Sony Music is acquiring Queen's music catalog, including publishing and name/likeness rights, for over $1 billion, with the deal expected to finalize, though live performance revenues remain with surviving members Brian May and Roger Taylor, and Disney retains North American distribution rights until 2026/2027, after which they transfer to Sony. The band's entities, Queen Productions Ltd. and Queen Music Ltd., owned by May, Taylor, John Deacon (plus Freddie Mercury's estate), hold the recording and publishing rights globally outside the US/Canada, now moving to Sony.
UMG's worldwide distribution rights will then transfer to Sony in 2026 or 2027, making Sony Music the sole distributor and owner of all Queen content globally, Hits explained.
Under the deal with Sony, DMG will retain the band's North American rights in perpetuity. However, some sizable royalties received by Queen members under the DMG deal will now be paid to Sony. Universal Music Group has worldwide licensing rights to Hollywood Records' Queen catalog through an agreement with DMG.
Sony Music will pay Queen £1 billion (approximately $1.27 billion) for the band's music catalog and other rights, according to Variety. The magazine reports that the only rights Sony will not retain are those of live performances, as guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor still tour under the band's name.
His estate sold that catalog, not his family. They're 2 very different entities. John Branca and John McClain are the executors of Michael's estate. They're first sold the ATV catalog right after he passed and then they sold half of the rights to the MIJAC catalog temporarily just a few months ago.
Who receives Freddie Mercury's royalties from “Bohemian Rhapsody” and other songs from Queen? The royalties from Freddies songs, including Bohemian Rhapsody were split up in his will, with 25% to his parents, 25% to his Sister Kash, and 50% to his long time best friend and at one time, fiancé, Mary Austin.
“It's unreachable. All my lovers ask why they can't replace her, but it's simply impossible.” And after his death in 1991 he left her 50% of his future earnings. A further 25% went to his parents and 25% to his sister. Miss Austin's share increased to 75% after the death of Mercury's parents.
The richest member of the band Queen is generally considered to be guitarist Brian May, with estimates placing his net worth around $210-$260 million, followed closely by drummer Roger Taylor and bassist John Deacon, while Freddie Mercury's estate, though substantial, is lower due to his passing in 1991. May's wealth comes from his continued work with Queen + Adam Lambert, solo projects, and other ventures.
10 Highest Earning Songs by Queen
Ozzy Osbourne held immense respect and admiration for Freddie Mercury, calling him one of the greatest frontmen ever, praising his incredible voice, charisma, and flamboyant stage presence, viewing him as a unique talent and a true genius in rock music, even noting how Queen focused on music while others did other things.
Yes, Elton John did attend Freddie Mercury's private funeral on November 27, 1991, along with Queen band members and about 35 close friends and family. He sent a floral tribute with the message, "Thank you for being my friend. I will love you always," and later recalled the deeply emotional, yet confusing Zoroastrian ceremony.
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“Take Me Out to the Ball Game” was written by of New York City music publishers and songwriters known as Tin Pan Alley. As more than 95 years have passed, the original song is now in the public domain in the United States.
The Rolling Stones are the highest-grossing live music group of all time, collecting over $2 according to Billboard Boxscore. The concert industry is very male-dominated, and only five women have grossed more than $1 billion (as of 2024), with Madonna being the first.
According to financial reports from Queen's shared company, Queen Productions Limited, filed with the United Kingdom's Companies House agency, the band reported a net profit of 18 million pounds on nearly 41 million pounds in revenue for the year ended Sept. 30, 2022.
King Charles Has Been "Tucking Away" Money Since His £17 Million Divorce—And Is Now Richer Than Queen Elizabeth Was. But surprisingly, he's not a billionaire.
Mary Austin scattered Freddie Mercury's ashes in a secret, undisclosed location, fulfilling his dying wish to keep his final resting place private from fans and the public, a secret she has vowed to keep forever, even from his family, to protect him from obsessive fans. She did this years after his 1991 cremation, choosing a special, hidden spot to honor his desire for peace, never revealing the exact place.
Freddie Mercury's teeth became famous for their unusual appearance, and essentially, nothing “happened” to change them – he lived and died with the same distinctive teeth. The story behind them is that he was born with a dental condition (hyperdontia) that gave him four extra teeth in the upper jaw.
Even accounting for inflation it seems cheap — £300,000 is around £1.67 million in today's money. At the time, the average house in the UK cost around £12,000 — precisely 1/25th of what Garden Lodge went on sale for. At £30 million, it's now worth over 110 times as much as the average UK house.
According to Guinness World Records, Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" (1942) is the best-selling single worldwide, with estimated sales of over 50 million copies.
A lot of contracts in Hollywood are based on splitting the profits. E.g. Rami Malek's salary agreement for the film could have been "$5 million + 5% of the film's profits". Same goes for director, writer, other actors, production companies involved in the film's production.
The house was inherited by Mercury's close friend Mary Austin following his death at the house in 1991. She described the house as only hers "in name only" as the house would " ... always be his. It was his dream, it was his vision".