International Data is having a second – and the numbers show it.
The Romania-headquartered impartial music firm has surpassed 40 billion world streams throughout all platforms, up from 25 billion when MBW final profiled the corporate in spring 2024, and up from 2 billion in 2021.
That explosive progress is mirrored in International Data’ monetary trajectory.
The corporate says it generated revenues of roughly €65 million ($75 million) in 2025, with double-digit year-on-year progress forecast for 2026.
To place that in perspective: International Data advised MBW again in 2022 that the corporate was producing round $17 million yearly on the time.
By 2024, that determine had jumped to $54 million.
If International Data hits its 2026 goal, it’ll have grown its revenues greater than fivefold in simply 4 years.
However International Data, whose prime artists embody the likes of INNA, Minelli, Carla’s Goals, Antonia, Holy Molly, Alina Eremia, Irina Rimes, and others, isn’t only a streaming success story.
Beneath founder Ștefan Lucian‘s management, the corporate has advanced into what he describes as “a complicated, multi-vertical leisure ecosystem” spanning recorded music, publishing, stay occasions, model partnerships, and movie and TV placements.
Maybe essentially the most seen manifestation of that ambition is Seashore, Please! – the city music competition co-founded by International Data in Costinești, Romania.
The occasion attracted over 500,000 attendees throughout 5 days in 2025, with 155,000 folks on its busiest day, making it, based on its organizers, one in all Europe’s largest festivals.
Its lineup has featured world superstars together with Travis Scott, A$AP Rocky, 21 Savage, and Wiz Khalifa.
“What started as a imaginative and prescient to create a competition that speaks on to younger folks has rapidly reworked into one in all Europe’s largest and most talked-about occasions,” Lucian tells MBW.
International Data has additionally been lively on the M&A entrance.
In spring 2024, the corporate acquired a majority stake in Los Angeles-based publishing firm Honua Music, which has secured collaborations with the likes of The Weeknd, Playboi Carti, Jin (BTS), Teddy Swims, and Ava Max.
That very same 12 months, Paris-based Imagine, which distributes International Data’ catalog, acquired a 25% fairness stake within the Romanian firm, marking a deepening of a long-standing partnership.
The enlargement comes at a time when Central and Japanese Europe is rising as one of many world’s fastest-growing music markets.
“Many worldwide gamers nonetheless deal with these markets as secondary, or group them collectively as a single block,” says Lucian. “Nonetheless, our expertise exhibits that every territory has its personal nuances, traits and native heroes that deserve devoted focus.”
“Romania, as an illustration, is the one market we’re conscious of the place an impartial firm holds a bigger radio market share than the majors.”
He provides: “Central and Japanese Europe stays an rising area and one of many fastest-growing music markets globally, as highlighted within the newest IFPI report, with nations like Romania and Hungary among the many prime performers when it comes to progress.
“Romania, as an illustration, is the one market we’re conscious of the place an impartial firm holds a bigger radio market share than the majors.”
Past its residence market success, International Data has achieved chart positions throughout territories from France to Turkey.
The corporate lately launched the primary version of the International Data Academy, an intensive artist improvement program impressed by coaching fashions in South Korea (Okay-pop) and different Asian markets.
Right here, Ștefan Lucian discusses International Data’ 40 billion streaming milestone, the corporate’s income goal for 2026, and why Central and Japanese Europe represents one of many music trade’s most missed alternatives…
GLOBAL RECORDS HAS EVOLVED FROM A RECORD LABEL INTO WHAT YOU CALL “AN ADVANCED, MULTI-VERTICAL ENTERTAINMENT ECOSYSTEM” – WHAT’S DRIVEN THIS EXPANSION?
We at all times begin from a easy query: “What does an artist must carry out on the highest potential degree? If I had been the artist, what would I want?”
If you reply that actually, you notice a lot of these wants are shared throughout most artists, however there’s additionally some half that may be very particular to every profession.
For the widespread wants, we determined to construct a full ecosystem. A expertise signed to International Data has a really excessive probability to look in a film, to carry out on the largest festivals – whether or not they’re produced by us or by our companions – and to work with main manufacturers by way of our in-house company, which at its core has a inventive staff that generates tailor-made concepts for every challenge, uniting the artist’s imaginative and prescient with the particular targets of every launch or collaboration, making certain each initiative feels genuine, modern, and absolutely built-in throughout campaigns, performances, and viewers engagement.
For the extra particular wants, we’ve put collectively a devoted staff that’s at all times able to problem assumptions, discover potentialities, and convey these necessities to life.
By combining all these components, we offer a uniquely built-in help system, and to our information, we’re the one ecosystem providing such a variety of companies, from movie placements to promoting alternatives and past.
YOUR CATALOG HAS SURPASSED 25 BILLION GLOBAL STREAMS WITH CHART SUCCESS ACROSS MARKETS FROM FRANCE TO TURKEY – WHAT’S THE STRATEGY BEHIND ACHIEVING SUCH WIDESPREAD GEOGRAPHICAL REACH?
We’re proud to announce that we’ve formally surpassed 40 billion streams throughout all platforms! That being mentioned, expertise improvement is on the core of all the pieces we do.
Yearly, we work with no less than ten artists in early improvement, every supported by a major funding. We observe a music-first philosophy mixed with an impartial mindset, which permits us to maneuver sooner and extra flexibly than many different gamers in the marketplace. We concentrate on growing expertise reasonably than signing artists just because they match a pattern.
“Expertise improvement is on the core of all the pieces we do.”
Our most up-to-date initiative on this route has been the primary version of the International Data Academy, which we’ve got efficiently accomplished. Impressed partly by the structured coaching and improvement mannequin seen in Okay-pop and different Asian markets, the Academy introduced collectively a gaggle of rising artists for an intensive program.
Contributors labored carefully with producers, vocal coaches, choreographers, and branding specialists, refining their sound, strengthening their efficiency expertise, and shaping a definite creative id. This system additionally uncovered them to real-world challenges, from songwriting and recording periods to stage-presence teaching, providing a sensible understanding of what a long-term profession actually requires.
WHAT TRENDS ARE YOU SEEING IN THE MARKET THAT WE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT?
One of the vital transformative traits shaping the music trade right this moment is the speedy evolution of AI. Past its capabilities, the actual problem is knowing how one can shield our artists, their id, and their mental property in an atmosphere the place know-how can replicate voices, types, and even complete performances.
We imagine the way forward for music will rely not on selecting between digital or analog, however on making certain that know-how enhances the human aspect reasonably than changing it. Our precedence is to combine AI in ways in which help creativity whereas preserving authenticity.
One other pattern we’re monitoring carefully is the rising localization of markets, notably inside the EU. Audiences have gotten extra segmented, and cultural nuances matter greater than ever. On the identical time, we see alternatives to interrupt this sample by constructing methods that enable a single artist or track to carry out strongly throughout a number of nations.
This includes a mixture of early artist improvement, data-driven planning, and tailor-made launch methods that resonate regionally whereas nonetheless having worldwide attraction.
General, we’re making ready for a future the place AI and human creativity coexist, and the place good, multi-market methods are important for sustained world success.
HOW CENTRAL IS LIVE MUSIC/ CONCERT PROMOTION TO YOUR BUSINESS AND DO YOU HAVE ANY PLANS TO LAUNCH ADDITIONAL LIVE MUSIC VENTURES?
On the core of our enterprise are music possession and artist improvement. Every little thing begins there.
The stay music and live performance promotion aspect was constructed as a pure extension of this focus – a help system designed to amplify our acts. Dwell exhibits not solely deepen the connection between artists and their followers, but additionally speed up profession progress, strengthen their model, and broaden their viewers.
We proceed to develop our stay actions with one clear filter in thoughts: each initiative should serve our artists first and maximise the influence of their inventive work.
YOU ACQUIRED A MAJORITY STAKE IN HONUA MUSIC IN SPRING 2024 – WHAT ATTRACTED YOU TO THIS PUBLISHING COMPANY AND HOW DOES IT FIT INTO THE GLOBAL MUSIC GROUP?
We had been first interested in Honua Music due to the folks behind it. We’ve had a longstanding relationship with Axident, one in all Honua’s co-founders, for greater than 10 years by way of a number of of INNA’s releases, and we’ve at all times revered his expertise and imaginative and prescient.
We even have nice chemistry with Noah Gopen, President of Honua Music, whose management and inventive mindset align completely with our strategy to artist improvement and world progress.
Within the years main as much as the acquisition, we collaborated carefully with Honua on writing periods and camps, constructing a powerful rapport, a superb working rhythm, and a deep understanding of the standard of their work. So when the chance to accumulate a majority stake arose in spring 2024, it felt like a pure step.
Honua suits completely into International Music Group by strengthening our publishing capabilities and increasing our worldwide songwriting community, instantly supporting our artists and accelerating the expansion of our catalog.
WHAT M&A OPPORTUNITIES ARE YOU SEEING IN THE MARKET, HOW CENTRAL IS M&A TO YOUR STRATEGY, AND CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT ANY DEALS IN THE PIPELINE?
Our strategy has at all times prioritized constructing and scaling initiatives organically, making certain that each initiative is grounded in long-term worth creation.
Whereas the worldwide M&A market stays extremely aggressive, we’re actively exploring selective alternatives inside our area. On the identical time, our focus continues to be on growing initiatives internally beneath the International umbrella, with any acquisitions thought of solely once they clearly improve our strategic imaginative and prescient.
COULD YOU TELL US ABOUT ANY INTERNATIONAL EXPANSION PLANS FOR 2026?
We plan to additional strengthen our capacity to help artists as they broaden into new territories, whereas maintaining our Bucharest and Los Angeles workplaces as key strategic hubs.
On the identical time, we wish to construct on the unimaginable momentum we’ve created with Honua. Collectively, we’ve secured collaborations with world family names comparable to The Weeknd, Playboi Carti, Jin (BTS), Teddy Swims, Ava Max, Giveon and others, providing a powerful basis to proceed rising our footprint within the US market.
BELIEVE ACQUIRED A 25% STAKE IN GLOBAL RECORDS – WHAT DOES THIS PARTNERSHIP BRING TO YOUR BUSINESS?
Our partnership with Imagine is the results of a long-standing relationship during which we’ve earned one another’s belief over a few years. Collectively, we’ve constructed and refined our distribution infrastructure and considerably improved our assortment and reporting processes, with clear advantages for our artists and purchasers. In that context, Imagine buying a 25% stake in International felt like a really pure subsequent step.
Importantly, this collaboration goes far past distribution. It’s a strategic partnership that has developed organically and is designed before everything to serve the artist.
By means of Imagine’s world community, our roster positive aspects entry to new regional and worldwide collaboration alternatives, help in opening up new markets by way of promo and advertising and marketing, in addition to inventive enter on A&R. All of this strengthens our capacity to take native expertise to the worldwide stage.
WHY DOES GLOBAL RECORDS MATTER GLOBALLY?
International Data has demonstrated that world-class music, compelling artists, and scalable leisure ecosystems can emerge from outdoors the standard trade capitals. With greater than 40 billion world streams, a quickly increasing publishing community, and powerful inventive partnerships throughout the US, Europe, and Asia, we’ve got develop into one of the vital influential impartial gamers in Japanese Europe.
What makes us related globally is our capacity to constantly develop artists who resonate internationally, whereas working with the agility, innovation, and long-term considering that outline impartial success tales.
WHAT UNIQUE ADVANTAGES DOES ROMANIA / CEE OFFER FOR BUILDING A GLOBAL MUSIC COMPANY?
Central and Japanese Europe is among the youngest, fastest-growing areas within the world music panorama. Audiences right here undertake new sounds rapidly and have interaction deeply with rising artists. Romania, particularly, has a unprecedented density of inventive expertise. Producers, songwriters, vocalists, choreographers, engineers, the standard is remarkably excessive relative to the market measurement.
This provides corporations like ours a singular benefit: the flexibility to develop concepts quickly, iterate creatively, and take a look at ideas with extremely engaged audiences. It’s an atmosphere that rewards innovation, agility, and long-term artist improvement — which has develop into one in all our largest strengths internationally.
WHAT CAN YOU SHARE ABOUT GLOBAL RECORDS’ FINANCIAL STRUCTURE AND THE ELEMENTS THAT SUPPORT THE COMPANY’S LONG-TERM STABILITY?
International Data is constructed solely on natural progress. For greater than 15 years, we’ve got reinvested nearly all of our income into expertise improvement, catalog enlargement, and the inventive and operational infrastructure that helps our artists.
“International Data is constructed solely on natural progress.”
Right now, our enterprise mannequin is intentionally diversified: recorded music, publishing, stay leisure, model partnerships, and movie and TV placements all contribute to a balanced and resilient income construction. Our long-term stability is additional bolstered by our strategic fairness partnership with Imagine, which expands our world capabilities whereas permitting us to stay absolutely impartial.
This mix, diversified income, disciplined reinvestment, and trusted worldwide partnerships ensures that International Data grows sustainably and stays a dependable accomplice for artists, collaborators, and trade stakeholders worldwide.
IF THERE WAS ONE THING YOU COULD CHANGE ABOUT THE GLOBAL MUSIC BUSINESS IN 2026, WHAT WOULD IT BE AND WHY?
A essential problem within the world music trade right this moment is the gathering and administration of publishing rights. Even now, it stays extraordinarily tough to trace and administer these rights precisely throughout territories, and this complexity usually limits the flexibility of artists and songwriters to obtain the compensation they’re owed. Simplifying and streamlining this course of wouldn’t solely profit creators, but additionally strengthen the general ecosystem of the music trade.Music Enterprise Worldwide
