Justin Timberlake has agreed to sell his entire music catalog — which includes his hit singles “Cry Me A River,” “Suit & Tie,” and “SexyBack” — to Hipgnosis Song Management in a deal worth $100 million. The announcement was made in an exclusive report by The Wall Street Journal this week, with Justin saying in a statement, “I am excited to be partnering with [Hipgnosis founder and CEO Merck Mercuriadis]. He values artists and their creative work and has always been a strong supporter of songwriters and storytelling. I look forward to entering this next chapter.”
But that’s not all. Alongside acquiring his music catalog, which includes all five of his studio albums, Hipgnosis will also hold ownership of all of Justin’s copyright, ownership, and financial interests of the publisher and writer’s share from his public performance income. The father-of-two has joined a long list of singers who have recently decided to sell portions of their song catalogs to the firm, including Neil Young and Shakira, whose deal was announced back in January.
It’s unclear what the “Don’t Bother” chart-topper earned form the sale, but considering she’s sold over 80 million records from her 11 studio albums, it’s fair to assume that she, too, would have generated an eight-figure deal while Neil, who only gave up half of his catalog, made a whopping $150 million. In December, legendary singer Bruce Springsteen was paid a colossal $550 million when he sold his songwriting and recording rights to Sony Music Entertainment, with Stevie Nicks from Fleetwood Mack giving up most of her songs to Primary Wave for a reported $100 million.
Meanwhile, back in June 2021, Justin showed his support for ex-girlfriend Britney Spears, who was caught up in a nasty conservatorship battle with her father, Jamie Spears, who was adamant that his daughter remains in the 13-year court-ordered agreement. In a social media post, JT gave a telling statement, admitting that he hasn’t always done his part defending Britney’s character after she was scrutinized by the media following their split in 2002.
In fact, many people believed he profited off the bad press Britney received, having led people to believe she cheated on him, even though it was heavily rumored that he was the one who stepped out on their relationship. “After what we saw today, we should all be supporting Britney at this time,” he wrote. “Regardless of our past, good and bad, and no matter how long ago it was… what’s happening to her is just not right. No woman should ever be restricted from making decisions about her own body.”
“No one should EVER be held against their will… or ever have to ask permission to access everything they’ve worked so hard for.”
Justin has since settled down with his wife, actress Jessica Biel, who share two children, Phineas and Silas.