Another day, another A-list catalog sale.
BMG has acquired Fleetwood Mac co-founder Mick Fleetwood’s interests in the band’s recordings, the company announced Thursday (Jan. 14). The deal gives BMG Fleetwood’s royalty interest in over 300 recordings, including Fleetwood Mac hits including “Dreams,” “The Chain,” “Go Your Own Way” and “Landslide.” It excludes the band’s recorded work from their first two albums.
The deal is particularly lucrative following the viral success of “Dreams” on TikTok, where the song racked up 2.8 billion views and led to a streaming and sales bonanza for the more than four-decade-old hit and its attendant album Rumours. In the wake of the viral TikTok clip, the song racked up 182 million streams and sold 126,000 downloads, while Rumours moved over 86,000 albums in the U.S. in 2020 and was propelled back into the top 10 on the Billboard 200. In the process, the band garnered a legion of new, younger fans.
The sale was brokered by Fleetwood’s manager Carl Stubner of Shelter Music Group.
“This is a wonderfully inspiring marriage between two creative partners that understand all aspects of the business,” said Fleetwood in a statement. “Foremost, BMG understands the artistry and puts the artist first. If this partnership is any indication of my past, and now future, working relationship with BMG, it’s that they truly ‘get it’.”
Today’s deal bolsters Fleetwood’s existing relationship with BMG, which has the rights to the theatrical, record and mediabook release of the 2020 all-star concert event Mick Fleetwood & Friends, which celebrated Fleetwood Mac founding guitarist Peter Green and the band’s early years.
“Mick Fleetwood is the bedrock of one of the greatest bands in rock, he has a unique talent to bring together musicians of all genres and of course he is one of rock’s greatest drummers,” said BMG CEO Hartwig Masuch in a statement. “BMG is proud to represent his greatest work and excited about the forthcoming launch of Mick Fleetwood & Friends.”
“This acquisition highlights the value of timeless recordings in a streaming market which is increasingly benefitting established rather than newer artists,” added BMG executive vp group strategy and M&A Justus Haerder. “While recent acquisition activity in the music market has focused on music publishing, this is a pure recorded investment which will get the full benefit of streaming growth. Catalogues such as Fleetwood Mac’s which connect with every generation are benefiting disproportionately from that growth.”
The sale of Fleetwood’s recorded music rights marks the third time in less than two months that a member of Fleetwood Mac has sold all or part of their catalogs to music companies hungry for acquisitions. In December, Stevie Nicks struck a wide-ranging partnership with Primary Wave that included a joint venture deal and the sale of a majority stake in her publishing copyrights. Earlier this month, Lindsey Buckingham sold 100% of his writer’s and publisher’s share of his 161-song catalog to Hipgnosis.
