Sony in Talks to Acquire Recognition Music Group for Up to $4B

Sony Music Group is reportedly in talks to acquire Blackstone-owned Recognition Music Group in a deal valued between $3.5 billion and $4 billion, according to Bloomberg.

Why it matters:

• At that valuation, it would be one of the largest asset acquisitions in music history.

• Recognition Music Group oversees more than 45,000 songs across 145-plus catalogs, either through ownership or administration.

• Its repertoire spans some of music’s biggest artists, such as Justin Bieber, Neil Young, Rihanna, Beyoncé, Leonard Cohen and Justin Timberlake.

Funding:

• The acquisition would be made through Sony’s recently launched music investment joint venture with Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC.

• Sony and Blackstone are reportedly aiming to finalize an agreement within days, though Bloomberg says talks could still fall over.

Backstory:

• Blackstone acquired Hipgnosis Songs Fund for $1.58 billion in July 2024.

• Recognition Music Group was created in March 2025 after Blackstone consolidated its Hipgnosis assets under a new brand following the exit of founder Merck Mercuriadis in July 2024.

Relationship with Sony:

• As per Music Business Worldwide, Sony has previously acquired assets from the former Hipgnosis portfolio.

• In February Sony Music Publishing (SMP) bought a $200 million-plus tranche of Recognition assets from Blackstone, including the publishing rights and master recording royalty streams to songs by Jeff Bhasker and Jack Antonoff.

• In June 2025 SMP acquired Hipgnosis Songs Group, formerly known as Big Deal Music.

• SMP already administers the Recognition catalog.