In a year without major IPOs, the majority of the most valuable music business deals involved catalog acquisitions in one way or another.
The creator of "Bowie Bonds" claims he struck a deal with Brown decades ago – and says Primary Wave "maliciously interfered" with that when it bought the singer's rights last year.
The purchase includes George Merrill and Shannon Rubicam's interests in the majority of their publishing catalog, which encompasses Houston hits "How Will I Know" and "I Wanna Dance With Somebody."
Angelo Rufino, who holds a seat on the company's newly formed board, sees the music intellectual-property asset class eventually becoming a $100 billion market.
