Warner Music Acquires Bowie Catalog For Reported $250M

The first big music industry acquisition of 2022 is with us: Warner Music Group, via its Warner Chappell Music subsidiary, has acquired the global music publishing rights to David Bowie’s song catalog, reports Music Business Worldwide.

The price of the deal, long mooted to be bouncing around the $200 million mark, was eventually agreed at upwards of $250 million, according to Variety.

This means Warner has announced two deals spanning over $650 million in acquisition fees in the past three weeks, following the $400 million acquisition of the Kevin Liles-led 300 Entertainment in December.

As per its latest deal, Warner has acquired hundreds of Bowie's songs, included evergreen hits such as“Space Oddity,” “Changes,” “Life on Mars?,” “Ziggy Stardust,” “Starman,” “Rebel Rebel,” “Fame,” “Young Americans,” “Golden Years,” “Heroes,” “Ashes to Ashes,” “Modern Love,” “Let’s Dance,” “Where Are We Now?,” “Lazarus,” and many more.

The agreement comprises songs from the 26 David Bowie studio albums released during his lifetime, as well as the posthumous studio album release, Toy.

Warner Chappell Music Co-Chair and CEO Guy Moot said: “All of us at Warner Chappell are immensely proud that the David Bowie estate has chosen us to be the caretakers of one of the most groundbreaking, influential, and enduring catalogs in music history. These are not only extraordinary songs, but milestones that have changed the course of modern music forever.

Meanwhile, SiriusXM will celebrate the influential music of David Bowie this January with the all new, limited-run David Bowie Channel.  Honoring what would have been the singer's 75th birthday on January 8, listeners can expect to hear music spanning Bowie's entire catalogue–from timeless and beloved classics to recently unearthed rarities.

The David Bowie Channel will feature live tracks from concert performances, along with rare tracks and remixes of Bowie's greatest songs. Celebrity guest DJs including Beck, Billy Corgan, Linda Perry, Carlos Alomar, Rosanna Arquette, David Arquette, Patrick Stump and more, will host and spotlight their favorite Bowie tunes and share memories of the iconic artist.

Listeners of the David Bowie Channel can also expect to hear favorite covers featuring popular artists doing their renditions of Bowie's songs, as well as the Top 75 David Bowie tracks.  

Listeners can catch this special pop up channel for two weeks beginning January 4 through January 18 on SiriusXM's channel 104, and throughout the month of January, streaming online on the SXM App.