Music rights deals are booming and that looks set to continue

With tours on hiatus, musicians are looking for new ways to make cash, writes James Moore

Harvesting his back catalogue: Neil Young sold a 50% stake for an estimated $150m (AP)

Has music’s multimillion-dollar back catalogue money-go-round started to slow?

The London-listed Hipgnosis Songs Fund started the new year with a blast, spending an estimated $150m (£108m) for a 50 per cent stake in the rights to 1,180 songs written by Neil Young. Hipgnosis also struck deals with Shakira, Fleetwood Mac guitarist Lindsey Buckingham and producer Jimmy Iovine.

With money-spinning tours on hiatus, deals like these enjoyed a mini-boom in 2020.