Katy Perry has sold her music catalog to Litmus Music for $225M

Katy Perry has sold her music catalog to Litmus Music for $225 million.

Litmus Music, a catalog rights company backed by private-equity giant Carlyle Group LP, said on Monday (Sept. 18) it acquired the rights to Katy Perry’s five studio albums released for Capitol Records, including her Grammy-nominated Teenage Dream.  

According to sources, Litmus paid $225 million for Perry’s stake in the master recording royalties and music publishing rights to her five albums released between 2008 and 2020 — One of the Boys, Teenage Dream, PRISM, Witness and Smile. Litmus declined to comment on the deal terms.

Co-founder and chief creative officer of Litmus, Dan McCarroll, heralded Perry as a “creative visionary” for making a major impact across music, TV, film, and philanthropy.”

“I’m so honored to be partnering with her again and to help Litmus manage her incredible repertoire,” he added.

Managing director at Carlyle Matt Settle echoed similar sentiments in a statement, taking pride in the company’s ability to partner with “world’s top artists.”

“Katy’s iconic songs have not only achieved outstanding commercial success but have significantly influenced popular culture,” Settle said of the singer.

From her breakout single “I Kissed A Girl” in July 2008 to the five chart-topping songs from 2010’s Teenage Dream, Perry has notched a total of nine No. 1s on the Billboard Hot 100. During a musical era that saw major hits from other female pop stars like Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Rihanna, Taylor Swift, and Adele, Perry remains the first woman and only second artist ever (after Michael Jackson) to send five songs from the same album to the summit of the Hot 100. Those songs are “California Gurls,” “Firework,” “E.T.,” “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)” and “Teenage Dream.”