 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| |
| Industry | Music publishing, IP investments |
| Founded | 2018 in London |
| Founder | Merck Mercuriadis |
| Headquarters | London, England |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Robert Naylor (Chair) |
| Revenue |  US$147.2 million (2023)[1] |
| US$(86.6) million (2023)[1] | |
| US$(89.6) million (2023)[1] | |
| Owner | Blackstone Inc. |
| Website | hipgnosissongs |
Hipgnosis Songs Fund Limited is a British Guernsey-registered music IP investment and song management company founded by Merck Mercuriadis and Nile Rodgers in 2018. Focused on songs and associated musical intellectual property rights, it was founded on the premise that hit songs are long-term predictable assets unaffected by economic cycles that will increase in value as the worldwide music streaming market grows.[2] In addition to acquiring songs and songwriter catalogues, the company manages the playlist, cover, interpolation, and synchronization revenues of its IP.[3][4]
Hipgnosis Songs Fund has raised £1.052 billion to fund acquisitions since it was established in 2018.[5][6] At the close of its first full year as a publicly traded company, its catalogue contained more than 5,000 songs; of those approximately 2,000 had been No. 1 hits somewhere in the world, and 4,000 had reached the Top 10.[7] Five songs that are co-owned by HSF appeared in the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 of the decade chart.[8] In July 2020, it was reported that the Hipgnosis music rights portfolio, consisting of approximately 13,300 songs, had been independently valued at more than £760 million.[9][10] As of January 2021, Hipgnosis owned or partially owned more than 57,000 songs.[11] By December 2021, its catalogue had grown to 65,000 songs worth $2.55 billion.[12]
Hipgnosis Songs Fund was listed on the main market of the London Stock Exchange in July 2018 and transferred to the premium segment of the main market in November 2019. It was a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index since March 2020 before being taken private by Blackstone Inc. in July 2024.[13][14]
- ^ a b c "Annual Report 2023" (PDF). Hipgnosis Songs Fund. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
- ^ "Hipgnosis: Sweet dreams are made of song royalties". Wealth Manager. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
- ^ Harley-McKeown, Mischa Frankl-Duval and Lucy. "Investors in Search of Yield Turn to Music-Royalty Funds". Wsj.com. Retrieved 2019-10-01.
- ^ "Business interview: Music man turning up the volume on the hit parade". Evening Standard. 2018-10-26. Retrieved 2019-10-01.
- ^ "Hipgnosis is raising another $318m to buy 50 catalogs (which it's already lined up)". Music Business Worldwide. September 23, 2020.
- ^ Aswad, Jem (2019-10-17). "Hipgnosis Songs Raises Another $295 Million". Variety. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
- ^ Johnston, Chris (2019-06-17). "Going for a song: The £350m fund making money from pop hits". The Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2019-10-03.
- ^ Ingham, Tim (2019-12-11). "Having spent $665m on songs, Hipgnosis now owns slices of Shape Of You and Uptown Funk". Music Business Worldwide. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
- ^ "Barry Manilow Sells Song Catalog to Hipgnosis". Variety. 2020-08-03. Retrieved 2020-08-03.
- ^ "Hipgnosis revenues topped $80m in FY2020 – now it's raising another $250m". Music Business Worldwide. 2020-07-03. Retrieved 2020-07-07.
- ^ Sisario, Ben (2020-12-18). "This Man Is Betting $1.7 Billion on the Rights to Your Favorite Songs". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
- ^ Ingham, Tim (2021-12-16). "Hipgnosis Songs Fund now owns a catalogue of 65,413 songs... worth a combined $2.55 billion". Music Business Worldwide.
- ^ "FTSE UK Index Series - Quarterly Review March 2020". 4 March 2020. Retrieved 6 March 2002.
- ^ "Hipgnosis Song. Regulatory News. Live SONG RNS. Regulatory News Articles for Hipgnosis Songs Fund Limited Ord Npv". Lse.co.uk. Retrieved 2020-07-09.