Nancy Wilson, David Coverdale sell catalogs to Round Hill Music

Financial terms of neither were disclosed

Heart’s Nancy Wilson and Whitesnake’s David Coverdale are the latest rockers to have sold their catalogs. Round Hill Music has acquired a significant share of the master artist royalties and entered into a long-term agreement to administer the neighboring rights income of the catalog Wilson, acclaimed singer, songwriter and guitarist of Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame-inducted band Heart.

Key acquisition highlights include a significant share of the rights to Heart, who have sold over 35 million records worldwide and have a total of four Grammy nominations to date. The catalog includes the No. 1 hit “These Dreams” that was certified platinum five times. Further classic tracks in the catalog include “Barracuda”, “Magic Man”, “Alone” and “Crazy On You”.

Round Hill Music’s acquisition comprises a significant share of Wilson’s master artist royalties and administration rights on Nancy Wilson’s neighboring rights income.

The catalog has significant exposure to streaming, comprising 35% of revenue mix, with the balance being comprised of 2% physical, 7% download, 13% sync and 4% other. Neighboring rights income comprises 39% of the catalog’s revenue. In terms of geographical exposure, 61% of the revenue is from the US, while the balance is from other countries.

“Barracuda”, “Alone”, “Crazy On You”, “Magic Man”, and “These Dreams” are among Wilson’s top songs. All figures are based on the catalog’s royalty statements in the calendar years 2017-2020. Financial terms of her deal were not disclosed.

Round Hill has acquired the music publishing, master rights and master rights royalties for Coverdale which includes songs by Whitesnake and a mid-1970s stint with Deep Purple. The agreement will see Round Hill overseeing income generated from performance rights of the catalog.

Deep Purple’s “Burn” and “Stormbringer” along with Whitesnake’s “Here I Go Again,” “Is This Love,” “Still of the Night” and “Slow an’ Easy” are part of the agreement that is estimated to be worth $35 million, per Billboard.

“I am thrilled beyond words to joyfully announce that my existing catalog of works, both songs and master recordings, which I have been involved in creating for over 50 years, is now in exceptionally safe hands with the fine people at Round Hill,” Coverdale says in a statement. “I look forward immensely to working together with [CEO] Josh Gruss and all at Round Hill to ensure the legacy of my existing works for future generations to enjoy.”

These are the latest in a growing number of musicians selling portions or all of their catalogs. Paul Rodgers, America, John Legend, David Bowie, ZZ Top, Bruce Springsteen, Motley Crue, members of Fleetwood Mac, Linda Ronstadt, The Beach Boys, Neil Young, Bob Dylan and others have struck multi-million dollar agreements.

Buddy Iahn
Buddy Iahn

Buddy Iahn founded The Music Universe when he decided to juxtapose his love of web design and music. As a lifelong drummer, he decided to take a hiatus from playing music to report it. The website began as a fun project in 2013 to one of the top independent news sites. Email: info@themusicuniverse.com