-abs-850-million/ | title=The 12 Biggest Music Business Deals of 2024: Queen, Hipgnosis, Michael Jackson, Believe & More | magazine=Billboard }}
Various multi-million-sized music deals raised skepticism and been overall criticized in corporate terms for bi-directional disadvantages,{{efn|Examples: {{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/1992/04/20/arts/madonna-makes-a-60-million-deal.html|title=Madonna Makes a $60 Million Deal|newspaper=The New York Times|date=April 20, 1992|access-date=September 5, 2023|first=Stephen|last=Holden|author-link=Stephen Holden|url-access=subscription|archive-date=March 17, 2014|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140317051732/http://www.nytimes.com/1992/04/20/arts/madonna-makes-a-60-million-deal.html}}{{cite magazine|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2016/05/24/100-million-record-deals-for-superstars-are-they-a-good-investment/?sh=11362c0b3aa0|title=$100 Million Record Deals For Music's Superstars: Are They A Good Investment?|magazine=Forbes|date=May 24, 2016|access-date=September 4, 2023|first=Hugh|last=McIntyre}}{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/article/2002/10/03/who-just-signed-biggest-deal-pop-history/|title=Who just signed the biggest deal in pop history?|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|date=October 3, 2002|access-date=September 4, 2023|first=Gary|last=Susman}}{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/update-madonna-confirms-deal-with-live-nation-1048045/|title=Update: Madonna Confirms Deal With Live Nation|magazine=Billboard|date=October 16, 2007|access-date=September 4, 2023|first=Ray|last=Waddell}}}} including Prince's 1992 contract with Warner Bros deriving a contractual dispute. Referred by a contributor from Forbes to as "the best-known and most-cited example" among misadventured contracts, Mariah Carey's 2001 deal with Virgin Records marked "the first time that a major music corporation decided to cut its losses on a superstar agreement", according to The New York Times.
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List of largest recording contracts and multi-right deals
=Media estimations/expectatives=
The following are contracts confirmed artists signed with respective record labels, but sums are largely based on media speculations.
List of largest music catalog acquisitions
See also
Notes
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References
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External links
- [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-06-11-ca-247-story.html The $50-Million Rap Master : MCA, Andre Harrell Forge Long-Term Multimedia Deal] — Los Angeles Times (1992)
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