Stevie Nicks Sells a Share of Her Publishing Rights for $100 Million

[UnwindedDreams]

Maybe she's closing on a place in Maui. She is so wealthy.

Does this sale have anything to do with getting her Rhiannon film/television series done?

[HomerMcvie]

Originally Posted by mitzo

Didn't Christine sell her songs off years ago?

Yes. For 34 million(dollars or pounds), if memory serves.

[Jondalar]

She is probably selling most of the rights because she is old and wants the money now before she dies. Her songs are a long term investment. They plan on making money from them over a long period time, decades. Stevie is cashing in while she is still alive. It also looks likes she didn’t sell all the rights. Just 80%. So she didn’t sell everything. 100 million is a lot of money for songs that over 30 or 40 years old. Christine sold her rights decades ago.

[Jondalar]

Stevie Nicks Sells Publishing Stake to Primary Wave Music


Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac performs onstage during the 2018 iHeartRadio Music Festival at T-Mobile Arena on September 21, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images for iHeartMedia
Legendary singer-songwriter and Fleetwood Mac frontwoman Stevie Nicks has struck a new and far-reaching partnership with Primary Wave Music Publishing, which spans a joint venture, majority stake in her copyrights and more, the company announced Friday (Dec. 4).

Under the deal, Primary Wave will acquire a majority stake in Nicks' publishing copyrights, as well as her name and likeness, partnering with Kobalt on administration for the catalog. That includes solo hits like "Edge of Seventeen" and "Stand Back," along with Fleetwood Mac classics such as "Landslide" and "Dreams" -- the last of which recently enjoyed a TikTok-fueled resurgence, landing Nicks atop Billboard's Hot 100 Songwriters chart.

Additionally, Primary Wave will represent Nicks in brand alliance and brand marketing opportunities, and offer the artist access to its marketing, branding, Broadway, film and television, digital strategy, licensing and synch teams. Finally, the deal also calls for a strategic publishing alliance that will allow Nicks to sign new songwriters to a joint venture.

"To say we’re excited to welcome the incredible Stevie Nicks to the Primary Wave family would be a dramatic understatement," said Primary Wave founder/CEO Larry Mestel in a statement. "If Primary Wave were starting our company today, Stevie Nicks would be one of the shining pillars, a true legend among legends."

"She is a groundbreaking artist," he continued, "and the longevity of her iconic career comes from writing songs, instantly recognizable and critically acclaimed, that stand the test of time."

Over the course of her career, the 72-year-old Nicks has earned five Grammy Award nominations and a win for album of the year (Rumours) as part of Fleetwood Mac, as well as another eight Grammy nominations as a solo artist. She is the only woman to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice: First in 1998 as a member of Fleetwood Mac, and again last year as a solo artist.

Nicks' longtime manager Sheryl Louis and attorney Jamie Young negotiated the deal.

The announcement comes as Joe Biden's win in the U.S. presidential election has some songwriters scrambling to sell their publishing rights. Biden has proposed increasing the top federal tax rate on capital gains from 20% to 40%, and such a change would raise tax bills for songwriters selling major catalogs considerably. Meanwhile, this year has seen unprecedented publishing deal prices -- as songwriters look for another source of revenue amid the pandemic and investors view publishing as a stable investment at an uncertain time.

Indeed, 2020 has seen a surge in sales of major catalogs. Calvin Harris sold his publishing catalog to Vine Alternative Investments for an estimated more than $90 million; The Killers sold their pre-2020 song catalog to holding company Eldridge; and Primary Wave spent multiple millions to acquire a majority stake in Ray Charles' pre-1964 publishing catalog, while Hipgnosis Songs Fund has been behind upwards of 15 major publishing deals this year, including the catalogs of Bon Jovi's Richie Sambora, Mark Ronson, RedOne and Blondie's Debbie Harry and Chris Stein, and its $322 million acquisition last month of 33,000 songs from Kobalt Music Copyrights Fund 1.

Billboard Pro subscribers can learn more about this year's publishing deal binge in the new "Songs For Sale" Deep Dive here and corresponding Spotlight virtual event here.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bil...ary-wave-music

[bombaysaffires]

Originally Posted by HomerMcvie

Yes. For 34 million(dollars or pounds), if memory serves.

I hope for her sake it was pounds.

Stevie can't possibly need $100 million to ensure her comfort and care in her elderly years. If she doesn't have enough to live on until she dies already I'd be pretty shocked... Did LB sell his catalogue? Was she able to get more for hers? Old petty competitions never really die....

[HomerMcvie]

Originally Posted by bombaysaffires

I hope for her sake it was pounds.

Stevie can't possibly need $100 million to ensure her comfort and care in her elderly years. If she doesn't have enough to live on until she dies already I'd be pretty shocked... Did LB sell his catalogue? Was she able to get more for hers? Old petty competitions never really die....

Yeah, but $tevie needs a STAFF. Can you imagine how many people it requires to take care of her?

I can only imagine that Christine would hate a staff, and probably only have one assistant in her life. I'm just guessing, though. Just basing it on their personalities. One needy AF. One not.

[The Catdancer]

She's just a sell out. Like she needs the money

[BombaySapphire3]

Originally Posted by bombaysaffires

I hope for her sake it was pounds.

Stevie can't possibly need $100 million to ensure her comfort and care in her elderly years. If she doesn't have enough to live on until she dies already I'd be pretty shocked....

Right but again she believes that she is going to live into the triple digits so in her deluded mind she is going to need it for the next three decades at least.

[Jondalar]

It was a smart move on her behalf. Biden is going to double the tax rate. Many artists are scrambling to sell their rights before he takes office.

[HomerMcvie]

Originally Posted by Jondalar

It was a smart move on her behalf. Biden is going to double the tax rate. Many artists are scrambling to sell their rights before he takes office.

You know, I'd never even considered that. I would be shocked if $he would be smart enough to think of that.

No doubt it was probably Irving's idea.

[Jondalar]

Originally Posted by HomerMcvie

You know, I'd never even considered that. I would be shocked if $he would be smart enough to think of that.

No doubt it was probably Irving's idea.

See the article posted above. The United States is about to be taxed to death.

[goyourownway]

Originally Posted by bombaysaffires

Reminds me of Carrie Fisher's joke about having (unwittingly) sold rights to her likeness to George Lucas as part of the first Star Wars movie... and then seeing herself as a shampoo bottle where the top was her head that you screwed off to use the shampoo, or as a Pez dispenser where you tilted her head back and the Pez candy came out of her neck. She further joked that every time she looked in the mirror she had to pay Lucas a dollar in royalties.

Ha! Yes. “Lather up with Leia and feel like a princess yourself!”

[Macfan4life]

Remember when McCartney sold his or the Beatles and Michael Jackson bought the rights and used them for quick cash sell out for commercials. McCartney hated that and wanted to buy them back. It was the end of their relationship.

So who can come up with clever commercial jingles out of Stevie songs.


Best Buy Best Buy
In the middle of your living room you need a new TV set
Its all right its all right
To be standing in the black Friday line
Standing in that line


Well maybe you've been concerned if your house is all on fire
Every time that you walk through those rooms
There are assets all around you
That you do know yourself
We've known this much longer than we've known you
Maybe its time to call Allstate insurance

[sue]

Originally Posted by Jondalar

Nobody said it was. It’s in the article.

As you say it’s in the article
That’s the exact reason she s made the deal...20% to 40% tax hike, big difference, when you’re talking of 100million..
She has advisers to explain how to handle her great wealth, she won’t have thought this up...

[bombaysaffires]

Originally Posted by Macfan4life

Remember when McCartney sold his or the Beatles and Michael Jackson bought the rights and used them for quick cash sell out for commercials. McCartney hated that and wanted to buy them back. It was the end of their relationship.

So who can come up with clever commercial jingles out of Stevie songs.


Best Buy Best Buy
In the middle of your living room you need a new TV set
Its all right its all right
To be standing in the black Friday line
Standing in that line


Well maybe you've been concerned if your house is all on fire
Every time that you walk through those rooms
There are assets all around you
That you do know yourself
We've known this much longer than we've known you
Maybe its time to call Allstate insurance

This reminds me of the thread where we re-wrote FM lyrics to all be about passing gas. There was a some real talent there.

These are good, but I've made a small tweak:

Best Buy Best Buy
In the middle of your living room you need a new TV set
Well....Its all right its all right
To be standing in the black Friday line
Standing in that line