Sony Music Group is nearing a deal to acquire Recognition Music Group from Blackstone, in a transaction that could rank among the largest in music industry history.
Bloomberg reported Wednesday, May 6 that Sony is in exclusive talks with Blackstone. The deal would be executed through Sony’s music rights joint venture with Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC. That partnership is expected to pay between $3.5 billion and $4 billion for the assets, according to the report.
The talks follow a May 1 report from Billboard that Sony was negotiating for Recognition’s catalog. Bloomberg said both sides are aiming to finalize an agreement within the next week, though negotiations could still fall apart.
Other bidders have also shown interest. Bloomberg reported that “a couple of other entities” pursued Recognition, with at least one submitting “an unsolicited offer it believed to be higher than Sony’s bid.” Blackstone, however, declined to share detailed data with some rival suitors.
Sony already has close ties to the catalog. Sony Music Publishing administers Recognition’s assets, which include songs recorded by major artists such as Justin Bieber and Neil Young.
If completed at the reported valuation, the deal would mark Sony’s third — and by far largest — acquisition from the former Hipgnosis portfolio. In February, Sony Music Publishing acquired a package of Recognition assets worth more than $200 million, including rights tied to Jeff Bhasker and Jack Antonoff. That followed a June 2025 deal for Hipgnosis Songs Group, valued at about $70 million, according to Billboard.
Recognition Music Group was formed in March 2025 after Blackstone consolidated its Hipgnosis holdings under a new brand. The company controls or administers more than 45,000 songs across over 145 catalogs, including works associated with Rihanna, Beyoncé, Leonard Cohen and Justin Timberlake.
The company is led by CEO Ben Katovsky, who took over after Hipgnosis founder Merck Mercuriadis stepped away in July 2024.
Blackstone built the portfolio over several years, investing roughly $800 million in music rights through Hipgnosis Songs Capital beginning in 2021. It later acquired Hipgnosis Songs Fund for $1.58 billion in July 2024, valuing the Hipgnosis Songs Fund portfolio at about $2.2 billion.
The catalog has also been used to back major financing deals, including a $1.47 billion bond issuance in November 2024 and a $372 million offering in July 2025. A Kroll valuation as of March 31, 2025, placed the portfolio’s value at $2.95 billion.
Sony’s joint venture with GIC, launched in January, is expected to invest between $2 billion and $3 billion in music assets.
“Partnering with GIC brings together long-term capital and Sony Music Group’s operational capabilities to acquire and manage premier catalogs, creating new opportunities for artists’ and songwriters’ music globally,” said Sony Music’s Chief Operating Officer Kevin Kelleher.
The potential acquisition reflects a broader trend, with major music companies increasingly relying on investor-backed partnerships to compete with private equity firms like Apollo and KKR for high-value catalogs.
Blackstone and Sony Music declined to comment to Bloomberg.
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