Tame Impala’s Entire Catalog Sold to Sony Music Publishing

The entire catalog of Tame Impala, what started out as a one-man indie psychedelic rock project by Australian multi-instrumentalist and singer Kevin Parker, has been bought by Sony Music Publishing, the largest music publisher in the world. Royalties Parker set to earn for his songwriter credits, which includes credits on tracks by such world-famous artists as The Weeknd, Rihanna, Dua Lipa, Mick Jagger, and Kendrick Lamar, are also included in the 15-year-old deal.

The amount included in the deal, alas, is not disclosed. However, the Australian news site Abc.net.au cites figures from similar deals, which range from $50 million for reggae legend Bob Marley’s catalog to $1 billion for the bodies of works of Queen and Michael Jackson.

Kevin Parker’s estimated net worth is about $30 million in total, so it’s hard to imagine his deal is within that range cited by ABC. The same article also quotes a public statement by Parker, which writes:

“The idea of passing on ownership of my songs is one that I don't think about very lightly, at all. They are the fruit of my blood, sweat and creativity over all the years I've been a recording artist and songwriter so far. I have a lot of love and trust for the Sony publishing family and have only had great experiences with Damian Trotter and the rest of the gang worldwide. I don't think my songs could be in any safer hands than Sony's, and I'm excited for the future and happy I can keep working with them on whatever the future brings…”

Tame Impala has released four full studio albums so far. The latest one, "The Slow Rush" from February 2020, has charted as high as #3 on the famous Billboard 200 chart in the US. Parker’s musical project has also received three Grammy Awards nominations, and won a BRIT Award as well.