New Tech : Apple’s Beats Deal is Music to Carlyle’s Ears

Carlyle GroupCG +0.26%’s a big winner in Apple Inc'sAAPL -0.18% possible acquisition of headphone-maker Beats Electronics.

The private-equity firm paid about $500 million for just under 50% of the headphone maker.

If Apple follows through on its reported $3-billion-plus deal for Beats, Carlyle’s take would be upward of $1.5 billion, or about $1 billion profit.

Not bad for a seven-month-old investment, and surely support for Carlyle’s growing interest in taking large minority stakes in companies as control investments become more difficult to come by, and more expensive.

Late last year Carlyle reaped a return of about 70% on $350 million it put toward Genesee & WyomingGWR -0.15%’s acquisition of rival rail operator RailAmerica. In the end Carlyle sold the shares it acquired in the combined company for more than $580 million.

Next up in Carlyle’s cupboard of big minority positions to cash out of: A stake in Vogue International, the maker of the shampoo brand formerly known as Organix.