Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

David Guetta sells back catalogue to Warner for deal worth reported $100m

French DJ’s deal is the latest example of musicians cashing in on their back catalogues

Roisin O'Connor
Friday 18 June 2021 08:17 BST
Comments
David Guetta remixes Martin Luther King's 'I Have A Dream' speech

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

David Guetta has sold his back catalogue along with his future recordings to Warner Music in a deal reportedly worth around $100m (£72m).

The French DJ and producer is known for hits including “Titanium”, “Memories”, “When Love Takes Over” and “Where Them Girls At”.

The news marks the latest high-profile catalogue deal for the music industry, after artists including Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Shakira and Blondie also cashed in.

In December, it was announced Bob Dylan had sold his back catalogue to Universal Music Group in a deal reportedly worth $300m (£215m).

Neil Young sold half of his catalogue to music investment fund Hipgnosis Songs for an estimated 150 million dollars (£108 million) while Stevie Nicks sold a majority of her rights for a reported 100 million dollars (£72 million).

“I'm super excited about the new music I'm working on. And even more excited that I have started to play all this new music live to my fans again and they are loving it,” Guetta said in a statement.

“This is the right time to renew my creative partnership with my trusted team at Warner Music.”

He added: “This deal is about having the best people around me to ensure I can keep innovating with exciting new projects, while also working my extensive catalogue and continuing to build my career.”

Guetta, who has collaborated with artists including Sia, Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Justin Bieber and Bruno Mars, has two Grammy Awards and has sold more than 50 million records worldwide.

Warner Music described him as “one of the defining influences in electronic music and dance culture since the beginning of the millennium”.

Amazon Music logo

Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music

Sign up now for a 4 month free trial (3 months for non-Prime members)

Sign up
Amazon Music logo

Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music

Sign up now for a 4 month free trial (3 months for non-Prime members)

Sign up

“It's rare for an artist to not only define a genre, but transform it,” said Max Lousada, CEO of Warner Recorded Music.

“David has been doing that for over two decades - igniting worldwide audiences and influencing whole generations of talent.”

Additional reporting by Press Association.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in