Hipgnosis Song Fund

Hipgnosis is an investment company working with songs and intellectual copyrights. It was established in 2018 by Merck Mercuriadis and Nile Rodgers, raising money through the London Stock Exchange. On Their website Hipgnosis states its purpose as ‘having not only a “motive” of providing great returns for Shareholders but also an “ulterior motive” of using the influence of the Company and our great Songs to improve the Songwriter’s position in the economic equation.‘

Hipgnosis made its first public purchase with 302 songs in The Dream’s catalogue in 2018 for $23.5 million. They acquired 75% of these songs which included; Justin Bieber’s Baby and Beyoncé’s Single Ladies (Put a ring on it). Hipgnosis fired ahead buying more catalogues; purchasing six catalogues in 2018, thirty-eight catalogues in 2019 and forty-two in 2020. Their 2021 annual report stated that they had spent 1.94 billion on 60,000 songs over the three years they had been running.

When interviewed by the New York Times Mercuriadis commented on song acquisition; “I think that (songs) are the great energy that makes the world go ’round, and I think that they deserve to be managed with the same level of responsibility that human beings do.”