Did Bruce Springsteen Really Sell This To Sony?

Bruce Springsteen's 2021 had an exciting beginning. Fans were excitedly surprised to learn that Springsteen, "The Boss," was in a two-minute Super Bowl commercial for Jeep. This was a big deal not just for fans, but for Springsteen himself, as it was the first time he had ever endorsed a product, according to Variety. Apparently, getting him to appear in the ad was a process in and of itself. Advertising executive Olivier Francois told the magazine he had been pitching ad ideas to Springsteen's camp for a decade, but The Boss turned his nose up at every single one. "Bruce is not for sale. He's not even for rent," Francois said. "He certainly doesn't need anything you think you have."

So what made Springsteen change his mind? Apparently, he loved the idea. "He looked at this [ad] as a prayer," Francois said, adding that the singer found the whole concept "very spiritual." While it's unclear how much Springsteen was paid for the spot, it was likely a drop in the bucket compared to his net worth of $650 million, per Celebrity Net Worth. And now, Springsteen's net worth is about to double, as he just made a massive business deal.

Many famous artists struggle to gain the rights to their work, often going through arduous legal battles and bitter personal fights to do so. Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson ended their friendship over Jackson's purchase of The Beatles' catalog. Taylor Swift is famously re-recording and re-releasing her catalog after a bitter public battle with former music manager Scooter Braun. But now, Bruce Springsteen seems to be pulling a reverse move. The Boss has reportedly sold his entire album and publishing catalog to Sony for a cool $500 million, according to Billboard. Although Springsteen released music through Sony for his entire career, the company gave him the rights to his earlier work sometime in the late '80s or early '90s as an incentive to re-sign with the label upon the expiration of his contract. Now, Springsteen has given it back, and made a pretty penny to boot.

While it may seem strange for an already wealthy artist to sell the rights to their work, Springsteen is not the first to do so. Bob Dylan sold his publishing catalog rights to Universal Music in December 2020 for more than $300 million in what The New York Times said "may be the biggest acquisition ever of a single act's publishing rights." While at a first glance it appears that Springsteen's deal has surpassed Dylan's, Springsteen's combined publishing and album catalog sold for $500 million. Billboard estimated the publishing catalog to be worth between $185 million and $225 million. In other words, chump change.