Mark Ronson attends La Mer by Sorrenti Campaign at Studio 525 on October 03, 2019 in New York City. … [+]
WireImage
Music IP investment company Hipgnosis Songs Fund has acquired 70% stake in Mark Ronson’s publishing and writing catalog, comprising of 315 songs, the company announced Thursday (April 23).
Ronson, a seven-time Grammy-winning songwriter and producer, is best known for his musical collaborations with Lady Gaga, Amy Winehouse, Miley Cyrus, Adele, Christina Aguilera, Miley Cyrus, and more.
Hipgnosis will now have access to several of Ronson’s award-winning tracks, including Amy Winehouse’s “Back to Black,” the Oscar-winning track “Shallow” from the film A Star is Born, and “Uptown Funk” feat. Bruno Mars, which spent 54 weeks atop the Billboard 100 back in 2015.
“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,” said Merck Mercuriadis, founder of Hipgnosis Songs Fund Limited and The Family (Music), in a statement.
Ronson, who has known Mercuriadis for 15 years, first met the music executive back in 2006 when he “nervously and humbly” asked for permission to cover The Smiths’ 1987 track ‘”Stop Me If You Think You’ve Heard This One Before,” Ronson said. “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.”
Hipgnosis Songs Fund, headed by Mercuriadis, has already purchased catalogs from numerous hitmakers like Timbaland, Jack Antonoff (Taylor Swift, Lana Del Ray, Lorde), Savan Kotecha (Ariana Grande, One Direction, Justin Bieber, The Weeknd) and The Chainsmokers, who topped Forbes’ Highest-Earning DJ’s list in 2019.
Despite the global economic uncertainty fueled by the ongoing health crisis, Mercuriadis told Rolling Stone that he’s “never had more opportunities than I have in the last four weeks because of the uncertainty in the world, and it’s a good time now to look at risks in the future and sell their songs…”
The purchase of majority stake in Ronson’s catalog also comes after the company raised another $188 million in revolving credit facility from a syndication of seven banks, including JP Morgan, Variety reported on April 14.