Keith Urban Sells Master Recordings, Including 10 Studio Albums + a Greatest Hits Package, to Litmus
Carena Liptak Published: December 13, 2022
Brennon Williamson
Keith Urban is the latest country superstar to part ways with his master recordings catalog. According to Billboard, the singer has sold his masters to the newly-formed music rights company Litmus, which was launched in August by industry veterans Hank Forsyth and Dan McCarroll and backed by Carlyle Global Credit.
The sale includes 10 studio albums as well as a greatest hits package, and also includes an agreement to collaborate on Urban's future releases.
All told, Urban has released 12 studio albums over the course of his career, but the first (a self-titled project from 1991) was released only in Australia, and the second was released under the short-lived country trio the Ranch, which Urban fronted. The dollar amount that the singer's catalog sold for has not been made public.
"I have the deepest respect for Keith, his incredible talent and his passion for making great music," says McCarroll, who previously served as president for both Warner Brothers Records and Capitol Records. "He's a musically insatiable musician, record maker, performer and songwriter."
"It's an honor to partner with Keith and represent songs that reflect his integrity, character and musicianship," adds Forsyth, who has a background as executive VP at Warner Chappell and GM at Blue Note. "Dan and I and the entire Litmus team are so grateful Keith has trusted us to care for what he has given so much to create."
As he finds a home for his career-long body of work, Urban is looking forward to his next musical chapter. First up, he's planning to head back to Las Vegas for an all-new residency, following his 2019 stay in the city for a residency titled Keith Urban Live. He has also hinted at new music in the works, following the release of songs like "Brown Eyes Baby" — his current single — and "Street Called Main."
Earlier in November, he told Billboard that he is "feverishly" working with producer Dann Huff to finish his next album, which he hopes will be out sooner rather than later in 2023.
Other stars who recently sold their masters catalogs include Kenny Chesney, who parted ways with 80 percent of his catalog in January, as well as Blake Shelton, who sold his recordings from 2010-2019 in October.
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Source: Keith Urban Sells Master Recordings, Including 10 Studio Albums + a Greatest Hits Package, to Litmus
Filed Under: Keith Urban
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