NY-BLACKSTONE
12.10.2021 13:02:12 CEST | Business Wire | Press release
Blackstone (NYSE: BX) and Hipgnosis Song Management Ltd (“HSM”) today announce a new partnership, backed by funds managed by Blackstone, which will initially deliver c.$1 billion to acquire music rights and manage catalogues.
Hipgnosis Song Management, founded by Merck Mercuriadis and formerly known as The Family (Music) Ltd, is one of the industry’s leading advisory firms focused on music assets and is investment advisor to Hipgnosis Songs Fund Ltd (LSE: SONG), the largest UK-listed investor in music catalogues and royalties with gross assets of c.$2.2 billion.
Merck Mercuriadis, CEO of Hipgnosis Song Management, said : “Hipgnosis Song Management has firmly established songs as an asset class. This new partnership with Blackstone will deliver financial strength to invest in proven songs as well as grow our song management team and bring additional sophistication to HSM, enabling us to create greater value to our stakeholders including our songwriters and shareholders in SONG. Given the strength of our pipeline, we see the initial commitment as just the start of a long-term partnership between Blackstone and Hipgnosis that will also include co-investment with SONG.”
Qasim Abbas, Senior Managing Director, Blackstone Tactical Opportunities, said : “This partnership underscores the long term, sustainable value we see in creative content across the wider entertainment industry, building on Merck’s vision and dynamism. The music industry has been at the forefront of the fast-growing streaming economy and is unlocking new ways of consuming content. We look forward to working with Merck and his team to continue their exciting journey and safeguard the legacy of the songwriters that entrust us with their content.”
As part of the partnership, Blackstone will take an ownership stake in HSM and will support the expansion of its infrastructure and business functions, including the development of new song management expertise, data science capabilities and technology solutions. This should allow HSM to further enhance the value of the rights it purchases, working in close collaboration with songwriters, artists and producers.
SONG is expected to benefit from Blackstone’s investment in HSM’s management capabilities and will have the right to co-invest in future catalogue acquisitions alongside the new Blackstone–HSM partnership.
Andrew Sutch, Chairman of SONG said : “Our Investment Adviser, Hipgnosis Song Management’s, new partnership with Blackstone highlights how successfully Merck has established songs and music rights as an asset class since founding and listing SONG three years ago. This new partnership will provide new co-investment opportunities for SONG, and we expect that continued investment in Hipgnosis Song Management will enhance returns for our investors.”
Blackstone was advised on the transaction by Goldman Sachs, FTI, Kirkland & Ellis and Deloitte. Hipgnosis Song Management was advised by RBC, Capstan Capital Partners and Stephenson Harwood.
About Blackstone
Blackstone is the world’s largest alternative asset manager. We seek to create positive economic impact and long-term value for our investors, the companies we invest in, and the communities in which we work. We do this by using extraordinary people and flexible capital to help companies solve problems. Our $684 billion in assets under management include investment vehicles focused on private equity, real estate, public debt and equity, life sciences, growth equity, opportunistic, non-investment grade credit, real assets, and secondary funds, all on a global basis. Further information is available at www.blackstone.com . Follow Blackstone on Twitter@Blackstone .
About Hipgnosis Song Management Ltd
Hipgnosis Song Management Ltd, formerly The Family (Music) Ltd is the Investment Advisor for Hipgnosis Songs Fund Ltd (SONG). Both were founded by Merck Mercuriadis, former manager of globally successful recording artists, such as Elton John, Guns N' Roses, Morrissey, Iron Maiden and Beyoncé, and hit songwriters such as Diane Warren, Justin Tranter and The-Dream. The Investment Adviser has assembled an Advisory Board of highly successful music industry experts which include award winning members of the artist, songwriter, publishing, legal, financial, recorded music and music management communities, all with in-depth knowledge of music publishing. Members of Hipgnosis Song Management Ltd Advisory Board include Nile Rodgers, The-Dream, Giorgio Tuinfort, Starrah, David A. Stewart, Poo Bear, Bill Leibowitz, Ian Montone and Rodney Jerkins.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211012005592/en/
Link:
About Business Wire
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Galderma Announces Triple Approval of New State-of-the-Art Restylane® Syringe in the EU, the U.S., and Canada, Reaffirming the Company’s Position at the Forefront of Injectable Aesthetics25.2.2026 07:00:00 CET | Press release
Regulatory authorities in the European Union (EU), the United States (U.S.), and Canada have approved a new state-of-the-art Restylane®syringe for use with a range of Restylane NASHA® lidocaine products in multiple indications in the face and in the hands1-3 Developed in collaboration with aesthetic practitioners, its innovative ergonomic design features a cushioned finger grip and thumb rest, to improve practitioner experience through better injection comfort and control, helping them deliver consistently premium results 4-7 The syringe’s carton packaging is the first in the industry to be made from 100% recyclable paper, and reaffirms Galderma’s commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility 8 These approvals demonstrate Galderma’s strong heritage in Injectable Aesthetics, and its commitment to continuing to drive innovation in the field Galderma (SIX: GALD), today announced that regulatory authorities in the EU, the U.S., and Canada have approved a new state-of-the-ar
Azafaros Announces Publication of Preclinical Efficacy Data with Nizubaglustat in GM2 Gangliosidosis25.2.2026 07:00:00 CET | Press release
Preclinical proof-of-concept data in GM2 gangliosidosis demonstrated survival benefit, functional improvement and target engagementResults are published in the 7 January issue of the Journal of Inherited Metabolic DiseaseNizubaglustat is currently in Phase 3 registrational studies in GM1/GM2 gangliosidoses and Niemann-Pick type C disease (NPC) Azafaros, a company aiming to become a leader in lysosomal storage disorders (LSDs), focused on addressing especially neurological symptoms, today announced the publication of proof-of-concept preclinical data with its lead product, nizubaglustat, in GM2 gangliosidosis. The data, published in the 7 January issue of the Journal of Inherited Metabolic Disease in collaboration with the laboratory of Dr. Jagdeep Walia, Department of Pediatrics, Queen's University, Kingston, Canada, reinforce nizubaglustat’s potential to address unmet needs in rare LSDs and build on existing preclinical and clinical evidence. The preclinical study tested nizubaglustat
Verdict Expected Soon in Klarna’s $8.3 Billion Antitrust Lawsuit Against Google24.2.2026 19:09:00 CET | Press release
PriceRunner v. Google: Sweden’s Largest-Ever Civil Damages Claim Reaches Decision Stage; Klarna Provides Investor Update Klarna Group plc (NYSE: KLAR) announces that the Patent and Market Court of Sweden (Patent- och marknadsdomstolen) is expected to deliver its verdict on April 15, 2026 in the antitrust damages proceedings brought by Klarna’s subsidiary PriceRunner International AB against Google LLC and Google Ireland Limited. The trial, which ran from October 20 to December 19, 2025, concerned PriceRunner’s claim for approximately $8.3 billion in damages — the largest civil damages claim ever filed in a Swedish court. The Case The claim arises from Google’s abuse of dominance in online comparison shopping, as established by the European Commission in a binding 2017 decision and upheld without reservation by the Court of Justice of the European Union in September 2024. PriceRunner alleges that Google systematically demoted competing price comparison services in its search results whi
INRIX Announces New Generation of AI Traffic Products: Helping to Improve Safety, Reduce Congestion, and Enhance Mobility Operations24.2.2026 16:49:00 CET | Press release
New generative AI capabilities, enhanced incident detection, and expanded customer deployments mark a major evolution of the INRIX Traffic product family INRIX, a global leader in transportation data and analytics, today announced a major expansion of its Trafficfamily of products, delivering innovativeAI-driven capabilities to help transportation agencies and logistics organizations move from reactive traffic management to proactive, safety-focused and efficient operations. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260224267928/en/ INRIX introduces expanded automation, generative AI capabilities, enhanced incident detection, and continuous analytics. Over twenty years ago, INRIX commercialized the first system to use GPS data to create real-time traffic information. In 2019, INRIX launched AI Traffic – the world's first traffic platform to leverage deep learning models and AI to improve the quality and analysis globall
Check Point and ControlPlane Partner to Help Enterprises Securely Scale AI and Accelerate Agentic Innovation24.2.2026 15:30:00 CET | Press release
ControlPlane, a specialist AI Security and DevSecOps consultancy, and Check Point Software Technologies Ltd., a pioneer and global leader in cyber security solutions, today announced a strategic collaboration to help enterprises securely adopt Large Language Models (LLMs) and agentic AI systems at scale. The partnership delivers a comprehensive, regulator-ready security framework designed to reduce risk, protect sensitive data, and enable organizations to move confidently from AI experimentation to production deployment. By combining Check Point’s AI-native threat prevention platform with ControlPlane’s deep expertise in cloud native architectures and DevSecOps, enterprises can operationalize AI securely without slowing innovation. As organizations advance AI initiatives beyond pilots, they face a growing “AI readiness gap.” Emerging threats such as prompt injection, unauthorized access, data leakage, and model misuse introduce risks that traditional security controls were not built to
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom