Kevin Parker, the mastermind behind Tame Impala and one of Australia's most acclaimed music exports, has sold his entire songwriting catalogue to Sony Music Publishing.
The acquisition includes all of Tame Impala's discography, which was written, performed, recorded and mixed by Parker. That includes the critically acclaimed InnerSpeaker, Lonerism, decade-defining Currents and latest album, 2020's chart-topping The Slow Rush.
The deal also includes his increasingly substantial credits as a songwriter to clients like Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Gorillaz, Travis Scott, and most recently, Dua Lipa's UK number one album Radical Optimism, which Parker also co-produced.
Details of the acquisition have not been disclosed, but it expands Sony's 15-year partnership with Parker, including Sony Music Publishing representing his future works.
"The idea of passing on ownership of my songs is one that I don't think about very lightly, at all," Parker wrote in a statement.
"They are the fruit of my blood, sweat and creativity over all the years I've been a recording artist and songwriter so far.
"I have a lot of love and trust for the Sony publishing family and have only had great experiences with Damian Trotter and the rest of the gang worldwide. I don't think my songs could be in any safer hands than Sony's, and I'm excited for the future and happy I can keep working with them on whatever the future brings…"
Parker is the latest in a growing list of iconic acts inking deals to sell their catalogues, with everyone from Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen to KISS and Katy Perry selling their music rights for blockbuster prices.
Not every artist has disclosed the sums involved, but deals have ranged from an estimated $US50 million ($75.4 million), for Bob Marley's catalogue) to more than US$1 billion ($1.49 billion) for recent deals for Queen and Michael Jackson, the latter involving Sony.
In addition to his work as Tame Impala, Parker's credits extend to credits with artists like Justice, Mick Jagger, The Weeknd, Kendrick Lamar, Mark Ronson, Kid Cudi, The Flaming Lips, A$AP Rocky, Thundercat, Lil Yachty, Don Toliver, Daft Punk, Miguel and even The Wiggles.
The Tame Impala frontman has garnered multiple awards over the course of his career, including 13 ARIA Music Awards, an APRA Song of the Year and Songwriter of the Year award, a BRIT Award and four Grammy nominations.
"Having worked with Kevin since before the release of the first Tame Impala album, it has been thrilling to witness his rise to success worldwide, which is so well deserved," said Damian Trotter, managing director of Sony Music Publishing Australia.
"We are proud and humbled to be taking custodianship of this iconic catalogue of songs and to be continuing our relationship with Kevin in this exciting phase of his music making career."
Sony Music Publishing chairman-CEO Jon Platt added:
"I have always admired Kevin Parker and I believe he is one of the most versatile songwriters of our time. Kevin has built a catalogue of songs with incredible range and enduring power, and he has always stayed true to his vision. It is a privilege to represent his music, and we are committed to broadening his legacy of success."
Editor's note (17/5): An earlier version of this story stated that the acquisition included Parker's past and future works. The article has been changed to correctly reflect that Sony Music Publishing acquired Parker’s back catalogue and the deal encompasses an extension of their 15-year partnership. Sony Music Publishing will represent, rather than retain ownership, over future works.