Kenny Chesney Sells His Music Catalog: ‘How These Songs Live Going Forward is Critical’

Hipgnosis Song Management has acquired Kenny Chesney’s music catalog for an undisclosed amount. 

According to a press release, the sale includes 80% of Chesney’s recorded music royalties and covers the superstar’s discography from his critically acclaimed 1994 debut In My Wildest Dreams through 2017’s Live in No Shoes Nation. His catalog includes 22 albums, 15 of which are certified Platinum, including five multi-Platinum certifications, and 20 of which are certified Gold. His catalog includes nine No. 1 all-genre Billboard 200 albums, 17 No. 1 Billboard Country Albums and 18 Top 10 Billboard Country albums.

“Kenny Chesney is one of the truly great American artists. He has been bringing joy to music fans all over the world for almost 30 years,” Merck Mercuriadis, founder of Hipgnosis Song Management share in a statement. ”His incredible success of more than 30 million records sold including nine No. 1 albums on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart and 17 No. 1 albums on Billboard’s Country chart tells you everything you need to know. Add in his unparalleled success as a touring artist and the juggernaut that is No Shoes Radio, and you realize Kenny is genuinely a phenomenon. It’s a pleasure and a privilege to welcome Kenny and Clint to the Hipgnosis Songs family, and we are delighted to launch our new Blackstone-backed fund with this landmark acquisition.”

“To know that this music has a home that views the work as a collective body, something that builds on itself and captures the heart of No Shoes Nation, was important to me,” Chesney said. ”How these songs live going forward is critical, and I believe Merck has the best interests of not just the recordings but the people who love them as his driving interest. For the people who love these songs and albums, this is a scenario that allows the music to grow and reflect who those of us living inside these songs truly are.”

“Kenny has put his life into amassing the collected body of work contained here, and it’s something we have all taken very seriously throughout his unprecedented career,” Clint Higham, Chesney’s longtime manager, said. ”There is no deal that is more important than protecting the legacy of these songs. Working with Merck and his team to secure this deal, we found people who are as serious about the recordings as we are, and that suggests there is an incredible future for Kenny’s recorded music through the Hipgnosis team.”

This marks the first acquisition made by Hipgnosis Song Management since its recently announced partnership with Blackstone to acquire music rights and manage catalogs.

With a catalog of 17 studio albums, two live multi-disc recordings and three greatest hits compilations, Chesney has been one of American music’s definitive and most prolific voices of the last two decades. 

Also included in this acquisition are his future Greatest Hits, Live and/or Acoustic albums as well as Sound Exchange and Neighboring Rights royalties for every album in Chesney’s catalog, including two additional No.1 1 albums, 2018’s Songs for the Saints and 2020’s Here and Now. This deal signals the ongoing relationship with the star, whose songs reflect the coming of age in middle-America during the 21st Century.

Chesney has sold over 30 million albums worldwide, with 34 No. 1s on Country Songs charts; including 20 multiple week chart-toppers on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart with the seven-week No. 1s “The Good Stuff” and “There Goes My Life,” the six-week No. 1 “How Forever Feels” and the five-week No. 1s “When The Sun Goes Down,” “Never Wanted Nothing More” and “Summertime.”