REG - Hipgnosis Songs Fund - Acquisition of Music Catalogue

Hipgnosis Songs FundAnnouncement

23/04/2020 07:00

RNS Number : 5726K
  
Hipgnosis Songs Fund Limited
  
23 April 2020
  
 

23 April 2020
Hipgnosis Songs Fund Limited ("Hipgnosis" or the "Company")
Acquisition of Music Catalogue
The Board of Hipgnosis Songs Fund Limited and its Investment Adviser, The Family (Music) Limited, are pleased to announce that the Company has acquired 70% of the music publishing catalogue of seven time Grammy Award winning, Academy Award winning and Golden Globe winning songwriter, artist and producer Mark Ronson. Best known for his collaborations with internationally successful artists including Amy Winehouse, Lady Gaga, Adele, Lily Allen, Christina Aguilera, Miley Cyrus, Kaiser Chiefs, Queens of the Stone Age and Bruno Mars, Mark Ronson has produced or co-written hit songs achieving in excess of 83 Number 1 and 209 Top 10 chart positions globally as well as two songs which have been streamed over 1 billion times on Spotify alone.
Mark Ronson has released five studio albums as a solo artist including the Number 1 and platinum certified 'Uptown Special', which included the global Number 1 single 'Uptown Funk', as well as the Top 5 albums 'Version' 'Record Collection' and 'Late Night Feelings'. 'Uptown Funk' featuring Bruno Mars, released in 2014, reached Number 1 in 19 countries including the US, where it remained Number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 14 consecutive weeks, and was awarded the Grammy Award for "Record of the Year" and "Best Pop Duo/Group Performance". 'Uptown Funk' has been streamed over 1.1 billion times and is the sixth most viewed YouTube video of all-time having been viewed over 3.8 billion times.
Mark Ronson has also achieved critical and commercial success as a producer, most famously on Amy Winehouse's legendary album 'Back to Black'. 'Back to Black', which was awarded "Best Pop Vocal Album" at the 2008 Grammy Awards, is the UK's second best-selling album of the 21st century with over 16 million copies sold worldwide and has been streamed 350 million times on Spotify alone. 
More recently, Mark Ronson co-wrote 'Shallow', recorded by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper for the movie 'A Star is Born', which has sold over 10 million copies globally as well as being streamed over 1.1 billion times on Spotify alone. 'Shallow' reached Number 1 in every major music market and received widespread critical acclaim winning the Academy Award for "Best Original Song", the Golden Globe Award for "Best Original Song", the BAFTA Award for "Best Film Music", the Critics' Choice Movie Award for "Best Song", as well as two Grammy Awards for "Best Pop Duo/Group Performance" and "Best Song Written for Visual Media".
In 2018, Silk City, a supergroup/duo comprising Mark Ronson and DJ Diplo, released the Grammy Award winning  single 'Electricity', featuring Dua Lipa, which has been certified platinum in four countries including the US and UK as well as being streamed 386 million times on Spotify.
Hipgnosis has acquired 70% of Mark Ronson's publishing and writer's share interest in his catalogue which comprises 315 songs.
Mark Ronson is represented by manager Brandon Creed at FullStop Management and lawyer Michael Guido at Carroll Guido Groffman Cohen Bar & Karalian, LLP.
Merck Mercuriadis, Founder of The Family (Music) Limited and Hipgnosis Songs Fund Limited, said: 
"Mark has been amongst the most exciting creators in the world over the last 20 years co-writing and producing records for the most important artists of their time including Amy Winehouse, Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga and Dua Lipa. I have been an admirer ever since 'Stop Me' and it's an honour welcoming him and Brandon to the Hipgnosis Family."
Mark Ronson said:
"I've known Merck for nearly 15 years. The very first time we interacted was when I nervously and humbly asked permission to cover "Stop Me" back in 2006, back when he managed Morrissey.  
I was just starting out and he was very kind and generous with me. He was an artist's guy then and he's an artist's guy now. 
I've always had enormous respect for his having such a credible, seminal management roster-artists I was truly influenced by from Nile Rodgers to Jane's Addiction. And that same respect has continued with what he's done with Hipgnosis. 
He's acquired the catalogues of some of my favourite creatives, and I'm excited to be joining those ranks."
For further information, please contact:



The Family (Music) Limited
Merck Mercuriadis
 


Tel: +44 (0)1481 742742




N+1 Singer - Joint Corporate Broker
James Maxwell / James Moat (Corporate Finance)
Alan Geeves / James Waterlow / Sam Greatrex (Sales)
 


Tel: +44 (0)20 7496 3000




J.P. Morgan Cazenove - Joint Corporate Broker
William Simmonds / Jérémie Birnbaum (Corporate Finance)
James Bouverat (Sales)
 


Tel: +44 (0)20 7742 4000




The Outside Organisation
Alan Edwards / Nick Caley


Tel: +44 (0)7711 081 843



 
NOTES TO EDITORS
About Hipgnosis Songs Fund Limited
(www.hipgnosissongs.com)
Hipgnosis, which was founded by Merck Mercuriadis, is a Guernsey registered investment company established to offer investors a pure-play exposure to songs and associated musical intellectual property rights. The Company has raised a total of over £625 million (gross equity capital) through its Initial Public Offering on 11 July 2018, and subsequent issues in April 2019, August 2019 and October 2019. In September 2019, Hipgnosis transferred its entire issued share capital to the Premium listing segment of the Official List of the FCA and to the London Stock Exchange's Premium segment of the Main Market. 
About The Family (Music) Limited
The Company's Investment Adviser is The Family (Music) Limited, which was founded by Merck Mercuriadis, former manager of globally successful recording artists, such as Elton John, Guns N' Roses, Morrissey, Iron Maiden and Beyoncé, and hit songwriters such as Diane Warren, Justin Tranter and The-Dream, and former CEO of The Sanctuary Group plc. The Investment Adviser has assembled an Advisory Board of highly successful music industry experts which include award winning members of the artist, songwriter, publishing, legal, financial, recorded music and music management communities, all with in-depth knowledge of music publishing. Members of The Family (Music) Limited Advisory Board include Nile Rodgers, The-Dream, Giorgio Tuinfort, Starrah, Nick Jarjour, David Stewart, Bill Leibowitz, Ian Montone, and Jason Flom.


This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com.
 
  END
 
 
ACQITMBTMTITTRM