Justin Bieber has sold his entire music catalogue for more than $200 million.
The ‘Never Say Never’ hitmaker has finalised a deal with Hipgnosis Songs Capital which includes all of his publishing rights, as well as artist royalties from his master recordings and neighbouring rights.
The deal is the largest rights sale for any artist of the 28-year-old singer’s generation and is also the biggest acquisition Hipgnosis – who paid $100 million for some of the rights to Justin Timberlake’s catalogue – have made to date, covering all 290 titles in Justin’s recording career, including his most recent album, 2021’s ‘Justice’.
Universal Music Group will continue to own the recorded music copyrights to Justin’s works in perpetuity.
Justin’s manager, Scooter Braun, said in a statement: “I want to thank Merck and his entire Hipgnosis team and all of our partners involved for working so hard to make this historic deal happen.
“When Justin made the decision to make a catalog deal we quickly found the best partner to preserve and grow this amazing legacy was Merck and Hipgnosis.
“For over a decade now Justin Bieber has entertained us and moved us with some of the biggest songs in the world. I’m so proud of him and all those involved over the years in helping amass this incredible body of work. Justin is truly a once in a generation artist and that is reflected and acknowledged by the magnitude of this deal.
“For 15 years I have been grateful to witness this journey and today I am happy for all those involved. Justin’s greatness is just beginning.”
Hipgnosis founder and chief executive Merck Mercuriadis hailed Justin as one of a “handful of defining artists of the streaming era”.
He said in a statement: “The impact of Justin Bieber on global culture over the last 14 years has truly been remarkable.
“At only 28 years of age, he is one of a handful of defining artists of the streaming era that has revitalized the entire music industry, taking a loyal and worldwide audience with him on a journey from teen phenomenon to culturally important artist.
“This acquisition ranks among the biggest deals ever made for an artist under the age of 70, such is the power of this incredible catalogue that has almost 82 million monthly listeners and over 30 billion streams on Spotify alone.
“Scooter Braun has helped him build a magnificent catalogue, and it’s a pleasure to welcome Justin and his incredible songs and recordings to the Hipgnosis family.”