Bob Dylan Sells Entire Songwriting Catalog

Bob Dylan is tangled up in green.

The 79-year-old legendary pioneer of modern rock music, and the only songwriter to win a Nobel Prize for Literature, has sold his entire publishing catalog — more than 600 copyrights spanning 60 years — to Universal Music Publishing Group, according to the company.

While terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, the catalog is likely worth hundreds of millions of dollars — rivaled in value and influence only by the Beatles.

The move helps Mr. Dylan, who has long controlled most of his songwriting copyrights, to cement his musical legacy and set up his estate by cashing in on his life’s work.

His decision to cede control follows a lifetime spent shaping his image by touring and by offering fans…