In the five years since Prince’s death, his estate and its future have been the subject of much discussion and no small amount of controversy. Now, the future of that estate has entered a new phase, with music publisher and artist management company Primary Wave acquiring the majority of three of Prince’s siblings’ shares of his estate.
In 2020, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that Alfred Jackson, Prince’s brother, sold 90% of his stake in Prince’s estate to Primary Wave shortly before his death. Prince’s sister Tyka Nelson sold her stake in his estate to the same company. And now, according to a report at Consequence, another of Prince’s siblings — Omarr Baker — sold his stake to Primary Wave as well.
Prince’s other three siblings have opted to hold on to their respective stakes in his estate.
As Eddie Fu reports at Consequence, the deal involves “Prince’s name and likeness, royalties from his masters, and publishing rights, as well as his renowned Paisley Park studios.” Primary Wave also handles publishing for the likes of Bob Marley, Whitney Houston and Alice Cooper.
Given Prince’s own history of frustration with others controlling his music and image, this feels dissonant to say the least. But given the rise in values of musicians’ back catalogs, it’s not all that surprising. Can a Bohemian Rhapsody-style biopic be far off?
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