Julian Casablancas has become the latest name in the big copyright sales wave. The frontman has sold his stake in The Strokes’ catalogue.

According to Rolling Stone, Casablancas has sold a stake in The Strokes’ music to Primary Wave for an undisclosed amount. The deal is said to include both master and publishing rights. It is unknown whether Casablancas has retained a portion of the rights, or sold them off completely to the independent publishers.

The only other information around this sale, is that it only includes Casablancas’ rights to The Strokes, and not his other musical projects. Although the artist released a solo album, as well as two albums with his other band, The Voidz, he is most notable for his role in The Strokes.

The copyright gold rush has taken off in a big way, with huge artists selling the rights to their catalogues. Companies like Primary Wave and Hipgnosis have played a significant role in this. Casablancas joins the likes of Stevie Nicks in handing over rights to Primary Wave. Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, and Sting are all huge artists who have sold their music rights.

The selling of rights isn’t exclusive to legacy artists who aren’t prolific any longer. Less than two weeks ago, Justin Timberlake sold his catalogue to Hipgnosis.

Julian Casablancas has released six albums with The Strokes, the latest being in 2020. The first album, Is This It is still an indie rock stalwart, and has sold over a million copies. Primary Wave will have access to hit songs such as Last Nite, Take It Or Leave It, and Reptilia. Showing their excitement, partner at Primary Wave David Weitzman said:

“Julian’s extraordinary talents as a songwriter, singer, and leader infuse the magic that is The Strokes. The Strokes are one of the most important bands of this century and are beloved by a multi-generational audience who have made them a global festival headliner.”

Companies like Primary Wave offer artists unprecedented offers for the rights to their work. Once acquired, they then seek to make even more money off it. This usually comes through getting tracks featured in film or TV productions. Also, older tracks can be revived, seeking out a newfound popularity, through social media platforms and trends.