Shakira sells music rights to all her songs
Hipgnosis Songs Fund Limited has acquired 100% of Shakira’s music publishing rights, including publishing and writer’s share of income, of her entire catalog, comprising 145 songs, the company announced.
Since releasing her first album in 1991, recorded when she was just 13, Shakira has sold over 80 million records, making her the bestselling female Latin artist of all time, according to the announcement. She has been awarded three Grammy Awards and 12 Latin Grammy Awards, and is one of only three female artists to have two videos exceeding two billion views on YouTube.
The Lebanese-Colombian singer, born Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, rose to fame behind her multiplatinum debut international album, “Pies Descalzos,” in 1995. A series of multiplatinum Spanish-language albums followed, with her first album in English, “Laundry Service,” arriving in 2001. It sold more than 13 million copies worldwide. Her hits include “Whenever, Wherever,” “Underneath Your Clothes,” “Que Me Quedes Tú,” “Hips Don’t Lie” — which was her first U.S. No. 1 single — the 2010 Fifa World Cup song “Waka Waka (This Time For Africa),” which topped the charts in 15 countries, and many others. She also performed alongside Jennifer Lopez during the 2020 Super Bowl Halftime show.
Shakira was represented by her manager, Jaime Levine, and lawyers David Lande and Mitch Tenzer at Ziffren Brittenham Law LLP.
The move follows Hipgnosis’ acquisition last week of catalogs from Neil Young, Fleetwood Mac veteran Lindsey Buckingham and producer/executive Jimmy Iovine.
Observers expected the already white-hot song-catalog market to heat up even more in the waning weeks of the Trump Administration — president-elect Joe Biden’s administration is projected to raise capital-gains taxes — and it has certainly done so. Last month, Bob Dylan sold his entire publishing catalog for a reported sum of nearly $400 million to Universal Music Publishing.
Merck Mercuriadis, Founder of The Family (Music) Limited and Hipgnosis Songs Fund Limited, said:“One step at a time, this incredible woman from Colombia has evolved into one of the most famous and influential people in the world. What no one should ever take for granted is that she is one of the most serious and successful songwriters of the last 25 years, having written or co-written virtually every song she has ever recorded. She is a superb creator who has led the charge from what was massive physical success to now having bigger success in streaming than most of her contemporaries. This is the result of her being a determined force of nature and having written songs the world is incredibly passionate about. It’s wonderful for us to welcome, Shakira, the Queen of Latin Music and much more, to the Hipgnosis family.”
Shakira said, “Being a songwriter is an accomplishment that I consider equal to and perhaps even greater than being a singer and an artist. At 8 years old—long before I sang—I wrote to make sense of the world. Each song is a reflection of the person I was at the time that I wrote it, but once a song is out in the world, it belongs not only to me but to those who appreciate it as well. I’m humbled that songwriting has given me the privilege of communicating with others, of being a part of something bigger than myself. I know Hipgnosis will be a great home for my catalogue—and I’m so happy to partner with this company led by Merck, who truly values artists and their creations and is an ally to songwriters everywhere who care deeply about the continued life of their songs.”