Bob Dylan, 80, is an American singer, songwriter, activist, artist, writer and Nobel Prize laureate. He has been releasing new music since his debut in the 1960s. Dylan has preserved his legacy by recently selling his entire recording catalog of music — beginning in 1962 to the present, including music that has not yet been released — to Sony Music Entertainment. This sale will almost certainly bolster Dylan’s range of investments, from real estate to cash holdings.

                By                    Michelle Tompkins

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While the actual amount that Sony paid for the catalog has not been released, it has been estimated that the transaction was worth $150 and $200 million and includes his anthems “Like a Rolling Stone,” “Blowin’ in the Wind,” “The Times They Are a-Changin’,” “Mr. Tambourine Man,” “Lay Lady Lay” and “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door.”

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Just a year earlier, Dylan sold his songwriting catalog to Universal Music Publishing Group for a suspected $250 to $300 million — one of the highest prices paid to an individual artist — according to Forbes. The BBC puts that figure closer to $400 million.

What makes a songwriting catalog different from a recording catalog is that the former includes anything involved in the songwriting process — including notes and lyrics — which primarily concerns scenarios in which other artist perform covers of the originals. As more than 6,000 artists have covered Dylan’s songs, the value of holding his songwriting catalog becomes clear. Prior to the deal, Dylan made an estimated $15-20 million per year from his songwriting catalog, per CelebrityNetWorth.

Dylan has released 39 studio albums and has toured prolifically since June 7, 1988, on what has been dubbed the Never Ending Tour. He performed about 100 concerts per year for more than 20 years thereafter, and has sold more than 125 million albums globally, per the BBC.

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In addition to his musical work, he is also a prolific visual artist: his work has been displayed in galleries all over the world. Dylan has published eight books exhibiting his artwork. Between all of this and other projects, Dylan has an estimated net worth — before factoring in this new Sony deal — of $375 million, which would bring his current estimated net worth to over $500 million, according to CelebrityNetWorth.

Dylan has received virtually every major entertainment industry award — including 10 Grammys, an Oscar, and a Golden Globe — and was the first singer-songwriter to win the Nobel Prize for literature in 2017. In 1988, he was admitted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He received a Pulitzer Prize special citation in 2008, and in 2012, he was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

In 2019, he co-created a brand of whiskey named Heaven’s Door. A 750ml bottle, depending on the variety, can cost anywhere between about $55 (for the Tennessee Straight Bourbon Whiskey) to upwards of $500 for a bottle of the Bootleg Series.

Personal Life and Early Career

Robert Allen Zimmerman was born in Duluth, Minnesota, to Abraham and Beatrice Zimmerman on May 24, 1941.  He was brought up in a Jewish community and moved a few years later to Hibbing, Minnesota.  While in high school he participated in many bands, and while attending the University of Minnesota he began immersing himself in the local music scene.

In 1960, he quit school, moving to New York City to continue his musical vocation in 1961. He was soon signed to Columbia records.

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A year later, he legally changed his name to Robert Dylan and released his debut self-titled album — however, it was not commercially successful. In 1963 he released songs that touched on social and political issues — in other words, his famous protest songs — and these became quite popular.

In 1964, he released “The Times They Are a-Changin’” — his third album — and continued his streak of thoughtful songwriting. He released four more albums within the next two years, including “Another Side of Bob Dylan,” “Bringing It All Back Home,” “Highway 61 Revisited” and “Blonde on Blonde.”

Personal Life and Real Estate

Dylan has had several public romances, including relationships with Suze Rotolo and Joan Baez.  He married Sara Lownds in 1965 and had four children with her, adopting her daughter from a prior marriage as well. The pair divorced in 1977, however, and he would later marry Carolyn Dennis in 1986.  They had a daughter together, but their marriage ended in 1992.

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Dylan keeps his financial matters as private as possible.  Per CelebAnswers, he primarily resides in Malibu, California, in a 6000 square foot home he purchased in 1979 for $105,000. According to the same source, he has continued to buy neighboring properties over the years.

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