When it comes to accomplishments in music, Dolly Parton has ticked off almost every box. Would she ever sell her catalog?
There has been a lot of artists in recent years that have sold their catalogs. Basically, these deals include selling the rights and royalties to songs, albums, and other works associated with the musician. Acts such as Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, and Stevie Nicks have sold their music. All for insane amounts of money.
Dolly Parton thought about doing the same in past years. However, she didn’t pull the trigger. During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Parton revisited the topic. So, after some time to think about things, has she changed her mind?
“After a certain amount of time with all those songs, you can make a good amount of money,” Parton explained. “If you’re like me and you’ve got a big family, sometimes you think, well, I might sell. Of course, you still get writing royalties and credits and all of that, and you can reinvest that in other things or start another publishing company. If you sell, the company that purchases it doesn’t get the new stuff that you may produce. They wouldn’t in my deal.”
So, it seems that Parton has definitely been approached about the idea. She has the details in her mind of what a deal for her would be like. With music spanning across six decades, Dolly’s catalog is one of the biggest out there. Just for reference, Dylan and Springsteen’s catalogs combined would only be about 2/3rds of Parton’s. The singer-songwriter has put out 956 songs.
What would be the thing to make Dolly Parton sell? She has a lot of content to offer. And, she has shown that she is willing to release more music in the future.
Dolly Parton Thinks About Family
What it all comes down to for Dolly Parton is her family. She has a big and extended group of kin that she loves and wants to take care of. Of course, she has made a lot of money over the years. However, when talking about selling her catalog, that is life-changing money for multiple generations. Many times over. Springsteen made $550 million while Dylan made $300 million. Bonkers.
“I would start again [if I sold my catalog] and have another publishing company and let that grow and build,” Parton continued in her interview. “That would probably take me on out because this one I’ve had all my life. But you’ve got to think of it as a business deal. So far, I’ve been more inclined to say no, but when they talk about that kind of money, I think about my estate, my family and all that I want to leave for them. That’s why you work. You want to build a legacy, and you work to have money to leave for all the people that you love.”
So, Dolly Parton’s catalog could sell in the future. If it does, will she make more money than anyone we have seen up to this point? Perhaps.