Bruce Springsteen has sold his publishing and recorded works to Sony for a reported $500 million, according to Billboard. Rolling Stone reported, “A rep for Sony declined to comment on the deal. Springsteen has remained with Sony’s Columbia Records since he launched his career, and was given ownership of his earlier albums. According the the RIAA, his album catalog has sold 65.5 million in the U.S., which includes his 15-times platinum Born In The U.S.A. and five-times platinum The River. A rep for Springsteen did not immediately return Rolling Stone’s request for comment.”
Last spring Paul Simon sold his entire creative interests back to Sony for an undisclosed sum. In 2020, Bob Dylan sold his entire music publishing catalogue to Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) — also for an estimated $500 million.
SIDE NOTES
- Bruce Springsteen has tapped the E Street Band‘s December 28th, 1980 Nassau Coliseum show as his latest official vault release.
- Nassau Coliseum: December 28, 1980 — which had been bootlegged for decades — features a whopping 33 songs and includes such rarities as “Stolen Car,” “Wreck On The Highway,” “Point Blank,” “Merry Christmas Baby,” “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town,” “Fire,” and “Because The Night.”
- In addition to their classic catalogue, Nassau Coliseum: December 28, 1980 showcases the E Street Band’s command of covers — with performances of Woody Guthrie‘s “This Land Is My Land,” Creedence Clearwater Revival‘s “Who’ll Stop The Rain,” and the Crystals‘ “Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town.”
CHECK IT OUT: Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band on December 13th, 2009 performing “Factory” live in Asbury Park, New Jersey’s Paramount Theatre: