Welcome to Music Enterprise Worldwide’s weekly round-up – the place we be sure that you caught the 5 greatest tales to hit our headlines over the previous seven days. MBW’s round-up is supported by Centtrip, which helps over 500 of the world’s best-selling artists maximize their revenue and cut back their touring prices.
Additionally this week, Common Music Group launched a three way partnership with WTSL, the Silver Lake-backed funding agency based by Hollywood agent and WME co-founder Patrick Whitesell.
In the meantime, we realized that legendary UK unbiased music firm Cooking Vinyl shall be acquired by US-headquartered Exceleration Music.
Elsewhere, on Wednesday (June 11) The Nationwide Music Publishers’ Affiliation (NMPA) stated that Spotify‘s ‘bundling’ transfer may price music publishers $3.1 billion by way of 2032.
Lastly, Harbourview Fairness Companions secured $500 million in debt refinancing, led by funding large KKR.
Rob Stringer, the Chairman of Sony Music Group and CEO of Sony Music Leisure, up to date traders on the music firm’s efficiency and technique on Friday morning (June 13).
Delivered as a part of Sony Group’s 2025 Enterprise Section Presentation for traders, Stringer lined Sony’s monetary efficiency, catalog offers, distribution technique, AI alternatives, music streaming subscription costs, and extra. He additionally took half in a fireplace chat with Justin Hill, Senior Vice President, Finance & Investor Relations, Sony Company of America.
In the course of the presentation, Stringer revealed Sony “accomplished greater than 60 investments prior to now yr alone” and spent “over $2.5 billion for frontline, catalog, in addition to artistic and repair ventures with outdoors entrepreneurs throughout an enormous variety of territories.”
Stringer mentioned Sony’s technique in better element in the course of the presentation and Q&A. Listed here are seven extra issues you need to know…
Patrick Whitesell credit score: DFree / Shutterstock.com / Sir Lucian Grainge credit score Photograph: Austin Hargrave
Common Music Group has shaped a three way partnership with WTSL, the Silver Lake-backed funding agency based by distinguished Hollywood agent and WME co-founder, Patrick Whitesell.
In accordance with the official announcement, the enterprise’s aim is to “speed up industrial alternatives for UMG’s artists and artist estates in quickly rising areas outdoors conventional recorded music and music publishing”.
The press launch added that the JV will pursue alternatives that “lengthen music’s worth throughout movie, tv, style, client merchandise, branded experiences, and different rising development areas.”
Exceleration Music has entered into an settlement to amass iconic UK-headquartered unbiased music firm Cooking Vinyl, which it describes as “one of many UK’s most profitable and long-standing music corporations”.
Based in 1986, Cooking Vinyl is residence to a roster of artists that features Shed Seven, Suzanne Vega, Passenger, The Prodigy, The Cranberries, Billy Bragg, The Darkness, Deacon Blue, 47 Soul, Roger Waters and The Jesus and Mary Chain.
Exceleration stated on Monday (June 9) that Cooking Vinyl will proceed to function independently, led by Managing Director Rob Collins and his workforce.
The Nationwide Music Publishers’ Affiliation initiatives that music publishers will “lose over $3.1 billion” by way of 2032 resulting from Spotify‘s audiobook “bundling practices”.
That’s in keeping with Govt Vice President and Basic Counsel Danielle Aguirre, who, talking on the NMPA’s 2025 Annual Assembly in New York on Wednesday (June 11), detailed how Spotify‘s resolution to reclassify its premium music service as a bundled providing in March 2024 has, “by Spotify’s personal numbers” resulted in a $230 million loss for publishers throughout its first yr of implementation.
Aguirre added that “these losses will proceed if we will’t reverse or appropriate Spotify’s actions. Actually, if we don’t cease them, we’re projected to lose over $3.1 billion by way of the subsequent CRB interval,” which shall be Phonorecords V, which determines mechanical royalty charges for 2028 by way of 2032.
HarbourView Fairness Companions has secured $500 million in further debt financing from funding large KKR, secured by way of a non-public securitization backed by its music portfolio.
This newest transaction follows a earlier $500 million in debt financing secured by HarbourView in March 2024, by way of a non-public securitization backed by its catalog of music royalties, and led by KKR.
Citing an interview with HarbourView Founder and CEO Sherrese Clarke on Monday (June 9), Bloomberg reported that the corporate plans to make use of the brand new financing “to scale up, so as to add to its portfolio of music content material and to push deeper into movie and TV-rights administration”.
