The Weeknd in talks for bold $1billion music catalogue deal

The Weeknd surprised his fans with a bold move of planning to raise $1 billion in capital by putting his music catalogue as collateral.

As per Bloomberg, the move comes after the 35-year-old singer showed interest in venturing into different creative directions.

According to the above-mentioned outlet, the deal is in early stages and will allow the Blinding Lights hitmaker to use his stake in music publishing rights and his share of the master recording as collateral.

It will allow the musician to gain capital without completely giving up his music catalogue.

The deal is led by Lyric Capital Group, where they are discussing creating a full financial package for The Weeknd. It is said to be the largest of its kind in the music industry.

However, netizens appeared concerned for the artist, calling it a risky move. One fan wrote, “Hopefully he knows what he is doing, cause he could lose his music entirely if it doesn’t work out.”

Another well-wisher commented, “For future projects, maybe?” while others are speculating it might be for a production company since the musician recently ventured into acting.

Though the news doesn’t come as a surprise since every major artist has gone on to invest in side ventures in order to build their ‘empire’, for example, Jay-Z and Taylor Swift.

For the unversed, earlier this year, The Weeknd announced he is planning to retire his stage name after a decade and fully adopt his real name, Abel Tesfaye. 

Is The Weeknd changing his name?

Yes. The Weeknd stated that he’d take his real name, Abel Tesfaye, though he hasn’t mentioned when he will fully adopt it. The news came on January 31, 2025, after he released his album, Hurry Up Tomorrow.

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