Producer David Kershenbaum Sells Royalty Stake in 'Fast Car' and Other Classics to HarbourView
HarbourView Equity Partners has acquired producer David Kershenbaum's interest in producer royalties and related rights across a slate of master recordings that includes Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car," Joe Jackson's "Steppin' Out," and Marc Cohn's "Walking in Memphis," according to a statement from the firm announcing the deal on 3 September 2026. Sherrese Clarke, HarbourView's founder and CEO, confirmed the transaction. Financial terms were not disclosed.
The deal spans some of the most recognisable songs in late-20th-century pop. On the Chapman side, it covers "Baby Can I Hold You," "Talkin' Bout a Revolution," "She's Got Her Ticket," and "Crossroads," alongside "Fast Car," the 1988 single Kershenbaum produced. The Jackson titles include "Is She Really Going Out With Him" and "Breaking Us in Two," and the package also takes in Gallagher & Lyle's "I Wanna Stay With You" (Billboard).
Producer royalties are the share of recording revenue paid to the producer of a track or album, separate from what the artist or the label receives. When a firm like HarbourView buys that share, it steps into the producer's position as the recipient of those ongoing payments.
Kershenbaum's career spans five decades and includes work with Bryan Adams, Duran Duran, and Elkie Brooks. He has been nominated for four Grammy Awards, including producer of the year (Billboard).
For HarbourView, the Kershenbaum deal is the latest in a string of music-rights acquisitions. The Newark, New Jersey-based firm, which describes itself as a multi-strategy investment firm focused on entertainment and media, has acquired more than 70 music catalogs and reports approximately $3.88 billion in regulatory assets under management as of 31 December 2025 (Billboard). Its previous transactions include a stake in Kelly Clarkson's catalogue (announced July 2025), select music, publishing and NIL assets from the estate of Quincy Jones (March 2026), producer royalties and publishing assets from Noel Zancanella (August 2024), and a music rights deal with Grammy-winning producer Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins (announced around May 2025).
Fox Rothschild, LLP served as legal counsel to HarbourView on the Kershenbaum transaction (Billboard).
"Fast Car" found a second commercial life in 2023, when Luke Combs' cover version reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, the flagship US singles chart. Chapman and Combs performed the song together at the Grammy Awards ceremony the following year (Billboard). That renewed visibility underscored the enduring value of the song's underlying rights — the very assets now changing hands between Kershenbaum and HarbourView.
