BMG’s H1 2026 financials at a look. Photograph Credit score: BMG
Forward of the anticipated shut of its Harmony merger, BMG has recognized roughly $515 million (€444 million) in H1 2026 income and confirmed dropping virtually $1.9 billion on music IP thus far.
That Q1 and Q2 2026 income determine represents a 4.9% year-over-year (YoY) enchancment, with an 8.1% YoY spike on the organic-revenue aspect, per BMG. Elsewhere in its brass-tacks earnings launch, the Bertelsmann subsidiary disclosed a 4% YoY working EBITDA bump to $147 million/€127 million in addition to an almost 29% EBITDA margin (flat YoY).
In the meantime, “underlying recorded music streaming subscription income” achieved “excessive single-digit progress” throughout the six-month stretch, BMG communicated.
Although the rest of the doc is gentle on onerous monetary particulars – extra on the aforementioned catalog purchases in a second – Bertelsmann’s personal H1 2026 report offers a little bit of extra shade.
Therein, the conglomerate positioned the lion’s share of BMG income, $486 million/€419 million, within the evidently all-encompassing “rights and licenses” class. “Personal merchandise and merchandise” kicked in $27 million/€23 million, and the music firm’s efficiency largely held regular on a geographic foundation, the useful resource reveals.
As in H1 2025, the States accounted for roughly half of BMG’s income in H1 2026, and the UK’s contribution grew 9% YoY to $58 million/€50 million. Most notably on this entrance, “different European nations” – that means these moreover the UK, France, and Germany – turned in a 13% YoY income increase to $101 million/€87 million.
Again to the IP aspect, offers for the track rights of Jelly Roll, Fuji Music Group, Jet, and others resulted in H1 2026’s delivering “the very best first-half funding in music rights within the firm’s historical past.” And all instructed, BMG has since 2021 deployed round $1.85 billion/€1.6 billion on catalogs, in line with the announcement.
Concerning what’s not in mentioned announcement, BMG talked about its Suno licensing deal a grand whole of zero instances; in truth, the Berlin-based enterprise seemingly opted towards a lot as referencing generative synthetic intelligence, even in a piece devoted to AI.
This curious omission apart – the majors actually haven’t hesitated to underscore their very own AI partnerships – BMG drove residence that it’s leveraging AI to maximise fan engagement, enhance productiveness, and “activate catalog extra successfully.”
Echoing these factors, CEO Thomas Coesfeld emphasised that “AI is now being utilized at scale throughout BMG to higher serve our shoppers and rightsholders.”
“Our first-half outcomes replicate the energy of the enterprise we’ve constructed over the previous a number of years,” Coesfeld acknowledged partially. “Via BMG Subsequent, we’ve grow to be a extra centered, extra worthwhile, digital-first enterprise – one that’s higher capable of put money into artists, songwriters, and music rights for the long run.
“Sustained natural progress, document profitability, and our highest-ever first half funding in music rights give us a robust basis for the alternatives forward,” continued the exec, who’s set to start main Bertelsmann itself at 2027’s begin.
