Bowie Estate Sells Catalog to Warner Chappell

04 Jan Bowie Estate Sells Catalog to Warner Chappell

Jeff Jampol comments on the sale for the Agence France-Presse (AFP) and The New York Times

Jeff Jampol, whose company manages legacy artists and their estates including the Doors and Janis Joplin, said the right moment to cash in is of course a gamble, as most catalogs “gain value over time.”

“It is cyclical — but if you’re in your 70s, or you’re making succession plans, do you want to wait for the next cycle?” he told AFP.

But could such sales alter how fans engage with the music of these artists?

Maybe temporarily, Jampol said, but “long term? I don’t think so.”

“Music encompasses and encapsulates memories and feelings,” he said. “And those things don’t change.”

Read the full AFP article here: https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202201/1245056.shtml


Behind the scenes, there has often been vigorous debate among artists and their advisers about whether to sell. For many of the most astute players, a key question is not so much the price but who is offering it, as private equity players and other financial specialists — which sometimes buy catalogs outright and sometimes merely provide the financing for specialist companies — wade into the tricky waters of protecting artists’ legacies in a world of commerce.

“What does an artist mean over half-century career,” said Jeff Jampol, who manages the estates of the Doors, Janis Joplin and other stars, “if all of a sudden those assets just disappear into the maw of some huge hedge fund that has no connection to art, music or legacy?”

Read the full New York Times article here: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/20/arts/music/bruce-springsteen-catalog.html