Sunflower music, a catalog rights company backed by private equity giant Carlyle Group LP, announced Monday (September 18) that it has acquired the rights to all five of Katy Perry’s studio albums released for Capitol Records, including her Grammy-nominated album. Teenage dream.
According to sources, Litmus paid $225 million for Perry’s stake in master recording royalties and music publishing rights from his five albums released between 2008 and 2020 – One of the Boys, Teenage Dream, PRISM, Witness And Smile. Litmus declined to comment on the terms of the deal.
Perry’s catalog sale, finalized earlier this year, follows other music rights deals in 2023, such as Justin Bieber’s $200 million sale to Capital of hipgnosis songsdemonstrating that big-name artists can still earn the most, even if high interest rates dampen investors’ appetite for song rights.
From her July 2008 single “I Kissed A Girl” to the five chart-topping songs of the 2010s. Teenage dreamPerry has landed a total of nine No. 1s on the chart Billboard Hot 100. In a musical era that has seen major successes from other female pop stars like Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Rihanna, Taylor Swift and Adele, Perry remains the first woman and the second artist (after Michael Jackson) to send five songs from the same album to the top of the Hot 100. These songs are “California Gurls”, “Firework”, “ET”, “Last Friday Night (TGIF)” and “Teenage Dream”.
In addition to releasing the 2017 versions Witness and the 2020s SmilePerry is ending a successful Las Vegas residency she began in late 2021.
The “Roar” singer’s professional relationship with Dan McCarrollco-founder and creative director of Litmus, dates back to 2010, when McCarroll was president of Capitol Records, the company said.
“Katy Perry is a creative visionary who has made a major impact in music, television, film and philanthropy,” McCarroll said. “I am so honored to partner with her again and help Litmus curate her incredible repertoire.”
Launched in August 2022 with a $500 million investment from Carlyle’s global lending platform, Litmus has acquired publishing and recording rights from artists across various genres, including Keith UrbanThe master recordings of and a set of publication and performance copyrights from the super producer Benny Blanco.
Hank Forsythco-founder and CEO of Litmus, called Perry’s “essential” songs “part of the global cultural fabric.”
“We are very grateful to be working together again with such a trusted partner,” said Forsyth, an industry veteran previously at Warner Chappell and Blue Note.
“We think this is a testament to the team’s ability to collaborate with the best artists in the world.” Katy’s iconic songs have not only achieved exceptional commercial success, but have also significantly influenced popular culture,” said Matt settlemanaging director at Carlyle.
