Neil Diamond sells entire catalog to Universal Music

The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Sunday, May 5, 2024


Neil Diamond sells entire catalog to Universal Music
The musician behind ubiquitous hits like “Sweet Caroline” sold his songwriting rights and recordings in another major deal. Rahav Segev/The New York Times.

by Ben Sisario



NEW YORK, NY.- Bob Dylan. Bruce Springsteen. Paul Simon. Neil Young. Stevie Nicks. All have sold their music catalogs over the past year and a half for huge sums, part of a broad transference of the ownership of a generation’s music from artists to corporations and investors. But is there any big game left?

One giant was hiding in plain sight: Neil Diamond, 81, the singer and songwriter of ubiquitous hits like “Sweet Caroline,” “Song Sung Blue” and “Cracklin’ Rosie.” The Universal Music Group announced Monday that it had acquired the star’s entire songwriting catalog, as well as the rights to his recordings. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Diamond’s work as a songwriter is particularly valuable, not only for his own recordings but for the many cover versions of his songs that have become hits by other artists, like “I’m a Believer” by the Monkees, “Red Red Wine” by UB40 and Urge Overkill’s version of “Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon,” on the soundtrack to Quentin Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction.”

The 1977 song “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers,” written by Diamond with Marilyn and Alan Bergman, had a notable double life. After Diamond’s solo version, Barbra Streisand covered it in 1978, and radio DJs stitched together a duet from those two recordings; an official edit was released later that year and went to No. 1.

In 2018, Diamond announced that he had Parkinson’s disease and was retiring from touring.

Universal’s deal for Diamond’s recordings includes 110 unreleased tracks, an unreleased album and archival videos. The company will also release any new music that Diamond records, according to its announcement.

Like Universal’s recent acquisition of Sting’s songwriting and recording rights — or Sony’s deal for Springsteen — the Diamond deal unites both sides of a top artist's work with a single company. The copyrights for recordings and songwriting, otherwise known as music publishing — which cover the lyrics, melodies and basic structural elements of any composition — are separate.

In a statement, Diamond praised Universal’s leaders, including CEO Lucian Grainge, and said he was confident that the company would “continue to represent my catalog, and future releases with the same passion and integrity that have always fueled my career.”

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.










Today's News

March 2, 2022

Speculators win big with bets on young artists

They want to break T. Rex into 3 species. Paleontologists aren't pleased.

Kandinsky painting returned to Jewish heirs by Amsterdam museum

Christie's historic Shanghai to London sale series realises a total of $334,003,078

Christie's presents 'Stewards of the West: The Knobloch Collection'

Film producer & creative director Alice Koh dies

David Webb Jewelry shines at Roland Auctions NY final auction of winter

Neil Diamond sells entire catalog to Universal Music

Recreating a family's lost Holocaust history, step by step

The best-kept vintage secret in Paris

Sworders appoints James Pickup to its Board of Directors

Six Sydney cultural institutions join forces to launch new advertising campaign 'Find Yourself'

'She/Her/Hers' exhibition at the Harn Museum of Art examines roles of women in Chinese art

Heritage Auctions' $25.5 million sports event sets multiple world records

UTA Artist Space announces upcoming Atlanta location team

Valery Gergiev, a Putin ally, fired as chief conductor in Munich

Bonhams appoints Joe Baratta as Senior Vice-President and Head of Trusts & Estates for the West Coast

Summers Place Auctions to sell an impressive set of marble figures of the four seasons

Anglo-Saxon gold shilling with runic inscription discovered in a field in Cambridgeshire to be offered at auction

Michele McNally, who elevated Times photography, dies at 66

In a tiny Appalachian village, a beloved festival returns

Upended by global conflict, the Vienna Philharmonic plays on

Cheekwood Estate & Gardens welcomes Eric Birkle as Curator for the Cheekwood Museum

Hake's Mar. 15-16 sale features pop culture 'unicorns' from Star Wars, baseball & political arenas

How Arts are Selling Big in the NFT World




Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .

 



Founder:
Ignacio Villarreal
(1941 - 2019)
Editor & Publisher: Jose Villarreal
Art Director: Juan José Sepúlveda Ramírez

sa gaming free credit
Attorneys
Truck Accident Attorneys
Accident Attorneys

Royalville Communications, Inc
produces:

ignaciovillarreal.org juncodelavega.com facundocabral-elfinal.org
Founder's Site. Hommage
to a Mexican poet.
Hommage
       

The First Art Newspaper on the Net. The Best Versions Of Ave Maria Song Junco de la Vega Site Ignacio Villarreal Site Parroquia Natividad del Señor
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful