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Songs by Beyoncé and Aretha Franklin Change Hands in Music Deal

  • Concord acquires 145,000 music copyrights from Downtown
  • Surging value of song rights has led to flurry of transactions
BeyoncePhotographer: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

Concord Music Group is acquiring more than 145,000 music copyrights from Downtown Music Holdings, bringing songs by Beyoncé and Aretha Franklin under the same umbrella as Rodgers & Hammerstein and Kidz Bop.

The deal combines two of the largest independent music catalogs in the world. Concord already represents more than 400,000 songs and has acquired more than a dozen smaller companies over the past decade. Financial terms of the transaction, announced Monday, weren’t disclosed.