by Bruce Springsteen says selling the rights to his large back catalog in a multi-million dollar deal was “a matter of timing,” but he has no plans to retire yet.
The world-renowned rocker said the sale to Sony Music Group in December last year “made sense,” adding that he knew his work would be curated.
The sale was reportedly worth $ 500 million (£ 435 million), making it one of the largest single artist catalog deals to date.
Speaking during his first appearance on Sirius XM’s Howard Stern show, Springsteen, known as The Boss, discussed his long career and decision to hand over the rights to his music.
“I just got to a point in my life where, you know, I’m 73 and I was going to Columbia (Records) that I knew they would really take care of,” he said.
“And so it was just a matter of timing and it was like, ‘ok, that makes sense.’
When asked if the decision also concerned the recognition of the monetary value of his work, he replied “absolutely”.
“I stumbled upon the luckiest job in the world because they pay you a fortune for something I would have done for free,” he said.
The musician admitted that he wasn’t sure how long he would be able to continue staging his famous long shows – which are known to run for up to five hours – but that he still had plenty of options musically.
“I mean, if it got to a point where I was clueless or something … But until then, I mean, look at Johnny Cash, Pete Seeger,” he said.
“I played with Pete Seeger in Washington, at (Barack) Obama’s inauguration. Pete was 91 or 92 and he went out and sang This Land Is Your Land.
“So I look at those guys… I don’t know if I’ll be doing three hour shows (when I’m older) but I have so many different types of music that I can play and do.
“So I can’t imagine retirement, no.”
Over the course of his long career, Springsteen has won numerous awards including 20 Grammys, an Oscar and a Tony.
He is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame and was named MusiCares Person of the Year.
He also received a Kennedy Center Honor and the United States Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Earlier this year it was announced that he and the E Street Band would be the first headliners at the 10th anniversary British Summer Time festival in 2023.
The performance will mark Springsteen’s debut at the Hyde Park festival on July 6, with a second performance scheduled for July 8.
The shows are among a series of stadium performances for the UK leg of an international tour.
