From Tencent Music’s 250K music takedowns to Sony and WMG’s calendar Q1 outcomes… it’s MBW’s weekly round-up

This week, Warner Music Group posted calendar Q1 revenues of $1.73 billion, up 12.1% YoY at fixed forex, with subscription streaming revenues rising 12.7% YoY.

In the meantime, Sony‘s mixed revenues from recorded music and music publishing topped $3 billion for a second consecutive quarter in calendar Q1 (January–March), producing an estimated $3.03 billion within the interval.

Elsewhere, YouTube rolled out a brand new device letting creators substitute copyrighted audio with AI-generated instrumentals, permitting them to resolve Content material ID claims with out pulling movies.

Additionally this week, Bloomberg reported that Sony Music Group is in superior talks to purchase Blackstone’s Recognition Music Group for as much as $4 billion.

Plus, Tencent Music Leisure mentioned in its ESG report that it took down greater than 250,000 policy-violating songs and reviewed over 600,000 circumstances involving “high-risk copyright content material” throughout its platforms in 2025.

Listed here are a number of the greatest headlines from the previous few days…

1. WARNER MUSIC GROUP GENERATED $1.73B IN CALENDAR Q1 2026; SUBSCRIPTION STREAMING REVENUES ROSE 12.7% YOY

Warner Music Group has issued its monetary outcomes for the three months ended March 31, 2026 (calendar Q1 – the corporate’s fiscal Q2).

In accordance with the corporate’s fiscal Q2 (calendar Q1) outcomes, printed on Thursday (Might 7), WMG noticed its quarterly international company-wide revenues attain USD $1.732 billion (throughout recorded music, music publishing, and different actions).

Whole income was up 12.1% YoY at fixed forex.

Different highlights from the quarter embody recorded music revenues up 12.7% YoY at fixed forex to $1.38 billion, and recorded music subscription streaming revenues up 12.7% YoY at fixed forex to $734 million.

“Our Q2 outcomes reveal the highly effective mixture of artistic and operational success, in addition to monetary self-discipline, offering clear proof that our strategic transformation is working,” mentioned Warner Music Group CEO Robert Kyncl in a observe to traders on Thursday (Might 7)… (MBW)

2. SONY GENERATED $3.03BN FROM RECORDED MUSIC AND PUBLISHING IN CALENDAR Q1 2026, UP 19.5% YOY

Sony‘s mixed revenues from recorded music and music publishing topped USD $3 billion for a second consecutive quarter in calendar Q1 2026 (January–March), producing an estimated $3.03 billion within the interval.

That’s in accordance with MBW‘s calculations primarily based on Sony Group Corp‘s calendar Q1 2026 (fiscal This autumn, FY2025) outcomes, as introduced by the Japanese conglomerate on Friday (Might 8).

The calendar Q1 2026 quarter additionally marks the tip of Sony‘s fiscal yr (which runs April 2025 to March 2026), which means full-year figures are additionally accessible for the primary time.

The $3.03 billion quarterly mixed complete was up 19.5% YoY at US dollar-converted constant forex, in comparison with $2.54 billion in calendar Q1 2025.

Which means Sony‘s recorded music and publishing operations generated roughly $495 million extra in calendar Q1 2026 than within the prior-year quarter… (MBW)

3. YOUTUBE CREATORS HIT BY MUSIC COPYRIGHT CLAIMS CAN NOW REPLACE TRACKS WITH AI – AT THE TOUCH OF A BUTTON

YouTube is now letting creators generate AI-produced instrumental tracks to switch copyrighted audio of their movies — positioning the device as a approach to resolve Content material ID claims with out eradicating content material from the platform.

The replace, introduced by way of YouTube‘s Creator Insider channel on Friday (Might 1), provides a brand new “Create” button to the present “Exchange Music” device in YouTube Studio on desktop.

Rene Ritchie, presenting the replace on YouTube’s Creator Insider channel, mentioned: “The Exchange Music device in YouTube Studio Desktop will now embody a brand new Create button. Hit it and YouTube will generate 4 royalty-free instrumental tracks that you should use to switch copyrighted audio in your movies and launch Content material ID claims.”

The characteristic is presently restricted to US desktop customers of YouTube Studio.

A worldwide launch and rollout to Studio cell are deliberate for later this yr, in accordance with Ritchie… (MBW)

4. TENCENT MUSIC TOOK DOWN OVER 250,000 SONGS AND REVIEWED 600,000+ ‘HIGH-RISK’ COPYRIGHT CASES IN 2025 AMID ‘EMERGING AI RISKS’

Tencent Music Leisure, China’s largest music streaming service supplier, says it took down greater than 250,000 policy-violating songs and reviewed over 600,000 circumstances involving “high-risk copyright content material” throughout its platforms in 2025.

The figures come as TME mentioned it bolstered compliance and threat administration throughout key areas in 2025, together with copyright licensing, rising AI dangers, and its abroad enterprise enlargement.

The figures have been disclosed in TME‘s 2025 Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Report, printed in April.

The 250,000-plus songs faraway from platforms together with QQ Music have been recognized via a mix of AI-powered detection instruments and handbook inspection as posing “reputational dangers” or violating platform content material insurance policies.

Individually, TME mentioned it took down over 27,000 songs particularly concerned in what it categorizes as “music theft,” “music laundering,” and “pattern hijacking” — three distinct types of so-called “gray-market” manipulation that the corporate says are “changing into more and more covert and sophisticated.”… (MBW)

5. SONY IN ADVANCED TALKS TO BUY BLACKSTONE’S RECOGNITION MUSIC FOR UP TO $4B, REPORTS BLOOMBERG

Sony Music Group is closing in on a deal to purchase Blackstone‘s Recognition Music Group, whose catalog is dwelling to songs from Justin Bieber, Neil Younger, and others.

That’s in accordance with Bloomberg, which reported on Wednesday (Might 6) that Sony is in unique negotiations with the personal fairness large in what it described as “one of many largest such offers in music historical past”.

The acquisition could be made via Sony‘s music rights-buying three way partnership with Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC, which might pay between $3.5 billion and $4 billion, the information outlet reported, citing folks aware of the matter.

Bloomberg‘s report follows a Billboard story from Might 1 that reported Sony was negotiating a deal for Recognition‘s property.

Sony and Blackstone are pushing to finalize the settlement inside the subsequent seven days, the report mentioned, although Bloomberg cautioned that the talks might but collapse… (MBW)