Just a day after Bruno Mars became the first artist ever to achieve diamond certification for five singles, Billboardreports that the 35-year-old pop star sold a share of his song catalog to music publishing company Warner Chappell âmore than six months ago.â
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 Marsâ lawyer Scott Felcher handled the acquisition.Â
âBruno is a creative genius and itâs a huge honor to deepen our relationship with him,â Guy Moot, CEO of Warner Chappell, said in a statement. âAt 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, heâs 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.â
âI 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,â Mars said of the deal in a statement, per Billboard. âThis is me doubling down with people I trust. Weâre just at the beginning of the journey and thereâs so much more to come.â
As previously mentioned, the news arrives just a day after Mars added another historic award to his collection, as the RIAA revealed that heâs the first artist ever to achieve diamond certification for five singles: 2010âs âJust the Way You Areâ (12x platinum) and âGrenadeâ (10x platinum), 2012âs âWhen I Was Your Manâ (11x platinum), 2014âs âUptown Funk!â (11x platinum), and 2016âs âThatâs What I Likeâ (10x platinum).
In April, Mars scored his eighth No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 when his and Anderson .Paakâs Silk Sonic act topped the chart with their debut single, âLeave the Door Open,â which is set to appear on their forthcoming collaborative album.