Shortly after confirming a new $185 million funding milestone last month, Merck Mercuriadis’ Hipgnosis Songs Fund Ltd (HSF) acquired yet another key catalog.
Just last week, the music IP company completely acquired the full rights to Jamie Scott’s catalog. The British songwriter and producer’s music catalog includes 144 songs.
Financial terms of the deal remain undisclosed.
Scott has written hits for Justin Bieber, Ed Sheeran, and One Direction, among others. Songs in the catalog include One Direction’s ‘Drag Me Down’ and ‘Story Of My Life.’ He has also co-written two singles from Niall Horan’s debut album, Flicker – ‘This Town’ and ‘Too Much To Ask.’
Keep in mind Hipgnosis Songs Fund has already acquired stakes in several renowned songwriter catalogs in the music industry. This includes significant stakes in the catalogs of Giorgio Tuinfort (David Guetta), Teddy Geiger (Shawn Mendes), The-Dream (Justin Bieber, Rihanna), Poo Bear (Chris Brown, Justin Bieber), Itaal Shur (Santana), Bernard Edwards (Chic), Tricky Stewart (Rihanna, Beyoncé), and TMS (Jess Glynne, Little Mix).
Now, Hipgnosis and its investment adviser, The Family (Music) Limited, have confirmed the acquisition of a brand-new catalog.
The music IP company has acquired Ari Levine’s music catalog.
Financial terms of the deal also remain undisclosed.
The Grammy-nominated songwriter and producer is best known for his work as a member of the three-piece writing and producing group, The Smeezingtons. The group’s other members include Bruno Mars and Philip Lawrence.
Levine has written multiple Top 10 hits, including Cee Lo Green’s ‘F**k You,’ Bruno Mars’ ‘Just The Way You Are,’ ‘Grenade,’ ‘When I Was Your Man,’ and ‘Lock Out of Heaven,’ Travie McCoy’s ‘Billionaire,’ B.o.B.’s ‘Nothin’ On You,’ and Matisyahu’s ‘One Day.’
Hipgnosis has acquired 100% of Ari Levine’s copyright ownership in his catalog, which comprises a total of 76 songs. This includes 100% of his writer share of performance income collected and distributed by Irving Azoff’s performance rights organization, Global Music Rights (GMR).
Speaking about the importance of acquiring Levine’s catalog, Mercuriadis explained,
“Ari’s work has resulted in some of the most highly regarded and enduring songs of the last 10 years. He has everyone’s respect and I’m delighted to welcome him to the Hipgnosis family.”
Levine added,
“I couldn’t be happier with a better home for my catalog. Merck and Hipgnosis are the right executive and company team to look after my musical legacy. I’m proud to have my catalog in their hands, and I’m confident in their ability to grow its value and influence in the upcoming decades.”
Hipgnosis isn’t the only one, however, making key songwriter acquisitions.
Earlier this morning, One Media iP also announced the acquisition of Core Taylor’s writer’s share in a deal worth $260,000.
The country singer and songwriter’s catalog also comprises major hits, including Luke Bryan’s ‘Home Alone Tonight’ and Florida Georgia Line’s ‘Sippin’ On Fire.’
Speaking about the reason for the acquisition, One Media iP explained country music consumption continues to grow as the shift to streaming continues. In addition, country music amassed 50.9 billion streams in 2018, a 46% growth over 2017.
The new acquisition comes months nearly two months after One Media acquired country singer Michael Dulaney’s songwriting catalog for $850,000. His catalog comprises 93 songs, including Jason Aldean’s ‘Night Train.’
Featured image by Hipgnosis Songs Fund.