Sony Music Publishing Buys Hipgnosis Songs Group
The extraordinary story of Hipgnosis has a new chapter with Sony Music Publishing taking ownership of Hipgnosis Songs Group.
According to reports published overnight in the US, the giant music publisher has acquired HSG, the Recognition Music Group’s publishing and administration company.
The arrangement is said to include 4,400 rights from Sabrina Carpenter, Blake Mills, My Morning Jacket, Alex Warren, St. Vincent, Kali Uchis, and more, according to Variety, which confirms the situation. Billboard first reported the acquisition.
“With this agreement, Sony Music Publishing now owns and administers the Hipgnosis Songs Group catalog, serving as the full-service publisher for its clients and roster of songwriters globally,” reads an email to HSG songwriters, composers and clients, according to Billboard.
Financial terms weren’t disclosed.
Recognition Music, however, continues to own and manage the 45,000 songs which were acquired and managed under different branches of Hipgnosis, including works by Red Hot Chili Peppers, Neil Young, Lindsey Buckingham, Blondie, Justin Bieber, and Journey.
Hipgnosis and its various divisions underwent a major rebrand in March, following its acquisition last year by private equity company Blackstone, ending its listing on the London stock exchange and facilitating the departure of Hipgnosis founder Merck Mercuriadis, the former manager of artists like Elton John, Beyoncé, and Guns N’ Roses.
Before that billion-dollar-plus exchange, Hipgnosis Songs Fund found itself in treacherous waters following a years-long spree on music catalogs, during which the enterprise spent approximately US$2.2 billion on acquisitions, including the publishing catalog of New Zealand songwriter and producer Joel Little.
Blackstone outmaneuvered a series of rival bids from Concord, paying US$1.58 billion in a deal completed in July 2024.
With the purchase of Hipgnosis Songs Group, Sony Music Publishing, the self-proclaimed “World’s No. 1 Music Publisher,” grows even bigger. Its Australian roster includes Angus & Julia Stone, Hilltop Hoods, Don Walker, Sarah Blasko, and more.
Sony/ATV was established in 1995 through a joint venture with Michael Jackson that brought together the original Sony Music Publishing with Jackson’s ATV Music. In 2016, Sony acquired the Michael Jackson Estate’s 50% share of Sony/ATV, making it a wholly-owned Sony company.