Well, why not?
Now Mick Fleetwood has sold the rights to his recorded catalog to BMG. He follows bandmates Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Byckingham, who’ve sold the rights to their catalogs.
With touring paused for possibly two years, the members and former members of the Mac need money to maintain their lifestyles. They’re all in their 70s.
Mick Fleetwood is a drummer, and never wrote the band’s biggest hits. But he has a stake in them, certainly, as the namesake of the band. He’s the most senior member of the band, followed by former married couple Christine and John McVie. The latter wrote a lot of the hits. We should be getting an announcement about them pretty soon.
The press release reads below. Who knows what this means for dead Mac-ers Bob Welch, Peter Green and Danny Kirwan, who wrote the band’s original hits?
from the release:
The deal gives BMG Fleetwood’s royalty interest in over 300 recordings including all of Fleetwood Mac’s biggest hits including ‘Dreams’, ‘The Chain’, ‘Go Your Own Way’, and ‘Landslide’ from albums including Fleetwood Mac (1975), Rumours (1977) and Tango In The Night (1987). It includes Fleetwood’s interest in all of their recorded work apart from their first two albums.
It means BMG will participate in the proceeds of the global viral success of ‘Dreams’ on TikTok which became a worldwide sensation generating over 3.2 billion streams globally (during an eight-week period September 24 to November 19, 2020). The song generated 182 million streams, 126k downloads, 2.8 billion TikTok views, and sold upwards of 86k albums in the US in 2020. The moment captured a new generation of fans, while its contagious vibes spread across the globe engraining it as a defining moment of 2020 and propelled Rumours into the charts worldwide, reaching number six on Billboard’s Streaming Songs chart 43 years after its release.
The acquisition also strengthens an ongoing relationship which includes the theatrical, record and mediabook release of Mick Fleetwood & Friends, 2020’s tribute event to legendary guitarist Peter Green and the early years of Fleetwood Mac, including performances by stars such as Steven Tyler, Christine McVie, Neil Finn, Noel Gallagher and Pete Townshend.
BMG CEO Hartwig Masuch said, “Mick Fleetwood is the bedrock of one of the greatest bands in rock, he has a unique talent to bring together musicians of all genres and of course he is one of rock’s greatest drummers. BMG is proud to represent his greatest work and excited about the forthcoming launch of Mick Fleetwood & Friends.”
Mick Fleetwood said, “This is a wonderfully inspiring marriage between two creative partners that understand all aspects of the business. Foremost, BMG understands the artistry and puts the artist first. If this partnership is any indication of my past, and now future, working relationship with BMG, it’s that they truly ‘get it’.”
