Lindsey Buckingham has sold the entirety of his of publishing rights, including both his publishing and writer’s share, across 161 songs to music conglomerate Hipgnosis Songs Fund Limited, according to Music Business Worldwide. The company had previously snagged 25 percent of the former-Fleetwood Mac leader's song catalogue through its buyout from the Kobalt company. In the new deal, Hipgnosis also will own a 50 percent share of any unreleased Buckingham compositions.
Among the classic tunes included in the deal are “Go Your Own Way,” “Monday Morning,” “I'm So Afraid,” “Never Going Back Again,” “Second Hand News,” “Tusk,” “I Know I'm Not Wrong,” “Walk A Thin Line,” “Big Love,” “Trouble,” “Holiday Road,” and “Go Insane,” along with his portions of “World Turning” and “The Chain,” among many, many more.
In 2020, Stevie Nicks sold 80 percent of her publishing to Hipgnosis' rival Primary Wave for an estimated $80 million. There's been no dollar amount announced for Buckingham's new deal.
Lindsey Buckingham said in the statement announcing the deal, “Prior to arriving at an agreement with Hipgnosis, I had wonderful long conversations with Merck Mercuriadis. I was pleased to find a kindred spirit, someone who’s a big fan of my work in Fleetwood Mac, and an even bigger fan of my solo efforts. I look forward to working with Merck and the whole Hipgnosis team going into the future, and am confident that my body of work will be curated with great heart and insight.”
Merck Mercuriadis, founder of Hipgnosis Songs Fund Limited, said added “Lindsey Buckingham is one of the greatest guitarists, songwriters and producers of all time yet is still so underrated. His work with Fleetwood Mac has brought the world unparalleled joy over the last 45 years and he belongs in any discussion featuring Brian Wilson and Paul McCartney. It’s wonderful to welcome him and his iconic songs both as a solo artist and with Fleetwood Mac to the Hipgnosis family.”
Even after all the years, Lindsey Buckingham — a guy known for living for the studio — admits recording new music is never as easy as one would hope: “It's always a close call just to get an album done — y'know, and I always feel like I made it by the skin of my teeth. So, whatever it is, I'm just happy that I finished something, that I put a group of tunes together and to some degree, they cohere. And you take what's given to you. You're sort of an antennae, for what's floating around in the ether and if that's what you ended up with — it's as much a mystery to me as it is to you. You're just the one responsible for taking it to the next three or four steps and getting into some form of completion.”