This week, Dwell Nation Leisure struck a USD $646 million deal to extend its stake in Mexican live performance promoter OCESA to 75%, accelerating its Latin American growth technique.
In the meantime, Common Music Group posted Q2 2025 outcomes with revenues of $3.38 billion, up 4.5% YoY pushed by releases from Morgan Wallen, timelesz, and Girl Gaga.
Elsewhere, Spotify revealed its personal Q2 earnings outcomes. On a subsequent name, SPOT confirmed that simply over 3% of the world’s inhabitants now subscribes to the platform, although its execs remained notably cagey about its long-awaited ‘Music Professional’ tier.
Additionally this week, US-headquartered SESAC Music Group confirmed a increase of $889 million by way of a complete enterprise securitization, which was 3 times oversubscribed.
And MBW took a more in-depth have a look at Main Wave‘s bold new Bob Marley immersive expertise in Las Vegas, Hope Highway.
Listed here are a few of the greatest headlines from the previous few days…
1. LIVE NATION STRIKES $646 MILLION DEAL TO INCREASE STAKE IN MEXICO’S OCESA
Dwell Nation Leisure has introduced a significant $646 million transaction to amass a further 24% stake in Mexican live performance promoter OCESA, growing its possession from 51% to 75%.
The deal, introduced on Tuesday (July 29), accelerates a purchase order settlement with former OCESA proprietor CIE, which is able to retain a 25% stake. It’s anticipated to shut in August.
Mixed with Dwell Nation’s authentic 51% acquisition in December 2021 for $416 million, the agency’s complete funding in OCESA up to now exceeds $1 billion. The deal kinds a part of Dwell Nation’s broader Latin American growth technique, which lately included buying Dominican Republic promoter SD Concert events… (MBW)
2. UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP GENERATED $3.38BN IN Q2, UP 4.5% YOY – DRIVEN BY MORGAN WALLEN, TIMELESZ, LADY GAGA
Common Music Group posted second-quarter outcomes this week with complete revenues of $3.38 billion, up 4.5% year-over-year at fixed foreign money, pushed by development throughout its recorded music and publishing divisions. The corporate’s recorded music subscription streaming revenues grew 8.5% YoY to succeed in $1.36 billion, whereas general recorded music income hit $2.52 billion, up 3.9% year-over-year.
High-selling releases for the quarter included Morgan Wallen, timelesz, Girl Gaga, Sabrina Carpenter, and INI, serving to drive UMG’s adjusted EBITDA to $766 million with a margin of 22.7%. The corporate’s music publishing division carried out significantly nicely, with revenues rising 14.5% YoY to $646.3 million.
UMG Chairman and CEO Sir Lucian Grainge credited the outcomes to “the highly effective mixture of our artists’ and songwriters’ artistic excellence with our strategic imaginative and prescient and execution.” The corporate declared an interim dividend of $499 million for the primary half of 2025, with cost scheduled for October… (MBW)
3. LEARNINGS FROM SPOTIFY’S Q2 2025 EARNINGS CALL… INCLUDING WHAT THE COMPANY (DIDN’T) SAY ABOUT THAT LONG-AWAITED ‘MUSIC PRO’ TIER
Spotify revealed outstanding market dominance statistics throughout its Q2 earnings name, with the platform now accounting for 65% of world audio music streams and boasting that over 3% of the world’s inhabitants subscribes to the service.
SPOT added 8 million premium subscribers in Q2 to succeed in 276 million, whereas complete month-to-month lively customers hit 696 million with the addition of 18 million new customers.
Regardless of the sturdy consumer development, Spotify remained notably evasive when immediately questioned about its long-awaited ‘Music Professional’ tier. When requested about introducing a ‘superfan’ tier, Chief Enterprise Officer Alex Norström offered restricted particulars, saying solely that the corporate is “making progress for certain, but it surely’s taking time”… (MBW)
4. SESAC MUSIC GROUP RAISES $889M VIA WHOLE BUSINESS SECURITIZATION, THREE-TIMES OVERSUBSCRIBED
SESAC Music Group has accomplished a $889 million complete enterprise securitization, marking the corporate’s fourth journey to the asset-backed securities market and the biggest rated complete enterprise securitization within the music sector up to now. The five-year senior notes are backed by considerably all of SESAC’s belongings and revenues, together with its Performing Rights and Music Providers divisions, and acquired investor demand that was 3 times oversubscribed.
The Blackstone-majority-owned firm’s Performing Rights division represents high-profile songwriters together with Ariana Grande, Kurt Cobain, Jack Harlow, Billie Joe Armstrong, and Axl Rose, plus composers behind main TV exhibits and movies. Its Music Providers arm gives copyright administration and licensing by way of subsidiaries like Harry Fox Company, AudioSalad, and Rumblefish… (MBW)
5. WHY PRIMARY WAVE – AND THE MARLEY ESTATE – COULD BE SITTING ON A GOLDMINE WITH NEW BOB MARLEY SHOW, HOPE ROAD
Main Wave has launched an bold new Bob Marley immersive expertise referred to as Hope Highway at Las Vegas’s Mandalay Bay Resort & On line casino, representing a probably profitable new income stream for the music rights firm and the Marley property.
Every non-seated present strikes roughly 180 visitors by way of themed rooms with stay performers, using cutting-edge expertise with tickets presently priced between $69-$99, relying on timing.
At the moment working 5 exhibits per day throughout 5 days weekly, Main Wave CEO Larry Mestel says the operation will quickly increase to 9 exhibits day by day throughout three completely different casts.
Fast calculations counsel the occasion may generate $30 million in annual gross ticket income – and much more once you embrace merchandise gross sales… (MBW)
MBW’s Weekly Spherical-Up is supported by Centtrip, which helps over 500 of the world’s best-selling artists maximise their earnings and cut back their touring prices.Music Enterprise Worldwide
