Producer Bob Rock has sold his rights to Metallica's Black Album

Music rights fund Hipgnosis have purchased a catalogue from legendary producer/mixer Bob Rock, with the deal compromised of 43 songs from albums by Metallica and Michael Bublé.

Bob's producer rights to Metallica's iconic Black Album plus the Canadian singer (and massive Deftones fan)’s Call Me Irresponsible, Crazy Love, Christmas and To Be Loved have now been acquired by Hipgnosis Songs Fund, with founder Merck Mercuriadis enthusing of this massive new deal: “The breadth of Bob Rock’s enormous successes are almost impossible to match by any creator in the history of music. From Metallica’s most famous Black Album to Michael Bublé’s Christmas, he has produced some of the biggest albums of all time that continue to be evergreen, year in and year out.

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“Everyone who has worked with Bob knows he is a difference maker, which is why the artists he has produced end up making multiple albums with him, which are almost always their biggest successes. Bob is very special and as a fellow Canadian, it is a pleasure to welcome him and his incredible productions to the Hipgnosis family.”

“I put my heart and soul into these recordings,” adds Bob. ”I know how much Merck loves music, so it was an easy deal to put together.”

Metallica's Black Album – which features huuuuuuge singles like Enter Sandman, Sad But True and Nothing Else Matters – has sold over 30 million copies worldwide since its release in 1991. As well as producing the metal titans' epic self-titled LP, Bob also worked with the band on Load, ReLoad, Garage Inc. and St. Anger.

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