The Smiths frontman Morrissey has announced he is selling off what he calls the “soul” of his former band. On September 4, he made a shocking announcement on his website, titled “A Soul for Sale,” where the singer said he has “no choice” but to put his business interests in the band on the market. The deal includes the band’s name and artwork, merchandising rights, publishing, synchronization, recordings, and his share of songwriting royalties.
The announcement reads like a resignation and a final strike at his former bandmates. “I am burnt out by any and all connections and I have had enough of malicious associations,” he says towards his former bandmates, guitarist Johnny Marr, drummer Mike Joyce and their late bassist Andy Rourke. “The songs are me – they are no one else – but they bring with them business communications that go to excessive lengths to create as much dread and spite year after year. I must now protect myself, especially my health.”
That protection, in his words, means walking away from a band he has been bound to for decades, despite disowning it publicly more than once. It also means leaving behind a tangle of legal fights and bitter disputes with Marr.
In reality, Morrissey cannot sell what he does not fully own. Marr co-wrote much of The Smiths’ catalogue, giving him a 50 percent stake. He has also taken legal steps to secure The Smiths trademark, registering it in 2018 “to prevent third-party misuse.” Morrissey has accused Marr of using that move to sabotage reissues and block reunions, while Marr’s camp counters that the registration was offered to Morrissey for joint ownership. Reports in 2024 claimed Morrissey rejected the offer.
The latest skirmish came in August 2024, when Morrissey accused Marr of derailing Warner Music’s proposed box set, Smiths Rule OK!, by rejecting its artwork and packaging. Marr’s side confirmed he turned it down, arguing the market was already oversaturated with reissues. It was the latest in a string of disputes that have made The Smiths’ legacy feel less like a celebrated archive and more like contested property.
Heaven Knows They’re Miserable Now
Morrissey’s decision to sell raises bigger questions about the future of the band’s catalogue. For investors, The Smiths’ name still carries enormous cultural weight. Their influence has rippled far beyond Manchester. For example, the Filipino band Orange & Lemons covered “This Charming Man” during several of their comeback shows in 2017; Ahmad Tanji, the frontman of We Are Imaginary, named their independent production outfit Shoplifters United after “Shoplifers of the World Unite,” a song by The Smiths. Yet without Morrissey attached, the brand may lose some of its marketability. The draw of The Smiths has always been in the tension between his voice and Marr’s guitar lines.
If a sale does go through, The Smiths could end up in the hands of a company with no direct ties to the music, reducing one of indie rock’s most storied names to a licensing asset. For fans, the move looks less like a pragmatic business decision than the latest act of self-sabotage from an artist whose career has been littered with them. Morrissey calls it burnout. To others, it feels like a full-scale burning of bridges, with The Smiths’ future caught in the crossfire.
