Meet the Man Spending Billions on Rock Music Royalty
Merck Mercuriadis of Hipgnosis is buying up songs from artists like Neil Young, Fleetwood Mac and Shakira. Here, he talks about his approach.
Merck Mercuriadis speaks onstage at 2019 SXSW.
Photographer: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images North AmericaNot a week seems to go by without some musician selling their songwriting catalog for big bucks. Although a handful of companies are buying them up, the driving force behind this trend is Merck Mercuriadis.
After decades overseeing the management of artists like Elton John and Beyonce, he founded Hipgnosis Songs Fund in 2018 to capitalize on the surge in streaming and turn music into an asset class with predictable returns. I talked to him about the business model, investor skepticism and his dream acquisitions. Our conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.