The Weeknd Scores Landmark $1 Billion Catalog Deal With Lyric Capital — A New Standard for Artist Control

The Weeknd is making major business moves again. The Grammy-winning singer-songwriter, born Abel Tesfaye, has finalized a groundbreaking catalog partnership with Lyric Capital Group that’s reportedly worth more than $1 billion — and it could reshape how artists think about their music rights and long-term legacy. Digital Music News

Rather than simply selling off his music catalog in a traditional buyout, The Weeknd and his team structured a unique partnership that allows him to maintain creative control and ownership stakes in his masters and publishing rights — even as Lyric Capital invests significant capital into the venture. Yahoo News+1

A Different Kind of Catalog Deal — Not a Sale, But a Partnership

According to Variety and other industry outlets, The Weeknd’s deal with Lyric Capital Group deviates from the typical catalog sales that have become increasingly common in recent years. Rather than transferring his rights outright, The Weeknd and his team helped construct a new business model with Lyric that:

• Lets him retain ownership and creative decision-making power over his music catalog.

• Includes his publishing and master rights for all music released through 2025.

• Establishes him and his stakeholders as shareholders and co-owners in the venture.

A representative for The Weeknd said earlier this week that from the very beginning of negotiations, it was clear he wasn’t interested in selling his catalog outright. He wanted a structure that allowed him to execute his artistic vision while still monetizing the value of his work.

Industry insiders describe the deal as a “first-of-its-kind partnership” that could set a new standard for how artists leverage their music rights without ceding creative control.

Why This Deal Matters

Many recent catalog deals involve artists trading full ownership of their music for large upfront sums. The Weeknd’s approach aims to flip that formula by:

• Giving the artist financial flexibility to pursue new ventures.

• Allowing him to benefit from the long-term success of his catalog rather than relinquishing it entirely.

• Providing creative authority over how his songs are licensed, used in media, or repurposed in the future. OkayPlayer

Experts say this kind of structure may influence other top artists to rethink how they manage their intellectual property in the streaming era, where the value of evergreen hits continues to rise.

What’s Included — and What’s Not

The partnership covers The Weeknd’s music catalog through 2025, meaning songs released up to that point and their associated publishing and masters. New music released after that year isn’t included in this transaction.

The pact also does not affect The Weeknd’s ongoing label partnerships — he remains tied to XO/Republic Records and Universal Music Group, and Universal Music Publishing continues to administer parts of his music rights.

 

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An Artist at the Top of His Game

The deal caps a massive year for The Weeknd, underscoring both his commercial power and his business acumen. Beyond hit albums and global tours, his catalog contains multiple chart-topping singles and cultural milestones — including Blinding Lights, which made Spotify history as one of the most streamed songs of all time. GEEKSPIN

By striking this billion-dollar partnership while keeping creative control, The Weeknd is signaling a shift for artists in the modern music economy — one where ownership and monetization don’t have to be mutually exclusive.