Hipgnosis has made its latest big name acquisition, snapping up a catalogue from Fleetwood Mac's Christine McVie.
The band’s 1977 LP Rumours is one of the best-selling albums of all time, having sold over 45 million copies worldwide. Five of the album’s 11 songs were written by McVie, who also penned six songs on 1979's multi-platinum double album Tusk and contributed tracks such as Little Lies and Everywhere to 1987's Tango In The Night, both of which have been streamed over one billion times globally.
As a member of Fleetwood Mac, Lancashire-born McVie was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 1988 and received the BRIT Award for Outstanding Contribution To Music. In addition, she has been awarded a Gold Badge of Merit Award from The Ivors Academy and the Ivor Novello Award for Lifetime Achievement.
Christine McVie is one of the greatest songwriters of all time
Merck Mercuriadis, Hipgnosis
Hipgnosis Songs Fund Limited founder Merck Mercuriadis said: “Christine McVie is one of the greatest songwriters of all time, having guided Fleetwood Mac to almost 150 million albums sold and making them one of the best-selling bands of all time globally. In the last 46 years the band have had three distinct writers and vocalists but Christine’s importance is amply demonstrated by the fact that eight of the 16 songs on the band’s Greatest Hits albums are from Christine."
Hipgnosis acquired a catalogue from Lindsey Buckingham, best known as the lead guitarist and vocalist of Fleetwood Mac, at the beginning of 2021.
"It’s wonderful for us to welcome Christine to the Hipgnosis Family and particularly wonderful to reunite her once again at Hipgnosis with Lindsey Buckingham," said Mercuriadis. "Between Christine and Lindsey we now have 48 of 68 songs on the band’s most successful albums.”
Combined with its acquisition from Buckingham, Hipgnosis now owns the song copyrights and writers' share for seven of 11 songs on Fleetwood Mac, eight of 11 songs on Rumours, 15 of 20 songs on Tusk, nine of 12 songs on Mirage, nine of 12 songs on Tango In The Night, 11 of 16 songs on Greatest Hits, and 12 of 17 songs on The Dance.
McVie, who was represented by business manager Paul Glass at The Colony Group, manager Martin Wyatt and
lawyer Mario González, added: “I am so excited to belong to the Hipgnosis family, and thrilled that you all regard my songs worthy of merit. I’d like to thank you all for your faith in me, and I’ll do all I can to continue this new relationship and help in any way I can! Thank you so much!”
