Bing Crosby’s heirs sell stake in estate to boost his work

NEW YORK (AP) — It’s not just old rock stars benefiting from the current trend of artists selling off rights to their work. The heirs of Bing Crosby have reached a deal, estimated at more than $50 million, with the music marketing firm Primary Wave to try and introduce Crosby’s work to generations who know him for “White Christmas” and little else. Crosby was about more than Christmas — he was a major film and recording store in the middle of the last century. The deal shows how the booming business of selling catalog rights is spreading into the pre-rock era.