News and Trends

The German collection society described the results as "excellent," but total revenues grew less than 1% Source source https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/germanys-gema-distributed-1-3b-to-rightsholders-in-2025-up-1-4-yoy/

With concert revenues up 53% in Q4 2025, a new boy group set for 2026, and plans to ramp up acquisitions, SM Entertainment is betting big on its next chapter. In this exclusive interview, Co-CEOs Daniel Jang and Dmitry YJ Tak take us inside a K-pop powerhouse... Source source https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/we-must-continue-evolving-how-k-pop-is-made1/

Lewis joined Epic Records in 2018 as Executive Vice President, A&R Source source https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/ezekiel-lewis-named-chairman-and-ceo-of-epic-records/

The publishers said they acquired Robert Resnik's stake as they seek to ask the Supreme Court to review the Fifth Circuit's January ruling. Source source https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/publishers-acquire-stake-in-rock-song-at-center-of-landmark-termination-rights-case-as-they-plan-to-pursue-supreme-court-challenge/

UMG says Drake used AI-generated voices of Snoop Dogg and the late Tupac Shakur “to goad Lamar into responding to his diss tracks. Source source https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/umg-fires-back-at-drake-appeal-over-not-like-us-lawsuit-dismissal-3-takeaways-from-response-brief/

UMG's plan to repurchase EUR €500M (USD $575m) worth of its own shares marks the company's first-ever share buyback program Source source https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/universal-music-group-announces-e500-million-share-buyback-program/