Motley Crue Sell Entire Recorded Catalog for Estimated $150 Million
Motley Crue have sold their entire recorded music catalog to BMG in a deal, according to Variety's sources, valued at approximately $150 million.
The deal spans every studio album from the band’s full 40-year career — from their 1981 debut, Too Fast for Love, to their most recent, 2008’s Saints of Los Angeles — along with live LPs and compilations.
“It feels amazing to be collaborating with our new partners at BMG,” the group said in a statement. "Their extensive track record of success in rock made them the perfect home to continue preserving and growing our musical legacy, ensuring we always stay at the top.”
The acquisition is BMG’s largest since its 2008 formation. The band’s longtime manager, Allen Kovac, helped Motley Crue acquire their catalog from Elektra Records during a contract renegotiation in the ‘90s.
“When you look at Motley Crue, they’re one of a unique set of artists that own their own masters,” Kovac told Fox Business in 2019. “They decided they would agree with me as opposed to their lawyers and business managers, and pay their former record label back $10 million of the $12 million they were owed so they can … use their masters with books, tickets and films to broaden their base globally. It takes courage to give up eight figures. It takes courage to try new things.”
Kovac also argued that owning their own masters allowed Motley Crue to cash in on the financial success of their biopic The Dirt.
The band is scheduled to launch its long-delayed Stadium Tour in June 2022. The all-star U.S. trek, announced in December 2019, also features Def Leppard, Poison and Joan Jett & the Blackhearts.