Why David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen and more are selling their music catalogues

When David Bowie’s estate sold his entire music catalogue for $250 million US last week, the late British rocker joined a group already bursting at the seams with new members.

Bob Dylan, Stevie Nicks and Neil Young have all sold theirs in recent years, while newer artists — including Shakira and Calvin Harris — have also jumped on the trend. And just days after Bowie’s sale singer/songwriter John Legend parted with his catalogue for an undisclosed amount. 

But the payouts aren’t cheap. Bruce Springsteen hammered that home when he made the largest-known single-catalogue sale in December for $500 million US.

Why are corporations willing to