Hipgnosis Acquires Timbaland Catalog, Including Five Justin Timberlake Studio Albums

Music IP investment company Hipgnosis has closed one of its biggest deals to date, acquiring the complete catalog of multiple Grammy-winning hit-maker Timbaland.

“Ask any of today’s greatest creators who their biggest influences are and the one name that appears on everybody’s list is Timbaland”, said Hipgnosis founder Merck Mercuriadis announcing the deal, which sees the Guensey-registered company pick up 100% of Timbaland’s producer royalties for every record he’s ever worked on.

That includes all six of Missy Elliot’s albums, as well as the five Justin Timberlake studio albums that Timbaland — real name Timothy Zachary Mosley — co-produced and which have collectively sold more than 32 million copies worldwide, according to Hipgnosis.

The two-time Grammy winner also co-wrote and co-produced Nelly Furtado’s 2006 album Loose, the singer’s first studio set to top the Billboard 200, which went on to sell more than 12 million copies worldwide. The album spawned two U.S. No. 1 singles: “Promiscuous” and “Say It Right”.

Also included in the deal are songs Timbaland’s produced for Aaliyah, Jay-Z, 50 Cent, Madonna, Tupac Shakur, Rihanna, OneRepublic and Drake, as well as his solo work, including 2007’s LP Shock Value, which contained the U.S. No. 1 “Give It to Me” featuring Nelly Furtado and Justin Timberlake.

Terms were not disclosed for the deal, which Hipgnosis says covers 108 albums and songs. Paying tribute to Timbaland, Mercuriadis said his “records with Aaliyah, Jay-Z, Missy Elliot, Nelly Furtado and Justin Timberlake, amongst many others, are iconic and will be remembered forever”.

Billboard