HIPGNOSIS' LATEST DEAL ROCKS

Hipgnosis Songs Fund and its investment adviser The Family (Music) Limited has acquired a catalog from legendary producer Bob Rock.

The haul comprises 43 songs and includes 100% of Rock's producer rights for Metallica's 1991 Metallica (commonly known as The Black Album) and Michael Bublé's Call Me Irresponsible, Crazy Love, To Be Loved and seasonal smash Christmas.

Rock started his collaboration with Metallica in 1990, co-producing their U.S. diamond-certified (16x platinum) self-titled album. It was arguably the pivotal moment in Metallica’s evolution and, as one of the bestselling albums of the last 30 years, inarguably launched the band into mainstream global superstardom.

Songs by Metallica have been streamed more than seven billion times.

A longtime Bublé collaborator, Rock produced To Be Loved in its entirety, along with key tracks on Call Me Irresponsible, Crazy Love and Christmas. Christmas alone has sold more than 12m units worldwide. Streamed more than 5 billion times, it was the highest-charting holiday album of the 2020 season.

Said Rock, who was represented in the deal by manager Bruce Allen and barrister Mark L. Kovinsky, "I put my heart and soul into these recordings. I know how much Merck loves music, so it was an easy deal to put together."

Hipgnosis founder Mercuriadis commented, "The breadth of Bob Rock’s enormous success is almost impossible to match by any creator in the history of music. From Metallica’s most famous Black Album to Michael Bublé’s Christmas, he has produced some of the biggest albums of all time, which continue to be evergreen year in and year out. Bob is very special and as a fellow Canadian, it is a pleasure to welcome him and his incredible productions to the Hipgnosis family."