Murray Stassen

London

Editor and Writer at Music Business Worldwide

Journalist at Freelance

Writer. Editor at @musicbizworld https://t.co/anoHXYOCfq

Articles

Robert Kyncl talks M&A strategy, A&R spend, AI regulation, and more on Warner Music’s latest earnings call

6 days ago | musicbusinessworldwide.com | Murray Stassen

Warner Music Group published its calendar Q1 (fiscal Q2) results today (May 8), with CEO Robert Kyncl acknowledging industry-wide challenges on the company’s earnings call. “We recognize this is a moment of transition in the industry and for our company,” Kyncl stated on the call, while maintaining his outlook for future growth. WMG reported company-wide revenue growth of 1.2% YoY for calendar Q1, with recorded music revenues increasing 0.7% YoY, and music publishing revenue growing 3% YoY.
Warner Music Group generated $1.48bn in calendar Q1 2025; subscription streaming revenues rose 3.2% YoY

6 days ago | musicbusinessworldwide.com | Murray Stassen

MBW’s Stat Of The Week is a series in which we highlight a data point that deserves the attention of the global music industry. Stat Of the Week is supported by music data analytics firm Chartmetric. Warner Music Group has issued its financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2025 (calendar Q1 – the company’s fiscal Q2).
UMG slams ‘wild conspiracies’ from Drake lawyers, moves to dismiss lawsuit

1 week ago | musicbusinessworldwide.com | Murray Stassen

Universal Music Group has filed a motion to dismiss Drake’s amended defamation lawsuit over Kendrick Lamar’s hit track Not Like Us, arguing that the lyrics are “nonactionable opinion and rhetorical hyperbole” rather than assertions of fact. Drake filed an amended complaint last month that added new allegations regarding Lamar‘s performance during the Super Bowl LIX halftime show in February.
US Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission launch public inquiry into live music business

1 week ago | musicbusinessworldwide.com | Murray Stassen

The US Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) have jointly launched a public inquiry to identify “unfair and anticompetitive practices and conduct in the live concert and entertainment industry”. The two government agencies are inviting members of the public to submit comments and information on “harmful practices and on potential regulation or legislation to protect consumers in the industry”.
Bakar hit ‘Hell N Back’ subject of copyright lawsuit claiming it sampled a song from 1967 without permission - and that a company is claiming ‘false’ ownership of the original work - Music Business Worldwide

1 week ago | musicbusinessworldwide.com | Murray Stassen

Hell N Back, the viral 2019 single by British artist Bakar, is at the center of a copyright infringement lawsuit filed in New York on Tuesday (May 6). Filed by TufAmerica/Tuff City Records in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York and obtained by MBW, the complaint claims that Bakar’s 2019 hit Hell N Back and its 2023 remix with Summer Walker sampled the 1967 recording of Robert Parker’s Caught You In A Lie without permission.
Warner Music Group launches WMG Pulse app for artists and songwriters to track streams, earnings, and fan engagement

1 week ago | musicbusinessworldwide.com | Murray Stassen

Warner Music Group has launched a new app called WMG Pulse, described as a “powerful new platform that puts clear, meaningful insights into the hands of artists and songwriters”. The app lets WMG artists, songwriters, their managers, and teams access real-time information about streaming performance, fan engagement, and earnings across various platforms. Built by WMG’s in-house tech team, Warner said on Wednesday (May 7) that the app aggregates data across all major DSPs and social media.
Sony Music Publishing wins 2025 Publisher of the Year at ASCAP Pop Music Awards

1 week ago | musicbusinessworldwide.com | Murray Stassen

Sony Music Publishing and its songwriters were recognized for their achievements in pop music at ASCAP’s 2025 Pop Music Awards ceremony. Sony Music Publishing was named ASCAP’s Pop Publisher of the Year for a ninth time at the event, which took place on Thursday (May 1) in Los Angeles. At the event, SMP songwriters took home awards for their work across 28 of the past year’s top-performing songs.
Music Business Worldwide

1 week ago | musicbusinessworldwide.com | Murray Stassen

There’s a rising trend of prominent businesses being sued for using music in TikTok and Instagram posts without permission. Just last week, Warner Music Group sued Cookie giant Crumbl over what it alleged was “massive scale” copyright infringement in TikTok posts.
The EU is investigating UMG’s $775m Downtown buyout - but why, and what happens now?

1 week ago | musicbusinessworldwide.com | Murray Stassen

Universal Music Group‘s Virgin Music Group revealed in December that it had agreed to buy Downtown Music Holdings LLC in a $775 million dealOn Friday (April 25), Europe’s competition watchdog – the European Commission – revealed that it’s preparing to investigate the proposed deal. The EC decided to look into the deal because the Netherlands triggered a legal mechanism in EU competition law called Article 22.
Spotify Q1 2025 earnings call: Daniel Ek talks growth, pricing, superfan products and a future where SPOT could have 1bn subscribers

2 weeks ago | musicbusinessworldwide.com | Murray Stassen

Spotify delivered another quarter of operating profit and subscriber expansion in Q1, even as broader economic turbulence continues to create uncertainty across global markets. On Tuesday (April 29), the streaming giant reported a record quarterly operating profit of €509 million ($535.6m) for first three months of the year, which was – despite missing its own target €548 million – its highest quarterly operating profit to date.

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Murray Stassen

Articles

Robert Kyncl talks M&A strategy, A&R spend, AI regulation, and more on Warner Music’s latest earnings call

Warner Music Group generated $1.48bn in calendar Q1 2025; subscription streaming revenues rose 3.2% YoY

UMG slams ‘wild conspiracies’ from Drake lawyers, moves to dismiss lawsuit

US Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission launch public inquiry into live music business

Bakar hit ‘Hell N Back’ subject of copyright lawsuit claiming it sampled a song from 1967 without permission - and that a company is claiming ‘false’ ownership of the original work - Music Business Worldwide

Warner Music Group launches WMG Pulse app for artists and songwriters to track streams, earnings, and fan engagement

Sony Music Publishing wins 2025 Publisher of the Year at ASCAP Pop Music Awards

Music Business Worldwide

The EU is investigating UMG’s $775m Downtown buyout - but why, and what happens now?

Spotify Q1 2025 earnings call: Daniel Ek talks growth, pricing, superfan products and a future where SPOT could have 1bn subscribers

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