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Sony Music Publishing has officially acquired Recognition Music Group from Blackstone, the companies announced on Monday, giving Sony ownership of publishing catalogs from the likes of Justin Timberlake, Justin Bieber and the Red Hot Chili Peppers among many others.
Terms of the sale weren’t disclosed, though the catalog is worth billions of dollars. Sony made the deal through its recently-announced partnership with Singapore’s GIC. Over the years, Recognition had acquired rights to 45,000 songs including “Don’t Stop Believing,” “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It),” “Go Your Own Way,” and “Under the Bridge” to name a few.
“We are so proud and excited to represent this incredible catalogue of many of the greatest songs in pop history through this momentous acquisition,” Sony Music Group chairman Rob Stringer said in a statement Monday.
Recognition was founded in 2018 as Hipgnosis Songs by music executive Merck Mercuriadis. The company had been a major player in the catalog acquisition boom of the early 2020s, making deals with many hit songwriters and producers along with recording artists including a $200 million deal for Bieber’s publishing catalog and over $140 million for the Chili Peppers’. Blackstone, which had previously partnered with Hipgnosis to establish a fund to acquire catalogs, bought the company in 2024, and it was subsequently renamed to Recognition.
This wasn’t the first time Recognition and Sony had worked together on a deal. Last year, Sony also acquired Higpnosis Songs Group, the publishing company formerly known as Big Deal Music.
“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,” Sony Music Publishing CEO Jon Platt said in a statement. “These timeless songs continue to define culture and inspire generations, and it is privilege to champion their legacy as guardians of their next chapter.”
Qasim Abbas, the senior managing director and head of tactical opportunities international at Blackstone, said the deal “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.”
As Ben Katovsky, CEO of Recognition Music Group said in a statement: “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. This is a milestone moment for Recognition and testament to the enduring value of music.”
