There’s been plenty of discuss this yr about the music rights M&A market slowing down in 2022, however that hasn’t stopped Spherical Hill and Hipgnosis from spending over half a billion {dollars} between them.
Macroeconomic headwinds have blown a number of points within the music trade’s route this yr, from hovering rates of interest to rising inflation, plus the strength of the US dollar’s affect on world markets. However the rights acquisition area hasn’t floor to a halt.
Actually, two outstanding names within the rights acquisition area, that each grew to become well-known for itemizing funds on the London Inventory Change – Hipgnosis and Round Hill Music – have been related to $500 million price of offers between them in 2022.
The primary of these two, through Hipgnosis Songs Capital, a personal fund that’s totally funded by Blackstone (and a part of the Hipgnosis Group alongside UK-listed Hipgnosis Songs Fund; and Hipgnosis Tune Administration) has spent round $300 million buying copyrights in 2022 up to now, from the likes of Justin Timberlake, Kenny Chesney and the Leonard Cohen property.
New York-headquartered personal fairness agency, Spherical Hill Music Royalty Companions, in the meantime, confirmed to MBW in the present day (Monday, December 19) that it has accomplished “some of the lively years in [our] 12-year historical past”. The corporate says it has spent greater than $200 million throughout 40 acquisitions in 2022.
These acquisitions have been made through Spherical Hill Music’s personal fairness funds, together with Spherical Hill Music Royalty Fund III and Spherical Hill Music Royalty Fund III Plus, in addition to Spherical Hill Music Royalty Fund LTD, the agency’s listed automobile on the London Inventory Change.
Throughout these three entities, Spherical Hill says that it has raised greater than $800 million of fairness capital commitments. Along with Fund II and different co-investment automobiles, Spherical Hill Music says that it now manages greater than $1.3 billion of music rights.
Spherical Hill says it has acquired over 170 catalogs since its inception. A few of RHM’s acquisitions in 2022 embody:
- On January 5, 2022, the corporate introduced the acquisition of a big share of the grasp artist royalties and entered right into a long-term settlement to manage the neighbouring rights revenue of the catalog of Nancy Wilson, singer, songwriter and guitarist of Rock ‘n’ Roll Corridor of Fame-inducted band Coronary heart.
- On January 14, 2022, the corporate purchased the music publishing, grasp rights and grasp rights royalties for, and entered right into a long-term administration settlement for the neighbouring rights revenue from, the catalog of Whitesnake frontman and Deep Purple lead singer from 1973 to 1976, David Coverdale.
- On February 8, Spherical Hill Music Royalty Fund Restricted acquired “a big majority of the rights” to legendary American rock band Alice In Chains from the band’s members Jerry Cantrell, Sean Kinney, Mike Inez and their present singer William Duvall. The acquisition comprised what Spherical Hill mentioned was a big majority of the publishing, masters and neighbouring rights within the catalog, comprising 94 compositions and 159 recordings.
- In September, Spherical Hill Music, through its Fund 3 Plus, acquired the music royalty pursuits, together with producer royalties and neighboring rights, of legendary producer Bruce Fairbair.
“We sit up for persevering with to execute on behalf of our buyers, artists, and companions we serve in 2023 and past.”
Josh Gruss, Spherical Hill Music
Josh Gruss, Chief Govt Officer of Spherical Hill Music, mentioned: “Spherical Hill Music additional distinguished itself in 2022 by persevering with to function the accomplice of alternative for artists and songwriters and buying blue chip songs and catalogs with enduring long-term reputation.
Added Gruss: “Our accomplishments are a testomony to our staff, tradition and the experience now we have developed over the previous 12 years as one of many first institutional buyers within the music royalties sector.
“We sit up for persevering with to execute on behalf of our buyers, artists, and companions we serve in 2023 and past.”
Additional proof of music rights’ buoyancy in 2022 arrived within the type of numerous big-money offers this yr.
In November, for instance, Primary Wave struck a $2 billion take care of monetary big Brookfield. The deal included the acquisition of a minority stake in Main Wave and Brookfield investing $1.7 billion into a brand new “everlasting capital automobile”.
This year also saw Primary Wave acquire the likes of copyrights to hit Whitney Houston songs as a part of a deal for about 60 songs written by songwriters Shannon Rubicam and George Merrill, of American pop-music duo Boy Meets Lady, in a deal the Monetary Instances experiences is estimated to be price between $50 million and $100 million.
Concord, in the meantime priced a $1.8 billion bond providing in early December backed by over 1 million music copyrights, claimed by Harmony to be “the biggest asset-backed securitization providing of music rights within the trade thus far when it comes to each dimension of issuance and variety of property (over a million copyrights)”.
In September, Concord acquired the publishing and recorded music catalogs of Tony Banks, Phil Collins and Mike Rutherford, in addition to the publishing and recorded music catalog from their years within the band Genesis in a deal The Wall Avenue Journal reported to be ‘valued at over $300 million’.
In February, Legendary artist and songwriter Sting sold his entire song catalog to Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG). One professional trade supply informed MBW on the time that the ultimate acquisition payment reached north of $300 million. Music Enterprise Worldwide
