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07-01-2021, 02:34
(This post was last modified: 14-01-2021, 22:52 by CRAZY-HORSE.)
Hipgnosis..
are an investment company owned by music mogul
Merck Mercuriadis who managed the likes of Elton John, Morissey, Iron Maiden and Beyonce.
he/his company basically buy the publishing rights of music from artists.
Hipgnosis are on the Stock Exchange and you buy shares in the company and make your profit on the profit of their music aquisitions...
the company currently owns the rights to over a hundred atists music (or part thereof).
their latest purchases are:
Lindsay Buckingham and Neil Young.
previous aquisitions include:
10CC
Journey
50 Cent
B-52s
Blondie
Barry Manilow
Bob Dylan
Chrissie Hynde
Kaiser Chiefs
Chic
Rick James
Steve Winwood
Mark Ronson
to name a few
the Wiki shows the company's rise in the market since its inception in 2018.
Hipgnosis Songs Fund - Wikipedia
any thoughts on what theyre doing?
and is it a good idea for one company to own so much music(own a monopoly)?
"BTO....Bachman,Turner,Overweight
They were big in the 70s....for five minutes,on a Saturday,after lunch..." - Me 2014.
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14-01-2021, 22:49
(This post was last modified: 14-01-2021, 22:50 by CRAZY-HORSE.)
"BTO....Bachman,Turner,Overweight
They were big in the 70s....for five minutes,on a Saturday,after lunch..." - Me 2014.
Posts: 34,761
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17-01-2021, 12:45
(This post was last modified: 17-01-2021, 12:51 by CRAZY-HORSE.)
in this article it looks like David Crosby has sold his publishing rights now also...
https://www.msn.com/en-au/entertainment/...d=msedgntp
Jerome, any thoughts on what is happening in the industry and especially over the potential monopoly of music ownership?
"BTO....Bachman,Turner,Overweight
They were big in the 70s....for five minutes,on a Saturday,after lunch..." - Me 2014.
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17-01-2021, 13:14
(This post was last modified: 17-01-2021, 13:46 by Jerome.)
I have read the info on the Hignosis site but I'm not sure how they are going to turn this into profit for shareholders. They have spent a lot of money on this to date but apart from royalties from airplay I can't see a huge amount being generated. The artists are only to happy to be selling their catalogues - at least they are getting a lump sum for music that has really seen it's sell-by-date and had it's heyday. Sure some tracks will still generate a steady stream of royalties but a lot of their other tracks would be generating a pittance on streaming sites even if you are a big name has-been. And even if you license the music to advertising companies and films - who don't think that music should be paid for by the way - they are trying to get composers to work for practically nothing these days - I can't see it generating the kind of revenue that shareholders are expecting. But then again I might be talking complete rubbish and don't see the potential in it. For me music is a creative endeavour - could not be bothered with the business side at all. It's a real dog-eat-dog world. One thing that is going to have an impact is the fact that today's society does not want albums - they want single tracks, and then only the popular ones so a lot of the music is not even going to get a look-in. Time will tell whether this works out or not. And most of this stuff can be listened to on YT without paying a dime. Sure YT makes ad revenue but the shareholders? The money in music is not in the compositions anymore - it's in the delivery system - (both streaming services and hardware devices like iPhones etc.) and even some of those - even well-known ones - have yet to turn a profit. The only other revenue stream is live performances and covers. Remember that recording studios are closing at a ridiculous rate because of really crap budgets for projects. Even Mastering houses are struggling to survive. And music creation software companies that have spent years developing their packages are having to cut their prices drastically just to keep afloat. Software processors for studios are now a fraction of what they cost 5 years ago.
Just as a matter of interest - Simon Phillips stated in an interview that Steve Lukather of Toto did not want to include 'Africa' on the Toto IV album even though it has become their biggest royalty-earner over the years. It's played at least once on a radio station here every single day. Multiply that by all the radio stations playing MOR rock music all over the world and it adds up quickly indeed!
As for monopolies - not a good thing. You end up with things like Facebook, Amazon, Google and Netflix. The new drug of choice is social media and people are well and truly hooked. An awful lot of retail businesses are going to the wall all over the world because they simply cannot compete with Amazon. When you don't have to pay for expensive high street retail space your prices are always going to be lower. And of course once you have wiped out all the competition you can start charging whatever you want.
It'll all end in tears - it usually does...
'The purpose of life is a life of purpose' - Athena Orchard.
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excellent reply Jerome...
i hadnt thought of it but yes, the artists music is past its peak...
"BTO....Bachman,Turner,Overweight
They were big in the 70s....for five minutes,on a Saturday,after lunch..." - Me 2014.
