Queen, the iconic British rock band, is reportedly on the verge of selling their entire music catalog to Sony Music for a whopping $1 billion. The deal, which would be the largest of its kind, includes merchandising and other business opportunities tied to the band’s extensive 50-plus year catalog and assets.
The band members Brian May, Roger Taylor, John Deacon, and the estate of Freddie Mercury have been in talks with Sony about the sale, with an investor also involved in the negotiations, according to a Bloomberg report. Queen Productions Ltd, in which the band members and Mercury’s estate are equal shareholders, reported revenues of $52 million in the year ended September 2022.
The catalog sale would encompass everything from Queen’s self-titled debut in 1973 to their final album “Made in Heaven” in 1995, following Mercury’s death in 1991. It includes timeless hits like “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “We Will Rock You,” “Another One Bites the Dust,” and many more, as well as live albums and soundtracks.
The success of the 2018 Queen biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody,” starring Rami Malek as Mercury, has significantly boosted the band’s album sales. The film grossed over $910 million worldwide and won numerous awards, leading to a surge in Queen’s catalog sales to over 3.5 million units by 2019.
With talks of a potential sequel to “Bohemian Rhapsody” in the works, fans can expect even more Queen music and memories to come. The band’s legacy continues to thrive, and this massive catalog sale to Sony Music is just the latest chapter in their legendary story.