MusicBird Acquires IP of Supertramp Bassist Dougie Thomson

A 1979 performance from Supertramp, with bassist Dougie Thomson first on the left. Photo Credit: Rs3

Billions of dollars’ worth of deals later, are catalog acquisitions hitting the crevices? It looks that way: MusicBird’s invested in the IP of Supertramp bassist Dougie Thomson, while Seeker Music’s purchased Nu Shooz’s song rights.

Reps for both buyers reached out with word of the plays, which, as most know, follow more than a few blockbuster catalog deals. High-profile sales haven’t ceased; Miranda Lambert recently sold her catalog to Sony Music Publishing (plus Domain Capital), and the Quincy Jones estate partnered with HarbourView, for instance.

Meanwhile, Warner Music’s poised to announce some presumably huge purchases, and DMN’s picked up on a couple noteworthy transactions that should soon receive public announcements.

But in general, growing list of IP-heavy company buyouts aside, smaller-scale purchases are taking center stage. Enter MusicBird’s agreement with Dougie Thomson, who’s cashed in on the “master royalty income from” his roughly 16-year run with Supertramp.

During that period, the Glasgow native appeared on albums including but not limited to 1974’s Crime of the Century, 1977’s Even in the Quietest Moments…, and 1985’s Brother Where You Bound.

Consequently, the newly disclosed pact extends to well-known tracks such as “Give a Little Bit,” “The Logical Song,” and “Goodbye Stranger,” among multiple others.

“I am immensely proud of the music I recorded with Supertramp and am grateful that so many people are still listening to and discovering it now,” said the 75-year-old Thomson. “The MusicBird team has genuine care for this music, and I am pleased to entrust them with my interest in the catalogue.”

And in remarks of his own, CEO Paul Brown emphasized MusicBird’s “ambitious growth plans.”

“We have ambitious growth plans and are continuing to build momentum, converting our deal pipeline, while staying true to our investment strategy with a laser focus on brilliant music,” said Brown, whose business in February acquired Majid Jordan’s catalog.

“With enduring global popularity spanning more than half a century, Dougie’s catalogue further diversifies our collection of music rights across different eras and geographies, as well as bringing the weight of truly stratospheric commercial success to our collection,” continued Brown.

Back to Seeker’s Nu Shooz partnership, the synth-pop act, repped here by Deep Cuts Media’s Peter Csathy, has sold both its publishing and masters.

That’s according to announcements from Seeker and Csathy himself, who opted against identifying the agreement’s hard numbers but mentioned its extending to “the band’s full library.”

All told, said library consists of seven studio albums released between 1982 and 2016 – and tracks including “I Can’t Wait” as well as “Point of No Return.”

Even if ultra-high-value catalog sales appear to be drying up, the sub-sector’s dealmaking volume is holding steady. As compiled by DMN Pro’s Music IP Acquisition Tracker, last month brought song-rights investments from ICM Crescendo (covering Nicky Youre-associated “royalty interests”), Pophouse, Dynamite, BMG (A Flock of Seagulls was also repped by Csathy), Primary Wave, and others.