Canadian singer The Weeknd is reportedly looking to raise about $1 billion in financing backed by his music catalog, according to Bloomberg. The financing would use his publishing rights and master recordings as collateral, though no agreement has yet been reached.
Sources say New York-based Lyric Capital Group is leading the talks, with The Weeknd also reaching out to other investors to assemble the full package. The proposed structure reportedly includes $500 million in senior debt, $250 million in junior debt, and $250 million in equity.
Currently, Chord Music Partners owns a 50% stake in The Weeknd’s publishing rights. Lyric Capital Group, which owns Spirit Music Group, has previously managed large music royalty funds and catalogs from artists including Tim McGraw and Jason Aldean.
If completed, the deal would rank among the largest catalog-backed music financing transactions in recent years. Other major investors in music-backed financing include Apollo Global Management and Carlyle Group, who have supported deals worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
The Weeknd, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, is one of the world’s most-streamed artists, with over 111 million monthly Spotify listeners. His 2023 track Blinding Lights became Spotify’s most-streamed song of all time.
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