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What’s inside a billion-dollar music catalogue
KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)
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Summary
Inside Hipgnosis, founded by former music manager Merck Mercuriadis in 2018, lies a treasure trove of 146 catalogues, housing 65,413 songs, including 163 Grammy-winning numbers.
Merck Mercuriadis, a former manager of Elton John and Beyoncé, founded Hipgnosis in 2018 in London. The company — listed on the London Stock Exchange — has been actively acquiring song catalogues for artists intending to transform music into an asset class.
According to its official website, it currently owns 146 catalogues with 65,413 songs, of which 163, like Shape of You by Ed Sheeran and Royals by Lorde, have won the Grammy Award. The company earns royalty from the use of these songs.
For example, streaming platforms pay a portion of their revenue to Hipgnosis as royalty for these songs.
Some of its collection, housed under Hipgnosis Songs Fund, is now up for sale, and there are at least two bidders.
Private equity giant Blackstone has reportedly made a preliminary offer of $1.5 billion. Hipgnosis also received a $1.4 billion bid from its rival Concord Chorus, which was backed by Apollo Capital Management last week.
Shareholders will vote on June 10 to approve one of the bids, including any that may arrive later.
Here’s a look at some of the most popular artists and songs inside one of the most sought-after music catalogues:
| Song | Artist |
| A Thousand Years | Christina Perri |
| All I Want For Christmas Is You | Mariah Carey |
| Break My Heart | Dua Lipa |
| Californication | Red Hot Chili Peppers |
| Castle On The Hil | Ed Sheeran |
| Chop Suey! | System Of A Down |
| Closer (feat. Halsey) | The Chainsmokers |
| Come As You Are | Nirvana |
| Despacito – Remix |
Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee, Justin Bieber
|
| Don’t Stop Believin’ | Journey |
| Girls Like You (feat. Cardi B) | Maroon 5 |
| Halo | Beyoncé |
| Hey, Soul Sister | Train |
| Hips Don’t Lie (feat. Wyclef Jean) | Shakira |
| I Don’t Wanna Live Forever (50 Shades Darker) | ZAYN, Taylor Swift |
| In the End | Linkin Park |
| Lean On (feat. DJ Snake & MØ) | Major Lazer |
| Livin’ On A Prayer | Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora |
| Needed Me | Rihanna |
| Stereo Hearts (feat. Adam Levine) | Gym Class Heroes |
| Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) | Eurythmics |
| Titanium (feat. Sia) | David Guetta |
| Under The Bridge | Red Hot Chili Peppers |
| Whatever It Takes | Imagine Dragons |
| Imagine Dragons | Khalid |
| Get Ur Freak On | Missy Elliot, Timbaland |
| Back To Black | Amy Winehouse |
| Toxic | Britney Spears |
| Edge Of Seventeen | Stevie Nicks |
| Heart Of Gold | Neil Young |
| Ain’t No Sunshine | Bill Withers |
| Under The Bridge | Red Hot Chili Peppers |
| Black Hole Sun | Soundgarden |
| Enter Sandman | Metallica |
| Go Your Own Way | Fleetwood Mac |
| Fleetwood Mac | Harry Styles |
| Summertime Sadness | Bon Jovi |
| Bad Romance | Lady Gaga |
| Because The Night | Patti Smith |
| Heart Of Glass | Blondie |
Follow our music coverage here
[Edited by: Sriram Iyer]
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