Hipgnosis acquires Jack Antonoff catalogue

12 December 2019 - Press release

Hipgnosis Songs Fund Limited (“Hipgnosis” or the “Company”)

Acquisition of Music Catalogue

The Board of Hipgnosis Songs Fund Limited and its Investment Adviser, The Family (Music) Limited, are pleased to announce that the Company has acquired a music catalogue from Jack Antonoff. 

Jack Antonoff is lead singer of Bleachers, founding member of Grammy Award winning band Fun and a prolific songwriter and producer who has collaborated with global superstars such as Taylor Swift, Lana Del Ray, Lorde, Pink, St Vincent and many others.

The four time Grammy Award winner will maintain an interest in the catalogue and work closely with Hipgnosis in the management of his songs.

With Fun., Jack Antonoff co-wrote their 2011 worldwide hit ‘We Are Young’, featuring Janelle Monáe, which reached Number 1 in 12 countries including the UK and US, where it was certified diamond, as well as winning the Grammy Award for “Song of the Year” whilst Fun. won “Best New Artist”. Jack Antonoff also co-wrote the Fun. singles ‘Some Nights’ and ‘Carry on’ which are certified 7x and 2x platinum in the US respectively. 

Jack Antonoff has collaborated closely with Taylor Swift co-writing and producing much of her last three albums. This includes three Songs on the Grammy Award winning ‘1989’ which reached Number 1 in 12 Countries including the US and UK and was the best-selling album of 2014 as well as becoming certified 9x platinum in the US and selling over 15 million copies worldwide. Taylor Swift’s sixth studio album ‘Reputation’, which Jack Antonoff co-wrote and produced five songs on, was nominated for the Grammy Award for “Best Pop Vocal Album”, is 3x platinum in the US and has over 5 million sales worldwide.

With Taylor Swift, Jack Antonoff co-wrote the US Number 1 ‘Look What You Made Me Do’ and ‘I Don’t Wanna Live Forever’ by Zayn and Taylor Swift, which featured as the Soundtrack to the 2017 film ‘Fifty Shades Darker’. Both of these singles reaching 4x platinum in the US and platinum in the UK.

The Catalogue also includes Sara Bareilles’ 3x US platinum ‘Brave’, Lorde’s ‘Green Light’ which is certified platinum in both the US and UK and Rachael Platten’s US platinum certified ‘Stand By You’.

Jack Antonoff has received significant critical acclaim, being nominated for 11 Grammy Awards, winning his fourth for his co-writing on the title track of St. Vincent’s fifth studio album ‘Masseducation’.  “Masseducation” along with Fun’s “Some Nights”, Taylor Swift’s “1989”, Lorde’s “Melodrama”, and Lana Del Ray’s “Norman Rockwell” are amongst the most critically acclaimed albums of their time. 

The co-owned Catalogue comprises the worldwide publishing and writer share of performance income for 188 songs including Jack Antonoff’s award winning and multi-platinum work with Fun., Taylor Swift, Sara Bareilles and Lorde amongst others. Hipgnosis’ share of the Catalogue will be allocated to the C Shares.

Jack Antonoff is represented by Tyler Childs at Forward Artist Management and Gillian Bar of Carroll Guido Groffman Cohen Bar & Karalian, LLP. 

Merck Mercuriadis, Founder of The Family (Music) Limited and Hipgnosis Songs Fund Limited, said: 

“I consider Jack to be amongst the most elite creators of our time. The songs he has co-created with Fun, Taylor Swift, Lorde, St. Vincent and Lana Del Ray are sublime and the very best in pop music with integrity.  It’s a great privilege to welcome Jack and Tyler into the Hipgnosis Songs family and we are very excited to be working together.”

Jack Antonoff and his manager Tyler Childs said:

“It’s an honor to partner with the Hipgnosis Songs family. Merck and his team have a great reverence for the craft of songwriting and have created a home where artistic integrity is at the forefront. We look forward to this new chapter.”