Madonna has explained why she won’t sell her music catalogue to anyone.
In the past year, Sting, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon, Stevie Nicks, Tina Turner, Neil Young and others have sold their recordings, songwriting catalogs or both.
Buyers typically get the permanent right to use the artist’s songs or recordings in commercials, movies, television shows and other formats. Prices are rarely disclosed, but music industry experts put Springsteen’s sale to Sony Music Entertainment in December at $550m, and Dylan’s deal the same month with Universal Music Publishing Group at between $300m and $500m.
In an interview with Variety, Madonna was asked why she wouldn‘t consider selling her hits.
“Because they’re my songs. Ownership is everything isn’t it?” she responded.
On future plans for her music, she said: “I’m just looking for interesting, fun ways to rerelease my catalogue and introduce my music to a new generation.”
“The whole thing with “Frozen” was so fun, but I woke up one day and went, “I’m sick of living in the past!” I want to go on tour again, I’m a creature of the stage. That is my happy place”, she added.
The “Material Girl” star is currently working on the screenplay for a feature-length biopic about her life and career, which she will also direct.
In the interview, she disclosed that she currently has a “very long script” for the movie, which she is struggling to cut down.
“I’ve been whittling away at it, but it’s like hacking off my limbs”, she said.
Inventing Anna star Julia Garner has reportedly been cast to play Madonna in the forthcoming biopic as a “favourite from over a dozen candidates”.
Explaining why she decided to start working on the film she said: “I’ve had an extraordinary life, I must make an extraordinary film.”
“It was also a preemptive strike because a lot of people were trying to make movies about me. Mostly misogynistic men. So I put my foot in the door and said, ‘No one’s going to tell my story, but me.’”
It has not yet been confirmed when the biopic will be released.
