News From Tencent Music’s 250K song takedowns to Sony and WMG’s calendar Q1 results… it’s MBW’s weekly round-up The biggest headlines from the past few days...
News Law firm Serling Rooks rebrands as McKoy Worob Averill Scott & Koenig LLP, elevates Jeffrey Koenig and adds Margo Scott as named partner The change, which took effect in January 2026, follows the departure of named partners Reid Hunter and Joe Serling
Analysis News Sony generated $3.03bn from recorded music and publishing in calendar Q1 2026, up 19.5% YoY Recorded music streaming revenue (combining subscription and ad-funded streaming) was up 13.6% YoY.
News Jieun Kim promoted to President of Warner Music Korea Exec to lead the company’s operations and strategic expansion within the world’s seventh-largest recorded music market
Analysis News Warner Music Group generated $1.73B in calendar Q1 2026; subscription streaming revenues rose 12.7% YoY Warner Music Group published its calendar Q1 results today (May 7)
News Paladin Artists names Rick Levy CEO – and enters ‘advanced discussions’ to acquire Wayne Forte’s Entourage Talent The moves mark a significant expansion push for the independent live agency founded by Andy Somers and Steve Martin in 2021.
Analysis News Tencent Music took down over 250,000 songs and reviewed 600,000+ ‘high-risk’ copyright cases in 2025 amid ’emerging AI risks’ TME said it took down over 27,000 songs specifically involved in what it categorizes as "song theft," "song laundering," and "trend hijacking"
News South Korean prosecutors reject arrest warrant request for HYBE’s Bang Si-hyuk again (report) Prosecutors rejected an initial request in April
News Australia’s UNIFIED Music Group expands into New Zealand with Matt Harvey hire The move brings Harvey’s day-to-day manager Mandy Keighley, along with his management roster, into UNIFIED’s growing trans-Tasman network.
News Warner Music Group and Paramount Pictures strike multi-year deal to make theatrical films based on WMG artists and songwriters The partnership follows WMG's deal with Netflix, announced in March
News Africa-focused streamer Mdundo receives non-binding proposal from investor seeking up to 40% stake Mdundo is listed on Nasdaq First North Growth Market in Copenhagen
News Ticketmaster cuts around 350 jobs, 8% of global workforce, in engineering, product and design restructuring (report) Pollstar reports that Ticketmaster has cuts around 350 jobs
News Sphere Entertainment generated $386.4M in Q1 revenues, up 38% YoY – driven by The Wizard of Oz and concert residency growth at Las Vegas venue 'Today's results demonstrate our continued success proving out Sphere's business model,' said Executive Chairman and CEO James L. Dolan
News Believe unveils AZTEC, its first US record label joint venture, with music exec Az Cohen Az Cohen previously held roles at 300 Entertainment
News Vietnam orders crackdown on music piracy as US tariff pressure mounts Vietnam’s government has ordered a sweeping nationwide campaign targeting online piracy, with music streaming and distribution among its priorities.