Tom DeLonge has sold the copyright to his Blink-182 songs

9 January 2020, 19:07 | Updated: 9 January 2020, 19:11

Tom DeLonge in July 2012. Picture: Joby Sessions/Total Guitar Magazine/Future via Getty Images

A publishing company has bought the rights to the tunes written by the co-founder of the US band.

A London-based publishing company has bought Tom DeLonge's copyright in the songs he wrote for Blink-182.

Variety reports that Hipgnosis Songs have acquired 100% of DeLonge's catalogue of 157 songs, which includes hits like What’s My Age Again? and All The Small Things.

It marks something of an end of an era in the story of Blink-182, which was founded by DeLonge with Mark Hoppus back in 1992.

blink-182 - All The Small Things (Official Video)

DeLonge said of the new deal: "It is an honour to have been playing music for so many years and to be in a position to partner with the great team at Hipgnosis to support my work.

"This is now a perfect opportunity for me to not only celebrate my past, but to also give me the foundation to create more music for many decades to come."

Hipgnosis Songs founder Merck Mercuriadis added: "The influence of Blink-182 on today’s artists is massive. If you’re under 27 years old and making music they are a seminal band. They had angst, they had energy, they had humour but most importantly they had incredible songs and Tom is at the core of that. It’s an honour to welcome him into the Hipgnosis Family.”

Hipgnosis also owns various catalogues which include huge songs like I Predict A Riot by Kaiser Chiefs, Ed Sheeran's Castle On The Hill, Set Fire To The Rain by Adele and Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars.

DeLonge's work with Blink-182 came to an end in January 2015 when he refused to sign a contract that would effectively delay his other projects, which included new material by Angels & Airwaves and a series of novels with accompanying soundtracks. In a statement, DeLonge said: "Never planned on quitting, just find it hard as hell to commit."

The guitarist was replaced by Matt Skiba of Alkaline Trio. "When Tom was in the band, that’s when Blink did its best work,” Hoppus told Alt Press last year. “Now post-Tom, with Matt in the band, we’re approaching songs differently.”

On 31 December, DeLonge posted a teaser of a new documentary about Angels & Airwaves.