Preparing for Heaven’s Door: Why Selling Song Catalogs Is Savvy Estate Planning for Bob Dylan, Neil Young and More

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music CriticIn paying tribute to Bob Dylan at a concert held during the opening festivities for the Bob Dylan Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Elvis Costello sang an epic, rip-roaring “Like a Rolling Stone,” apparently the first time he’s covered the signature song of his most obvious influence in full in concert. But earlier in the set Costello also did a lesser-known balladic chestnut from the Dylan catalog: “I Threw It All Away.” Of course, that title was the very opposite of the message being sent out by the new museum.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorBob Dylan’s share of the Traveling Wilburys has been acquired by Primary Wave Music — an asset that most people probably did not realize was not included in the Nobel Prize-winning artist’s nine-figure deals with Universal Music Publishing and Sony Music.Dylan’s master royalties and neighboring rights royalties for both of the group’s albums, as well as a 2007 box set, are included in the deal. Terms were not disclosed.The Wilburys were a supergroup comprised of Dylan, George Harrison, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne and Roy Orbison, and released two albums filled with lighthearted, not-too-serious songs in contrast to their usually weighty work.

Pink Floyd look to be the latest musicians in talks to sell their back catalogue for millions.According to Bloomberg, the band have reportedly begun talks with several potential buyers for the rights to the entirety of their back catalogue this week. If successful, the bid could be worth hundreds of millions, according to reports.As noted in Bloomberg, “representatives for the band have reached out to potential buyers” according to sources “familiar with the matter”.

Bloomberg reported, adding that reps for the band have reached out to potential buyers. The report said the process began in early May but it’s too early to know what the outcome of the talks will be.

NEW YORK -- After a frantic end to the Broadway season and some nervous moments as shows struggled to reach the eligibility deadline amid fresh COVID-19 outbreaks, nominations for the Tony Awards are finally at hand.Tony Award winner Adrienne Warren and three-time nominee Joshua Henry were scheduled to help reveal the 26-category list Monday morning on the Tony's YouTube channel.The season — with a whopping 34 new productions — represents a full return to theaters after nearly two years of a pandemic-mandated shutdown. It is also notable for a wave of plays by Black playwrights, reflecting the impact on Broadway of the global conversation about race following the killing of George Floyd in 2020..The potential shows eligible for nominations are an extremely varied lot, from a David Mamet revival to one by Paula Vogel.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorKendrick Lamar dropped his first new solo single in nearly four years on Sunday night, called “The Heart Part 5.” The song arrives just days before the long-awaited release of his fifth solo album, “Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers” on May 13.The song’s video begins with Lamar rapping by himself in front of a red screen, but occasionally has the faces of other rappers and controversial public figures photoshopped over his: Kanye West, Nipsey Hussle, Will Smith, Kobe Bryant, OJ Simpson and Jussie Smollett are six that we noticed after one screening.  Lamar unveiled the long-awaited “Mr.

The irrepressible Boy George opened up about his love of songs, his music, taking acting classes and Culture Club's upcoming tour on this morning's Sunday Brunch, on Channel 4. As well as British pop royalty, hosts Tim Lovejoy and Simon Rimmer's guests included broadcaster, debut novelist and Lancashire lass Sarah Cox - and Hullraisers actress Leah Brotherhead.

Bob Dylan‘s classic song ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues’ has been released to celebrate his 60 years as a recording artist – you can watch the clip below.The arrival of the video today (May 6) is accompanied by the launch of a new Dylan60 microsite, which is housing the clip along with an interactive Augmented Reality (AR) lens filter.‘Subterranean Homesick Blues 2022’ pays homage to Dylan’s iconic video for his 1965 track, which formed the opening sequence of D.A. Pennebaker’s Don’t Look Back documentary.Inspired by the handwritten cue cards that Dylan reels off in the original clip, a host of famous names and creative figures have now contributed a set of new visuals for this updated remake, which you can watch below.The likes of Bruce Springsteen, Patti Smith, Noel Fielding, Jim Jarmusch, John Squire, Bobby Gillespie, Julian House, Zep, Cey Adams, Francis Cabrel, Wim Wenders, Anthony Burrill, Naoki Urasawa, Michael Joo and Azazel Jacobs have all visually reinterpreted or redesigned a cue card for ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues 2022’.Dylan fans can also experience the aforementioned AR lens filter on Instagram and Snapchat, allowing users to try on a virtual pair of Dylan’s Ray-Ban sunglasses while a select 10-second loop, ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues 2022’, plays in the lenses.You can visit the newly launched Dylan60 site by heading here.

Showtime documentary, “Sheryl,” she chronicles the highs and lows of becoming one of the world’s top-selling female musicians. And although Crow never spectacularly crashed to rock bottom like some rockers have, she illuminates how tenuous mental health can become in the harsh light of fame, and what it was like to be an ambitious woman in music in the decades before the MeToo movement.

Bob Dylan is currently in the process of re-recording some of his classic songs in high fidelity audio, producer T Bone Burnett has revealed.According to Burnett, he and Dylan have been in the studio to record the new songs as part of the launch for Burnett’s new high fidelity medium Ionic Originals.The new medium is hailed as the first major breakthrough in the reproduction of analogue sound in over 70 years, and Burnett said: “An Ionic Original is the pinnacle of recorded sound. It is archival quality.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music CriticProducer T Bone Burnett has long promised the development of a new analog format that he promised would improve on both vinyl and CDs, as well as digital streaming and any other existing recorded music medium. Now, he appears closer to reaching that goal with the news that he has been in the studio with Bob Dylan, re-recording some of the legendary singer-songwriter’s classic songs with the purpose of introducing the new ultra-high-fidelity medium.Details are scarce about when the Dylan recordings might come out — not to mention the new hardware that will be required to play them.

Steven Gaydos Executive VP of ContentThe first time Bob Dylan was mentioned in Variety was 60 years ago on March 28, 1962. The article’s thesis was that the indie labels were more adept at breaking new music acts.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music CriticThe question of whether and when Bob Dylan will go further west in his concert dates was resolved Monday morning, as the artist’s website revealed a run of 14 new shows, all of them along the west coast, commencing not much more than a month from now.The first of the newly announced shows is May 28 in Spokane, Washington, and the last is June 18 in San Diego. In-between will come concerts in Seattle, Eugene, Redding, Oakland and Los Angeles.

Bob Dylan has announced a number of new West Coast tour dates in North America this summer – see the full list below and pick up tickets here.The dates, an extension of the ‘Never Ending Tour’ that Dylan is currently out on the road for, come behind his lauded 2020 album ‘Rough And Rowdy Ways’.The current set of dates began at the start of March in Arizona and finished up last week (April 14) in Oklahoma City.The new run of dates began in late May in Washington state, running through until mid-June when Dylan will play a host of Californian dates.Get tickets for the new shows here and see the full schedule below.MAY 202228 – Spokane, First Interstate Center for the Arts29 – Kennewick, Toyota Center31 – Portland, Arlene Schnitzer Concert HallJUNE 202201 – Seattle, Paramount Theatre02 – Seattle, Paramount Theatre05 – Eugene, Hult Performing Arts Center07 – Redding, Civic Auditorium09 – Oakland, Fox Theater10 – Oakland, Fox Theater11 – Oakland, Fox Theater14 – Los Angeles, Pantages Theatre15 – Los Angeles, Pantages Theatre16 – Los Angeles, Pantages Theatre17 – San Diego, Civic TheatreIn other Dylan news, Sony Music has acquired all of his back catalogue in a new deal.The agreement, which was concluded last year and announced in January, will see everything from Dylan’s self-titled debut to his last album ‘Rough And Rowdy Ways‘ jump over to Sony in a deal that’s reportedly worth millions.Speaking about the deal, Dylan said: “Columbia Records and Rob Stringer have been nothing but good to me for many, many years and a whole lot of records. I’m glad that all my recordings can stay where they belong.” Later this year, Dylan is set to release a collection of more than 60 essays in a new book.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorPhoebe Bridgers has dropped “Sidelines,” her first original song since her Grammy-nominated 2020 album “Punisher.” The moody and low-key track is from Hulu’s adaptation of Sally Rooney’s low-key blockbuster novel “Conversations With Friends.” According to the announcement, it will be Bridgers’ only new original song of 2022, although she’s released multiple covers and reworked versions of “Punisher” songs over the past few months.Bridgers will be making her first-ever appearance at the Coachella festival this and next weekend, and then will launch a long tour of North America and Europe through the end of August; dates appear below.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorIndie-rock pioneers Sonic Youth have released a live album recorded in 1989 in Kyiv to support relief efforts in Ukraine, in the wake of Russia’s brutal invasion of the country.To set the context of the concert — which was recorded exactly 33 years ago — at the time, Sonic Youth were one of the first bands of their ilk to play behind what was then still known as the Iron Curtain; the Berlin Wall would come down a few months later. But at the time, U.S.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorElvis Presley’s catalog will be administered by Universal Music Publishing and represented by Authentic Brands Group, the companies announced Tuesday.As part of the expanded relationship, UMPG and ABG will represent Presley’s catalog of hits worldwide (excluding the U.K.), which includes such classics as “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” “It’s Now or Never,” “Memories,” “A Little Less Conversation,” “Don’t Be Cruel,” “Jailhouse Rock,” “Love Me Tender,” “Viva Las Vegas,” “Amazing Grace,” “All Shook Up,” “Tears on My Pillow” and countless more.The deal, terms of which were not disclosed, comes at an auspicious time, as Baz Luhrmann’s biopic “Elvis,” starring Tom Hanks and Austin Butler, arrives in theaters June 24 and premieres next month at the Cannes Film Festival. ABG’s formidable portfolio includes such iconic celebrity brands such as Presley, Marilyn Monroe and Muhammad Ali.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorThe estate of the late Mexican singer-songwriter Juan Gabriel has signed an exclusive, worldwide agreement with Virgin Music US Latin and extended its agreement with Universal Music Publishing Group. Under the new deal, Virgin Music US Latin will now represent Juan Gabriel’s post-2008 catalog and future recordings, while UMPG will represent his entire catalog through an extended, exclusive global publishing agreement, bringing Gabriel’s music under the Universal Music roof.New music will be released “in the coming months,” the announcement continues, including the highly anticipated “Los Duo 3, including duets with Mon LaFerte and Gloria Trevi as well as posthumously recorded duets. Billboard notes that Gabriel, who died in 2016, left behind dozens of unreleased recordings, including new songs and re-recordings of older ones.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorRepublic Records is relaunching the Mercury imprint as an “extension” of the label, the company announced Monday. The move is similar to Atlantic’s relaunch of Elektra and Interscope’s of Geffen, an effort to split the parent label’s large roster so that artists receive more attention.

Jim Sclavunos, the drummer from Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, has shared a solo cover of Bob Dylan‘s ‘Lay Down Your Weary Tune’ with The National‘s Scott Devendorf. Check out the charity single below, along with our interview with the musician.The Bad Seeds drummer’s second solo release, following from last year’s ‘Holiday Song’ to benefit the Music Venue Trust, sees Sclavunos team up with Devendorf on bass and Dave Sherman (Valerie June, Nicole Atkins) on piano – with all money raised from the BandCamp sales going to the DEC’s Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal and Ellis Park Wildlife Sanctuary.