Bruno Mars is cashing in on his song catalog…
The 35-year-old part-Puerto Rican R&B superstar quietly sold off a portion of his song catalog to Warner Chappell Music more than six months ago, according to sources and confirmed by the company.
Mars typically collaborates with other writers, including The Smeezingtons, but only his portion of that team’s catalog was up for sale. Sources indicate Mars didn’t sell 100% of his share, retaining a minority stake in the songs sold to WCM.
Mars’ catalog includes solo hits like “Just The Way You Are,” “Grenade,” “Locked Out Of Heaven” and “The Lazy Song,” as well as tracks he co-wrote and appeared on such as B.o.B.‘s “Nothin’ On You” and Travie McCoy‘s “Billionaire.” His catalog also includes numerous co-writes for other artists, including CeeLo Green‘s “Fuck You” and Far East Movement‘s “Rocketeer,” among others.
According to ASCAP and BMI‘s Songview system, Mars has a stake in 232 songs.
“Bruno is a creative genius and it’s a huge honor to deepen our relationship with him,” Warner Chappell CEO Guy Moot said in a statement. “At the heart of his immense talents is his incredible songwriting, which he honed for years before he became a recording superstar. Like only a true great can, he’s mastered and transcended multiple musical genres with extraordinary originality and versatility. The world will continue to fall in love with his songs for generations to come.”
According to the RIAA, Mars is the first artist to secure five diamond certified singles — 10 million equivalent song consumption units: “Grenade” “Just the Way Your Are,” “That’s What I Like,” and “When I Was Your Man,” plus his featured performance on Mark Ronson‘s “Uptown Funk.”
“I began my career at Atlantic and it made sense to keep my business in the family, with the team who have supported me and grown with me,” Mars said in a statement supplied to Billboard by Warner Chappell. “This is me doubling down with people I trust. We’re just at the beginning of the journey and there’s so much more to come.”