David Crosby has sold his music catalog to Iconic Artists Group, a new company owned by famous music manager Irving Azoff. The singer-songwriter signed the deal for an undisclosed sum. It contains the music and publishing rights to his entire catalog, including his solo work, his work with the Byrds, Crosby & Nash, CSN and CSNY. “Given our current inability to work live, this deal is a boon to me and my family and I believe these are the best people to do it with,” he said in a press release.
“I know David as a friend and have admired him as a great artist since our earliest days at Geffen Roberts Management shortly after I moved to Los Angeles,” Azoff wrote in a statement. “This is an incredible time to work with David and his enormous catalog of music. He’s truly one of the most prolific songwriters and artists in music, and I’m honored that he made Iconic the steward of his timeless musical legacy. “
Commenting on the recent spate of high profile music catalog purchases across the industry, David Crosby said in December 2020 that he too wanted to sell his recording and publishing rights as COVID-19 and streaming had reduced his earning potential. “I’m selling mine too … I can’t work … and streaming stole my record money,” he tweeted on December 7th. He later continued, “If we could get paid to record and play live, we wouldn’t. None of us.”
Read Pitchfork’s “What You Should Know About Gold Rush Music Copyright.”
