The musician, 43, is much younger than the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, and Bob Dylan, who’ve made splashy sales of their discography rights in recent years.
There’s been a major uptick in the number of artists selling the rights to their music catalogs as of late. That list — which includes Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Stevie Nicks, and Neil Young — typically highlights older artists with vast musical repertoires. But EGOT-er John Legend, 43, is among the younger musicians to do so.
Global music company BMG and global investment firm KKR acquired Legend’s portfolio of songs that goes back to his first album, EW has learned. BMG also struck a new deal to administer Legend’s future compositions, while it continues to administer his past library. Financial details of the deals are unknown.
Bloomberg was the first to report the news based off a UCC filing. EW reached out to representatives for Legend, BMG, and KKR for comment.