Neil Young

In January 2021, legendary folk rocker Neil Young has sold 50 percent of his song catalog to the Hipgnosis Songs Fund, a U.K. investment vehicle founded by music industry veteran Merck Mercuriadis. The deal gives Hipgnosis the rights to the worldwide copyright and income interests from 1,180 songs composed by Young, and has been reported to have cost around $150 million. Hipgnosis floated on the London Stock Exchange in 2018 and acquires music royalties with a view to generating income streams. On Tuesday, the fund announced that it had acquired the entire catalog of Fleetwood Mac lead guitarist and vocalist Lindsey Buckingham. It has also invested in the rights to songs from artists such as Mark Ronson, Chic, Barry Manilow and Blondie. Young has never licensed any of his songs for commercial use and Mercuriadis indicated that this is unlikely to change.