This week, Warner Music Group entered right into a definitive settlement to amass Revelator, the B2B music platform specializing in digital distribution and rights administration.
In the meantime, a regulatory submitting in South Korea confirmed that HYBE is injecting $100 million into its US subsidiary, HYBE America Inc.
Elsewhere, Sony Music appointed Ezekiel Lewis as Chairman and CEO of Epic Information.
Additionally this week, Common Music Group kicked off its first-ever share buyback program, price €500 million, and UMG fired again at Drake’s attraction over the dismissal of his ‘Not Like Us’ lawsuit.
Listed here are a few of the largest headlines from the previous few days…
1. WARNER MUSIC GROUP TO ACQUIRE REVELATOR
Warner Music Group has entered right into a definitive settlement to amass Revelator, described by WMG as “the revolutionary B2B music platform that serves the impartial enterprise worldwide”.
The transaction is topic to customary situations and is predicted to shut subsequent quarter.
WMG stated that the deal marks the most recent transfer in its distribution and label companies enlargement.
Fashioned in 2012, Revelator focuses on digital music distribution, rights administration, royalty accounting, and real-time analytics… (MBW)
2. HYBE TO INJECT $100M INTO US SUBSIDIARY, HYBE AMERICA
HYBE is pumping $100 million into its US subsidiary, HYBE America Inc., in line with a regulatory submitting revealed on Tuesday (March 31).
The capital injection, authorised by HYBE’s board on March 31, takes the type of a paid-in capital improve through which the South Korean leisure large is buying 10 million new shares in its wholly owned subsidiary.
The acquisition quantity of KRW 150.8 billion ($100m) was calculated utilizing the Seoul International Trade Brokerage’s quoted trade price of KRW 1,508.10 per US greenback on March 30.
The submitting, revealed on South Korea’s DART disclosure system, states that the aim of the funding is to assist “the sleek enterprise operations of HYBE America Inc.”… (MBW)
3. EZEKIEL LEWIS NAMED CHAIRMAN AND CEO OF EPIC RECORDS
Sony Music has appointed Ezekiel Lewis as Chairman and CEO of Epic Information.
On this function, Lewis will report back to Rob Stringer, Chairman, Sony Music Group.
Lewis joined Epic Information in 2018 as Government Vice President, A&R, and was most not too long ago elevated to President in 2023, the place he led the A&R division whereas serving to run the day-to-day operations of the corporate.
In response to the announcement on Monday (March 30), as CEO, he’ll “direct all elements of Epic’s artistic imaginative and prescient and enterprise operations, constructing on the label’s long-standing dedication to artist improvement.”… (MBW)
4. UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP KICKS OFF €500 MILLION SHARE BUYBACK PROGRAM
Common Music Group kicked off its EUR €500 million (USD $579m) share repurchase program on Wednesday (April 1).
This system, initially introduced on Monday (March 30), marks the corporate’s first-ever share buyback.
As beforehand introduced, the world’s largest music firm will purchase again shares by a program executed by a single, unnamed dealer. The shares might be repurchased from the Euronext Amsterdam Inventory Trade, Turquoise Europe, Aquis Trade Europe and CBOE Europe Restricted.
This system is capped at 50 million shares and is predicted to wrap up by October 1, 2026, though UMG reserved the proper to droop, modify, or discontinue it at any level… (MBW)
5. UMG FIRES BACK AT DRAKE APPEAL OVER ‘NOT LIKE US’ CASE DISMISSAL: 3 TAKEAWAYS FROM RESPONSE BRIEF
Common Music Group has filed its response transient in Drake’s attraction towards the dismissal of his lawsuit over Kendrick Lamar’s Not Like Us.
Within the 83-page transient, UMG argues that Drake’s case fails as a result of “he seeks to strip phrases from their context and deem them actionable defamation”.
Drake filed his 117-page appellate transient in January, difficult Decide Jeannette Vargas’s October dismissal of his defamation lawsuit towards UMG over Lamar’s Not Like Us.
He initially sued UMG in January 2025, about eight months after Not Like Us was launched, alleging that UMG “deliberately revealed and promoted” the tune, realizing that its lyrical content material was false and defamatory… (MBW)
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