Bob Dylan sells entire catalog of more than 600 songs to Universal

FILE - Musician Bob Dylan performs with The Band at the Forum in Los Angeles on Feb. 15, 1974. Transcripts of lost 1971 Dylan interviews with the late American blues artist Tony Glover and letters the two exchanged reveal that Dylan changed his name from Robert Zimmerman because he worried about anti-Semitism, and that he wrote "Lay Lady Lay" for actress Barbra Streisand. The items are among a trove of Dylan archives being auctioned in November 2020 by Boston-based R.R. Auction. (AP Photo/Jeff Robbins, File) (Jeff Robbins, Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Bob Dylan sold his entire catalog of more than 600 songs spanning 60 years, making for one of the biggest music publishing deals.

Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) announced Monday the acquisition of Dylan’s catalog including everything from 1962′s “Blowin’ In The Wind” to this year’s “Murder Most Foul,” the company said in a news release.

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“To represent the body of work of one of the greatest songwriters of all time - whose cultural importance can’t be overstated - is both a privilege and a responsibility,” UMPG Chairman and CEO Jody Gerson said. “The UMPG global team is honored to be Bob Dylan’s publishing partner... We look forward to working with Bob and the team in ensuring his artistry continues to reach and inspire generations of fans, recording artists and songwriters around the world.”

According to UMPG, Dylan’s songs have been recorded more than 6,000 times by various artists of different backgrounds over the years.

Reaching audiences all around the world, Dylan has sold more than 125 million records throughout his career.

The artist even earned a Nobel Prize for Literature in 2016 “for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition.”

“It is no exaggeration to say that his vast body of work has captured the love and admiration of billions of people all around the world. I have no doubt that decades, even centuries from now, the words and music of Bob Dylan will continue to be sung and played—and cherished—everywhere,” Chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group Sir Lucian Grainge said.


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