In what could be the largest valuation ever of a musician's music assets, Sony Music Group has closed an agreement to buy half of Michael Jacksons' publishing and recording masters catalog in a deal that sources say valued those assets somewhere above $1.2 billion. Other sources have suggested it might be as much $1.5 billion. At those valuations, Sony will pay at least 600 million for its stake of the legendary rights.
That means that the Jackson deal, which closed late last yaer, is at a bigger valuation than the $1.2 billion that Queen is currently seeking. And whereas the Queen valuation includes, sources say, royalties from income streams beyound the masters and publishing, including from the Freddie Mercury biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody, and the theatrical productions using Queen's music, Sony's deal with Michael Jackson estate does not include royalties from Broadway play and other theatrical productions faeturing Jackson's music.
