Fresh off its recent acquisition of the catalog of Johnny McDaid, Hipgnosis has acquired the catalog of songwriter Savan Kotecha, whose songs have received a whopping 17 Grammy Award nominations.
In the past, Kotecha has collaborated with pop stars on hit songs such as:
- “Can’t Feel My Face” by The Weeknd
- “Dangerous Woman,” “God Is a Woman” and “Break Up with Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored,” by Ariana Grande
- “My Oh My” by Camila Cabello
Other stars that he has collaborated with include:
- One Direction
- Usher
- Justin Bieber
- Nicki Minaj
- Britney Spears
- Katy Perry
Like the deal with McDaid, Hipgnosis has acquired 100% of the rights to Kotecha’s catalog, which includes 49 previously released songs and nine that will be released in the coming year.
In addition to Kotecha and McDaid, Hipgnosis has acquired the catalogs of the following songwriters just this past month:
- Jack Antonoff
- Jeff Bhasker
- Fraser T. Smith
- Brendan O’Brien
It is said that the company often outbids major players in music publishing, such as Sony/ATV and Warner/Chappell, while hoping that their oversized outlays will payoff long term.
Merck Mercuriadis, who is the founder of Hipgnosis, commented on the deal with Kotecha by saying, “Savan is a special songwriter with a Midas touch. His magical songs have helped propel Ariana Grande into one of the most influential artists of her generation. This is a sensational set of songs and bear out why he’s just been voted Songwriter Of The Year for 2019. I’m delighted to welcome Savan into the Hipgnosis family and am very excited to be working with him and Doug Davis.”
Kotecha also commented on the deal. He said, “I’m beyond excited for my songs to join the incredible Hipgnosis catalogue. I know my ‘babies’ will be well taken care of. Merck and his team have proven that they are true lovers of music and understand not just the monetary value of songs but the cultural value as well. I can’t wait to see what the future holds!”
The terms of the deal were not announced.