Neil Diamond
Songwriter legend sells rights to his songs
Neil Diamond landed a big deal.
© imago/ZUMA Wire
After Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and Co.: Neil Diamond sells the rights to his songs and recordings.
Now also Neil Diamond (81). The singer-songwriter sells the rights to his songs and recordings to a large music company. The Universal Music Group (UMG) was awarded the contract. UMG did not disclose the amount Diamond will receive for the deal in its press release.
Universal Music recently secured the rights to songs by the likes of Bob Dylan (80) and Sting (70). $400 million is said to have flowed for Dylan’s songs. Bruce Springsteen (72) and the estate administrators of David Bowie (1947-2016) also sold their song catalogs to music companies.
The deal between Neil Diamond and UMG not only includes the rights to all songs that the singer has written and released so far. The negotiated volume also includes over a hundred unreleased songs and an album that has not yet been released. Future recordings will also be included in the package.
Breakthrough with the Monkees
With around 100 million records sold, Neil Diamond is one of the most successful artists of all time. Diamond began his songwriting career in the early 1960s. He wrote the 1966 hit “I’m a Believer” for the Monkees. The New Yorker’s own solo classics are “Sweet Caroline”, “I Am… I Said” or “Forever in Blue Jeans”. Other of his compositions only became hits through other performers, for example “Red Red Wine” by UB40.
But it doesn’t matter whether the songs are sung by Diamond himself or by other artists. Whenever they are heard anywhere, the Universal Music Group cash register is now ringing.