Cher is the latest music icon to cash in by selling her classic catalog.
Billboard reports that the star has sold her interest in her past recordings and in songs she’s written — including her share of late ex-husband Sonny Bono‘s catalog — for an undisclosed sum. The buyer is Iconic Artists Group, run by legendary music manager Irving Azoff, who Cher has known since the ’70s.
Thanks to the deal, many plans are now in the works, including a celebration of the 25th anniversary of Cher’s number-one hit “Believe,” which was released in October of 1998. Cher, 77, tells Billboard she and “Believe” producer Mark Taylor have discussed doing a box set focusing on the song and her album of the same name.
Unfortunately, Cher won’t be marking the milestone with any live performances. She tells Billboard, “I’m not going to be ready that soon.” Asked if she plans to tour again, she says, “I don’t know.”
Cher adds that she’d like to do a box set of some of her lesser-known songs, including tracks that were big on the dance charts like “Song for the Lonely” and 2010’s “You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me.” “
“Some of my favorite, favorite songs weren’t hits,” she explains.
Other plans include licensing her hits — including Sonny & Cher recordings like “I Got You Babe” — to movie and TV shows, and promoting them to a new generation.
“I think that’s great because they’re good songs,” Cher says, adding, “I’m surprised sometimes that people know me or know my songs.”
Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
