Warner Music Group Strikes Deal with South Korea’s MAINSTREAM – the Management Firm Behind Superstar Lee Young Ji
Warner Music has signed a partnership with South Korean management firm MAINSTREAM, the agency behind artists Lee Young Ji and Kik5o. The deal focuses on talent development, music production and global promotion, with Warner Music Korea taking a leading coordination role. The first co‑produced release is Lee Young Ji’s new single “Robot.” The collaboration signals Warner’s intent to deepen its foothold in the Korean pop and rap markets.
Germany’s Recorded Music Business Generated USD $2.73B in 2025 – up Just 2.3% YoY
Germany’s recorded‑music market posted €2.42 billion in 2025, a modest 2.3% year‑over‑year increase. Streaming remained the dominant revenue source, delivering €2 billion and representing 84.4% of total sales. Physical formats continued to decline, falling 5.9% to €345 million, though vinyl’s share of physical...
Guji Lorenzana Promoted to Director, A&R and Client Development, APAC, at Symphonic Distribution
Symphonic Distribution has promoted Guji Lorenzana to Director of A&R and Client Development for the Asia‑Pacific region, adding Arie Legowo as A&R Client Development Lead in Indonesia and Abegail Ungab as Senior Manager of Content, UGC & Rights Management. Lorenzana will now...
An Open Letter to Suno’s Mikey Shulman.
Suno AI announced a $300 million annual revenue run‑rate backed by 2 million paying subscribers, averaging $150 per user and highlighting strong demand for its Premier tier that allows 2,000 songs per month. The platform’s rapid growth coincides with a surge in...
How Jeff Waye and Patrick Curley Built Third Side Music Into an Indie Publishing Powerhouse with USD $25M in Annual...
Third Side Music, founded in Montreal with a $150,000 seed investment, has become an indie publishing powerhouse generating over $25 million in annual revenue in 2025 without outside capital. The company averages 15‑20% year‑over‑year growth, driven by a 75,000‑plus‑title catalog and...
Reservoir Receives Unsolicited $1.2B Bid From Activist Investor Irenic Capital (Report)
Activist fund Irenic Capital Management has lodged an unsolicited takeover offer for Reservoir Media, valuing the Nasdaq‑listed music rights company at $1.1‑$1.2 billion, or $10‑$11 per share. Irenic, which owns roughly 9.2% of Reservoir, triggered a 15% surge in the stock...
Primary Wave in Talks to Potentially Acquire Kobalt Music Group
Primary Wave is in advanced talks to acquire Kobalt Music Group, with a potential valuation north of $1.5 billion—roughly double the price paid by private‑equity owner Francisco Partners in 2022. The deal would merge Primary Wave’s $6 billion catalog portfolio with Kobalt’s...
Julie Lamb Promoted to Chief Talent Officer at AEG’s AXS; Jason Boxer Upped to Chief Financial Officer
Julie Lamb has been promoted to Chief Talent Officer of AEG’s ticketing arm AXS, while Jason Boxer moves up to Chief Financial Officer. Both previously served as senior vice presidents—Lamb in HR and Boxer in accounting and finance. Their new...
Charles Goldstuck’s GoldState Secures ‘Significant’ Bridgepoint Investment for Growth Equity Fund Targeting Music Companies
GoldState Music announced a strategic partnership with Bridgepoint Group, which will act as lead investor in a new Growth Strategy fund aimed at scaling music‑focused businesses. Unlike its prior billion‑dollar fundraising rounds that centered on catalog acquisitions, the new vehicle...
The Circuit Group Launches Indie Artist and Label Services Arm, Beat Switch
The Circuit Group has officially launched Beat Switch Music Services, a white‑label infrastructure offering for independent labels and artists. After two years of silent development, the division now supports more than 20 indie labels, providing distribution, rights management, publishing, marketing,...
‘End Streaming Fraud.’
Streaming fraud—artificial plays generated by bots and AI‑created content—is siphoning royalties from legitimate artists, songwriters, and labels. Fraudsters exploit gaps in distributor and platform safeguards, inflating streams to capture revenue from the finite pool that streaming services allocate. The IFPI...
Sony Group’s Blueprint for AI Music Detection Tech Is Promising. Here’s What It’s Working On…
Sony AI is advancing AI‑generated music detection through three research strands: attribution via an "unlearning" technique that isolates training songs influencing a generated track, segment‑level recognition with CLEWS that matches musical snippets as short as ten seconds, and protection using...
Miley Cyrus Asks Court to Dismiss ‘Flowers’ Copyright Case, Calling Similarities to Bruno Mars Hit ‘Commonplace’ and Unprotectable
Miley Cyrus’s legal team filed a motion to dismiss Tempo Secured Music Rights Collateral’s copyright lawsuit alleging her 2023 hit “Flowers” copies elements of Bruno Mars’s 2013 ballad “When I Was Your Man.” Tempo, a music‑rights fund now controlled by Warner Music Group,...
Sony Music Publishing Launches in the Philippines, Appoints Stephanie Ortiz as General Manager for the Market
Sony Music Publishing has launched its first Philippine office in Manila, appointing Stephanie Ortiz as General Manager. Ortiz reports to newly named Asia President Roslyn Pineda, who operates from Hong Kong. The office will serve local labels, collection societies, and...
Min Hee-Jin Proposes to Forgo $18M Court Win in Exchange for HYBE Dropping All Lawsuits Against Her, NewJeans, Ex-Employees and...
Min Hee‑jin, former ADOR CEO, offered to forgo a KRW 25.6 billion (≈US $17.9 million) court award in exchange for HYBE dropping every civil and criminal lawsuit involving her, NewJeans, former staff and fans. The proposal follows a Seoul court ruling that ordered HYBE...
Lauren Demarte Promoted to Chief Operating Officer at GoDigital Music
Lauren Demarte has been promoted to chief operating officer of GoDigital Music, becoming the company’s first COO. The appointment follows GoDigital’s recent $230 million financing round, which pushes total capital raised above $1 billion and coincides with a brand revamp that splits...
Salt-N-Pepa File Notice of Appeal over UMG Lawsuit Dismissal, with ‘Blurred Lines’ Lawyer as Counsel
Grammy‑winning rap duo Salt‑N‑Pepa have filed a notice of appeal after a district judge dismissed their lawsuit against Universal Music Group seeking to terminate UMG’s ownership of their master recordings. The lower‑court ruling held that the duo never owned the...
AI-Driven Kids Media Firm Animaj Strikes Global Deal with The Orchard’s Magic Star and Sony Music Publishing
Animaj, a digital‑first kids media company, has signed a global music partnership with Magic Star, The Orchard’s children’s division, and Sony Music Publishing. Magic Star will distribute Animaj’s recordings worldwide while Sony will administer publishing rights for its song catalog....
Atlantic Music Group Strikes Joint Venture with Indie Label Today Is Vintage
Atlantic Music Group announced a joint venture with indie label Today Is Vintage, founded by Swedish entrepreneur Rebin Shah. Today Is Vintage, operating from Stockholm, London and Los Angeles, has generated over 20 billion streams and more than 80 gold and platinum...
Greg Prata Promoted to Chief Financial Officer at Sony Music Publishing, as Tom Kelly Retires After 35-Year Career
Sony Music Publishing announced Greg Prata as its new Chief Financial Officer, effective March 31, succeeding Tom Kelly who is retiring after a 35‑year career. Prata, who joined Sony in 2012 after a stint at EMI and has a background in...
AI Sample Generator Just 4 Noise Raises $1M From BADideas.fund, Sound Hub Denmark and More
Berlin‑based Just 4 Noise, an AI‑driven audio sample generator, closed a $1 million pre‑seed round backed by BADideas.fund, SoundInvest and Sound Hub Denmark. The platform lets producers type a text prompt and receive unique, royalty‑free sounds that can be dropped directly into a...
Virgin Music Group Completes Downtown Acquisition; Pieter Van Rijn Named COO as Downtown Founder Justin Kalifowitz Steps Away
Virgin Music Group (VMG) completed its acquisition of Downtown Music Holdings on February 20, 2026, after the European Commission cleared the deal pending the divestiture of Downtown’s Curve royalty‑accounting unit. The transaction brings Downtown’s 5,000 business clients, four million creators and...
Chris Welz Named Partner at Secretly Distribution After Company’s ‘Biggest Year Ever’
Secretly Distribution has promoted longtime COO Chris Welz to Partner, marking his elevation to ownership after two decades. Welz, who built the company’s global physical distribution and digital services, will now co‑lead scaling efforts with CEO Darius Van Arman. The...
Meet Jake Basden, CEO of HYBE AMERICA Nashville’s Blue Highway Records: ‘I Bring a Manager’s Mentality to the Position.’
HYBE America has rebranded its Nashville division, formerly Big Machine Label Group, as Blue Highway Records and appointed veteran Jake Basden as CEO. Basden, who previously led Sandbox Management and served as SVP of Communications at BMLG, brings a manager‑first...
Sphere Entertainment’s Revenues Topped $1.2bn in 2025, up 8% YoY; Wizard Of Oz Has Generated $290M Since August Launch
Sphere Entertainment posted FY 2025 revenue of $1.22 billion, an 8% year‑over‑year increase, while narrowing its operating loss to $229.6 million. Adjusted operating profit surged 138% to $261.8 million, reflecting the impact of excluding depreciation, amortization and other non‑cash items. Q4 revenue jumped 28%...
Sony Music France Acquires Paris-Based Indie Label and Publishing Company Spookland
Sony Music Group France announced the acquisition of Spookland, a Paris‑based independent label and publishing company best known for representing French singer‑songwriter Jain. The deal, whose financial terms were undisclosed, transfers recorded‑music and publishing rights, as well as the full...
AWAL Strikes Global Distribution Deal with Italy’s Artist First
AWAL has entered a strategic partnership with Italy‑based Artist First, granting its roster localized marketing and promotional support to break into the Italian market while allowing Artist First to remain an independent entity. Artist First, founded in Milan in 2009,...
Concord Opens New Los Angeles Office on Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills
Concord has opened a new 32,000‑square‑foot Los Angeles office at 9171 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills, occupying the sixth floor and penthouse of the Wilshire & Palm Building. The space, designed by Wolcott with interiors by Tangram, emphasizes flexible, collaborative work environments and...
Universal Music Strikes Deal with Superfan Platform EVEN to Power D2C Sales for Artists Worldwide
Universal Music Group has signed a multi‑year agreement with superfan platform EVEN, making the service the primary direct‑to‑fan (D2C) hub for its labels and artists. EVEN will provide turnkey tools for early‑access music, exclusive content, and merchandise sales, leveraging UMG’s...
Henrik Berndtson Named Head of Nordics at AEG Ticketing Division AXS
AEG’s ticketing arm AXS has appointed Henrik Berndtson as Head of the Nordics, placing him in Stockholm to steer regional operations. The move aligns with AXS’s aggressive European rollout, complementing recent hires in Europe and a joint venture in Japan. Berndtson...
Apple Music’s iOS 26.4 Beta Introduces AI-Powered Playlist Tool
Apple Music is testing an AI‑powered playlist generator called Playlist Playground in the iOS 26.4 beta. The tool lets users type natural‑language prompts—such as “morning coffee music” or “disco songs that defined the 1970s”—to create 25‑track playlists with custom titles and...
‘A Modern Collecting Society Needs the Pace and Resilience of a Modern Digital Service.’
PRS for Music announced a comprehensive digital‑first overhaul, redesigning its website and member tools to be mobile‑first and self‑service. The new platform reduces navigation steps, uses plain language, and treats data as a product, enabling faster royalty insights and payments....
Music Distributor Alliance Entertainment Says It Sold over 16m Vinyl Records and 13m CDs in 2025
Alliance Entertainment reported selling over 16 million vinyl records and 13 million CDs in 2025, underscoring the resilience of physical music formats. In Q4 2025, vinyl sales rose 3% year‑over‑year while CD sales grew about 5%, driven by its exclusive distribution agreement with...
Switzerland’s MusicBird Acquires Publishing Catalog of R&B Duo and Drake Collaborators Majid Jordan
Switzerland‑based music‑rights boutique MusicBird has acquired the publishing catalog of Toronto R&B duo Majid Jordan, adding over 2,000 songs to its holdings. The catalog includes the duo’s own hits such as “Her” and co‑writes on chart‑topping tracks for Drake, Beyoncé and...
UK-Based Investor Independent Franchise Partners Takes 3% Stake in Universal Music Group Worth $1.2bn+
Independent Franchise Partners (IFP) has acquired a 3.01% stake in Universal Music Group (UMG), valued at roughly €1.09 billion ($1.29 bn). The holding makes IFP the sixth‑largest shareholder and adds to its existing positions in Vivendi, Rightmove and Warner Music, signalling a...
Sony Group Develops Tech to Track Original Music in AI-Generated Songs (Report)
Sony Group has created technology to identify copyrighted music embedded in AI‑generated songs. The system works by either connecting directly to AI model training data or by comparing generated outputs against existing catalogs. Sony AI aims to use the tool...
Done Deal: UMG’s Downtown Acquisition Approved by EU Competition Regulator
The European Commission approved Universal Music Group’s $775 million acquisition of Downtown Music Holdings, conditional on divesting the Curve royalty‑accounting business. The decision ends a year‑long antitrust review and clears the way for UMG to integrate Downtown’s distribution and publishing services,...
The Empire Strikes Back: The Majors and Merlin Gained (a Bit) of Market Share on Spotify Last Year.
Spotify’s 2025 fiscal report shows the combined majors‑plus‑Merlin cohort regaining market share, rising to 72% of global music streams from 71% in 2024, ending a decade‑long decline that saw the group fall from 87% in 2017. The rebound coincides with...
Scott Borchetta Exits HYBE AMERICA
Scott Borchetta is departing HYBE America after five years as CEO of Big Machine Label Group, which HYBE acquired in a $1.05 billion deal in 2021. Borchetta, the founder of Big Machine Records, will continue to use the brand for independent...
HYBE Posts Record Annual Revenues of $1.86bn for 2025 as K-Pop Firm’s Concert Revenues Hit All-Time High – but Operating...
South Korean entertainment conglomerate HYBE reported FY 2025 revenue of 2.65 trillion KRW ($1.86 bn), a 17.5% YoY increase driven largely by a 69.4% surge in concert revenues to $537.5 m. Despite the topline growth, operating profit collapsed 72.9% to 49.9 bn KRW ($35.1 m), shrinking the...
NetEase Cloud Music Now Counts over 1 Million Registered Indie Artists
NetEase Cloud Music announced that its independent‑artist ecosystem surpassed one million registered creators, contributing over 5.6 million tracks by the end of FY 2025. Subscription revenue grew 13.3% year‑over‑year to RMB 5.1 billion, while total online‑music revenue rose 12% to RMB 6.0 billion. Despite a slight...
Warner Music Group Plans to Sell EMP, the Merch Business It Acquired for $180m in 2018
Warner Music Group announced it will sell EMP, the European rock‑and‑metal merchandise retailer it bought for $180 million in 2018. The business has been re‑classified as held for sale and the transaction is now expected to close in the first quarter...
Songs Are Reaching 1bn Spotify Streams 14x Faster than a Decade Ago, and Other Stats From Chartmetric’s 2025 Year in...
Chartmetric’s 2025 Year in Music report reveals that songs now reach one billion Spotify streams in just 197 days, a 14‑fold speedup from 2015. Hit lifecycles are compressing, with older tracks dominating 2025’s Top 10 while new artists break into the ‘Superstar’...
Sound Royalties Says It Closed a Record $135m in Funded Contracts in 2025
Sound Royalties announced a record $135 million in funded contracts for 2025, doubling its assets under management from referred business. The Florida‑based firm expanded its financing portfolio to include YouTube AdSense, concert touring, and TV licensing across more than 30 countries....
