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Shakira is the latest celebrity to sell the rights to her music

Shakira.-Image-by-Jeff-Lipsky.

Jeff Lipsky

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Shakira has sold her entire publishing catalog to Hipgnosis Song Fund for a multimillion dollar deal. 

Almost 150 songs including “Hips Don’t Lie,” “Whenever,” “Wherever,” and “She Wolf,” are included in the deal. Shakira has sold more than 80 million records worldwide, won three Grammy Awards and 12 Latin Grammy Awards.

“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.” says Shakira who has been topping charts since she was 13 years old.

Hipgnosis Song Fund is a song management company that has intentions to ensure an artist’s legacy by careful stewardship of their music. Hipgnosis has not disclosed any financial details of how much Shakira’s songs were worth but it is believed that acquiring her songs are well into the hundreds of millions. 

The company typically pays the equivalent of 15 years’ royalties up front, so it seems worth it.

More and more artists are selling their music for financial security instead of seeing if their song will continue to earn royalties after the next 5 to 20 years. 

At the moment, there hasn’t been anything reported about whether or not her new single, ‘Girl Like Me’ featuring Black Eyed Peas was acquired, as well.

This may be the new wave in the music industry. After an icon like Shakira has made this move more artists may follow. 

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