Shakira don become di latest artist to sell di rights to her music for multi-million dollar sum.
All her 145 songs, including Hips Don’t Lie, Whenever, Wherever and She Wolf, dey included for di deal.
Di songs don make her di best-selling female Latin artist of all time, wit 80 million records she don sell worldwide.
She strike di deal wit di Hipgnosis Song Fund, wey recently buy Blondie and Neil Young’s music.
- Who be Tunde Ednut and wetin fit make Instagram ban am twice?
- Adekunle Gold, Simi gist inside dia two year old marriage
Hipgnosis company no disclose di financial details of di deal, but e dey always pay di equivalent of 15 years’ royalties up front.
Wit di tax money dem don already pay, many of di artists dey always waka wit “about 25 years worth of money at once, di owner of di company, Merck Mercuriadis, tell BBC last year.
Dis dey provide di artists wit immediate financial security, while Hipgnosis – wey go later get di songs go dey hope to profit as e go dey plan to make new profit streams for di music through film and TV licensing, merchandise, cover versions and performance royalties.
Why Shakira?
Hipgnosis don dey spend billion of dollars for some years now as e dey buy di rights to music from artists like Nile Rodgers, Blondie, Barry Manilow, Chrissie Hynde and Fleetwood Mac’s Lindsey Buckingham.
Shakira na one of di most successful singer – songwriters of di last 25 years.
Since she release her first album for 1991, at di age of 13, she don sell more dan 80 million records, don win three Grammy Awards and 12 Latin Grammy Awards.
Over 13 million fans buy her first English-language album, Laundry Service for 2001. Her hit singles wey include Whenever, Wherever, Underneath Your Clothes, Hips Don’t Lie and the 2010 Fifa World Cup song Waka Waka (This Time For Africa), top di charts for 15 kontris.
Di star most recent album, El Dorado, dey certified diamond for di US. She be one of di only three female artists to get two videos wey pass two billion views on YouTube. And her latest single, Girl Like Me, bin catch fire for one viral dance craze on Tik Tok.
Last year, she show for di Super Bowl half-time show alongside Jennifer Lopez, wey give her song catalogue anoda ginger and increase di value to investors.
“She be superb creator wey don create big success in streaming her songs pass most of her colleagues,” Mercuriadis tok inside statement.
“Dis na di result of her being a determined force of nature and don write songs wey di world like well-well.”
Why are all these artists dey sell dia music?
Financial security na di obvious reason. Rather dan to dey gamble say dia songs go continue earn royalties, for di next 25 years, singers like Shakira get big money up-front.
Wetin Hipgnosis dey tell musicians na say dem no be traditional publisher, wey go dey exploit di rights of a composition, but dem be “song management company” wey go ensure legacy of artist by careful stewardship of dia music.
After dem buy 50% take in Neil Young catalogue, for example, Mercuriadis promise say di singer classic track Heart of Gold no go ever dey burger commercial.
Hipgnosis no be di only company for di game. Earlier dis week, investment company KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) buy di rights to 500 songs wey Ryan Tedder – write including tracks like Ed Sheeran’s Happier, Camila Cabello’s Into It and di Jonas Brothers’ Sucker.
Bob Dylan recently hand over im 600-song back catalogue to Universal Music, in a deal wey according to report worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
And the US-based Primary Wave don dey buy up di rights to music by Stevie Nicks, Leon Russell, Leo Sayer and soft-rock duo Air Supply.
For Shakira, another reason wey she fit dey sell fit be di €14.5m (£13m) tax bill Spanish goment recently sama her.
So wetin Shakira get to tok inside all dis mata?
For inside statement, di Colombian say Hipgnosis go be “great home” for her music, and to her love for songwriting.
“Being a songwriter na accomplishment wey I consider equal to and perhaps even greater dan being a singer and an artist, ” she tok.
“At eight years old – long before I begin sing – I dey write songs to make sense of di world. Each song na a reflection of di person I be dat time wen I write am, but once one song don come out for di world, E no belong to only me again but to pipo wey dey appreciate am as well.
“I dey humbled say song writing don give me di privilege of communicating wit others, of being a part of something wey dey bigger pass me.”
