This week, Common Music Group revealed its This autumn and full-year 2025 monetary outcomes. On the earnings name that adopted, Chairman and CEO Sir Lucian Grainge mentioned the corporate’s AI technique, UMG’s Downtown deal, and extra.
Additionally this week, Create Music Group accomplished its newest funding spherical, securing over USD $450 million of latest fairness and debt capital to help its continued enlargement.
In the meantime, Warner Music Group CEO Robert Kyncl appeared at a Morgan Stanley occasion, the place he spoke about Suno, the worth of music, and extra.
Elsewhere, US hip-hop duo Suicideboys are reportedly being sued by Tough Commerce and Beggars Music within the UK over their alleged unauthorized use of a pattern.
Additionally, Reservoir confirmed this week that two of its current shareholders, Wesbild Inc. and Richmond Hill, submitted an unsolicited, non-binding proposal to amass all excellent shares of the corporate that they don’t already personal at $10.50 per share in money. The bid arrived only a day after Reservoir disclosed a separate proposal from activist investor Irenic Capital Administration.
Listed here are among the greatest headlines from the previous few days…
1. SIR LUCIAN GRAINGE TALKS AI STRATEGY, DOWNTOWN, D2C, SUPERFANS, AND MORE ON UMG’S LATEST EARNINGS CALL
Common Music Group revealed its This autumn and full-year 2025 monetary outcomes on Thursday (March 5), posting practically 9% YoY progress in each income and Adjusted EBITDA for the complete 12 months.
The corporate’s This autumn revenues, in the meantime, reached €3.605 billion ($4.19bn) — up 10.6% YoY at fixed forex.
On the earnings name that adopted, UMG’s management workforce outlined the corporate’s monetary efficiency and techniques round AI partnerships, superfan and direct-to-consumer initiatives, geographic enlargement, and the combination of its not too long ago closed Downtown Music acquisition.
On the latter level, Chairman and CEO Sir Lucian Grainge made a placing comparability. “Our final acquisition of this magnitude was EMI in 2011,” he advised analysts… (MBW)
2. CREATE MUSIC GROUP, AT $2.2 BILLION VALUATION, COMPLETES $450 MILLION FUNDRAISE
Create Music Group has accomplished its newest funding spherical, securing over USD $450 million of latest fairness and debt capital to help its continued enlargement.
The spherical values Los Angeles-headquartered Create at $2.2 billion.
The corporate stays majority-owned by its founders, with institutional buyers Ares Administration, 2 Mile, and Flexpoint Ford every holding minority stakes.
The financing spherical additionally included expanded financial institution group help, with Truist Securities and Banc of California serving as Joint Lead Arrangers… (MBW)
3. ROBERT KYNCL TALKS SUNO, AI, THE VALUE OF MUSIC AND MORE AT MORGAN STANLEY EVENT
Warner Music Group CEO Robert Kyncl used an look at Morgan Stanley’s convention this week to make an expansive case for why synthetic intelligence represents a chance for WMG — and for the music trade at massive.
The WMG CEO’s remarks got here on the heels of a shareholder letter through which he argued that AI is music’s “subsequent progress engine” quite than a risk to rights holders.
On the broader trade backdrop, Kyncl was bullish concerning the music trade, calling it “wholesome” and “a really enticing class,” pointing to music’s resilience in a world of geopolitical uncertainty and noting that it has not been as nicely monetized as movie and tv.
Listed here are 4 issues we discovered from the dialog… (MBW)
4. SUICIDEBOYS SUED IN THE UK BY ROUGH TRADE AND BEGGARS MUSIC OVER ALLEGED UNAUTHORIZED SAMPLE (REPORT)
US hip-hop duo Suicideboys (aka $uicideboy$) are reportedly being sued by Tough Commerce and Beggars Music within the UK.
The authorized dispute stems from the duo’s alleged unauthorized sampling of composer Mica Levi’s BAFTA-nominated rating for the 2013 movie Underneath the Pores and skin.
That’s in response to a report from authorized information outlet Law360, which reviews that the Suicideboys observe in query, What the Fuck is Taking place, had amassed over 115 million streams on Spotify by the point the declare was filed at London’s Excessive Court docket in June 2025…. (MBW)
5. RESERVOIR FACES COMPETING TAKEOVER PROPOSALS AS SHAREHOLDERS WESBILD AND RICHMOND HILL COUNTER IRENIC CAPITAL BID
Reservoir Media confirmed late Wednesday (March 4) that two of its current shareholders, Wesbild Inc. and Richmond Hill Investments, have submitted an unsolicited, non-binding proposal to amass all excellent shares of the corporate that they don’t already personal at $10.50 per share in money.
The bid arrives only a day after Reservoir disclosed a separate proposal from activist investor Irenic Capital Administration, LP — one among its current shareholders — which had provided between $10.00 and $11.00 per share.
Bloomberg had earlier reported that Irenic had submitted the bid in February, valuing Reservoir at between $1.1 billion and $1.2 billion, together with debt… (MBW)
Accomplice message: MBW’s Weekly Spherical-up is supported by BMI, the world chief in performing rights administration, devoted to supporting songwriters, composers and publishers and championing the worth of music. Discover out extra about BMI right here. Music Enterprise Worldwide
