Latest news with #PrimaryWave
Euronews
21-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Euronews
The Notorious B.I.G.'s estate sells rights to late rapper's music
ADVERTISEMENT The Notorious B.I.G.'s estate has sold a significant share of the rapper's catalogue to Primary Wave, a music publishing company which already owns the rights to many significant acts - including stakes in the catalogues of Kurt Cobain , John Lennon and Prince . The company confirmed the deal with Biggie's estate on Thursday but has not provided any financial details. However, previous reports by The Hollywood Reporter suggested that the rapper's publishing rights would be worth as much as $100 million (€92.3 million) with a further $50 million ($46.1 million) potentially on the cards for his master rights. Sources have said that the estate has sold 50% of both these rights to Primary Wave, as well as his name and likeness. This gives Primary Wave a controlling share of Biggie's catalogue which they can use for licensing the songs to films and TV series as well as other branding opportunities through the rights over his name and likeness. Voletta Wallace, the rapper's mother, reportedly made the deal with the company before her death in late February. One of the most influential figures in the East Coast rap scene, Biggie's first album ' Ready to Die ' (1994) is considered a classic of the genre. The rapper, real name Christopher Wallace, was murdered in 1997 aged just 24, weeks before the release of his follow-up album 'Life After Death'. Through his mother's control of his estate, Biggie has released two posthumous albums and has had his life depicted in the biopic Notorious . Biggie is just the latest of a string of musicians to sell their catalogues to a range of firms. Recently, the EDM producer Deadmau5 sold his catalogue to Create Music Group for $55 million (€50.8 million). One of the biggest sales of these kinds was Sony Music's acquisition of Queen's catalogue . The British glam-rock band reportedly sold the rights to their music for $1.27 billion (€1.17 billion) in June 2024. Other high-profile sales include Bruce Springsteen selling his back catalogue to Sony for an estimated $500 million (€465 million) in 2021. Sony acquired all of Bob Dylan's back catalogue in 2022 for €220 million, as well as a 50 per cent interest in Michael Jackson's music catalogue for roughly $600 million (approx. €558 million).
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Notorious B.I.G.'s Estate Sells Rights to Catalog and Name, Image, and Likeness
The post The Notorious B.I.G.'s Estate Sells Rights to Catalog and Name, Image, and Likeness appeared first on Consequence. The estate of the Notorious B.I.G. has sold a stake in the late Brooklyn rapper's music publishing and recordings, as well as certain name, image, and likeness rights, to Primary Wave Music. Although the deal closed just weeks after the death of the artist's mother, Voletta Wallace, multiple reports say she was involved in nearly all of the business negotiations. No terms of the deal have been disclosed, but the Wall Street Journal reports Primary Wave is taking a 50% share of the estate, which was valued at $200 million. The WSJ also reported that Voletta Wallace had negotiated with Sean 'Diddy' Combs to gain full control of her son's publishing rights. Initially, the Notorious B.I.G. had a 50-50 split of his publishing with Bad Boy at the time of his passing. However, Wallace convinced Combs to increase the estate's stake to 85% in the early 2000s, and then acquired the remaining portion in 2020. 'The estate and Primary Wave will collaborate on all business moving forward in an effort to continue the incredible and innovative work done thus far with one goal in mind, to keep the legacy of the Notorious B.I.G. alive,' the company said in a statement. Despite being murdered at the age of 24, the Notorious B.I.G. is widely regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time. During his lifetime, Biggie recorded his 1994 debut, Ready to Die, and his posthumously released 1997 double album, Life After Death, spawning hits like 'Juicy,' 'One More Chance,' 'Mo Money Mo Problems,' and more. A pair of posthumous albums, Born Again and Duets: The Final Chapter, were released in 1999 and 2005, but were not of the same quality as the material Biggie made while he was still alive. In recent years, Primary Wave has acquired the catalog of artists like Prince and the Doors. See where Ready to Die and 'Juicy' made our respective lists of the best hip-hop albums and best hip-hop songs of all time. The Notorious B.I.G.'s Estate Sells Rights to Catalog and Name, Image, and Likeness Eddie Fu Popular Posts JD Vance Booed at Kennedy Center Dropkick Murphys Make On-Stage Wager with Trump Supporter Over Where His Shirt Was Made Documentary Claims Jim Morrison Is Alive, Living in Syracuse In 2025, Lollapalooza Has Shed Its Rock Past for Good Dolly Parton Gave Rules to Sabrina Carpenter for "Please Please Please" Rework j-hope of BTS Makes Triumphant Return with Solo Tour "Hope on the Stage": Review Subscribe to Consequence's email digest and get the latest breaking news in music, film, and television, tour updates, access to exclusive giveaways, and more straight to your inbox.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Primary Wave Finalizes Deal For Biggie Smalls Catalog
The Notorious B.I.G.'s estate has closed on a deal to sell a stake in the legendary rapper's catalog to Primary Wave, the company confirmed on Thursday. The deal comes weeks after The Hollywood Reporter first broke the news on the deal's development.. Primary Wave didn't disclose the financial details of the deal. Sources previously told THR that Biggie's publishing rights were up for about $100 million, while the master rights were on the table for another 30 to 50 million. Sources said the deal gives Primary Wave 50 percent to both rights, as well as his name and likeness. More from The Hollywood Reporter Coachella 2025 Is Almost Here: These Are the Best Deals on Weekend Passes, One-Day Tickets, Camping and More Online Eminem's Former Employee Charged With Leaking Rapper's Music On 'Hot,' K-Pop Stars Le Sserafim Explore Love and Perseverance: "We Are Going to Give Our All" Voletta Wallace died last month, and as the Wall Street Journal reported, she reached the deal just before her death. Biggie is known as one of the greatest and most influential artists in the history of rap, recording hits like 'Big Poppa,' 'Juicy' and 'Hypnotize,' while his 1994 debut album Ready to Die is considered one of the greatest albums of all time. Biggie, whose real name is Christopher Wallace, was tragically killed in Los Angeles in 1997 when he was just 24 years old. Life After Death, the sequel to Ready to Die, came out two weeks after his death and featured the hits 'Hypnotize' and 'Mo Money Mo Problems.' Since his death, Voletta Wallace oversaw his estate and worked at preserving her son's legacy as one of the seminal figures of hip hop. The estate released the posthumous albums Born Again and Duets: The Final Chapter in 1999 and in 2005. She was a producer on the 2009 biopic Notorious as well. Primary Wave has been one of the most active companies in the catalog acquisition space over the past several years, buying up rights for legendary artists like Whitney Houston, Stevie Nicks, Bob Marley and Luther Vandross. Best of The Hollywood Reporter Most Anticipated Concert Tours of 2025: Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar & SZA, Sabrina Carpenter and More Hollywood's Highest-Profile Harris Endorsements: Taylor Swift, George Clooney, Bruce Springsteen and More Most Anticipated Concert Tours of 2024: Taylor Swift, Bad Bunny, Olivia Rodrigo and More
Yahoo
01-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Notorious B.I.G.'s Music Catalog Could Sell for $150 Million
The music, name and likeness of Notorious B.I.G. will soon have a new home as the late rapper's estate is close to signing a deal with Primary Wave, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. According to multiple sources, publishing rights to the Brooklyn legend's catalog of work are on the table for $100 million, as are master rights for a slightly higher price (another $30 to $50 million, an insider shares). Both include publicity rights which cover an individual's name (Christopher Wallace was B.I.G.'s legal name but he also went by Biggie Smalls and, colloquially, Biggie), image, voice and other identifiable characteristics like key verses in lyrics. Master rights include the actual recorded works, as opposed to the compositions (or songwriting) covered under the publishing umbrella. More from Robb Report The Electric Guitar Played During Bob Dylan's 1965 Newport Folk Festival Set Could Be Yours A 300-Year-Old Stradivarius Violin Could Sell for a Record $18 Million at Auction How a Great Buick Muscle Car Inspired Kendrick Lamar's Latest Album The deal is said to encompass 50 percent of both publishing and master rights, with the right of publicity included. While the transaction price is unclear (a source suggests it will be in the eight figures, not nine), the deal is on its way to close, likely in the next couple of weeks, after which Biggie will join an already impressive roster of legends at Primary Wave, including Bob Marley, Whitney Houston, Stevie Nicks and Luther Vandross, whose Sony Music Vision-produced documentary Luther: Never Too Much recently picked up two NAACP Image Awards including for best documentary. Representing the estate of Notorious B.I.G., who was shot to death in 1997, are Mark Pitts and Wayne Barrow. The two co-founders of ByStorm Entertainment first became familiar with the future icon at Bad Boy Records, where Pitts had interned for Sean 'Puff Daddy' Combs. Key figures on the Primary Wave end of the deal include founder Larry Mestel and partner Steve Greener, whose bona fides include having managed Bernie Mac and Fantasia, and securing the Vandross deal. Voletta Wallace, Biggie's mom, died a week ago at age 78, which makes the timing of this transaction somewhat curious. Reps for Primary Wave and the Notorious B.I.G. estate could not be reached for comment. Primary Wave was launched in 2006 by veteran music executive Mestel as an independent music publishing and talent management company. It has made strategic partnerships with heritage artists a core of its business as the catalog market has grown around it. In the past decade, the industry has seen the valuation of music publishing and recording rights increase as artists like Bruce Springsteen, Queen, Bob Dylan, Tina Turner and Pink Floyd have sold significant portions of their catalogs—to the tune of $500 million (in the case of Dylan and Springsteen) and over $1 billion for Queen and the estate of Michael Jackson. Some analysts project that the publishing rights asset class alone will reach over $10 billion by 2030 if it continues performing consistently. Universally considered one of rap's greatest acts, Notorious B.I.G., (born Christopher George Latore Wallace) crafted some of the most highly regarded works of all time for the genre. With a discography that wowed both purists and mainstream audiences, Biggie was one of the most defining artists of '90's hip-hop and a central figure in New York's rap scene. Biggie's entrée into music began in his teenage years, when his boastful style and commanding presence helped him make a name for himself. Raised in Bedford-Stuyvesant by his mother, Voletta Wallace, a Jamaican immigrant and preschool teacher, his early life was marked by its share of challenges. Childhood poverty, his physical flaws and experiences with hustling after becoming a young father all became part of the songs he'd craft after being signed by Combs to his fledgling label Bad Boy Records in 1993. B.I.G.'s debut album, Ready to Die (1994) was a colossal success, drawing audiences in with its versatile mix of tracks with mainstream appeal like 'Juicy,' 'Big Poppa' and 'One More Chance,' as well as harder cuts like 'Warning,' 'Gimme the Loot' and 'Who Shot Ya.' With his calm demeanor and distinctive baritone, Biggie exhibited a rare talent for painting pictures with his bars, delivering a complex rhyme scheme of double entendres and metaphors that has kept him on the Mount Rushmore of rap for any true connoisseur of the genre. Life After Death (1997), Biggie's sophomore effort—released posthumously—only further expanded his artistic horizons. The double album featured multiple number one hits with 'Hypnotize' and 'Mo Money Mo Problems,' as well as a slew of high-profile collaborators including Mase, Jay-Z, Lil Kim, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, The LOX, Too $hort, 112, Angela Winbush, R. Kelly and DMC (from Run-D.M.C.). The project captured fans across the world, broadening Biggie's appeal and demonstrating his growth as an artist willing to push creative boundaries. The project would go on to garner multiple nominations at the 40th Grammy Awards (best rap album, best performance by a duo or group, best rap solo performance). Biggie's impact on hip-hop culture is immeasurable. His storytelling prowess remains unparalleled, intricately depicting portraits of inner-city life that continue to resonate with audiences everywhere. He had a unique ability to articulate the struggles and triumphs of his community, making his narratives both personal and universal. His impact is evident in the works of countless artists who cite him as a foundational inspiration. Tragically, Biggie's life was violently cut short on March 9, 1997, when he was fatally shot in Los Angeles after attending a party. His death—at only 24 years-old—sent shock waves through the music industry and left a void that still remains. Biggie's journey from Bedford-Stuyvesant to worldwide fame inspired George Tillman's 2009 feature film Notorious as well as the documentaries Biggie & Tupac, Biggie: I Got A Story to Tell, and The Notorious B.I.G.: Bigger Than Life. In the years following his death, his mother Voletta dedicated herself to preserving her son's legacy. She was instrumental in the making of his biopic as a producer on the film and oversaw the management of his estate, ensuring his name, image and music continued to generate revenue through licensing deals, merchandising and posthumous projects. In addition to Life After Death, two other projects, Born Again and Duets: The Final Chapter were released in 1999 and 2005 respectively. The estate also capitalized on the rapper's status as an icon by licensing his image and lyrics for apparel, collectibles and collaborations with major brands, as well as digital projects such as NFTs and Biggie's hologram. Ms. Wallace also helped spearhead the renaming of Biggie's old Brooklyn block 'Christopher 'Notorious B.I.G.' Wallace Way' in 2019. Ms. Wallace, T'yanna and C.J. all took part in Biggie's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction in 2020. Biggie's catalog remains a touchstone in hip-hop, his tracks as impactful today as they were upon release. Click here to read the full article.
