Hipgnosis Song Management has acquired the writer’s share of performance income for all songs written by Canadian songwriter, composer, musician, arranger and producer, David Foster.
David Foster has been nominated for 47 Grammy Awards – winning 16 of them – in what Hipgnosis calls “a one-of-a-kind career” that spans more than five decades and includes songs and albums that have collectively sold in the hundreds of millions.
News of the deal follows Hipgnosis’ catalog deal at the end of March with Erika Ender, a Panamanian singer-songwriter who co-wrote chart-topping Despacito.
Hipgnosis Song Management also bought a song catalog in February from Tobias Jesso Jr. the first-ever Grammy Songwriter of the Year.
Like these deals, the deal with David Foster has been made on behalf of Hipgnosis Songs Capital (not to be confused with the UK-listed public fund, Hipgnosis Songs Fund), which is fuelled by funds managed by Blackstone.
Foster has been inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, been celebrated with a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame as well as being awarded with the Order of Canada and Officer of The Order Of Canada honours.
He has received three Academy Award nominations for Best Original Song, honoring his work as songwriter on Peter Cetera’s Glory of Love (from 1986’s The Karate Kid, Part II), Whitney Houston’s I Have Nothing (from 1992’s The Bodyguard) and Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli’s The Prayer (from 1998’s Quest for Camelot), the latter of which won the 1999 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song following his two previous nominations in the same category for Glory of Love and Night Ranger’s The Secret of My Success (from 1987’s The Secret of My Success).
He has also been inducted into the Canadian Music Hall Of Fame and the Canadian Songwriters Hall Of Fame and been named BMI’s Songwriter of the Year.
Following the 1978 No.1 single Got To Be Real for Cheryl Lynn, Foster’s major breakthrough was contributing six songs to Earth, Wind & Fire’s Top 5 album I Am in 1979 including After The Love Has Gone for which he and his co-writers won the 1980 Grammy Award for Best R & B Song.
From there he went on to write songs for Michael Jackson with It’s The Falling In Love and Chaka Khan with Through The Fire as well as hit singles for The Tubes and Boz Scaggs.
Foster had a pivotal run with Chicago which included the No. 1 single Hard To Say I’m Sorry and the No.3 single You’re The Inspiration as well as the No.1 single Glory Of Love for their vocalist / bassist Peter Cetera.
He wrote the No.2 UK single Best Of Me for Cliff Richard and the No.1 single St Elmo’s Fire (Man In Motion) for John Parr.
“David is truly special, and we are delighted to be working with his almost 50 years of incredible songs and to welcome him to the Hipgnosis family.”
Merck Mercuriadis, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Hipgnosis Song Management, said: “David is recognized globally as one of the greatest songwriters and producers of all time.
“He is the songwriters’ songwriter and the producers’ producer. David is truly special, and we are delighted to be working with his almost 50 years of incredible songs and to welcome him to the Hipgnosis family.”
“I’ve long admired what Merck and his team have built and I trust they will be terrific partners.”
David Foster
David Foster said: “I’m very happy to be joining the Hipgnosis family. I’ve long admired what Merck and his team have built and I trust they will be terrific partners.”
Foster also produced and co-wrote The Bodyguard soundtrack which made it to No.1 featuring Whitney Houston including the No.1 single I Have Nothing.
He composed the themes for the 1988 Winter Olympics and the 1996 Summer Olympics. He has gone on to write for a range of artists including Andrea Bocelli, Celine Dion, Madonna, Mariah Carey, Rod Stewart, Bette Midler, Bryan Adams, Destiny’s Child and Michael Bublé including the No.1 song Everything, as well as his multiplatinum perennial Christmas album.
In addition to his Grammy Awards which include three for Producer of the Year, four for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s), three for Album of the Year and two for Record of the Year, David has received 27 Juno Awards nominations, winning Producer of the Year in 1985 and 1986, Instrument Artist of the Year in 1986, 1987 and 1989, and in 2019 the Juno Humanitarian Award in recognition of his philanthropy and support of hundreds of charities, including his own, The David Foster Foundation.
Foster’s life and career was documented in 2019 in the film David Foster – Off the Record on Netflix.
David Foster was advised by business manager Howard Grossman of Gelfand, Rennert & Feldman and attorney Michael O. Crain of Crain Law Group.Music Business Worldwide
