Culture December 10, 2020

Dolly Parton says it's 'very possible' that she'd consider selling her catalog

WATCH: Dolly Parton reflects on her incredible career

Legendary hitmakers like Bob Dylan and Stevie Nicks have recently made headlines for selling their massive back catalogs of songs.

Now, Dolly Parton is contemplating making the same move, the crossover country superstar told Music Week in a new interview.

"I've owned my own publishing company for years and years, and I still write all the time," Parton explained. "It's very possible that, for business reasons, estate planning and family things, I might sell the catalog I have now."

MORE: Dolly Parton pokes fun at her 54-year marriage with Carl Thomas Dean: 'I'm sure he's sick of me'

At the age of 74, the singer-songwriter is still at the top of her game in 2020: She's released hit songs this year, even putting out a holiday album called "A Holly Dolly Christmas." But Parton is nothing if not practical, and she knows how important it is to make a plan for what will happen to her legacy after she dies.

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"That's taken several years to do, and it is a really hard thing to do and put it all in order," the singer recounts of the time she's spent organizing her affairs. "But you have to do it. You don't want to be simply leaving a mess behind."

Still, even if Parton did sell her catalog, the singer says she wouldn't stop writing songs.

MORE: Every year for her birthday, Dolly Parton writes a song: 'It’s my gift to myself'

"I'm sure that I could get a lot of money for it. But then I would just start a brand new one, continue writing songs, and when I build that up again, sell it," she said.

"I would imagine I’d have quite a bit of money if I wanted to sell, but I would still have some control, no matter who I sold to, and my credit for the songs," she added. "As a songwriter, I never cared about the money. I did make money, but I always just wanted my name on my songs."