MERCK BUYS ANOTHER CATALOG

Merck Mercuriadis has splashed out again with his Hipgnosis Songs Fund acquiring the catalog of British hitmakers, TMS. The deal includes 10 Top 5 U.K. singles and five #1s performed by the likes of Jess Glynne, Little Mix, Emeli Sandé and Paloma Faith.

Hipgnosis has acquired a 100% interest in 121 songs, except for the writers’ share of performance income. TMS is the songwriter and production trio of Thomas “Froe” Barnes, Benjamin Kohn and Peter “Merf” Keller.

Their songs have appeared on 13 Top 5 U.K. albums, including seven #1s. The catalog includes “Don’t Be So Hard On Yourself” for Glynne, “Wings” and “DNA” for Little Mix, “Read All About It (Part 3)” for Sandé, “Changing” for Sigma f/Paloma Faith, “You’re Nobody Till Somebody Loves You” for James Arthur, and the global Top 10 hit, “Me, Myself & I” by G-Eazy and Bebe Rexha. The deal joins other recent buys, which include a 37.5% interest in the catalog of Bernard Edwards and 214 songs by Poo Bear.

Mercuriadis, Founder of The Family (Music) Limited and Hipgnosis Songs Fund, said, “Froe, Ben and Murf are highly intelligent songwriters that make terrific pop music. They have played a key role in developing the careers of Jess Glynne, Emeli Sandé, Little Mix and James Arthur, amongst others.”

“Having watched what Merck, Nile and Hipgnosis have been building, we’re extremely impressed by all they’ve achieved in a very short space of time,” TMS said. “The catalogs already acquired speak volumes about their ambition and it’s nice to know that our songs will be sitting in some very esteemed company.”