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Miscellaneous
Sony Music is in exclusive talks to buy a catalog of over 45,000 songs, including hits by Justin Bieber and Rihanna, in a deal worth up to $4 billion.
Sony Music is closing in on one of the largest music-rights acquisitions in history. The company is in exclusive negotiations with Blackstone to purchase Recognition Music Group, a firm that owns or manages rights to more than 45,000 songs—including works by Justin Bieber, Neil Young, Rihanna, Beyoncé, and Justin Timberlake.
The deal is being structured through a joint venture between Sony and Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC. Its value is estimated between $3.5 billion and $4 billion, according to sources who requested anonymity because the talks remain confidential, as reported by Bloomberg.
Blackstone and Hipgnosis originally struck a $1 billion deal in 2021. Blackstone fully acquired Hipgnosis in 2024, later rebranding the entity as Recognition Music. Hipgnosis had previously paid over $200 million to acquire Justin Bieber’s catalog alone.
Sony has already completed two transactions with Blackstone. The first, in June 2025, covered roughly 4,400 songs including tracks by Sabrina Carpenter and One Direction. The second, in February 2026, exceeded $200 million.
Sony was not the only suitor. Other parties attempted to acquire Recognition Music, with at least one submitting an informal offer believed to exceed Sony’s bid. However, Blackstone declined to share data with some of those competitors.
According to reports, both companies aim to finalize the agreement within days, though the talks could still collapse.
