The biggest deal to date for an artist of Justin Bieber's generation.
Justin Bieber has sold the publishing and music rights to his discography to Hipgnosis Songs Capital, which has made another major catalog acquisition.
The deal, announced on January 24, covers Justin Bieber's entire catalog – 290 songs released before December 31, 2021.
Hipgnosis Songs Capital acquired the publishing rights (publishing) of Justin Bieber, including his share as a creator, the rights to his recordings and even the related rights to his music: every time a song of his is played publicly, the related rights will are paid to the owner of the recording.
Hipgnosis did not disclose financial details of the deal, but the Wall Street Journal initially reported last month that the deal would be in the $200 million range.
Justin Bieber joins a long line of contemporary artists, including Justin Timberlake (who also landed a deal with Hipgnosis) and Ryan Tedder, who have sold the rights to their catalogs.
However, this trend is much more prevalent among older artists such as Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan, whose catalogs are often considered a safer bet for investors since they have proven their worth over decades and may not show large revenue losses from radio stations and streaming.
Still, with the deal, Hipgnosis gets Justin Bieber's share of some of the biggest hits of an entire musical era, including "Baby," "What Do You Mean," "Sorry" and "Love Yourself."
Justin Bieber is one of the best-selling artists of all time, having sold over 150 million records. The buying spree of recent years appears to have died down in 2022, but an acquisition the size of Bieber's catalog proves there are still major deals available.
Justin Bieber's longtime manager Scooter Braun said: “When Justin made the decision to sell his catalog, we quickly realized that the best partner to maintain and grow this amazing legacy was Merck (Mercuriadis) and Hipgnosis ».
“For over a decade now, Justin Bieber has entertained and moved us with some of the biggest songs in the world. I am very proud of him and everyone who has contributed over the years to the creation of this incredible project,” he continued.
"Justin is truly a once-in-a-generation artist and that is reflected and recognized by the size of this deal," he said.
Hipgnosis and Merck founder Mercuriadis closed the Bieber deal through their $1 billion joint venture with private equity giant Blackstone.
Mercuriadis has been a key player in the music catalog takeover trend, offering unprecedented sums of money to acquire catalogs of songwriters and producers and eventually signing deals with artists such as Neil Young and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
He added: “Justin Bieber's impact on global culture over the last 14 years is truly remarkable. At just 28 years old, he is one of the few major artists of the streaming era who has revitalized the entire music industry, taking a loyal and global audience with him on his journey from teenage phenom to culturally significant artist.”
"This acquisition is among the biggest deals ever for an artist under the age of 70, such is the power of this incredible catalog that has nearly 82 million monthly listeners and over 30 billion streams on Spotify alone," he noted. .
