Pop singer Justin Timberlake has announced that he will be auctioning off the top four notes of his vocal range to the highest bidder, in what his publicist describes as “a normal, financial decision that other adults make all the time.”
The auction, scheduled to take place at Sotheby’s, will allow the winning bidder exclusive ownership of the four notes — F, G, A, and B-flat above middle C — meaning Timberlake himself will no longer be permitted to sing them. He will be granted a special permit to hum them, but only in private and only on Tuesdays.
“I have a lot of notes. I don’t need all of them.” — Justin Timberlake
Bidding is expected to start at $400, with one music industry insider speculating that the final price could reach as high as “low four figures, maybe.”
When asked which song he is most concerned about losing access to, Timberlake reportedly stared at his shoes for several seconds before saying, “Cry Me A River. But it’ll be fine. I can do it lower. Or just talk through that part.”
It is unclear who the prospective buyers are, though Garbage Opinion has confirmed that the singer Sia has, in writing, declined to participate.