Kanye West is denying reports that he is selling his entire music catalog for a cool $175 million.
Ye has been trending lately for a number of reasons. His latest spat with GAP took focus earlier this week, and now reports are circulating that he has been secretly testing the market to sell his publishing catalog.
Suspicions were raised that he was shopping around after a Billboard report yesterday, September 19, stated that sources have said that Ye’s catalog brings in an estimated $5 million annually for the artist alone and about $13.25 million in total publishing-derived royalties each year.
The publication reported that members of the “Praise God” rapper’s team have met with various potential buyers over the last ten months. If the report is true, it seems he is trying to get a valuation of up to 35 times the gross profit.
The numbers would mean he is looking for a $175 million valuation. That should come as no surprise, considering that his hits have remarkable sales globally, and he has a plethora of No. 1’s that are still very valuable. However, according to the same report, it may not be easy for Ye since he has many less than amicable splits, which could mean some of his music is not his own.
Another part of the report states that Ye’s team never actively searched for buyers but that they were approached with offers. If it is true, he may be taking a page from other artists like Tom DeLonge, who revealed back in 2020 that he struck a deal with Hipgnosis.
That deal was focused on the copyright interests for 157 songs, including his work with blink-182 and Angels and Airwaves. This year, the same company announced they had reached a similar deal with Justin Timberlake.
Hours after the story broke, Kanye West fired off a message on his Instagram pouring cold waters on the reports. “Just like Taylor Swift my publishing is being put up for my sale without my knowledge, not for sale,” he wrote in all caps.
Ye also shared a text message conversation with someone on his asking the person to ask Gee who is trying to sell his publishing.
It’s interesting that he invokes Taylor Swift’s name since they both dislike each other and are not on speaking terms.
