Warner Music Group Corp.
Business
Warner Music Group Corp. is a leading music entertainment company with two reportable segments: Recorded Music and Music Publishing. The Recorded Music segment discovers, develops, and distributes music through labels including Atlantic Records, Warner Records, Elektra Records, and Parlophone Records. The Music Publishing segment, operated through Warner Chappell Music, owns or controls rights to millions of musical compositions. The company distributes music globally through streaming services, physical retail, digital platforms, and radio.
Summary from 10-K filed 2025-11-20
Financials
Consolidated Statement of Income
| Concept | Trend | FY 2025 2025-09-30 | FY 2024 2024-09-30 | FY 2023 2023-09-30 | FY 2022 2022-09-30 | FY 2021 2021-09-30 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | 6,707 | 6,426 | 6,037 | 5,919 | 5,301 | |
| Cost of revenue | −3,632 | −3,355 | −3,177 | −3,080 | −2,742 | |
| Selling, general and administrative expenses | −1,889 | −1,879 | −1,826 | −1,862 | −1,721 | |
| Restructuring and impairments | −234 | −177 | −40 | 0 | — | |
| Amortization expense | −258 | −224 | −245 | −263 | −229 | |
| Total costs and expenses | −6,013 | −5,635 | −5,288 | −5,205 | −4,692 | |
| Net gain on divestitures | 0 | 32 | 41 | 0 | 0 | |
| Operating income | 694 | 823 | 790 | 714 | 609 | |
| Loss on extinguishment of debt | 0 | 0 | −4 | 0 | −22 | |
| Interest expense, net | −162 | −161 | −141 | −125 | −122 | |
| Other expense, net | −42 | −61 | −36 | 151 | −9 | |
| Income before income taxes | 490 | 601 | 609 | 740 | 456 | |
| Income tax expense | −120 | −123 | −170 | −185 | −149 | |
| Net income | 370 | 478 | 439 | 555 | 307 | |
| Less: Income attributable to noncontrolling interest | −5 | −43 | −9 | −4 | −3 | |
| Net income attributable to Warner Music Group Corp. | 365 | 435 | 430 | 551 | 304 |
Consolidated Balance Sheet
| Concept | Trend | FY 2025 2025-09-30 | FY 2024 2024-09-30 | FY 2023 2023-09-30 | FY 2022 2022-09-30 | FY 2021 2021-09-30 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash and equivalents | 532 | 694 | 641 | 584 | 499 | |
| Accounts receivable, net of allowances of $27 million and $26 million | 1,340 | 1,255 | 1,120 | 984 | 839 | |
| Inventories | 62 | 99 | 126 | 108 | 99 | |
| Royalty advances expected to be recouped within one year | 581 | 470 | 413 | 372 | 373 | |
| Assets held for sale | 89 | 0 | — | — | — | |
| Prepaid and other current assets | 166 | 125 | 102 | 91 | 86 | |
| Total current assets | 2,770 | 2,643 | 2,402 | 2,139 | 1,896 | |
| Royalty advances expected to be recouped after one year | 1,079 | 874 | 688 | 503 | 457 | |
| Property, plant and equipment, net | 441 | 481 | 458 | 415 | 364 | |
| Operating lease right-of-use assets, net | 189 | 225 | 245 | 226 | 268 | |
| Goodwill | 2,061 | 2,021 | 1,993 | 1,920 | 1,830 | |
| Intangible assets subject to amortization, net | 2,725 | 2,359 | 2,353 | 2,239 | 2,017 | |
| Intangible assets not subject to amortization | 154 | 152 | 149 | 145 | 154 | |
| Deferred tax assets, net | 111 | 52 | 32 | 29 | 31 | |
| Other assets | 299 | 348 | 225 | 212 | 194 | |
| Total assets | 9,829 | 9,155 | 8,545 | 7,828 | 7,211 | |
| Accounts payable | 257 | 289 | 300 | 268 | 302 | |
| Accrued royalties | 2,740 | 2,549 | 2,219 | 1,918 | 1,880 | |
| Accrued liabilities | 666 | 641 | 533 | 457 | 461 | |
| Accrued interest | 31 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 14 | |
| Operating lease liabilities, current | 43 | 45 | 41 | 40 | 43 | |
| Deferred revenue | 286 | 246 | 371 | 423 | 348 | |
| Liabilities held for sale | 49 | 0 | — | — | — | |
| Other current liabilities | 129 | 110 | 57 | 245 | 102 | |
| Total current liabilities | 4,201 | 3,897 | 3,539 | 3,368 | 3,150 | |
| Acquisition corp. long-term debt | 4,063 | 4,014 | 3,964 | 3,732 | 3,346 | |
| Asset-based long-term debt | 302 | 0 | — | — | — | |
| Operating lease liabilities, noncurrent | 200 | 228 | 255 | 241 | 287 | |
| Deferred tax liabilities, net | 164 | 195 | 216 | 220 | 207 | |
| Other noncurrent liabilities | 142 | 146 | 141 | 99 | 175 | |
| Total liabilities | 9,072 | 8,480 | 8,115 | 7,660 | 7,165 | |
| Additional paid-in capital | 2,166 | 2,077 | 2,015 | 1,975 | 1,942 | |
| Accumulated deficit | −1,331 | −1,313 | −1,387 | −1,477 | −1,710 | |
| Accumulated other comprehensive loss, net | −189 | −247 | −322 | −347 | −202 | |
| Total Warner Music Group Corp. equity | 647 | 518 | 307 | 152 | 31 | |
| Noncontrolling interest | 110 | 157 | 123 | 16 | 15 | |
| Total equity | 757 | 675 | 430 | 168 | 46 | |
| Total liabilities and equity | 9,829 | 9,155 | 8,545 | 7,828 | 7,211 |
Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows
| Concept | Trend | FY 2025 2025-09-30 | FY 2024 2024-09-30 | FY 2023 2023-09-30 | FY 2022 2022-09-30 | FY 2021 2021-09-30 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Depreciation and amortization | 376 | 327 | 332 | 339 | 306 | |
| Unrealized losses (gains) and remeasurement of foreign-denominated loans and foreign currency forward exchange contracts | 70 | 68 | 38 | −169 | 3 | |
| Deferred income taxes | −90 | −48 | −13 | 13 | 27 | |
| Net loss (gain) on investments | −27 | −6 | −3 | 46 | — | |
| Net loss (gain) on divestitures | 0 | −32 | −42 | 0 | — | |
| Non-cash interest expense | 7 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 5 | |
| Non-cash stock-based compensation expense | 54 | 52 | 49 | 39 | — | |
| Non-cash impairments and restructuring | 139 | 57 | 0 | 0 | — | |
| Accounts receivable, net | −61 | −110 | −113 | −195 | −58 | |
| Inventories | −11 | 30 | −12 | −22 | −19 | |
| Royalty advances | −312 | −222 | −191 | −94 | −332 | |
| Other noncurrent assets | 4 | −85 | −10 | −12 | — | |
| Accounts payable and accrued liabilities | −28 | 86 | 77 | −21 | 91 | |
| Royalty payables | 167 | 275 | 256 | 158 | 217 | |
| Accrued interest | 7 | −6 | 1 | 3 | −16 | |
| Operating lease liabilities | −15 | −5 | −4 | −6 | −3 | |
| Deferred revenue | 40 | −133 | −58 | 86 | 47 | |
| Other balance sheet changes | −12 | 22 | −65 | 16 | −8 | |
| Net cash provided by operating activities | 678 | 754 | 687 | 742 | 638 | |
| Acquisition of music publishing rights and music catalogs | −195 | −187 | −114 | −191 | — | |
| Capital expenditures | −139 | −116 | −127 | −135 | — | |
| Investments and acquisitions of businesses, net of cash received | −46 | −40 | −126 | −509 | −64 | |
| Proceeds from the sale of investments | 40 | 13 | 22 | 11 | 0 | |
| Proceeds from divestitures | 0 | 19 | 45 | 0 | 0 | |
| Net cash used in investing activities | −340 | −311 | −300 | −824 | −638 | |
| Deferred financing costs paid | −2 | −2 | −3 | −5 | −12 | |
| Distribution to noncontrolling interest holders | −15 | −8 | −12 | −6 | −7 | |
| Dividends paid | −383 | −361 | −340 | −318 | −265 | |
| Payment of deferred and contingent consideration | −23 | −20 | −133 | −7 | 0 | |
| Taxes paid related to net share settlement of restricted stock units and common stock | −20 | −5 | 0 | −6 | 0 | |
| Common stock repurchased and retired | −16 | 0 | 0 | — | — | |
| Redemption of noncontrolling interests | −37 | 0 | −1 | — | — | |
| Net cash used in financing activities | −497 | −396 | −325 | 188 | −61 | |
| Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and equivalents | 0 | 6 | −5 | −21 | 7 | |
| Cash balances classified as assets held for sale | −3 | 0 | 0 | — | — | |
| Net (decrease) increase in cash and equivalents | −162 | 53 | 57 | 85 | −54 |
Filings
Material Events
Insiders
Institutional Holders
Frequently asked questions
What is Warner Music Group Corp.'s CIK number?
Warner Music Group Corp.'s SEC CIK number is 0001319161 (1319161). The CIK (Central Index Key) is the permanent identifier the SEC assigns to every EDGAR filer — unlike a ticker symbol, it never changes.
Where can I find Warner Music Group Corp.'s SEC filings?
All of Warner Music Group Corp.'s EDGAR filings — 10-K annual reports, 10-Q quarterly reports, 8-K material events, and insider transactions — are listed on this page, sourced live from SEC EDGAR.
When did Warner Music Group Corp. last report earnings?
Warner Music Group Corp. (WMG) most recently filed an earnings 8-K with the SEC on May 7, 2026, furnishing its results under Item 2.02 (Results of Operations and Financial Condition). The earnings press release is attached to that filing (accession 0001319161-26-000021). This is Warner Music Group Corp.'s most recent earnings filing of record — not a forecast of its next earnings date.
What is Warner Music Group Corp.'s most recent earnings 8-K?
Warner Music Group Corp.'s latest earnings 8-K (Item 2.02) was filed May 7, 2026 under accession 0001319161-26-000021. It carries the quarterly or annual earnings press release — the earliest official, SEC-filed version of the results.
View Warner Music Group Corp.'s latest earnings 8-K →
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