Lindsey Buckingham Just Sold His Publishing Rights

Including His Unreleased Material

Lindsey Buckingham has sold his publishing rights to Merck Mercuriadis’ London-based Hipgnosis Songs Fund Limited – this news came a few hours after Hipgnosis acquired Jimmy Iovine’s production catalog. Not only has Hipgnosis acquired Buckingham’s catalog of 161 songs but also 100% of his writer and publisher share in Fleetwood Mac hits including the classic tunes “Go Your Own Way” and “The Chain” plus 50% of his unreleased compositions.

The company previously owned 25% of the rights via their acquisition of music publishing titan Kobalt for $323m in September.

Mercuriadis said in a statement, “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.”

Buckingham added, “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.”

The price and terms have not been disclosed. Last year, Buckingham’s former Fleetwood Mac bandmate Stevie Nicks sold 80% of her catalog to Primary Wave for a reported $100 million.