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In accordance with Selection, Sony Music is within the strategy of buying the music catalog of the rock band QUEEN for £1 billion (round $1.27 billion).
The deal reportedly covers QUEEN‘s songs and all associated mental property — together with the rights to logos, music movies, merchandise, publishing and different enterprise alternatives. The one income not lined within the deal is for dwell performances, which founding members Brian Might and Roger Taylor, who nonetheless actively tour with singer Adam Lambert, will retain.
Complicating the deal is the truth that Disney Music Group owns QUEEN‘s recorded music catalog in North America which it acquired in some unspecified time in the future within the 2000s.
The £1 billion price ticket makes QUEEN the most important deal of its sort, surpassing the $500 million that Sony reportedly paid to amass Bruce Springsteen‘s catalog in late 2021.
Earlier this yr, Sony additionally acquired a 50% curiosity in Michael Jackson‘s music from the late singer’s property for at the least $600 million.
In an unimaginable profession spanning 5 a long time, QUEEN‘s indelible affect on rock historical past is unrivalled. The band has amassed a staggering archive of accolades and honors, together with seven Ivor Novello awards, an MTV World Icon Award and three songs enshrined within the Grammy Corridor Of Fame. With document gross sales within the lots of of tens of millions, plus a string of chart-topping albums and singles, QUEEN is undoubtedly one of many U.Ok.’s most profitable and finest cherished nationwide treasures. With one of the enduring tune catalogs of all time, together with “We Will Rock You”, “We Are The Champions”, “Do not Cease Me Now”, “Radio Ga Ga”, “Any individual To Love” and, in fact, “Bohemian Rhapsody”, their musical repertoire is second to none. The glittering legacy created by Freddie Mercury, Brian Might, Roger Taylor and John Deacon lives on via the continued partnership of Might and Taylor, now joined by Lambert.
Fashioned in 1971, QUEEN signed their first recording contract with EMI in late 1972. In July 1973, QUEEN launched their first single “Hold Your self Alive”, adopted carefully by their debut album, “Queen”. 1974 noticed the discharge of the band’s second album, “Queen II”, containing their first hit single “Seven Seas Of Rhye” which charted within the U..Ok at No. 10. This was adopted by a second hit single (their first U.S. hit),“Killer Queen”, taken from the “Sheer Coronary heart Assault” album, adopted later within the yr by a significant U.Ok. tour.
1975 noticed the discharge of the epic single “Bohemian Rhapsody”, taken from “A Evening At The Opera”. At 5 minutes and 55 seconds, it ought to have been too lengthy for profitable radio play, besides it went to No. 1 within the U.Ok. chart and stayed there for an unprecedented 9 consecutive weeks, changing into one of many biggest singles of all time. In 1977, QUEEN issued the only “We Are The Champions” coupled with “We Will Rock You”. Each songs would quickly turn into among the many band’s hottest and finest cherished of their profession — and lengthy after. “The Champions/Rock You” pairing is likely one of the most well-known and most performed on the earth. The one was adopted by the discharge of QUEEN‘s sixth album, “Information Of The World”, in October 1977. From then on, the band launched album after album, and toured throughout Europe, Japan, the U.S. and South America. On the finish of 1981 the band teamed up with David Bowie for the only that was to turn into one in every of their largest worldwide hits, and one of the lined and sampled of all QUEEN songs, “Underneath Strain”. 1984 noticed the only “Radio Ga Ga” from “The Works” turn into a worldwide hit, reaching No. 1 in 19 nations.
1986 noticed the twelfth album, “A Type Of Magic”, successfully the soundtrack to the Russell Mulcahy movie “Highlander”. The album returned the band to No.1 on the charts in lots of territories. QUEEN toured Europe all year long, culminating with two legendary live shows at Wembley Stadium, and their largest ever within the U.Ok., an open-air present at Knebworth Park, in August. Unbeknown on the time, this was to be QUEEN‘s last-ever live performance with Freddie Mercury.
In 1991, QUEEN‘s final true studio album with Freddie, “Innuendo”, was launched in February. Each the title observe single and the album entered the charts at No.1 on their first week of launch within the U.Ok. The final observe launched as a single, “The Present Should Go On”, got here in November 1991, simply weeks earlier than Freddie Mercury would lose his battle with HIV AIDS.
On November 23, 1991, Freddie Mercury introduced to the world that he had AIDS and the subsequent day he died peacefully at his residence. He stays probably the most high-profile loss from the illness within the leisure world and the information shocked followers all through the world. As a tribute, “Bohemian Rhapsody/These Are The Days Of Our Lives” was launched as a double A-sided single to boost funds for the Terence Higgins Belief. It entered the U.Ok. chart at No. 1, the place it stayed for 5 weeks, elevating over £1,000,000 for the charity, and QUEEN grew to become the primary band to have the identical single high the U.Ok. charts twice. In December of that yr, QUEEN had 10 albums within the U.Ok. High 100. In 1992 Freddie was awarded posthumously the BRIT‘s “Excellent Contribution To British Music” and “Days Of Our Lives” received “Greatest Single”. In April, most of the world’s high stars joined Brian, Roger and John on stage at Wembley for an emotional tribute to Freddie.
In 1995 the unreleased tracks QUEEN had begun in 1991 with Freddie had been accomplished by Brian, Roger and John and the long-awaited “Made In Heaven” was launched worldwide, to very large acclaim and success. It was the final QUEEN album ever to function Freddie, and it was the top of an period.
In Might 2002 the hit musical “We Will Rock You” opened to sell-out audiences in London’s West Finish. The present has seen native productions staged all through the world, together with Spain, Australia, Germany, Russia, Italy, Japan, South Asia, Las Vegas, Canada and throughout Europe.
In October 2002, QUEEN obtained their very own star on the Hollywood Stroll Of Fame, becoming a member of THE BEATLES as one in every of solely a handful of non-U.S. bands to obtain this a lot coveted honor. In 2004 QUEEN was inducted into the Rock And Roll Corridor Of Fame, and was additionally voted by the U.Ok. public into the primary UK Music Corridor Of Fame.
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