Garth Brooks Does The Catalog Dance, Mulls Selling for Up to $2 Billion
Categoria: Musica
Speculation over a sale was renewed following comments by Brooks at a recent private event.
Por Billboard | 03/06/2026
As Garth Brooks prepares to be celebrated Wednesday night ( June 3) by the Recording Industry Association of America in Washington, D.C. — for being the only artist in RIAA history with 10 Diamond albums (for equivalent sales of 10 million units each) — speculation has heated up again that the country superstar is contemplating selling his publishing and recorded music catalog, which he fully owns. The Wall Street Journal published a story online Tuesday night (June 2) that the price could be as high as $2 billion, which would be a record. Brooks is the No. 1-selling album artist in the U.S. with sales of 200 million albums, surpassing The Beatles, who are at 183 million, according to the RIAA. Related Garth Brooks, Disney Music Group Head & AI Policymakers Slated to Receive 2026 RIAA Honors How Access Opera's John Burton Kickstarted Ye's Touring Comeback: 'He's Like the Michael Jordan of This Thing' Clive Davis Hospitalized in New York After Respiratory Issue A source with knowledge of the situation tells Billboard that Brooks continues to have ongoing discussions with a number of companies about selling his work, as he has for the past few years. The renewed speculation likely came after Brooks, 64, held a private fireside chat in May with a foundation and was asked about the next chapter of his career. He reaffirmed that he was open to entertaining offers to sell. Investor interest in hit musicians’ masters and publishing rights has grown over the past decade. In 2024, Sony Music bought Queen ’s catalog for a reported $1.27 million . The revered British band has sold 108.7 million albums in the U.S. (and much more worldwide), leading to speculation that bidding for Brooks’ catalog would start at at least $1.5 billion, according to sources. Also in 2024, Sony Music purchased a 50% stake in Michael Jackson ’s publishing and recorded music catalog for $600 million. Should Brooks sell, the purchaser would likely get his music on streaming platforms as quickly as possible, leading to a potential motherlode. Brooks is the biggest artist not to have his music available on streaming outlets like Spotify or Apple, preferring an exclusive deal with Amazon Music that has severely limited newer fans’ ability to discover such Brooks classics as “Friends in New Places,” “The Dance” and “The River.” Brooks has steadily released CD compilations through his Anthology book/CD series that have been a mix of previously released material and new songs. His last full album of new material was 2023’s Time Traveler , which was initially released as part of a seven-disc box set available exclusively through Bass Pro Shops before being made available to stream on Amazon Music. In April, Big Loud CEO Seth England told Billboard ’s Kristin Robinson on her On The Record podcast that the effect of Brooks’ music being available on all streaming platforms would be immense and would likely affect country streaming as a genr