Hipgnosis Songs music catalogue sale comes under scrutiny as continuation vote looms

A nuanced ‘positive step’

Valeria Martinez
clock • 5 min read

Hipgnosis Songs’ deal to sell a fifth of its music catalogue to a Blackstone-owned vehicle has been put under scrutiny by analysts, with some raising doubts the move will be enough for shareholders to support the trust’s continuation.

In a stock exchange notice on Thursday (14 September), the trust said it had agreed to sell 29 catalogues for $465m to Hipgnosis Songs Capital, the Blackstone-backed private fund managed by SONG investment adviser Hipgnosis Song Management. Using the proceeds from the catalogue sales, the board also outlined a share buyback programme of up to $180m and the repayment of $250m drawn under the trust's revolving credit facility, as well the introduction of additional, lower investment advisory fee tiers. Hipgnosis agrees $465m catalogue sale from public trust to private Blackstone vehicle...

To continue reading this article...

Join Investment Week for free

  • Unlimited access to real-time news, analysis and opinion from the investment industry, including the Sustainable Hub covering fund news from the ESG space
  • Get ahead of regulatory and technological changes affecting fund management
  • Important and breaking news stories selected by the editors delivered straight to your inbox each day
  • Weekly members-only newsletter with exclusive opinion pieces from leading industry experts
  • Be the first to hear about our extensive events schedule and awards programmes

Join now

 

Already an Investment Week
member?

Login

More on Investment Trusts

Scottish Mortgage keeping activists at bay with ongoing share buybacks

Scottish Mortgage keeping activists at bay with ongoing share buybacks

£2bn spent on scheme so far

Eve Maddock-Jones
clock 04 July 2025 • 3 min read
IBT's Ailsa Craig and Marek Poszepczynski: Biotech innovation will overcome policy noise

IBT's Ailsa Craig and Marek Poszepczynski: Biotech innovation will overcome policy noise

Sector not primary target of US reforms

Ailsa Craig and Marek Poszepczynski
clock 04 July 2025 • 4 min read
Murray Income trust launches 'surprise' strategic review amid lagging performance

Murray Income trust launches 'surprise' strategic review amid lagging performance

Trading at 10.3% discount to NAV

Sorin Dojan
clock 03 July 2025 • 1 min read
Trustpilot