According to several online industry sources, the Queen catalogue — including both the group's recording and publishing rights — is in the process of being sold, with Universal Music Group among the key prospective buyers showing interest. The most commonly number being bandied about for the right to Queen's albums, songs, and intellectual property is a cool $1 billion.
Music Business Worldwide reported, “Should a sale get completed, this would become the biggest single-artist music catalog sale in history, easily surpassing the $500 million-plus paid by Sony Music Group to acquire Bruce Springsteen‘s recorded music and music publishing catalogs in late 2021.”
Shortly before his 1991 death, Freddie Mercury looked back at Queen's storied career that had not only spanned — but incorporated — prog, glam, punk, and new wave: “I must say, I didn't really think we were gonna last that long. I mean you never think about it; like, you don't get up every morning and think, 'My God, this is going to be over.' You just carry on and come up with fresh ideas and think about what to do. So, as long as we don't take it too seriously. Earlier on, we used to take it very seriously and I think it got a bit too serious. Now, I just thought to myself, we should try to inject some fun into it, y'know?”
