Kenny MacPherson

Kenny MacPherson, CEO of Hipgnosis Songs Group, is as well known in the global music industry for his no-nonsense reputation as his Scottish burr, which is as disarmingly evident as the day he arrived in the States more than three decades ago.

MacPherson is perhaps best known for his work building Big Deal Music into one of the pre-eminent bespoke music publishing groups in the world. Big Deal was acquired in 2020 by Hipgnosis Songs Group and Kenny, along with his partners Dave Ayers, Jamie Cerreta, Casey Robison and Pete Robinson, have all taken senior positions within the new entity.

Big Deal, which MacPherson and his colleagues formed in 2012, was home to such acclaimed artists as My Morning Jacket, St. Vincent, Dan Wilson, Afghan Whigs, Dave Sitek, Ethan Johns, Teddy Geiger, Julian Bunetta, John Ryan, Sylvan Esso, Kamasi Washington, Blake Mills, , Sleater-Kinney, Nick Lowe, FIDLAR, Local Natives, Sharon Van Etten, Joe London, Beach House, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Mick Jenkins and others. The publisher had enormous success with joint venture deals it forged with Ricky Reeds Nice Life, Diplo and Kevin Kusatsu’s Mad Decent, Damon and Julian Bunetta and John Ryan’s Big Family as well as Mega House Management.  All of these relationships, built over years, continue on under the Hipgnosis Songs Group banner.

Prior to forming Big Deal Music Group, Kenny served as President and Senior Executive of Chrysalis Music Division North America.  While at Chrysalis, Kenny and his team revitalized the company with the signing of such acts as Ray LaMontagne, My Morning Jacket, OutKast, TV on the Radio, St. Vincent, Afghan Whigs, Thom Yorke, Dan Wilson and Daniel Lanois. MacPherson continued to head Chrysalis N.A. until the parent company was bought by BMG in late 2010.

Kenny got his start in music publishing in the early 80s, forming Redhead Music Publishing with Supertramp manager Dave Margereson. In 1989, he went to Warner/Chappell, spending 13 years at the company where he signed such prestigious artists as Walter Afanasieff, Savage Garden, Radiohead, Underworld, Paul Westerberg, Afghan Whigs, BRMC and the Blue Nile.