What Does Bob Dylan’s Catalog Deal With Universal Mean For Music Fans?

Legendary artist Bob Dylan has sold his entire catalog of songs to Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) for an undisclosed amount.

The catalog encompasses more than 600 songs recorded over the course of 60 years, including hits such as “Blowin’ In The Wind,” “Heaven’s Door,” “The Times They Are A-Changin,” “Tangled Up In Blue,” “Make You Feel My Love,” “Things Have Changed” and the more recently recorded, “Murder Most Foul.”

While financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, it is through that price tag could have reached around the nine-figure range, according to The Financial Times.

Dylan’s songs have been recorded more than 6,000 times by a number of artists, and now music fans can expect them to be covered even more.

According to its website, Universal represents music from songwriters that include J Balvin, Mariah Carey, Coldplay, DaBaby, Jason Derulo, Billie Eilish, Eminem, Halsey, Sam Hunt, Imagine Dragons, Billy Joel, Elton John, Demi Lovato, Joe and Nick Jonas, Alicia Keys, Lil Baby, Maroon 5, Dave Matthews Band, Metallica, Shawn Mendes, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, and Keith Urban, just to name a few.

Adele remade Dylan’s hit “Make You Feel My Love” in 2008 while David Bowe rerecorded “Tryin’ to Get to Heaven” in 1998. Several other Dylan classics have also been remade, including “Make You Feel My Love” by Garth Brooks, “Blowin’ in the Wind” by Cher, “Simple Twist of Fate” by Coldplay, and “You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go” by Miley Cyrus.

Dylan, who burst onto the folk music scene in New York City’s Greenwich Village in the early 1960s, has sold more than 125 million records globally. He continues to perform nearly 100 concerts a year and was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2016 – the first songwriter to earn the honor.

“To represent the body of work of one of the greatest songwriters of all time - whose cultural importance can’t be overstated - is both a privilege and a responsibility ,” UMPG Chairman and CEO Jody Gerson said in a statement.

She continued, “We look forward to working with Bob and the team in ensuring his artistry continues to reach and inspire generations of fans, recording artists and songwriters around the world.”

It is also expected that Universal will license Dylan’s tracks to the commercial world, and his songs may appear in promotional ads, reaching even more music enthusiasts with his classic hits.