A true Rock ‘N’ Roll Star? Noel Gallagher sells his back catalogue of hits for £200m – but is still dwarfed by some of music’s biggest icons
When Oasis undertake their hotly-anticipated reunion tour next year Noel and Liam Gallagher and their bandmates will earn the biggest pay day of their careers.
However, this could soon be dwarfed by an individual deal being lined up by Noel, with reports the 57-year-old is planning on selling the band’s back catalogue of hits.
Any such sale could see him net up to £200million, with the father-of-three revealing he wants to set up his family for life as he nears his 60s.
In doing so he would follow in the steps of music icons including Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan who sold the rights to their music in return for a bumper payday.
And with 30 years of hits behind him including Wonderwall, Champagne Supernova and Don’t Look Back in Anger, it’s no surprise any sale would bring in enough to set him up for a very comfortable retirement.
But how would his deal compare to some of music’s biggest names?
Noel Gallagher is reportedly considering selling Oasis’s music catalogue for up to £200million
Michael Jackson’s estate sold the rights to half of his back catalogue for £475million earlier this year
Michael Jackson – £475million
The ‘King of Pop’ may have been dead for 15 years, but his chart topping hits still have a gargantuan audience with more than 40m people listening to his songs every month on Spotify.
With the apparent timelessness of his music which includes songs such as Thriller, Beat It and Billie Jean, it is perhaps no surprise that the sale of his music catalogue has reached astronomical figures.
Earlier this year Sony Music Group paid a reported £475m for half of his catalogue, putting the overall value of his assets at £900m.
Since the 50-year-old’s untimely passing in 2009, his estate has managed his affairs and raked in more than £1bn through sales and leasing agreements with music publishers.
Bruce Springsteen – £380million
After six decades in showbusiness no one can deny that ‘the Boss’ has earned his fortune through a long list of hits and near-constant touring.
The 74-year-old had owned the copyright for his songwriting and recording for all his tracks including Born to Run, Born in the USA and Blinded by the Light.
However, in 2021 this changed when he reportedly sold his music rights to Sony Music Entertainment in what was is believed to be a deal worth £380m.
This would make it the biggest transaction ever for a single artist’s body of work as Michael Jackson’s catalogue includes tracks by other artists including Elvis Presley and Aretha Franklin.
Bruce Springsteen reportedly sold his entire back catalogue of music for £380million in 2021
Meanwhile Bob Dylan made £380million after selling his songwriting and recording catalogues separately
Bob Dylan – £380million
As one of the most popular and revered songwriters in history, Bob Dylan’s remarkable catalogue of more than 600 songs is a treasure trove.
It includes iconic hits such as The Times They Are a-Changin, Like a Rolling Stone and Blowin’ in the Wind as part of his staggering 40-album and 500-plus-song repertoire.
Since reaching his 80s Dylan has started to get his affairs in order to ease the burden should he pass away, beginning in 2020 when he sold his song writing catalogue to Universal Music Publishing for £228m.
Then, just two years later, he sold his entire catalogue of recorded music to Sony Music Entertainment for £152m, bringing the total value of the deals to £380m.
Sting – £221million
As a founding member of The Police and a prolific solo performer, Sting has a long list of hits in his back catalogue.
Songs such as Roxanne, Every Breath You Take and Englishman in New York allowed the now-72-year-old to name his price when it came to selling it.
In the end the man from Wallsend near Newcastle was paid £221m by Universal Music for the copyright to his songs and his royalties as a songwriter in 2022.
Speaking at the time, he said: ‘It is absolutely essential to me that my career’s body of work have a home where it is valued and respected
Former The Police frontman Sting sold his repertoire of hits for £221million in 2022
David Bowie’s estate sold off his music catalogue for £185million six years after his death in 2022
Noel Gallagher – £200million
With the Oasis reunion tour coming up, it is possible that Noel Gallagher might make the most of the renewed attention on the band he co-founded 30 years ago.
It is reported that the father-of-three is thinking of selling the Oasis back catalogue for £200m, a figure that would surely set him and his family for life.
As the sole writer of many of the band’s biggest hits, including the iconic Wonderwall, he would be in a good position to take advantage.
It is unclear though whether the figure that has been mooted would include items from his non-Oasis work, including that created by his work with Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds.
David Bowie – £185million
When he passed away in 2016 David Bowie left behind a formidable back catalogue of music spanning more than six decades.
This included hits such as Heroes, Changes, Starman, Space Oddity and Let’s Dance, as well as his collaboration with Queen, Under Pressure.
During his life Bowie was careful about maintaining ownership of his music, often going out of his way to buy the rights to singles and records of his that had slipped from his grasp.
In 2022 his estate sold the rights to his music, including his posthumously released studio album Toy, to Warner Chappell Music for £185m.
