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Tag Archives: Fleetwood Mac

Fleetwood Mac, Mick Fleetwood

BMG buys Mick Fleetwood’s Royalties for an array of Fleetwood Mac hits – Including TikTok sensation Dreams

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Music Business Worldwide

Once upon a time – from around 2008 to around 2015 – BMG was arguably the most acquisitive company in the music rights space.

That’s all changed in recent years, with BMG largely retreating from an M&A marketplace that has seen heavily-funded entrants such Hipgnosis Songs Fund, Round Hill, and Primary Wave keep on raising big money… and keep on spending it.

Indeed, MBW understands that it’s been nearly three years since BMG made a large-scale full acquisition in music rights. Instead, the company has switched its focus to organic growth, with positive results: after years of consecutive double-digit increases, BMG half-year revenues rose again to $308m in the first six months of the pandemic-hit 2020.

Today, though, BMG has announced its return to the acquisition table – and shown the music industry that it still has the resources to make serious music buyouts now and again.

Bertelsmann-owned BMG has confirmed that it has outright acquired Mick Fleetwood’s royalty interest in over 300 recordings, including all of Fleetwood Mac’s biggest hits.

An important distinction: this doesn’t mean BMG has acquired the underlying master rights to classic catalog albums like Rumours and Tango In The Night, which are owned by Warner Music Group.

However, it does mean that, from now on, whenever certain records by Fleetwood Mac make money, then BMG makes money. (The BMG acquisition includes Mick Fleetwood’s interest in all of Fleetwood Mac’s recorded works, apart from their first two albums.)

As a result, BMG will participate in the aftermath of the global viral success of Dreamson TikTok, which generated over 3.2 billion views/streams globally during an eight-week period in the second half of 2020.

Other Fleetwood Mac hits covered by the deal include recordings such as The Chain, Go Your Own Way, and Landslide from albums including Fleetwood Mac (1975), Rumours (1977) and Tango In The Night (1987).

Today’s news continues something of a sell-off trend within Fleetwood Mac’s ranks: In December, Stevie Nicks sold an 80% stake in her publishing rights to Primary Wave for around $80m, while earlier this month, Lindsey Buckingham sold 100% of his song rights to Hipgnosis Songs Fund for an undisclosed fee. Continue reading BMG buys Mick Fleetwood’s Royalties for an array of Fleetwood Mac hits – Including TikTok sensation Dreams →

Lindsey Buckingham, Mick Fleetwood, Solo Activity

Hignosis fully acquires Lindsey Buckingham Song Catalog, including 100% writer and publisher share of Fleetwood Mac Hits

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Music Business Worldwide

Hipgnosis Songs Fund isn’t playing as 2021 gets underway.

Just one day after it announced the acquisition of Jimmy Iovine’s production royalties, the Merck Mercuriadis-led entity has confirmed yet another major rights buyout.

This time, Hipgnosis has acquired 100% of Lindsey Buckingham’s publishing rights, including both his publishing and writer’s share, across 161 songs.

Those songs include an array of hits that Buckingham wrote and/or co-wrote for Fleetwood Mac, including Go Your Own Way and The Chain.

Hipgnosis previously acquired a 25% stake in Buckingham’s song catalog via its buyout of a publishing portfolio from Kobalt for $323m in September (announced in November).

As part of its new agreement with Buckingham, announced today (January 5), Hipgnosis also acquires a 50% share of any unreleased compositions.

Today’s news means that the majority of publishing rights for songs penned by two of Fleetwood Mac’s biggest songwriters – Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks – are now owned by modern, highly acquisitive, rights management firms. (Nicks sold 80% of her publishing rights last year to Hipgnosis rival Primary Wave for around $80m.)

Merck Mercuriadis, founder of Hipgnosis Songs Fund Limited, said: “Lindsey Buckingham is one of the greatest guitarists, songwriters and producers of all time yet is still so underrated. His work with Fleetwood Mac has brought the world unparalleled joy over the last 45 years and he belongs in any discussion featuring Brian Wilson and Paul McCartney. It’s wonderful to welcome him and his iconic songs both as a solo artist and with Fleetwood Mac to the Hipgnosis family”. Continue reading Hignosis fully acquires Lindsey Buckingham Song Catalog, including 100% writer and publisher share of Fleetwood Mac Hits →

Fleetwood Mac, Lindsey Buckingham, Mick Fleetwood, UK Articles

Mick Fleetwood thinks it’s unlikely that Lindsey Buckingham will rejoin Fleetwood Mac | Metro UK

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Patrick Dane
November 21, 2020
Metro UK

Fleetwood Mac’s Mick Fleetwood has spoken about playing with former lead guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, calling the possibility a pipe dream.

The band’s de facto leader has said it’s unlikely that Lindsey Buckingham will return. (Picture: Getty Images)

Fleetwood Mac’s Mick Fleetwood has spoken about playing with former lead guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, calling the possibility a pipe dream.

Fleetwood, who founded the band in 1967, has acted as the de facto leader of the band since its inception. In a new interview, he talked about the messy breakup with Buckingham in 2018, saying that reunion will be unlikely.

Buckingham was notoriously fired from the group for a disagreement on the direction and scope of a tour, while a spat with band member Stevie Nicks has also been cited as reason for the departure.

The guitarist and singer then sued the band for a breach of oral contract, with the case eventually settled out of court.

Buckingham was later replaced by Mike Campbell and Neil Finn. Continue reading Mick Fleetwood thinks it’s unlikely that Lindsey Buckingham will rejoin Fleetwood Mac | Metro UK →

Fleetwood Mac, Fleetwood Mac 2018/19, Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks

Veteran Sideman Brett Tuggle on His Years With Fleetwood Mac | Rolling Stone

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By Andy Greene
Oct 15, 2020
Rolling Stone Interview Series

This article only contains the Fleetwood Mac centric material, for the complete article, please click this link

THOUSAND OAKS, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 10: Musician Brett Tuggle performs onstage during the ‘Music Strong’ benefit concert at Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza on February 10, 2019 in Thousand Oaks, California. (Photo by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images)


Rolling Stone interview series Unknown Legends features long-form conversations between senior writer Andy Greene and veteran musicians who have toured and recorded alongside icons for years, if not decades. All are renowned in the business, but some are less well known to the general public. Here, these artists tell their complete stories, giving an up close look at life on music’s A list. This edition features keyboardist Brett Tuggle.

Keyboardist Brett Tuggle was travelling through Europe on a 1997 tour with Toto’s Steve Lukather when he heard that Mick Fleetwood was trying to get in touch with him. “I called him from the airport and he said, ‘Brett, we’re putting the Big Five [members of Fleetwood Mac] back together,’” says Tuggle. “‘We’re going to augment the band with a couple of great musicians and you’d be great with Christine [McVie]. Are you in?’”

“Let me check my calendar,” he joked. “Of course, I’m in.”

The single television special that resulted kicked off a two-decade stint for Tuggle as the go-to keyboardist for all Fleetwood Mac tours along with solo treks by Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham in addition to the Buckingham McVie side project.

How did you first enter the world of Fleetwood Mac?
It was because of Mick Fleetwood, his majesty. I was in a band with Mick called the Zoo. We did an album in the Nineties. David Lee Roth wasn’t doing much. I think that was already over. I had gotten a call that Mick was looking for a keyboard player for his band the Zoo, which I had heard of. I didn’t know much about them, but I thought it could be interesting. It had a pretty good lineup of people. It was Bekka Bramlett on lead vocals. She’s Delaney and Bonnie’s daughter. There was also Billy Thorpe from Down Under. He was a big star in Australia. Continue reading Veteran Sideman Brett Tuggle on His Years With Fleetwood Mac | Rolling Stone →

Fleetwood Mac, Lindsey Buckingham, Mick Fleetwood, UK Articles

Fleetwood Mac: Mick Fleetwood speaks on possible Lindsey Buckingham RETURN – ‘Time heals’ | Daily Express

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by George Simpson
Daily Express
Oct 14, 2020

FLEETWOOD MAC founder Mick Fleetwood has spoken out on the possibility of Lindsey Buckingham returning to the band.

Fleetwood Mac: Mick Fleetwood speaks on possible Lindsey Buckingham RETURN – ‘Time heals’ (Image: GETTY)

Two years ago, Lindsey Buckingham was fired from Fleetwood Mac and was replaced by Mike Campbell and Neil Finn. Ever since, fans have wondered if the 71-year-old will be allowed back. After all, he left the band for a decade between 1987 and 1997, before returning for over 20 years.

And now drummer Mick Fleetwood has spoken out on the possibility of Buckingham rejoining Fleetwood Mac.

Speaking with Page Six, the 73-year-old said he has no idea if the guitarist and singer will be allowed to return.

Mick explained: “I think the reality is without going into huge detail, one of the things I always say is that the disconnect happened and there were emotions that were somewhat not removable and there are personal things within the band and Lindsey’s world.

“All I can say is really openly is that Lindsey Buckingham and the work he has done with the band is never going to go away and we have a functioning band with the changes that we made.”

Mick added: “You know time heals and it was lovely to be able to talk with him.”

The drummer spoke with Buckingham in the summer following the death of Fleetwood Mac founder Peter Green.

Lindsey said: “I know you’re really sad”, which Mick admits he was.

He admitted: “And that’s what reconnected me and Lindsey.” Continue reading Fleetwood Mac: Mick Fleetwood speaks on possible Lindsey Buckingham RETURN – ‘Time heals’ | Daily Express →

Fleetwood Mac, Obituary, Peter Green, UK Articles

Peter Green obituary | The Times

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The Times

Influential blues rock guitarist who co-founded Fleetwood Mac but quit the band as he struggled with drugs and mental illness

Fleetwood Mac in 1969, the year before Peter Green walked out after suffering a disturbing dream: from top left to right, John McVie, Danny Kirwan, Green, Jeremy Spencer, Mick Fleetwood
GETTY IMAGES

One night in 1970 after taking LSD, Peter Green had a demonic dream in which he was visited by a green hellhound that barked menacingly at him.

“It scared me because I knew the dog had been dead a long time,” he recalled later. “It was a stray and I was looking after it. But I was dead and had to fight to get back into my body.”

When he awoke Green concluded that the beast was the Devil and the dream had been telling him that money was the root of all evil. His first reaction was to write a song about his demons. The result was The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown) in which he described a satanic creature “Sneakin’ around,trying to drive me mad/ Bustin’ in on my dreams/ Making me see things I don’t want to see.”

The song was both brilliant and harrowing; its sinister riff, eerie howling and tormented lyrics made it one of the most disturbing hit singles to infiltrate the generally sunny terrain of the Top Ten. It was also the last song Green recorded with his band Fleetwood Mac, for his second reaction to his dream was to leave the group and give all his money away. He allegedly threatened to shoot his accountant unless he stopped sending him royalty cheques.

“It was a freedom thing,” he told The Times in 1997, when after long years away from music he was attempting a comeback. “I wanted to go and live on a commune. In the end I never did but I had to get away from the group. Acid had a lot to do with it.” Continue reading Peter Green obituary | The Times →

Fleetwood Mac, Peter Green, UK Articles

Peter Green, the Fleetwood Mac founder who dropped out, dies at 73 | The Sunday Times

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Rosamund Urwin and Grant Tucker
The Sunday Times

He was the musician who encouraged a generation of teenagers to pick up the guitar but Peter Green’s own career was marred by psychedelic drugs and mental illness.

To some music fans, Green was the best of the British blues guitarists
GEORGE WILKES/HULTON ARCHIVE

Last night, the world of rock and blues was in mourning after the death of the Fleetwood Mac co-founder at the age of 73. Green, nicknamed the Green God by fans, formed the band with drummer Mick Fleetwood and bass guitarist John McVie in London in 1967. He was so instrumental in the band’s early years that its original name was Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac.

Their greatest hits included Albatross, Man of the World, Oh Well and The Green Manalishi. After he left the band, he missed out on their biggest success, the 1977 Rumours album.

Fleetwood Mac enjoyed staggering success, with four hit albums. In 1969, the band sold more records than The Rolling Stones and The Beatles, combined, and Green became one of the most famous musicians in Europe. But he left the band at the height of its fame after a final performance in 1970. He said he was leaving the music business “for my freedom” but was also suffering from mental health issues, and was hearing voices. He later had schizophrenia diagnosed.

He had gone off the rails after taking LSD. In 1996, he admitted that the drug had left a lasting impression on him. “I’m still there. . . I never did come back off the trip. I guess I took one trip too many,” he told The Daily Telegraph.

While on tour in Munich, Germany, to promote their third album, Then Play On, matters came to a head. “Peter took some more drugs,” said Mick Fleetwood in the 2012 BBC documentary Man of the World, “and never really came back from that.”

Peter Green, far left, with other members of Fleetwood Mac
ARALDO DI CROLLALANZA/COURTESY OF ORANGE AMPS

Continue reading Peter Green, the Fleetwood Mac founder who dropped out, dies at 73 | The Sunday Times →

Fleetwood Mac, Peter Green, UK Articles

Fleetwood Mac co-founder Peter Green dies aged 73 | BBC News

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Fleetwood Mac co-founder Peter Green has died aged 73.

Solicitors acting on behalf of his family said in a statement: “It is with great sadness that the family of Peter Green announce his death this weekend, peacefully in his sleep.

“A further statement will be provided in the coming days.”

Blues rock guitarist Green, from Bethnal Green in east London, formed Fleetwood Mac with drummer Mick Fleetwood in 1967.

Green left the band after a last performance in 1970, as he struggled with his mental health. He was eventually diagnosed with schizophrenia and spent time in hospital in the mid-70s.

He was among the eight members of the band – along with Fleetwood, Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham, John McVie, Christine McVie, Danny Kirwan and Jeremy Spencer – who were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.

In February this year, artists including Fleetwood, Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour, ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons and guitarists Jonny Lang and Andy Fairweather Low performed at the London Palladium in a gig celebrating the early years of Fleetwood Mac and its founder, Green.

Originally posted on July 25, 17:10 at this link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-53539989 

 

Fleetwood Mac, Peter Green, Press Kits, Release Info, Website Content

Fleetwood Mac Early Years CD And LP Collections Available On September 4 From Rhino

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FLEETWOOD MAC’S EARLY YEARS SPOTLIGHTED IN TWO NEW BOXED SETS

8-CD Set Fleetwood Mac 1969-1974 Includes Remastered Versions Of Seven Studio Albums Plus An Unreleased 1974 Concert

4-LP Fleetwood Mac 1973-1974 Collection Features Penguin, Mystery To Me,

And Heroes Are Hard To Find, Plus 1974 Concert And A 7” Single Limited Edition, Colored-Vinyl Edition Available For Pre-Order Now exclusively From Rhino.com

All Three Sets Will Available On September 4

LOS ANGELES – After Mick Fleetwood, Peter Green, John McVie, and Jeremy Spencer started Fleetwood Mac in 1967, they quickly found an audience eager for their British-style blues. Over the next seven years, the band would sign with Reprise Records, release seven studio albums, and release many classic tracks that are still beloved today. Fleetwood Mac’s early rise to fame takes centerstage on two upcoming Rhino releases that spotlight the group’s deep-blues roots.

The first release is an 8-CD boxed set that includes remastered versions of all seven studio albums the band recorded between 1969 and 1974, several bonus tracks, and an unreleased 1974 concert recorded just a few months before Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks joined the band. On September 4, FLEETWOOD MAC 1969-1974 will be available on CD for $54.98.

The set covers a five-year time frame that encompasses several different band lineups, from founding members Fleetwood, Green, McVie and Spencer; to later additions like Danny Kirwan, Christine McVie, Dave Walker, Bob Welch, and Bob Weston.

The collection includes seven studio albums: Then Play On (1969), Kiln House (1970), Future Games (1971), Bare Trees (1972), Penguin (1973), Mystery To Me (1973), and Heroes Are Hard To Find (1974). Those records fueled Fleetwood Mac’s early popularity in the U.K. and propelled them into the Top Ten with singles like “Man Of The World,” “Oh Well – Pt. 1,” “The Green Manalishi (With The Two Prong Crown),” and the #1 hit “Albatross.” Continue reading Fleetwood Mac Early Years CD And LP Collections Available On September 4 From Rhino →

Fleetwood Mac, Lindsey Buckingham, Obituary, Stevie Nicks, UK Articles

Keith Olsen obituary | The Times

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The Times

Producer who turned Fleetwood Mac into superstars only to have a falling out when he banned them from taking drugs in the studio

Fleetwood Mac: Mick Fleetwood, Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham, Christine McVie and John McVie in 1975
GAB ARCHIVE/REDFERNS

On the last day of 1974, Keith Olsen received a phone call that was destined to change the face of popular music.

On the line was Mick Fleetwood, the drummer with Fleetwood Mac, calling from a payphone at Los Angeles airport. Olsen was booked to produce the struggling English band’s next album in the new year but Fleetwood had some bad news to impart. His services would no longer be required because Bob Welch, the group’s guitarist, singer and main songwriter, had quit and Fleetwood Mac were facing extinction.

The two put their heads together in search of a rescue plan. Olsen had recently discovered a talented young guitarist named Lindsey Buckingham and his girlfriend Stevie Nicks. They wrote songs together and Olsen had produced an album for them. The record had flopped and “sold bupkis”, as he put it: at the time of Fleetwood’s phone call the duo were without a recording contract and Nicks was working as Olsen’s house cleaner for $250 a month.

However, Fleetwood had heard their record and was one of the few to be impressed. Perhaps, he suggested, Buckingham might be persuaded to join Fleetwood Mac? Olsen told him that he thought it was unlikely and, in any case, they wouldn’t be split up and he came as a pair with Nicks.

“Well, maybe that will work. Can you see if you can convince them to join my band?” Fleetwood asked. Abandoning his new year plans, Olsen drove to the couple’s apartment, taking with him “the obligatory bottle of bad champagne”. Continue reading Keith Olsen obituary | The Times →