Hipgnosis Song Management acquires country star’s catalog
Hipgnosis Song Management has purchased Kenny Chesney’s song catalog for an undisclosed amount. The company has acquired 80% of Chesney’s recorded music royalties, covering his discography from his critically acclaimed 1994 debut In My Wildest Dreams through 2017’s Live in No Shoes Nation. His catalogue includes 22 albums, 15 of which are certified Platinum, and the majority topping the Billboard Album charts.
Also included in this acquisition are any future greatest hits, live and/or acoustic albums as well as Sound Exchange and Neighboring Rights royalties for every album in his catalogue through his current Here And Now project. This deal signals the ongoing relationship with the star, whose songs reflect the coming of age in middle-America during the 21st Century.
“Kenny Chesney is one of the truly great American artists. He has been bringing joy to music fans all over the world for almost 30 years,” says Hipgnosis founder Merck Mercuriadis. “His incredible success of more than 30 million records sold including nine No. 1 albums on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart and 17 No. 1 albums on Billboard’s Country chart tells you everything you need to know. Add in his unparalleled success as a touring artist and the juggernaut that is No Shoes Radio, and you realize Kenny is genuinely a phenomenon. It’s a pleasure and a privilege to welcome Kenny and Clint to the Hipgnosis Songs family and we are delighted to launch our new Blackstone backed fund with this landmark acquisition.”
“To know that this music has a home that views the work as a collective body, something that builds on itself and captures the heart of No Shoes Nation, was important to me,” Chesney adds. “How these songs live going forward is critical, and I believe Merck has the best interests of not just the recordings but the people who love them as his driving interest. For the people who love these songs and albums, this is a scenario that allows the music to grow and reflect who those of us living inside these songs truly are.”
This is the first acquisition made by Hipgnosis Song Management since its recently announced partnership with Blackstone to acquire music rights and manage catalogues. Chesney follows Alabama as the first country stars to sell their catalogs to an acquisition company in an array of deals that have been made over the past two years with pop and rock artists.
