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Sony generated $3.12B from recorded music and publishing in calendar Q2 2026, up 12.7% YoY
Sony’s recorded music and publishing businesses generated an estimated $3.12 billion in the April-to-June 2026 quarter, up 12.7% year on year and marking a third consecutive quarter above $3 billion. The growth was driven by increased streaming income, alongside stronger live events, merchandising and licensing revenues, underlining the value of Sony’s broader music operations beyond recordings alone.
Recorded music revenue rose 14.7% to $2.39 billion, including $1.49 billion from streaming, while the live, merchandising and licensing category climbed 39.7% to $671.7 million. Music publishing generated $728 million, up 6.7%, and Michael Jackson’s Thriller was Sony’s highest-earning recorded-music project globally, helped by interest surrounding the forthcoming biopic.
In short
- Sony music revenue reached $3.12 billion, up 12.7% year on year.
- Live, merchandising and licensing income grew fastest.
- Thriller led Sony’s global recorded-music projects.
Explained simply
Sony is one of the world's largest music companies, owning a vast collection of songs and recordings from many artists, genres and eras. The company earns money whenever these songs are streamed on services like Spotify, downloaded, or played on radio and television, and also profits when others use the music in films, advertisements and other contexts.
The music industry has undergone dramatic change over the past two decades, shifting from physical sales like CDs to digital streaming through services such as Spotify and Apple Music. This has fundamentally altered how artists, songwriters and music companies earn revenue, making it important to understand whether these new models prove financially sustainable.
Large music companies like Sony serve as indicators of the industry's health. Their financial performance shows whether streaming and other digital music revenues are proving reliable, and which parts of the business are growing strongest, information that matters to investors, artists and anyone interested in the music industry's future.
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