Bob Dylan sells his entire 600 song catalog - a collection spanning six decades and estimated to be worth more than $300 million - to Universal in 'biggest deal of its kind EVER'

Bob Dylan is selling his entire catalog of songs to Universal Music Publishing Group, it was announced Monday.

The collection spans six decades and contains 600 song copyrights including 'Blowin´ In The Wind,' 'The Times They Are a-Changin´,' 'Knockin´ On Heaven´s Door,' and 'Tangled Up In Blue.'

Financial terms were not disclosed Monday but the collection is thought to be worth more than $300 million, The New York Times reports.

The landmark deal is thought to the biggest deal of its kind ever, the paper adds. 

'Brilliant and moving, inspiring and beautiful, insightful and provocative, his songs are timeless-whether they were written more than half a century ago or yesterday,' said Sir Lucian Grainge, CEO of Universal Music Group, in a prepared statement.

Dylan, 79, has, until now, retained control of most of his songwriting copyrights. 

Bob Dylan, pictured in 2012, performs in Los Angeles. Universal Music Publishing Group is buying the legendary singer's entire catalog of songs

Financial terms were not disclosed Monday but the collection is thought to be worth more than $300 million, The New York Times reports. The landmark deal is thought to the biggest deal of its kind ever, the paper adds. Dylan is pictured in 1966 

Dylan has sold more than 125 million records globally. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2016, the first songwriter to receive such a distinction.

His songs have been recorded more than 6,000 times, by various artists from dozens of countries, cultures and music genres, including the Jimi Hendrix version of 'All Along The Watchtower.'

The transaction's announcement comes a few weeks after the singer-songwriter´s musings about anti-Semitism and unpublished song lyrics sold at auction for a total of $495,000. 

Universial's CEO Grainge added: 'It's no secret that the art of songwriting is the fundamental key to all great music, nor is it a secret that Bob is one of the very greatest practitioners of that art.'

Dylan, first entered the public consciousness with New York City´s Greenwich Village folk scene during the early 1960s. He has sold more than 125 million records globally

The chief executive of Universal's publishing division, Jody Gerson, added: 'To represent the body of work of one of the greatest songwriters of all time - whose cultural importance can't be overstated - is both a privilege and a responsibility.'

Dylan, first entered the public consciousness with New York City´s Greenwich Village folk scene during the early 1960s. 

When he brought an electric guitar on stage in 1965, he split the music community in what was considered a radical departure for an artist.

Dylan then produced three albums back to back in just over a year that are changed the course of rock `n´ roll that decade, starting with 'Bringing It All Back Home.'

Dylan follows Stevie Nicks who sold part of her songwriting catalog for a reported $80 million to Primary Wave Music last week. 

Hipgnosis Songs Fund said it has spent more than $600 million in recent months buying the rights to songs by Blondie, Barry Manilow and others. 

Dylan, pictured in 2010, has sold more than 125 million records globally. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2016, the first songwriter to receive such a distinction