This week, Live Nation Entertainment struck a USD $646 million deal to enhance its stake in Mexican live performance promoter OCESA to 75%, accelerating its Latin American growth technique.
Meanwhile, Universal Music Group posted Q2 2025 outcomes with revenues of $3.38 billion, up 4.5% YoY pushed by releases from Morgan Wallen, timelesz, and Lady Gaga.
Elsewhere, Spotify revealed its personal Q2 earnings outcomes. On a subsequent name, SPOT confirmed that simply over 3% of the world’s inhabitants now subscribes to the platform, although its execs remained notably cagey about its long-awaited ‘Music Pro’ tier.
Also this week, US-headquartered SESAC Music Group confirmed a increase of $889 million by way of an entire enterprise securitization, which was thrice oversubscribed.
And MBW took a better take a look at Primary Wave‘s bold new Bob Marley immersive expertise in Las Vegas, Hope Road.
Here are a few of the greatest headlines from the previous few days…
1. LIVE NATION STRIKES $646 MILLION DEAL TO INCREASE STAKE IN MEXICO’S OCESA
Live Nation Entertainment has introduced a significant $646 million transaction to purchase an extra 24% stake in Mexican live performance promoter OCESA, rising its possession from 51% to 75%.
The deal, introduced on Tuesday (July 29), accelerates a purchase order settlement with former OCESA proprietor CIE, which is able to retain a 25% stake. It’s anticipated to shut in August.
Combined with Live Nation’s authentic 51% acquisition in December 2021 for $416 million, the agency’s whole funding in OCESA to date exceeds $1 billion. The deal varieties a part of Live Nation’s broader Latin American growth technique, which not too long ago included buying Dominican Republic promoter SD Concerts… (MBW)
2. UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP GENERATED $3.38BN IN Q2, UP 4.5% YOY – DRIVEN BY MORGAN WALLEN, TIMELESZ, LADY GAGA
Universal Music Group posted second-quarter outcomes this week with whole revenues of $3.38 billion, up 4.5% year-over-year at fixed foreign money, pushed by progress throughout its recorded music and publishing divisions. The firm’s recorded music subscription streaming revenues grew 8.5% YoY to attain $1.36 billion, whereas total recorded music income hit $2.52 billion, up 3.9% year-over-year.
Top-selling releases for the quarter included Morgan Wallen, timelesz, Lady Gaga, Sabrina Carpenter, and INI, serving to drive UMG’s adjusted EBITDA to $766 million with a margin of 22.7%. The firm’s music publishing division carried out significantly nicely, with revenues rising 14.5% YoY to $646.3 million.
UMG Chairman and CEO Sir Lucian Grainge credited the outcomes to “the highly effective mixture of our artists’ and songwriters’ artistic excellence with our strategic imaginative and prescient and execution.” The firm declared an interim dividend of $499 million for the primary half of 2025, with cost scheduled for October… (MBW)
3. LEARNINGS FROM SPOTIFY’S Q2 2025 EARNINGS CALL… INCLUDING WHAT THE COMPANY (DIDN’T) SAY ABOUT THAT LONG-AWAITED ‘MUSIC PRO’ TIER
Spotify revealed exceptional market dominance statistics throughout its Q2 earnings name, with the platform now accounting for 65% of world audio music streams and boasting that over 3% of the world’s inhabitants subscribes to the service.
SPOT added 8 million premium subscribers in Q2 to attain 276 million, whereas whole month-to-month lively customers hit 696 million with the addition of 18 million new customers.
Despite the sturdy consumer progress, Spotify remained notably evasive when instantly questioned about its long-awaited ‘Music Pro’ tier. When requested about introducing a ‘superfan’ tier, Chief Business Officer Alex Norström supplied restricted particulars, saying solely that the corporate is “making progress for certain, however it’s taking time”… (MBW)
4. SESAC MUSIC GROUP RAISES $889M VIA WHOLE BUSINESS SECURITIZATION, THREE-TIMES OVERSUBSCRIBED
SESAC Music Group has accomplished a $889 million complete enterprise securitization, marking the corporate’s fourth journey to the asset-backed securities market and the biggest rated complete enterprise securitization within the music sector to date. The five-year senior notes are backed by considerably all of SESAC’s property and revenues, together with its Performing Rights and Music Services divisions, and acquired investor demand that was thrice oversubscribed.
The Blackstone-majority-owned firm’s Performing Rights division represents high-profile songwriters together with Ariana Grande, Kurt Cobain, Jack Harlow, Billie Joe Armstrong, and Axl Rose, plus composers behind main TV exhibits and movies. Its Music Services arm gives copyright administration and licensing by means of subsidiaries like Harry Fox Agency, AudioSalad, and Rumblefish… (MBW)
5. WHY PRIMARY WAVE – AND THE MARLEY ESTATE – COULD BE SITTING ON A GOLDMINE WITH NEW BOB MARLEY SHOW, HOPE ROAD
Primary Wave has launched an bold new Bob Marley immersive expertise referred to as Hope Road at Las Vegas’s Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, representing a doubtlessly profitable new income stream for the music rights firm and the Marley property.
Each non-seated present strikes roughly 180 company by means of themed rooms with reside performers, using cutting-edge expertise with tickets at present priced between $69-$99, relying on timing.
Currently operating 5 exhibits per day throughout 5 days weekly, Primary Wave CEO Larry Mestel says the operation will quickly develop to 9 exhibits every day throughout three completely different casts.
Quick calculations counsel the occasion might generate $30 million in annual gross ticket income – and much more whenever you embrace merchandise gross sales… (MBW)
MBW’s Weekly Round-Up is supported by Centtrip, which helps over 500 of the world’s best-selling artists maximise their earnings and scale back their touring prices.Music Business Worldwide
