As we close out the final quarter of 2025, we’re back to our music publishing catch up where we’ve curated the essential news from the last few months, covering global signings, record-breaking royalty payouts, and the latest innovations in metadata and discovery to keep you informed on the deals and trends shaping the start of 2026.
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Deals & Acquisitions
Create Music Group acquires UK dance label Cr2 (MBW)
Los Angeles-based Create Music Group (CMG), which was valued at $1 billion last year following a $165 million investment round, has acquired again. The company revealed that it has snapped up Cr2 Holdings Group, adding the UK dance music label and its subsidiaries to its portfolio.
Universal offers to sell Downtown’s Curve to win EU approval, source says (Reuters)
UMG has offered to sell royalty platform Curve to ease EU antitrust concerns over its $775M Downtown Music bid. Indie labels still seek to block the deal to protect market diversity and competition.
Atlantic Screen Group expands music publishing and sync operations (Music Week)
This growth is underpinned by several key appointments and new collaborative partnerships designed to bolster its global footprint. Founded in 2010, ASG provides a comprehensive suite of services including music supervision and film/TV scoring.
Universal, Warner and Sony Strike Licensing Deals With AI Music Startup Klay (Variety)
In a historic first, UMG, Sony, and Warner have all signed licensing deals with AI startup Klay. The new subscription tool lets fans “mold” music while ensuring artists are recognized and rewarded.
Mushroom Music Announces New Sub-Publishing Partnership with Peermusic (Peer Music)
Mushroom Music and peermusic are partnering in the Americas. Both independent firms will unite to champion AU/NZ songwriters, leveraging a shared ethos to enhance global creative opportunities.
Kobalt signs deal with Nigeria’s Inner Circle Publishing (Music Week)
Kobalt has announced a strategic partnership with the newly formed Nigerian firm Inner Circle Publishing, significantly strengthening its presence in the African music market. Inner Circle represents what Kobalt describes as the “next wave” of African talent.
Reservoir and PopArabia make MENA acquisitions (Music Week)
Reservoir Media, in partnership with PopArabia, has further strengthened its foothold in the MENA region with two strategic acquisitions. The deal includes the full catalog of compositions and masters from Iraqi production house HFM Production, alongside the publishing and recorded rights for popular Kuwaiti artist Essa Almarzoug. These moves represent a significant expansion of the companies’ share in the Middle East and North Africa music markets.
Concord has officially purchased the catalog of reggaetón legend Daddy Yankee in a $217m catalog deal (MBW)
The acquisition includes publishing and recorded music rights for global hits like “Gasolina,” “Rompe,” and “Con Calma,” as well as his contribution to the record-breaking “Despacito.” Beyond the music, the deal encompasses rights to Daddy Yankee’s name, image, and likeness.
Sony Music Publishing acquires stake in Elements Music and the Finnish company’s catalogue (Music Week)
Sony Music Publishing (SMP) has secured a significant stake in Elements Music, Finland’s leading independent publisher, along with its extensive catalog of 10,000 works. Beyond the acquisition, the two companies have launched a long-term creative partnership. This collaboration will provide Elements’ roster with enhanced local expertise via SMP Scandinavia while plugging their songwriters into Sony’s massive global network and resource pool.
Pulse Music Group teams with Mark Ronson on publishing joint venture (Music Week)
Pulse Music Group has joined forces with Oscar and Grammy-winning producer Mark Ronson to launch a new music publishing joint venture. The partnership, formed alongside Ronson’s Zelig Music, has made its first major move by signing Swedish sensation Thea Gustafsson (professionally known as Becky and the Birds) to a worldwide publishing deal.
Legal
Spotify says ‘anti-copyright extremists’ scraped its library (Music Ally)
While Spotify has not disclosed the exact volume of data taken, the article suggests the scale is unprecedented. The company is reportedly working with law enforcement and cybersecurity experts to shut down the tools used for the scraping and to identify the individuals involved.
BMG and TikTok Expand Partnership (New Industry Focus)
BMG has officially renewed and broadened its direct music publishing partnership with TikTok, signaling a shift toward more sophisticated digital rights management. According to BMG, this next phase aims to drive songwriter value and foster platform innovation through several key upgrades.
Warner Music Group strikes ‘landmark’ deal with Suno; settles copyright lawsuit against AI music generator (MBW)
WMG and Suno have formed a landmark AI partnership, settling previous legal disputes. The deal combines Suno’s tech with WMG’s roster to advance music creation while ensuring artist compensation.
ASCAP, BMI and SOCAN Announce Alignment on AI Registration Policies (ASCAP)
In a landmark move for creator rights, ASCAP, BMI, and SOCAN have announced new policies that permit the registration of musical works partially generated by AI. Songwriters and publishers can now register these hybrid compositions directly through their respective performing rights organizations (PROs).
Signings
Sony Music Publishing signs breakthrough UK singer-songwriter Sienna Spiro (Music Week)
Sony Music Publishing has secured a worldwide publishing agreement with UK singer-songwriter Sienna Spiro. Currently one of the industry’s most watched “breakthrough” artists, Spiro was recently shortlisted for the BRITs Critics’ Choice award.
Warner Chappell Nashville signs global deal with Margo Price (Music Week)
Warner Chappell Music Nashville has secured a global publishing agreement with acclaimed singer-songwriter Margo Price. A powerhouse in the modern country and Americana scenes, Price heads into this partnership with significant momentum; her latest project, Hard Headed Woman, recently garnered two Grammy nominations, including Best Traditional Country Album
The Weeknd closes $1 billion catalog deal with Lyric Capital (MBW)
Following months of speculation regarding a $1 billion valuation, The Weeknd has finalized a deal with Lyric Capital Group. By bringing in outside investors while maintaining creative control, the artist is utilizing a hybrid ownership model that allows for immediate liquidity without sacrificing his artistic legacy.
Kobalt signs rising Australian soul artist Don West (Music Week)
Kobalt Music has expanded its roster with the signing of Australian singer-songwriter Don West. Known for a modern soul aesthetic that bridges the gap between Jalen Ngonda and 1970s soul icons, West joins the publisher as his international profile continues to rise.
GoDigital Music buys Marc Anthony catalog in eight-figure deal; acquires broader tranche of Latin music rights in separate $115m transaction (MBW)
In an aggressive expansion into the Latin market, GoDigital Music Group has finalized a series of acquisitions totaling approximately $115 million. Financed by Regions Bank and Corrum Capital, the deal integrates over 30,000 new assets into the company’s portfolio.
Warner Chappell expands into Portuguese market with signing of singer-songwriter Maninho (Music Week)
Warner Chappell Music has signed Portuguese sensation Maninho, marking a key step in the publisher’s regional expansion. Already signed to Warner Music Portugal on the recorded side, Maninho exploded onto the scene in 2021 with his hit debut “Pode Tentar.”
Funding, Facts & Figures
PRS Pays Out £274.9 Million in Final Distribution of 2025 (Digital Music News)
PRS for Music distributed a record £274.9M this quarter, up 4%. Over 51,500 members will receive payments, including 400 first-time recipients, marking the organization’s largest royalty payout ever.
IMPF: Independent music publishing sector sees 5.1% revenue increase as market share holds steady (Music Week)
The latest IMPF Global Market View reveals a banner year for independent music publishing, with the sector hitting a multi-year high in both revenue and reporting efficiency. The report underscores that independent publishing is a global powerhouse, with Europe remaining the dominant force in collections.
Global value of music copyright reached $47.2 billion in 2024, says new Will Page report (MBW)
Global music copyright value hit a record $47.2 billion in 2024. While this marks an all-time high for recordings and compositions, year-over-year growth slowed to 5.2% (a $2.3 billion increase). Page attributes this declaration to the end of the post-pandemic recovery surge, noting that 2024 is the first year where “pandemic effects have vanished” from the industry’s financial trajectory.
PPL’s royalty distributions jump 19.9% to $72.8M in final quarter of 2025 (MBW)
PPL announced a 19.9% surge in payouts for Q4 2025. On December 17, the CMO distributed £54.3 million ($72.8 million) to performers and recording rightsholders, a significant jump from the £45.3 million paid out during the same window last year. This growth was fueled primarily by a substantial increase in international royalty collections.
People
Alex Black Appointed Vice President, A&R, at peermusic (New Industry Focus)
Alex Black is peermusic’s new VP of A&R. Based in LA and reporting to Jamie Cerreta, he will focus on signing and developing the company’s roster of songwriters and producers across the US.
Warner India’s Divo names Sony veteran Ashok Parwani as Head of Music (MBW)
Warner Music India’s Divo named veteran Ashok Parwani Head of Music. With 40 years of experience, including 20 at Sony, he will lead regional expansion across Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam.
Universal promotes Rebecca Allen to “first-of-its-kind” role of chief artist & strategy officer (Music Week)
UMG UK promoted Tom Lewis to Chief Artist & Strategy Officer, a new leadership role. He previously led the Audience & Media Division, uniting teams across digital, data, and artist relations.
Sony Music Publishing promotes Jeff Smarr to SVP, global copyright (Music Week)
Jeff Smarr has been promoted to Senior Vice President, Global Copyright at Sony Music Publishing. A key leader in the Nashville office, Smarr has played a vital role in SMP’s administrative excellence.
Interesting Reads
Music Resurgence: How Sync Can Supercharge Your Catalog (Synchblog)
Catalog value has shifted from passive revenue to active growth. Today, sync placements in film and TV act as powerful catalysts. Find out how sync is driving global streaming surges and reaching new, younger audiences.
Overanalysing our 2025 Spotify Wrapped: what MIDiA’s stats say about the industry (MIDiA)
MIDiA analysts shared their Spotify Wrapped data to identify industry trends. The results offer five key takeaways on the current state of music consumption.
What is metadata? (Synchblog)
We released the ultimate guide on “The Secret to Good Metadata.” It covers metadata types, catalog discoverability, and AI management tools to help music professionals optimize their digital DNA, learn all things metadata in our latest blog!
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