Sony Music Publishing (SMP) has completed its acquisition of the entire music rights portfolio of Recognition Music Group.
The deal, first announced in May, has closed following regulatory approvals in multiple territories, MBW can reveal.
“We can confirm that the acquisition of the entire music rights portfolio of Recognition Music Group by Sony Music Publishing has completed following regulatory approvals,” said a statement jointly issued to MBW by SMP and Recognition.
The acquisition was made by SMP in partnership with the music rights investment venture that Sony Music Group launched in January with Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC.
The deal results in Sony Music Publishing acquiring catalog of more than 45,000 songs.
Financial terms were not disclosed, though Bloomberg reported ahead of the agreement that the deal was valued at between $3.5 billion and $4 billion.
The catalog features shares in hits including Journey‘s Don’t Stop Believin’, Fleetwood Mac‘s Go Your Own Way, Beyoncé‘s Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It), Lady Gaga‘s Bad Romance, and Mariah Carey‘s All I Want for Christmas Is You.
Jon Platt, Chairman & CEO of Sony Music Publishing, said when the deal was announced in May: “Our investment in this extraordinary catalog reflects our belief in the enduring power of great music – a belief that resonates deeply throughout Sony Music Group and is shared by our partners at GIC.”
“These timeless songs continue to define culture and inspire generations, and it is a privilege to champion their legacy as guardians of their next chapter.”
Ben Katovsky, CEO of Recognition Music Group, said at the time: “It has been an honor to steward this phenomenal catalogue. The team and I are incredibly proud of what we have built at Recognition – protecting and enhancing the legacy and value of these songs while in our care.”
The catalog, accumulated by Merck Mercuriadis, was sold by funds managed by Blackstone, which assembled the Recognition portfolio over several years.
Qasim Abbas, Senior Managing Director and Head of Tactical Opportunities International at Blackstone, said the transaction “delivers a strong outcome for Blackstone and our investors and represents a further vote of confidence in music rights as an institutionally established asset class.”
Abbas described Sony as “an exceptional home for these iconic catalogues,” adding that Blackstone looked forward “to continuing to invest across the music sector through Recognition.”
That comment indicated Recognition will continue to operate as a Blackstone-backed entity following the sale of its catalog to Sony.
The completed deal marks Sony‘s third – and by far its largest – acquisition of assets from the former Hipgnosis portfolio.
Sony Music Group bought a tranche of Recognition assets from Blackstone in February, in a deal reported to be worth over $200 million.
That transaction followed SMP‘s acquisition of Hipgnosis Songs Group, formerly known as Big Deal Music, in June 2025.
Recognition Music Group was formed in March 2025, when Blackstone consolidated its Hipgnosis assets under a new brand led by Katovsky.
Blackstone acquired Hipgnosis Songs Fund from its UK public investors for $1.58 billion in July 2024, in a deal that valued the portfolio at an estimated $2.2 billion.
The acquisition is the latest in a run of large-scale music industry M&A in 2026.
Bertelsmann‘s BMG and Concord confirmed their merger in April, while Primary Wave Music agreed in March to acquire Kobalt from Francisco Partners.
Sony Music Publishing already administered the Recognition catalog before completing the acquisition.Music Business Worldwide
