Prince: Who owns the rights to the legacy of a genius?

Prince was fiercely determined to protect his intellectual property, but how well others might profit from his legacy hinges on how astute he was about arranging for control of his music after death.

Prince is one of relatively few recording artists believed to have possessed ownership of his master recordings and much of his own music publishing.

“Ownership of his catalogue will follow his estate,” said veteran Los Angeles-based entertainment lawyer Jay Cooper. “Ownership of the masters will go to whoever inherits it from his estate.”