NEW YORK (AP) — Justin Bieber’s pop smash from “Baby” to “Sorry” has not returned after the superstar sold the rights to all of his early EPs.
The American-Canadian pop star’s six albums, including his latest album “Justice,” are part of a massive catalog sale deal with Hipgnosis, a UK-based music investment firm.
Top artists like StingBob Dylan And Shakira in recent years have sold the rights to their catalogs for huge sums, but Bieber, at 28, is the youngest superstar singer to do so. Hipgnosis acquired Shakira’s catalogue in 2018.
Bieber’s copyright, songwriter’s ownership, master recordings and all rights to his entire recording catalog made through 2021 are now owned by Hipgnosis. That covers 290 titles, including hits like “Peaches” and “Beauty and the Beat,” which Bieber has released since he was 13.
The financial details of the deal were not disclosed, but Billboard magazine did reports The sale had an estimated value of $200 million.
“Justin is truly a once-in-a-generation artist and that reflects and acknowledges how big of a deal this is.” Bieber’s longtime manager, Scooter Braun, said in a statement on Tuesday.
All six of Bieber’s official albums have been certified platinum or multi-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, and he has recorded 33 singles that have been certified platinum or multi-platinum globally. A song or album that sells more than one million copies gets platinum certification, while works that exceed two million sales become multi-platinum.
Bieber is the world’s eighth most listened-to artist on Spotify, with 69 million monthly listeners and over 30 billion streams. His video for “Baby” It has been streamed over 2.9 billion times on YouTube.
“Justin Bieber’s influence on global culture over the past 14 years has been truly remarkable,” said Merck Mercouradis, founder of Hipgnosis Song Management.
Mercuriadis said that Bieber is a defining artist in the era of streaming and “the acquisition is among the largest deals ever made for an artist under the age of 70”.
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