UK’s most streamed song – the 4th most streamed song in history – acquired by Hipgnosis as part of TMS song catalogue

01 February 2023 - Press release

 

Hipgnosis Song Management (“Hipgnosis” or the “Company”), which offers investors a pure-play exposure to songs and associated intellectual property rights, is pleased to announce the company’s acquisition of a song catalogue from TMS, the British songwriting and record production trio of Tom ‘Froe’ Barnes, Benjamin Kohn and Pete ‘Merf’ Kelleher. 

Hipgnosis has acquired a 100% interest in publishing copyrights (including the writer’s share of performance), producer royalty streams and neighbouring rights for 217 Songs in the TMS catalogue, including multi-award winning Songs Someone You Loved and Before you Go which were hits for Lewis Capaldi and Don’t Be So Hard On Yourself for Jess Glynne. 

Lewis Capaldi’s Someone You Loved is 7 times Platinum in the UK and is the UK’s most played Song of all time on Spotify. It is also the fourth most streamed Song ever on Spotify globally having been played over 2.6 billion times.  Released in November 2018 it has had a remarkable journey, reaching UK Number One slot in March 2019 where it remained for seven weeks.  It spent three weeks at Number One in the US Billboard Hot 100 and over six months in the European Airplay Top 40 Chart.  The UK Official Charts Company named it the biggest single of 2019. The Song has won numerous awards including Song of the Year at both The Brits and the ASCAP London Music Awards, Best Song of 2019 and Most Played Song at the Global Awards, BBC Teen Song of the Year and Q Awards’ Best Track.

The acquisition has been made on behalf of Hipgnosis Songs Capital, a partnership between Hipgnosis Song Management and funds managed by Blackstone.  Hipgnosis Song Management has previously acquired 121 compositions by TMS on behalf of Hipgnosis Songs Fund Ltd, including compositions recorded by G-Eazy, Sigma and Emeli Sandé. The writers share of those songs is included in this latest acquisition.

 

The trio have co-written records for a host of artists including Lewis Capaldi, Dua Lipa, John Legend, Marroon 5, Ed Sheeran, Lily Allenand Bebe Rexha, among others.  They have collectively had twenty top 10 singles, sold over 15 million records, accumulated over 5 billion streams and have contributed to over fifty top 40 albums.

 

Hipgnosis now co-owns 90 of the 356 Songs in Spotify’s Billions Club of Songs played over one billion times on the platform with 81 in the Hipgnosis Songs Fund and 17 in Hipgnosis Songs Capital (8 Songs are partly owned by each).

TMS were represented by Paul Centellas at North Pole Management and Sonia Diwan at Sound Advice.

Merck Mercuriadis, Chief Executive and Founder of Hipgnosis Song Management, said:

“Froe, Ben, Merf and their manager Paul Centellas have been an important part of the Hipgnosis family for many years now so it’s fantastic that we’ve been able to continue our relationship with this new acquisition including what will undoubtedly be a contender for song of the decade with Lewis Capaldi’s iconic Someone You Loved.”  

Tom ‘Froe’ Barnes, Benjamin Kohn and Pete ‘Merf’ Kelleher (TMS) said: 

“We’re incredibly proud of this body of work and know Merck and the family at Hipgnosis will be excellent custodians of these copyrights in future. It’s incredible to see what they’ve built in just a few short years and we know they’ll continue to represent these songs with passion and commitment.”  

 

Paul Centellas, Managing Director, North Pole Management said:

“Nobody is doing more to elevate the standing and value of the songwriter than Merck and the team at Hipgnosis, so we’re very happy to entrust them with these incredible copyrights and look forward to working with them across various initiatives to ensure the songwriter is properly valued and remunerated in future. Without songwriters, there is no music business.”