“I remember not working for two years. I can’t even remember what I did”
Mick Fleetwood (Picture: Getty)
Fleetwood Mac‘s Mick Fleetwood has revealed that he can’t remember two years of his life, after previously battling a heavy cocaine habit.
The drummer explained that there was a period “way after” making the iconic 1977 album ‘Rumours’ when he didn’t work for two years and has no recollection of his life during the period.
He told Classic Rock magazine: “There’s no doubt we were well equipped with the marching powder. That’s a well-worn fairytale that gets more like a war story, that gets more and more aggrandised.
I’m not minimalising the fact that we were definitely partaking in that lifestyle.
“But these weren’t a bunch of people crawling across the floor with green froth coming out of their mouths, we were working, you know?
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).
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→
Editor’s Note: This is a review of a live stream event performed earlier this month by Lindsey Buckingham. It consisted of a Q&A ahead of the concert, then an intimate show performed from his home studio in L.A.
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Question and Answer Session:
When can we expect new music, and where will you be touring The album that we will be releasing in the near future is something that has been waiting in the wings for about three years now. For now, we are talking about the United States, Europe, and Australia, which is more than I’ve ever done as a solo artist.
Future collaborations? Maybe a duet album with a younger female artist, yet to be determined. Even Mick Fleetwood and I were talking about doing a project together, so who knows? There’s still lots of time.
Do you have a favorite song that you do live where you really like to “shred” it? There are two kinds of shredding. I always love doing something like “Big Love” or “Never Going Back Again,” which represents the full orchestral style with just one instrument. Then there’s lead guitar shredding. I always love “I’m So Afraid.” Those three songs have been re-envisioned and re-engineered for the stage.
How did you create your guitar style? I was completely self-taught, so there was nobody there to tell me that I had to use a pick. It comes down to the music I happened to be exposed to, but probably more importantly because I made my own way and made my own rules.
What was your biggest contribution to Fleetwood Mac? I just saw what my role needed to be. They needed a musical visionary and leader, they needed someone who could organize, and produce. I somehow was able to hold the line with the role I needed to fulfill for the band. Continue reading At Home with Lindsey Buckingham | Culture Sonar→
Nicks joins a number of major artists who’ve sold their catalog rights to investors and talent management companies this year
Stevie Nicks performs at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the Barclays Center on Friday, March 29, 2019, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
Stevie Nicks has sold a majority of her publishing catalog to publisher and talent management company Primary Wave, the company announced Friday, with the Fleetwood Mac star becoming one of the highest-profile artists to capitalize on the booming song publishing acquisition market to date.
Primary Wave didn’t share financial details of the sale, but The Wall Street Journal reported that Nicks sold an 80% stake in the catalog, valuing the deal at about $100 million. The deal includes several of Nicks’s biggest hits as a solo artist and member of Fleetwood Mac including “Landslide,” “Edge of Seventeen” and “Dreams,” the last of which returned the charts for the first time in 40 years after resurfacing on TikTok.
Primary Wave has previously purchased stakes in several prominent artist catalogs like Disturbed and Ray Charles.
“To say we’re excited to welcome the incredible Stevie Nicks to the Primary Wave family would be a dramatic understatement,” Primary Wave’s founder and CEO Larry Mestel said in a statement. “If Primary Wave were starting our company today, Stevie Nicks would be one of the shining pillars, a true legend among legends. She is a groundbreaking artist, and the longevity of her iconic career comes from writing songs, instantly recognizable and critically acclaimed, that stand the test of time.” Continue reading Stevie Nicks Sells a Share of Her Publishing Rights for $100 Million | Rolling Stone→
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.
“I’ve been laying low just like everybody else, and I haven’t seen any of you for a while,” guitarist says
Lindsey Buckingham performs at The Wilbur Theatre on Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2018, in Boston. (Photo by Winslow Townson/Invision/AP)
Lindsey Buckingham will perform an intimate livestream from his home in Los Angeles on December 5th.
“I’ve been laying low just like everybody else, and I haven’t seen any of you for a while,” the guitarist wrote on Twitter. “And so I thought I’d give a little intimate concert from my home studio. It’s gonna be on December 5th and you can all watch it from the comfort of your own homes.”
Buckingham will kick off the show at 5:30 p.m. PST. Tickets are on sale now at $15, redeemable for 48 hours after the performance if you’re unable to attend. Purchasing the ticket grants access to limited edition merchandise and a VIP Q&A package.
Buckingham recently participated in the Fleetwood Mac “Dreams” challenge, sipping Ocean Spray juice while sitting on his horse. The viral video — created by TikTok user Nathan Apodaca (@doggface208) — also caused Buckingham’s former bandmates to follow suit, with Stevie Nicks and Mick Fleetwood joining in on the fun.
In August, Buckingham performed a four-song acoustic set via Zoom, marking his first time singing since he suffered vocal cord damage from open-heart surgery last year. “This [pandemic] has been like a couple of years previous in which things occurred that I did not see coming,” he said. “One was my split from Fleetwood Mac. Another one was having a bypass operation, which I did not expect to happen. You could say that this makes it a trifecta of events that were completely off the charts.”
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→
On the eve of her new concert film, the Fleetwood Mac singer talks new solo material, Trump’s response to COVID-19 and the chances of a ‘Rumours’-era reunion
SACRAMENTO, CA – DECEMBER 13: Stevie Nicks performs during her “24 Karat Gold Tour” at Golden 1 Center on December 13, 2016, in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images)
Nothing will slow Stevie Nicks down. When Fleetwood Mac concluded their year-long world tour at the end of 2019, the 72-year-old singer songwriter decamped to her Santa Monica home with the intention of taking the year off from touring. Like the rest of us, she didn’t expect to be holed-up for quite so long. “I’ve been quarantined solid since March,” Nicks tells NME. “I figured that I’d probably do about ten gigs and then I was just going to work on a miniseries for Rhiannon but then the door slams and we have a pandemic.”
Out of these dark days, Nicks has kept a busy schedule. ‘Show Them The Way’, worked upon remotely with the help of Dave Grohl, is her first single in six years. She has also helped produce 24 Karat Gold The Concert, a spellbinding concert film from the 2016/7 tour of the same name, which in cinemas for two nights later this month featuring staples such as ‘Edge of Seventeen’ and ‘Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around’ alongside unreleased gems and deep cuts.
Whilst a viral TikTok video may have drawn headlines and pushed her song ‘Dreams’ back into the charts recently, the two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Famer had other things on her mind when we caught up with her, including her issues with Trump, the lost ‘Buckingham Nicks’ album and why she is fatalistic if ‘Rumours’–era Fleetwood Mac are to never play together again.
Your first single for six years and the 24 Karat Gold The Concert film – this is turning into a very busy time for you…
“In a million years, I never thought I’d have two projects coming out within two weeks of each other. It’s been a lot of work over the last two months, let me tell you. I’m pretty excited and really proud of everything. I think the film is the closest anyone is going to get to a real, serious concert until the pandemic is over. And I think the song is ‘right now’ with what’s going on in our country. Our country is so divisive. We have gone back so far. It is very sad and very scary.” Continue reading Stevie Nicks: “In Fleetwood Mac, Christine McVie and I were a force of nature” | NME→
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