The Weeknd is Seeking $1 Billion in Financing Backed by Catalog
This would be one of the largest financing deals based on music rights in history
The Weeknd has signaled he is hoping to finance $1 billion based on the value of his catalog. If completed, the deal would use his share of publishing and recording rights as collateral.
The deal:
The deal has yet to be finalized.
Private equity firm Lyric Capital Group (Lyric) is in talks with The Weeknd. It has reached out to potential investors as well.
The proposed structure is $500 million in senior debt, $250 million in junior debt, and $250 million in equity.
Background:
Chord Music Partners owns 50% of the publishing rights for The Weeknd’s catalog.
Universal Music Group, The Weeknd’s label, is in partnership with Chord.
Lyric controls publishing rights for artists such as Tim McGraw, Jason Aldean, and Ingrid Michaelson via its ownership of Spirit Music Group.
The Weeknd
Lyric Capital Group
Chord Music Partners
Spirit Music Group
Tim McGraw
Jason Aldean
Ingrid Michaelson
Universal Music Group (UMG)
Music Catalog Investment Boom
Private Equity Investment In Music
Artist Catalog Valuation
Securitization Of Music Rights
Alternative Music Financing Models
Catalog Sales
Record Labels
Music Publishing
Asset-Backed Securities
Catalog Financing
United States
Canada
👋 Disclosures & Transparency Block
- This article was written with information sourced from Music Business Worldwide and Bloomberg.
- We covered it because of The Weeknd’s superstar status and because of the growing trend of private equity investing in the music industry.
