How much is the discography of your favorite artist worth?

Katy Perry's case was the most recent example of a music artist selling their discography - for around $225 million. Her discography is now in the hands of Litmus Music, the company that recently acquired the music rights of Benny Blanco, who now owns albums like "One Of The Boys," "Teenage Dream," "PRISM," "Witness," and "Smile." Katy Perry's choice, which may seem "crazy" is not so surprising after all. Many artists have chosen to sell the rights to their music until now. So, who are the other artists who have auctioned off their music? The list includes diverse names, from Tina Turner, Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, to Sting, and even cases where this becomes a true family business, as in the case of David Bowie's heirs. Both Justins, Timberlake and Bieber, have also decided to do so. Timberlake made about $100 million last year by selling some of his most memorable hits, such as "Cry Me a River," "SexyBack," and "Can't Stop the Feeling." The latter doubled the amount of his namesake, positioning himself a few million dollars below Katy Perry.

It can't be easy to part with one's artistic work like this, without regrets and with the sole purpose of finding oneself with millions and millions in hand, just as it is not easy for those who invest so much money, risking making an investment that does not generate profit. But if this has now become a widespread practice, the reasons are more than valid. From the artists' perspective, a substantial income provides greater immediate security and, why not, the opportunity to enjoy their retirement more comfortably. In the case of younger artists, who often find themselves with multiple businesses already established thanks to their spending power, this sale can allow them to transfer money to other ventures or simply set aside the stresses of a music career to focus on something else. Apparently, Katy Perry is planning to re-enter the professional world, distancing herself even further from her artist career to focus on her role as a judge on American Idol. It's also important to mention Sting's example, as he decided to invest in Italy, becoming the owner of the Il Palagio estate, a vast villa in the Tuscan hills. From the company's perspective, these outgoing transactions are made with the goal of earning every penny from the royalties that are no longer in the artist's hands.

This type of operation could become even more common, and artists can become very attractive to companies like Litmus Music and Hipgnosis Songs Capital. With the recent release of the tracklist for the EA Sports FC 24 video game, we could see how the gaming industry may increasingly include artists of the caliber and genre of Kendrick Lamar, Baby Keem, Central Cee, Karol G, Stormzy, J.Cole, Jack Harlow, or others in their soundtracks. All of this, especially considering that a GTA VI may be on the horizon in the near future, could lead to an acceleration in the acquisition of music catalogs by companies that would then sell part of them to production houses like Rockstar. Alternatively, imagine how a reissue of Frank Ocean's Blonde still under the jurisdiction of these companies, could be lucrative. Many questions, few answers yet, but this is undoubtedly a highly dynamic field