Switzerland-based MusicBird has acquired the master royalty income of Dougie Thomson, longtime bassist of Supertramp, in a deal announced on April 13, 2026. Financial terms were not disclosed.
What changes hands
MusicBird is buying Thomson's royalty income from the Supertramp recordings he played on, not the master recordings themselves and not publishing rights. In practice, this means the buyer acquires the stream of payments Thomson receives as a performer on those records, while ownership of the masters stays where it was. This kind of income-only deal is common for band members who are paid royalties on recordings but do not control the copyrights.
The catalog
Thomson joined Supertramp in the 1970s and stayed for 15 years, until 1988. The band has sold more than 60 million albums since forming in 1970. Key recordings covered by the deal include:
- Goodbye Stranger, Give a Little Bit and Breakfast in America: three of the band's best-known hits.
- Breakfast in America (album): winner of two Grammy Awards. The Logical Song won the Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically in 1979.
- Crime of the Century, Crisis? What Crisis? and Even in the Quietest Moments: other albums from his time in the band.
Why it matters
This is MusicBird's third acquisition in about six months, after the catalog of R&B duo Majid Jordan in February 2026 and the estate of producer Rick Parashar, known for his work in grunge. The company says it has closed more than $75 million in music rights deals, covering over 2,000 songs by hundreds of artists, and its CEO Paul Brown describes ambitious growth plans.
For session players and non-writing band members, the deal is a reminder that performer royalties are a sellable asset in their own right. You do not need to own the masters or the songwriting to access the catalog market: a steady royalty stream from widely streamed classic rock records can attract specialist buyers, and mid-sized firms like MusicBird are actively looking for rights from different eras and countries.