Warner
Chappell
Music
(WCM),
the
publishing
arm
of
Warner
Music
Group,
has
acquired
the
rights
to
David
Bowie's
entire
catalogue
of
songs
in
a
deal
worth
at
least
$250
million
(€221
million),
according
to
anonymous
sources
speaking
to
show
business
trade
publication
Variety.
This
covers
all
26
studio
albums
the
late
British
rock
star
released
during
his
lifetime,
as
well
as
the
upcoming
posthumous
release,
"Toy."
Spanning
60
years,
Bowie's
catalog
includes
hits
such
as
"Heroes,"
"Changes,"
"Space
Oddity,"
"Let's
Dance,"
"Ziggy
Stardust," as
well
as
his
1981
collaboration
with
Queen,
"Under
Pressure."
Thus,
WCM
now
owns
the
rights
to
Bowie's
songwriting
itself,
as
well
as
to
almost
all
the
recordings
of
it.
"These
are
not
only
extraordinary
songs,
but
milestones
that
have
changed
the
course
of
modern
music
for
ever,"
WCM
chief
executive
Guy
Moot
said
in
a
statement.
"We
are
looking
forward
to
tending
his
unparalleled
body
of
songs
with
passion
and
care
as
we
strive
to
build
on
the
legacy
of
this
most
extraordinary
human
being."
The
company
had
already
concluded
a
deal
in
September
2021
to
acquire
Bowie's
recordings
from
2000
until
his
death
in
2016,
adding
to
its
ownership
of
the
singer's
1968
to
1999
recordings.
A
pioneer
of
glam
rock
Bowie,
who
died
of
cancer
in
January
2016,
first
shot
to
fame
in
Britain
in
1969
with
"Space
Oddity,"
inspired
by
Stanley
Kubrick's
film
"2001:
A
Space
Odyssey,"
which
he
said
he'd
watched
while
stoned.
However,
it
was
his
1972
alter
ego
Ziggy
Stardust,
a
bisexual
rock
envoy
from
space,
that
earned
him
global
renown.
The
influential
singer
kept
reinventing
himself
throughout
his
career,
adopting
various
other
personas
along
the
way,
including
Aladdin
Sane,
Halloween
Jack,
the
Thin
White
Duke
and
the
Blind
Prophet.
A
Bowie
commemoration
weekend
The
inking
of
this
deal
comes
in
the
run-up
to
the
"Bowie
75"
celebration,
commemorating
what
would
have
been
the
singer's
75th
birthday
on
Saturday,
January
8.
His
previously
unreleased
"Toy"
album
will
be
available
the
day
before.
It
includes
re-recorded
versions
of
lesser-known
songs
from
Bowie's
earlier
days.
Other
milestone
birthday
events
include
pop-up
stores
in
New
York
and
London.
A
new
boxed
set,
"Brilliant
Adventure
(1992-2001),"
was
released
in
November
2021,
while
a
film
on
Bowie,
featuring
rare
and
previously
uncirculated
performance
footage,
is
also
reported
to
be
in
the
works.
According
to
Variety,
it
could
premiere
at
the
Sundance
Film
Festival
later
this
January.
Director
Brett
Morgen,
who
also
helmed
"Kurt
Cobain:
Montage
of
Heck,"
worked
on
it
for
four
years
together
with
longtime
Bowie
collaborator,
Tony
Visconti,
who
served
as
the
film's
music
director.
Bowie
and
Berlin
The
singer
had
special
ties
with
Berlin.
To
flee
his
excessive
lifestyle
in
Los
Angeles,
Bowie
sought
refuge
in
former
West
Berlin
in
1976.
With
Iggy
Pop
as
his
one-time
housemate,
Bowie
was
inspired
by
the
somber
mood
of
the
then-walled
city
and
produced
three
albums
here:
"Heroes,"
"Low"
and
"Lodger."
They
would
go
down
in
music
history
as
the
"Berlin
Trilogy."
Bowie
would
return
time
and
again
to
perform
here,
and
on
his
66th
birthday
announced
his
new
album,
"The
Next
Day,"
which
featured
the
deeply
personal
single,
"Where
Are
We
Now?"
In
the
song,
he
reflects
on
his
Berlin
years
from
1976
to
1979.
Divesting
of
rights
The
Bowie-WCM
deal
comes
on
the
heels
of
a
series
of
major
acquisitions
by
various
recording
companies
of
the
catalogs
of
pop
artists,
including
those
of
Bruce
Springsteen,
Bob
Dylan,
Paul
Simon
and
members
of
Fleetwood
Mac,
who
have
all
sold
the
rights
for
their
songs
in
exchange
for
staggering
sums
of
money.
Variety
reports
that
while
songwriters
often
balk
at
selling
their
song
catalogues,
it
may
be
prudent
estate
planning
for
older
artists.
"The
market
for
such
properties
is
far
hotter
than
it's
ever
been,
and
it
saves
the
songwriter's
heirs
from
having
to
manage
a
very
complicated
asset
-
and
gets
them
a
big
pile
of
money
instead."
Edited
by:
Elizabeth
Grenier
DW
News