Leonard Cohen’s Estate Sells His Catalog of Music

Leonard Cohen’s estate has sold the rights to his catalog of music.

According to Variety, Hipgnosis Song Management purchased Cohen’s complete catalog for an undisclosed sum. Under the terms of the deal, Hipgnosis received songwriting rights to the 211 songs composed by Cohen from the beginning of his career through 2000, and total ownership of the 67 songs he wrote between 2001 until his death in 2016. All told, that amounts to a total of 278 songs — including Cohen’s best known works like “Hallelujah,” “Suzanne,” and “Bird on a Wire.”

“To now be the custodians and managers of Leonard Cohen’s incomparable songs is a wonderful yet very serious responsibility that we approach with excitement and fully understand the importance of,” Hipgnosis founder Merck Mercuriadis said in a statement. 

“Leonard wrote words and songs that have changed our lives, none more so obvious than ‘Hallelujah’ but there are so many more that we look forward to reminding the world of on a daily basis,” Mercuriadis added. “He is revered all over the globe because of the magnitude of his work.”

Over the last several years, Hipgnosis has acquired the catalogs of several other legacy artists, including Neil Young, Fleetwood Mac’s Lindsey Buckingham and Christine McVie, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and producer Bob Rock, among others.