WARNER MUSIC GROUP ACQUIRES CONTROLLING STAKE IN TEMPO MUSIC

The catalog includes rights to songs recorded by Bruno Mars, Twenty One Pilots, Adele, Wiz Khalifa, Florida Georgia Line, and Lukas Graham.

Providence Equity Partners to Remain a Minority Investor

Warner Music Group Corp. (“Warner Music Group” or “WMG”) today announced that it has acquired a controlling stake in Tempo Music Investments (“Tempo”), an investment platform for premium music rights, from Providence Equity Partners (“Providence”). Providence will remain a minority investor in Tempo and continue to work with WMG in an advisory capacity.

WMG and Providence partnered to launch Tempo in 2019, combining Providence’s capital and investment expertise with WMG’s deep music industry experience, resources, and network to support, promote, and build value around artists and songwriters globally. Through its disciplined approach to investments and collaborative work with creative talent, Tempo has amassed a diverse portfolio that focuses on empowering artists and songwriters, while delivering compelling financial results. WMG’s investment will also become more accretive over time as other rights revert to Tempo and expand the scope of WMG’s administration and distribution.

Guy Moot, Co-Chair and CEO of Warner Chappell, said: “By acquiring Tempo’s impressive catalog, we’re expanding Warner Chappell’s reach, bringing rights from songwriters we currently don’t represent, as well as additional rights from songwriters with whom we’re already partners. Tempo has assembled a thoughtful, well-rounded catalog, and I’m excited to dig into new opportunities and unlock more value for these songs.”

Michael Ryan-Southern, WMG’s EVP and chief Corporate Development Officer, added: “WMG and Tempo have a long-standing history and aligned interests in uplifting great music and catalogs. This deal is a natural fit for us and a good example of how our investment strategy is designed to build our scale and influence while delivering additional revenue at a high margin.”

Michael Dominguez, Senior Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer at Providence, said: “The Tempo team has built a high-quality catalog over the years with top artists and songwriters and has benefitted from a close partnership with WMG since its foundation. This is an exciting next step in the company’s evolution and a natural home for its catalog. We look forward to continuing to work with WMG and to support Tempo’s next phase of growth.”

Since its inception, Tempo has acquired music rights from some of today’s leading songwriters, many of whom Warner Chappell co-publishes, including Twenty One Pilots’ Tyler Joseph, multi-platinum-selling recording artist Wiz Khalifa, country duo Florida Georgia Line, GRAMMY® Award-winning songwriters Brett James and Shane McAnally, as well as Lukas Graham songwriters Stefan Forrest, Morten Pilegaard, Morten Ristorp Jensen, and Jaramye Daniels.

Tempo has also acquired rights from top songwriters, artists, and producers, including artists such as the Jonas Brothers, Ben Rector, and Korn; singer-songwriter Mia Fieldes; GRAMMY® Award-winning songwriter, producer, and CMNTY Culture founder Philip Lawrence (“24k Magic” & “Uptown Funk” Bruno Mars, “All I Ask” Adele, and more); GRAMMY® Award-winning songwriter, producer, engineer, and Frank Ocean collaborator Malay; and GRAMMY® Award-winning artist, songwriter, and producer Jeff Bhasker.

Moelis & Company acted as financial advisor, and Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP served as legal advisor to Tempo and Providence.