Big Deal Music Group was an independent music publishing company co-founded and run by British executive Kenny MacPherson.
The company ran offices in Los Angeles, New York, Nashville and London.
Its 4,000-plus-strong catalog included cuts on hits recorded by the likes of Shawn Mendes, Panic! At The Disco and One Direction.
Founded in 2012 by MacPherson, Jamie Cerreta and Dave Ayers, Big Deal Music Group built a songwriter roster that included Teddy Geiger, Julian Bunetta, John Ryan, Joe London, Kamasi Washington, Sharon Van Etten, Sylvan Esso, Jake Sinclair, Dan Wilson, St Vincent and My Morning Jacket.
Hipgnosis Songs Fund acquisition
In September 2020, Hipgnosis Songs Fund announced the full acquisition of Big Deal Music, including the company’s US publishing admin business, Words & Music.
The entirety of Big Deal Music, including Words & Music, was rebranded to Hipgnosis Songs Group.
Big Deal founder Kenny MacPherson became CEO of Hipgnosis Songs Group, reporting directly to Hipgnosis Songs’ founder and CEO Merck Mercuriadis.
MacPherson was joined by Co-Presidents Casey Robison and Jamie Cerreta and Executive Vice President Dave Ayers (New York) as well as Senior Vice President Pete Robinson (Nashville) all of whom signed new five-year contracts at Hipgnosis Songs Group.
Kenny MacPherson said at the time: “Collectively my partners and I have spent our careers identifying and nurturing some of the most iconic songwriters in contemporary music and creating value for our investors. Over the last eight years at Big Deal Music my partners and I built a meaningful cultural legacy by assembling an incredible group of artists and label partners and world class songwriters.
“We look forward to bringing those creators and their enormous talent with us as we join Merck and his team at Hipgnosis. What Hipgnosis has assembled in such a short time is truly remarkable – a catalogue of over 13,000 compositions from some of the most important creators in the history of music. My team and I look forward to bringing all of our experience to bear to unlock more value in these catalogues and continue to build on the amazing work that Merck and his team have already done at Hipgnosis.”Music Business Worldwide