On Jan 26, pop singer Justin Bieber closed a deal with Hipgnosis Songs Capital, selling all of his songs for $200 million. This deal became the largest rights sale for any artist this generation, as well as this company’s biggest deal. 

This deal encompasses  Bieber’s 290 titles, including his most recent album, “Justice.” Bieber’s success throughout his fame makes this considered a safe investment, especially due to his hit single “Baby” which was produced towards the beginning of his fame, and because he has charted eight number-one albums on the billboard 200. 

Bieber first met the public eye on YouTube in 2007, and his first album, “My World 2.0,” was released in 2010. Since then, he has been nominated for 23 Grammy Awards. He continues to produce albums, with his latest being released on March 19, 2021. Bieber planned to go on tour, most recently for his latest album but postponed it several times due to the COVID-19 pandemic and his struggles with Ramsay Hunt Syndrome, which caused facial paralysis. 

The company now owns all of the publishing rights, the rights to the original song and the rights to publicly perform a sound recording. They also own artist royalties, which are typically 10-25% of the suggested retail price for top-line albums. On the other hand, the original recordings of a song will stay in the ownership of the Universal Music Group.

Bieber’s catalog has nearly 82 million monthly listeners, as well as north of 30 billion streams on Spotify. He has sold over 150 million records and all of his studio-long plays have been certified either platinum or multi-platinum.

Hipgnosis’s investments consist of older stars, including Leonard Cohen, singer and songwriter of the big hit “Hallelujah.” The Red Hot Chili Peppers sold their publishing rights to Hipgnosis for $140 million. The company owns 100% of the Chainsmokers’ interest, and they own all of Shakira and Neil Young’s catalogs.

 This acquisition is among some of the biggest deals ever made for an artist under 70.