‘The musty whiff of a yard sale’: why is Morrissey attempting to sell his share of the Smiths’ catalogue?

The frontman advertised the sale of one of indie’s most significant catalogues in a shockingly cavalier manner. With estranged bandmates among the other stakeholders, legitimate bidders may be hard to findMorrissey puts his business interests in the Smiths up for sale ‘to any interested party’There is a well-trodden line about assessing the trustworthiness of online bargains: if it looks too good to be true, it probably is. It comes to mind when looking at the extremely unusual way in which Morrissey is apparently seeking to offload his business interests in the Smiths. This is not like the forensic and formal processes behind huge catalogue sales in recent years such as Sting, Bob Dylan, Queen, David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, Pink Floyd or Paul Simon.A post on Morrissey Solo – the outlet for all official Morrissey communiques – says the singer has “no choice but to offer for sale all of his business interests in ‘the Smiths’ to any interested party/investor” and that he wants out. Maybe psychologically this is the closure he needs – the band will never reform, given bassist Andy Rourke’s death in 2023 and Morrissey’s clear personal and political differences with guitarist Johnny Marr – but, in straight business terms, this is shockingly cavalier. Continue reading...

Comments

Culture

Steve review – Cillian Murphy drama exposes the perils of novel-to-film adaptations

Independent

Comments

Culture

Steve review – Cillian Murphy drama exposes the perils of novel-to-film adaptations

Anthropic settles with authors in first-of-its-kind AI copyright infringement lawsuit

The Testament of Ann Lee is the most radical film I’ve ever seen

‘I was a secret drinker’, singer Lulu says as she reveals battle with alcoholism

Mitchell and Webb Are Not Helping on Channel 4 review: not quite numberwang

James Corden and Ruth Jones ‘sign £8,000,000 deal’ for Gavin and Stacey follow-up

Gogglebox cast gasp as they watch ‘biggest curveball ever’ for new series

Coffee-fueled dance parties give Seattle's Latino community a place to connect

LA's booming gothicumbia scene mixes goth counterculture and traditional cumbia music

20 years after 'Twilight,' Forks' vampire economy is still booming

Mitchell and Webb Are Not Helping is ushering in a new era for sketch comedy

Stevie Nicks and Lindsay Buckingham fuel new reunion speculation with cryptic post

60s rock band guitarist Mark Volman dies aged 78 after ‘unexpected illness’

Darth Vader's lightsaber sells for £2.7m at auction

Anthropic to pay authors $1.5B to settle lawsuit over pirated chatbot training material

Mark Volman, Turtles co-founder who sang on ‘Happy Together,’ dies aged 78

‘I grew up watching Mitchell and Webb – now I’m the star of their new sketch show’

10 Novels We’re Looking Forward to This Fall

Jeff Tweedy on His New Triple Album, “Twilight Override”

Anna Wintour’s Interview About Appointing a New Editor of American Vogue

Hayley Williams clarifies Paramore’s future following new solo album

Major Hollywood studio sues AI generator Midjourney over copyright theft of iconic characters

Steven Spielberg ‘turned down by Call of Duty film’ after demands

Sabrina Carpenter album sees biggest opening week for non-UK artist in 2025

After years of avoiding the ER, Noah Wyle feels 'right at home' in 'The Pitt'

Watching a neighbor's cat turns lethal in 'Caught Stealing'

The Political Trickery of “Eddington”

‘Scariest horror film’ that won’t ever join streaming gets rare UK screenings

Netflix viewers can now watch ‘nerve-shredding’ Australian thriller based on unsettling true story

Hayley Williams shuts down Paramore break up rumours

Performers unveiled for Ozzy Osbourne tribute at the VMAs

How Taylor Swift became a lucky charm for the soccer team hosting the Chiefs-Chargers game in Brazil

One of David Bowie’s final unrealised musical projects to go on display

Linehan tells court trans activists made his life 'hell'

Actor John Alford guilty of sex assaults on girls

Prestigious painting prize picks youngest ever winner

Post Malone postpones London shows over Tube strikes

Anthony Roth Costanzo Wears Maria Callas’s Heels in ‘Galas’

“I Who Have Never Known Men” Is a Warning

‘Ridiculous and gory’ dinosaur film finally has streaming release date

Drama hailed ‘best movie of the last 20 years’ streaming for free on BBC

Why The Paper might be better than The Office

Charlie Sheen claims he was extorted by male sexual partners during the height of his drug abuse

Sheinelle Jones makes emotional Today show return after husband’s death: ‘I’m fighting for my joy’

The Truth About Jussie Smollett is madder than anyone expected

Suede: Antidepressants review — an electrifying, life-saving record

Autograph book with signatures from the Beatles and the Stones to be sold

New Sky series The Paper gave me an existential crisis – but I want more

Cancel your weekend plans to binge series that’s left viewers ‘wanting more’

Is AJ Lee coming back to WWE on SmackDown tonight? What we know

Former London's Burning actor John Alford guilty of sexually assaulting girls aged 14 and 15

Four Democratic senators urge Smithsonian to resist White House attempts to 'bully the institution'

Horror, rom-coms and 'Hamilton' are all in theaters this weekend

Sting Is Sued by His Former Bandmates in the Police

Worried about the new Wuthering Heights? Stream ‘the best adaptation’ for free instead

Actor Zachary Hart names the comedy series which felt like it came from ‘aliens’

Charlie Sheen issues public plea to Jon Cryer after documentary appearance

The US Open is hotter than Coachella. That’s what makes it awful.

Cardi B ‘denied’ herself a Super Bowl Halftime performance

Darth Vader’s lightsaber breaks Star Wars record during film prop auction