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In its third major acquisition of the week, Hipgnosis Songs has acquired 50% of Neil Young’s worldwide copyright and income interests in his entire song catalog, which comprises 1,180 songs, including such hits as “Only Love Can Break Your Heart,” “Helpless,” “Hey Hey My My (Into the Black),” “Ohio,” “Old Man,” “Mr. Soul,” “Like a Hurricane,” “Rockin’ in the Free World,” and many others.

The Canadian singer-songwriter released his first song in 1963 as a member of a group called the Squires and has released new material nearly every year since then, solo and as a member of Buffalo Springfield, Crazy Horse and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. While precise numbers are hazy, given his sprawling catalog and frequent release of archival material, over the past six decades he has issued nearly 50 studio albums and more than 20 live albums, of which 18 are certified gold, seven are platinum and three are multi-platinum.

While terms of Young’s deal with Hipgnosis were not disclosed, an industry source tells Variety the sum is approximately $50 million (although a second source disputed that number), with Young having approval over synch usage. The latter point is likely key for an artist of Young’s notoriously strong-willed nature, and means that the lyrics to his 1989 song “This Note’s for You” can continue to hold true (“Ain’t singin’ for Pepsi/ Ain’t singin’ for Coke/ I don’t sing for nobody/ Makes me look like a joke”). A rep for Young did not immediately respond to Variety’s request for comment.

The move not only follows Hipgnosis’ acquisition this week of catalogs from Fleetwood Mac veteran Lindsey Buckingham and producer/executive Jimmy Iovine, it comes less than a month after Bob Dylan sold his entire...00 million to Universal Music Publishing.

more behind the source link. Also, a Lindsey Buckingham thread about the same thing.

Copying Dylan as always.

Looks like they're all getting on and fearing corona-chan, might as well cash up now.