Hipgnosis Songs Acquires 70% of Mark Ronson’s Publishing Catalog
By Variety Staff
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Even in a pandemic, Hipgnosis Songs continues its acquisition spree of major music-publishing catalogs . The company, which was founded just two years ago, has bought up catalogs by hitmakers ranging from Timbaland and the Chainsmokers to Jack Antonoff and Jeff Bhasker — and the latest is 70% of seven-time Grammy-and-Oscar-winning songwriter, artist and producer Mark Ronson.
While he has released five albums as a solo artist, Ronson is best known for his collaborations with Amy Winehouse, Lady Gaga, Adele, Lily Allen, Christina Aguilera, Miley Cyrus, Queens of the Stone Age and Bruno Mars — the latter of whom sang Ronson’s 2014 smash “Uptown Funk.” That song reached No. 1 in 19 countries including the U.S., where it topped the Billboard Hot 100 for 14 consecutive weeks, and won Grammys for Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.
Ronson also produced Amy Winehouse’s classic 2007 album “Back to Black” and co-wrote Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper’s 2018 hit “Shallow,” from the hit film “A Star is Born,” which topped the singles charts in multiple countries and won an Oscar for Best Original Song and two Grammys. Ronson is represented by manager Brandon Creed at FullStop Management and lawyer Michael Guido at Carroll Guido Groffman Cohen Bar & Karalian, LLP.
Merck Mercuriadis, Founder of The Family (Music) Limited and Hipgnosis Songs Fund Limited, said: “Mark has been amongst the most exciting creators in the world over the last 20 years co-writing and producing records for the most important artists of their time including Amy Winehouse, Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga and Dua Lipa. I have been an admirer ever since ‘Stop Me’ and it’s an honour welcoming him and Brandon to the Hipgnosis Family.”
Ronson said: “I’ve known Merck for nearly 15 years. The very first time we interacted was when I nervously and humbly asked permission to cover [the Smiths’] ‘Stop Me’ back in 2006, back when he managed Morrissey. I was just starting out and he was very kind and generous with me. He was an artist’s guy then and he’s an artist’s guy now. I’ve always had enormous respect for his having such a credible, seminal management roster — artists I was truly influenced by from Nile Rodgers to Jane’s Addiction. And that same respect has continued with what he’s done with Hipgnosis. He’s acquired the catalogues of some of my favourite creatives, and I’m excited to be joining those ranks.”
Over the past few weeks alone, Hipgnosis has announced the acquisition of catalogs from hit songwriters Jack Antonoff (Taylor Swift, Lana Del Rey, Lorde, St. Vincent), Jeff Bhasker (Kanye West, Bruno Mars, Harry Styles), Savan Kotecha (Ariana Grande, The Weeknd, One Directon), Fraser T. Smith (Adele, Stormzy), Johnny McDaid (Ed Sheeran, Pink), the band Kaiser Chiefs and producer Brendan O’Brien (Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam).
