BMG Acquires Paul Simon’s Royalty Interest for Simon & Garfunkel Catalog

BMG has acquired a major interest in Paul Simon‘s portion of the Simon & Garfunkel catalog. This sale includes the Grammy winner and two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee’s royalty income for all of Simon & Garfunkel’s recorded music as well as his neighboring rights income to that music as well.

Simon & Garfunkel is considered one of the most essential duos in recorded music history, and Simon acted as the architect behind all of its hits. Over the course of their nearly decade-long partnership, the folk rock duo released evergreens like “The Sound of Silence,” “The Boxer,” “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and “Mrs. Robinson,” among others.

Apart from their successful singles, Simon & Garfunkel is also revered for soundtracking Mike Nichols’ 1968 hit film The Graduate. Featuring “The Sound of Silence” and “Mrs. Robinson,” both songs went on to be inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

Thomas Scherer, BMG’s president of repertoire & marketing, Los Angeles and New York, says of the deal, “In any list of the true greats, Paul Simon stands as one of the pillars of popular music history. We will play our part to ensure his music continues to be honored and respected.”

BMG CEO-designate Thomas Coesfeld adds, “We are delighted to have secured the agreement of Paul Simon for BMG to acquire his royalty interests in Simon & Garfunkel recordings and his neighboring rights income. This is a significant transaction. Our ability to secure this deal demonstrates once again that BMG provides the best home for the greatest artists.”

News of the deal arrives after a busy 2022 for BMG’s catalog acquisition division. Over that year, the company acquired more than 45 new catalogs. Some of their recent acquisitions include the rights and royalties for Tina Turner, John Legend, Mötley Crüe, ZZ Top, Peter Frampton, Harry Nilsson, John Lee Hooker, Simple Minds, Primal Scream, and The Hollies — a few of which were acquired in partnership with KKR.