Last week, Christine McVie stunned Fleetwood Mac fans

Last week, Christine McVie stunned Fleetwood Mac fans when she told the BBC she didn’t know if the band would ever tour again. “If we do, it will be without John [McVie] and without Stevie [Nicks], I think,” she said. “I think I’m getting a bit too old for it now, especially having had a year off. I don’t know if I can get myself back into it again.”

“[John] is feeling a little bit frail,” she continued. “You know he was ill. He’s fine, but he just hasn’t got the heart for it any more. He wants to get on his boat. You reach a certain age where you go: ‘Hey, I’m not going to bust a gut doing this anymore.'”

She concluded by saying that only drummer Mick Fleetwood would definitely be down for another tour. “[He] would do it in a lightning strike,” she said. “But I couldn’t possibly say. We’re certainly not touring this year either.”

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The comments generated headlines around the world. But now, McVie has clarified to Rolling Stone where the group stands with regard to future touring.

“First and foremost, I’m thrilled to see that everyone still cares so much about Fleetwood Mac, how humbling to know what a lasting impact this band has had,” she said. “To clarify my recent comments, I was specifically asked if Fleetwood Mac would tour again. I gave a cheeky answer indicating that the band might be ‘done with that’ or ‘you just never know.’ I always intended to convey that, particularly after the last year, we just don’t know what the future holds.

“In no way are any members of Fleetwood Mac ‘done’ with being part of the band,” she continues. “If anyone took that from my statement, that was a misperception and not intended. Fleetwood Mac is part of the DNA of who I am, and I know the same is true for Stevie, Mick and John. As for future touring………Who knows. We continue to hope for the best.”

The band has been on hiatus since the conclusion of their An Evening With Fleetwood Mac tour in November 2019. It was their first tour since parting ways with singer-guitarist Lindsey Buckingham and bringing Crowded House’s Neil Finn and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell into the fold.

In February 2020, Mick Fleetwood staged a tribute concert to Fleetwood Mac co-founder Peter Green at the London Palladium featuring Pete Townshend, David Gilmour, Steven Tyler, Billy Gibbons, Neil Finn, John Mayall, Kirk Hammett and Christine McVie. It’s coming to movie theaters on March 23rd and March 28th and will be released as a live album and DVD on April 30th.

Rollingstone

By ANDY GREENE

FLEETWOOD MAC ALBUMS ON THE CHARTS THIS WEEK - February 14, 2021

ALBUMS AND COUNTRIES FLEETWOOD MAC IS CHARTING THIS WEEK

USA BILLBOARD TOP 200 ALBUMS			UK TOP 100 ALBUMS CHART
#48 - GREATEST HITS (144)			#15 - 50 YEARS - DON'T STOP (12)
#166 - RUMOURS (43)			#18 - RUMOURS (36)
USA TOP 15 BLUES ALBUMS			UK TOP 100 SINGLES
#12 Fleetwood Mac 1969-1974 (13)			#80 - DREAMS (74)
CANADA TOP 100 ALBUMS CHART			UK TOP 100 STREAMING
#29 - RUMOURS (29)			#49 - DREAMS (48)
IRELAND TOP 50 ALBUMS CHART			UK TOP 40 VINYL
#10 - 50 YEARS - DON'T STOP (9)			#5 - RUMOURS (RE)
#11 - RUMOURS (6)
AUSTRALIA TOP 50 ALBUMS CHART			NEW ZEALAND TOP 40 ALBUMS CHART
#21 - RUMOURS (25)			#15 - RUMOURS (13)
AUSTRALIA TOP 50 SINGLES			NEW ZEALAND TOP 40 SINGLS CHART
#31 - DREAMS (29)			#16 - DREAMS (15)
GERMANY TOP 100 ALBUMS CHART			BELGIUM TOP 200 ALBUMS
#90 - RUMOURS (RE)			#47 - GREATEST HITS (53)
			#115 - RUMOURS (149)
DUTCH ALBUM TOP 100
#40 - RUMOURS (38)			SWEDEN TOP 60 ALBUMS CHART
			#48 - RUMOURS (46)
DUTCH TOP 33 VINYL
#7 - RUMOURS (RE)			brackets indicates previous week
#18 - GREATEST HITS (11)			RE indicates Re-Entry

 

FLEETWOOD MAC LIVE SUPER DELUXE 2LP / 3CD / 7" AVAILABLE APRIL 9th

FLEETWOOD MAC LIVE (SUPER DELUXE TOUR EDITION) BUNDLE

Bundle Includes:

• Fleetwood Mac Live 2LP/3CD/7”
• Fleetwood Mac Live Tour Edition Ephemera

This LIMITED EDITION and EXCLUSIVE bundle comes with a package of tour related ephemera that includes:

• One replica pass 
• One replica ticket
• One  replica ad
• One button
• One sticker
• One iron on

Packaged with a cardboard backing and shrink wrapped

The single "The Chain" (Live at Richfield Coliseum, Cleveland, OH, 5/20/80) is available now on Spotify and Amazon / Apple.

Also available without the tour memorabilia
FLEETWOOD MAC LIVE 2LP/3CD/7”

Pre-order - released on: 4/9/2021

Rhino Records - Super Deluxe

Rhino Records - 2LP/3CD/7"

Amazon

When Fleetwood Mac released its first live album in December 1980, it captured the legendary band’s most iconic lineup on stage demonstrating the full scope of their collective, creative powers. Recorded mostly during the world tour for Tusk, Fleetwood Mac Live delivered a double-album’s worth of exhilarating performances that included massive hits like “Dreams” and “Go Your Own Way,” “Rhiannon,” and “Don’t Stop.”

Rhino gives the band’s live debut a much-deserved encore with a new 3-CD/2-LP collection that features a remastered version of the original release on both 180-gram vinyl and CD, plus more than an hour of unreleased live music recorded between 1977 and 1982 on the third CD. The set also includes a bonus 7-inch single featuring previously unreleased demos for “Fireflies” and “One More Night.”

This Super Deluxe Edition is presented in a 12 x 12 rigid slipcase and comes with a booklet filled with rare photos, a full itinerary for the Tusk Tour, plus a history of the live album by writer David Wild. He writes: “Then and now, Fleetwood Mac Live artfully marks a fascinating time period for a group that, in one form or another, has been on the global stage for more than half a century… It’s a wildly entertaining rock ’n’ roll circus in full swing under a big tent of the band’s own creation as they leave audiences dazzled in locales from Paris, France, to Passaic, New Jersey.”

The majority of the original album was recorded live between 1979 and 1980, save for a few exceptions:  “Don’t Let Me Down Again,” was recorded in 1975 during the tour for Fleetwood Mac; Dreams” and “Don’t Stop” are from the band’s sound check in Paris; while “Fireflies,” “One More Night,” and a cover of the Beach Boys’ “Farmer’s Daughter” were all recorded in California during a special show for the band’s crew, family, and friends.

The 14 live tracks that debut on the Super Deluxe Edition span a wider range of time than those on the original release. They include seven songs from the Tusk tour (1979-80), four from the Rumours tour (1977) and three from the Mirage tour (1982). These stellar additions include live versions of “Tusk,” “Gold Dust Woman,” and “Songbird,” plus “The Green Manalishi (With The Two-Pronged Crown)” – a song written in 1970 by guitarist Peter Green, who founded Fleetwood Mac with Mick Fleetwood and Jeremy Spencer in 1967.

1st Track released from the album: "The Chain"

Track listing below for the boxed set

Mick Fleetwood Sells Song Catalog To BMG

Mick Fleetwood Becomes Third Member of Fleetwood Mac to Sell Song Catalog

By Jem Aswad - Variety

BMG announced that it has acquired “outright” Fleetwood Mac co-founder Mick Fleetwood’s interests in the band’s recordings.

The deal gives BMG Fleetwood’s royalty interest in over 300 recordings, including the hits including “Dreams” — which enjoyed a massive resurgence due to recent popularity on TikTok — “The Chain,” “Go Your Own Way” and “Landslide” from albums including the multiplatinum albums “Fleetwood Mac,” “Rumours,” “Tango in the Night” and others. It includes Fleetwood’s interest in all of their recorded work apart from their first two albums.

While Fleetwood did not write any of the above songs and has relatively few songwriting credits, his recorded-music rights as bandmember and drummer on the tracks yield him royalties connected to album sales, downloads and streaming.

BMG already has a relationship with the band, re-releasing its classic 1970 album “And Play on” and the theatrical, record and mediabook release of Mick Fleetwood & Friends, 2020’s tribute event to legendary guitarist Peter Green and the early years of the band. Fleetwood and bassist John McVie cofounded the band with Green in 1967; its most commercially successful lineup formed when Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham — both of whom recently sold their publishing rights for undisclosed amounts, although Nicks’ is reported to be $100 million — joined in 1975.

BMG CEO Hartwig Masuch said, “Mick Fleetwood is the bedrock of one of the greatest bands in rock, he has a unique talent to bring together musicians of all genres and of course he is one of rock’s greatest drummers. BMG is proud to represent his greatest work and excited about the forthcoming launch of Mick Fleetwood & Friends.”

Mick Fleetwood said, “This is a wonderfully inspiring marriage between two creative partners that understand all aspects of the business. Foremost, BMG understands the artistry and puts the artist first. If this partnership is any indication of my past, and now future, working relationship with BMG, it’s that they truly ‘get it’.”

The sale of Mick Fleetwood’s recorded interests was brokered by his manager Carl Stubner of Shelter Music Group. Said Stubner: “For over 50 years Mick’s works continue to be introduced to legions of new fans while BMG continues to ensure its artists are paid their fair share. In an industry, not always known to look after its iconic artists, BMG continues to maximize their income streams.”

BMG EVP Group Strategy and M&A Justus Haerder said, “This acquisition highlights the value of timeless recordings in a streaming market which is increasingly benefitting established rather than newer artists. While recent acquisition activity in the music market has focused on music publishing, this is a pure recorded investment which will get the full benefit of streaming growth. Catalogues such as Fleetwood Mac’s which connect with every generation are benefiting disproportionately from that growth.”

LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM SELLS HIS SONG CATALOG TO HIPNOSIS

HIPGNOSIS FULLY ACQUIRES LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM SONG CATALOG, INCLUDING 100% WRITER AND PUBLISHER SHARE OF FLEETWOOD MAC HITS

Just one day after it announced the acquisition of Jimmy Iovine’s production royalties, the Merck Mercuriadis-led entity has confirmed yet another major rights buyout.

This time, Hipgnosis has acquired 100% of Lindsey Buckingham’s publishing rights, including both his publishing and writer’s share, across 161 songs.

Those songs include an array of hits that Buckingham wrote and/or co-wrote for Fleetwood Mac, including Go Your Own Way and The Chain.

Hipgnosis previously acquired a 25% stake in Buckingham’s song catalog via its buyout of a publishing portfolio from Kobalt for $323m in September (announced in November).

As part of its new agreement with Buckingham, announced today (January 5), Hipgnosis also acquires a 50% share of any unreleased compositions.

Today’s news means that the majority of publishing rights for songs penned by two of Fleetwood Mac’s biggest songwriters – Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks – are now owned by modern, highly acquisitive, rights management firms. (Nicks sold 80% of her publishing rights last year to Hipgnosis rival Primary Wave for around $80m.)

Merck Mercuriadis, founder of Hipgnosis Songs Fund Limited, said: “Lindsey Buckingham is one of the greatest guitarists, songwriters and producers of all time yet is still so underrated. His work with Fleetwood Mac has brought the world unparalleled joy over the last 45 years and he belongs in any discussion featuring Brian Wilson and Paul McCartney. It’s wonderful to welcome him and his iconic songs both as a solo artist and with Fleetwood Mac to the Hipgnosis family”.

Lindsey Buckingham said: “Prior to arriving at an agreement with Hipgnosis, I had wonderful long conversations with Merck Mercuriadis. I was pleased to find a kindred spirit, someone who’s a big fan of my work in Fleetwood Mac, and an even bigger fan of my solo efforts.

“I look forward to working with Merck and the whole Hipgnosis team going into the future, and am confident that my body of work will be curated with great heart and insight.”

Lindsey Buckingham was represented by managers Matt Sadie and Simon White at C3 Management, his attorney, David Altschul, of Altschul Olin & Vandergast LLP, and his business manager, Rick Mozenter of Gelfand, Rennert & Feldman.

Lindsey Buckingham released his debut album Buckingham Nicks in 1973 with his then partner, Stevie Nicks. The duo then joined Mick Fleetwood, John McVie and Christine McVie as Fleetwood Mac.

Buckingham’s second album with Fleetwood Mac, Rumours, was released in 1977 and has sold over 45 million copies worldwide, making it one of the nine bestselling albums of all time. It won Album of the Year at the 1978 Grammy Awards, containing Go Your Own Way, written by Buckingham, and The Chain, co-written by Buckingham. Buckingham also wrote Second Hand News and Never Going Back Again on Rumours.

Buckingham’s four songs from Rumours have collectively been streamed more than 1 billion times on Spotify alone.

In 1979, Fleetwood Mac released the multi-platinum album Tusk, whose title track was written by Buckingham. He also wrote the likes of What Makes You Think You’re The One, Save Me A Place, Walk A Thin Line, Not That Funny and I Know I’m Not Wrong on the record.

Buckingham released his first solo album Law and Order in 1981, which included the Top 10 single Trouble. He then returned to Fleetwood Mac to record the UK No.1 and multi-platinum album Mirage which sold over 4 million copies.

In 1987, Fleetwood Mac released Tango in the Night which sold over 15 million copies worldwide. The LP featured four US Top 20 hits including Big Love, which was written by Buckingham and reached the Top 10 in both the US and the UK.

In 2003, Buckingham and Fleetwood Mac released the album Say You Will which sold more than 2 million copies worldwide and featured the hit single Peacekeeper written by Buckingham.

As a member of Fleetwood Mac, Buckingham was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998 and in 2011 was listed in Rolling Stone Magazine’s ‘100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time’.

In addition to his work with Fleetwood Mac, Buckingham has released five solo albums including Out of the Cradle, Under the Skin, Gift of Screws and Seeds We Sow.

In 2017, Buckingham and his Fleetwood Mac bandmate Christine McVie released the UK Top 5 and certified silver album Lindsey Buckingham Christine McVie.

UK-listed Hipgnosis Songs Fund owned (or owned cuts in) 57,836 songs in its portfolio as of the end of September 2020, when its market cap value stood at circa $1.7bn.

Music Business Worldwide

Stevie Nicks' 2020 was a "Dreams" come true

 The Year in Music: Stevie Nicks' 2020 was a "Dreams" come true

While 2020 was pretty much a terrible year for everyone -- especially the music industry, which lost billions due to the shutdown of live events -- some artists not only survived, but thrived.  Here's how 2020 was for one of those artists: Stevie Nicks.

"Dreams," the number-one hit that Stevie wrote for Fleetwood Mac in the '70s, became an unexpected phenomenon when an Idaho man named Nathan Apodaca posted a video on TikTok of himself lip-syncing along to it while swigging Ocean Spray Cran-Raspberry juice and riding a skateboard.

TikTok users rushed to post their own versions of the #DreamsChallenge, as did Stevie, Mick Fleetwood and ex-Fleetwood Mac guitarist Lindsey Buckingham.  As a result, "Dreams" re-entered the Billboard chart, climbing to #12, while its parent album, Rumours, returned to the top 10 for the first time in 42 years.

Speaking with CBS Sunday Morning on October 25, Stevie said, "This TikTok thing has kind of blown my mind. I'm happy about it because it seems to have made so many people happy."

Also in 2020, Stevie released a politically charged song called "Show Me the Way," joined Miley Cyrus on a remix of Miley's hit "Midnight Sky" -- which interpolated Stevie's "Edge of Seventeen" -- and was sampled on Dua Lipa's remix album. 

In addition, Stevie put out a live album and concert film, 24 Karat Gold. In December, she closed out the year by selling an 80% stake in her song catalog for an estimated $100 million.

By Andrea Dresdale - AbcNewsRadio