Just a day after Bruno Mars became the first artist ever to achieve diamond certification for five singles, Billboard reports that the 35-year-old pop star sold a share of his song catalog to music publishing company Warner Chappell “more than six months ago.”
According to Billboard, Mars, who has a stake in 232 songs in his entire catalog, retained a minority stake in the songs sold to WCM. While the terms of the deal are not known, sources told the publication that Mars’ lawyer Scott Felcher handled the acquisition.
“Bruno is a creative genius and it’s a huge honor to deepen our relationship with him,” Guy Moot, CEO of Warner Chappell, said in a statement. “At the heart of his immense talents is his incredible songwriting, which he honed for years before he became a recording superstar. Like only a true great can, he’s mastered and transcended multiple musical genres with extraordinary originality and versatility. The world will continue to fall in love with his songs for generations to come.”
“I began my career at Atlantic and it made sense to keep my business in the family, with the team who have supported me and grown with me,” Mars said of the deal in a statement, per Billboard. “This is me doubling down with people I trust. We’re just at the beginning of the journey and there’s so much more to come.”
As previously mentioned, the news arrives just a day after Mars added another historic award to his collection, as the RIAA revealed that he’s the first artist ever to achieve diamond certification for five singles: 2010’s “Just the Way You Are” (12x platinum) and “Grenade” (10x platinum), 2012’s “When I Was Your Man” (11x platinum), 2014’s “Uptown Funk!” (11x platinum), and 2016’s “That’s What I Like” (10x platinum).
In April, Mars scored his eighth No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 when he and Anderson .Paak’s Silk Sonic act topped the chart with their debut single, “Leave the Door Open,” which is set to appear on their forthcoming collaborative album.