Hipgnosis Acquires Big Deal Music Group

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Hipgnosis Songs Fund Limited, the UK investment company, has acquired Big Deal Music Group. Big Deal Music will be rebranded to Hipgnosis Songs Group effective immediately.

Kenny MacPherson will act as CEO of Hipgnosis Songs Group and will report directly to Hipgnosis Songs’ Founder, and CEO of the Investment Adviser, Merck Mercuriadis. MacPherson is joined by Co-Presidents Casey Robison and Jamie Cerreta and Executive Vice President Dave Ayers (New York) as well as Senior Vice President Pete Robinson (Nashville), all of whom have signed new five-year contracts.

“Over the last two years it has been my privilege to assemble and work with a world class team of individuals of the highest calibre,” said Mercuriadis, Founder of Hipgnosis Songs Fund Limited and The Family (Music) Limited. “With this acquisition, and following the appointment of Ted Cockle and Amy Thomson earlier this week, the scale and quality of people working with me to drive shareholder returns reaches new heights and sets our company on the path for the next chapter of its growth. This is a best in class team and we now have the resource to be on top of every song’s destiny all day every day and I’m delighted to welcome Kenny, Casey, Jamie, Dave, Pete and the other 30-plus new team members into the Hipgnosis Family.”

Founded in 2012 by MacPherson, Cerreta and Ayers, Big Deal Music Group has offices in Los Angeles, New York, and Nashville. Big Deal Music’s roster includes Teddy Geiger, Julian Bunetta, John Ryan, Joe London, Kamasi Washington, Sharon Van Etten, Sylvan Esso, Jake Sinclair, Dan Wilson, St Vincent and My Morning Jacket. The company has created and acquired a catalogue of over 4,400 songs, written by over 160 songwriters, and features songs achieving five Grammy Awards, 126 NMPA, BMI and ASCAP awards, and 27 Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certifications. Among the catalog songs are Shawn Mendes’ “Stitches,” ‘Treat You Better’ and “Mercy,” Thomas Rhett’s “Die A Happy Man,” Panic! At The Disco’s “High Hopes,” One Direction’s “Story of My Life,” and more than 30 other songs performed by the group; as well as Niall Horan’s “Slow Hands.”

Big Deal Music Group, significantly, also has a U.S. administration function through its Words & Music Brand which will be part of the rebranding as Hipgnosis Songs Group, effective immediately. In addition to in-house administration for Big Deal Music’s catalogue, Words & Music is also responsible for U.S. administration for several significant third party catalogues including Beggars Music, Mushroom Music Publishing, Gary Numan, Notable Music, Native Tongue, Goo Goo Dolls, Hootie & The Blowfish and Underworld.

“Collectively my partners and I have spent our careers identifying and nurturing some of the most iconic songwriters in contemporary music and creating value for our investors,” said Kenny MacPherson. “Over the last eight years at Big Deal Music my partners and I built a meaningful cultural legacy by assembling an incredible group of artists and label partners and world class songwriters. We look forward to bringing those creators and their enormous talent with us as we join Merck and his team at Hipgnosis. What Hipgnosis has assembled in such a short Mme is truly remarkable – a catalogue of over 13,000 compositions from some of the most important creators in the history of music. My team and I look forward to bringing all of our experience to bear to unlock more value in these catalogues and continue to build on the amazing work that Merck and his team have already done at Hipgnosis.”

Lorie Hollabaugh
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