Sony Music Buys Bob Dylan’s Recorded Music - The New York Times

The transaction for Dylan’s albums was made in July, about seven months after he made another deal — with Sony’s rival Universal Music — for his songwriting copyrights.

When Dylan sold his songwriting rights — which are separate from those for recordings — to Universal Music in late 2020, that deal was estimated to be worth well over $300 million.

The copyrights for recordings and songwriting — the lyrics and melodies underlying the recording of any songs — are separate, and both have been coveted by investors in recent years as streaming has lifted the music industry’s fortunes.