WMG merchandise and fan-activation division WMX will be the official merch partner for Oasis' slavishly anticipated 2025 reunion tour, which begins 7/4 in Cardiff, Wales. Beyond event souvenirs and brand collaborations, WMX will produce pop-up stores and other fan promotions, details of which have yet to be announced. The company has a pre-existing relationship with Oasis vocalist Liam Gallagher. "We understand the deep connection fans have with the band and the significance of the reunion, so we are fully committed to offering the absolute best in product and experience," says WMX U.K. SVP/GM Bob Workman. HITS will happily don a size XXL parka for the occasion. One item apparently not on the horizon is a new Oasis album, which Liam had previously claimed was "already finished." Last week he replied to a fan news account on X and declared that there's "no Oasis album in the making," confessing, "I was fucking joking. Everyone is a little uptight these days. I’m sorry if I have upset anyone, but fuck me, it was a laugh. People always want more. Let’s just get in a big stadium and go apeshit and see what happens after that."

What kind of year has it been in the music biz? Let’s start with some wild stats. Taylor Swift’s individual overall market share stands at 1.7%, with 15.6m album units YTD—more than Mercury, Big Loud and Imperial combined. That’s crazy enough, but even without Taylor, the Republic group would still be #1 in current share. Now that is dynastic dominance times two. Strangely, you won’t find the Lipman brothers’ Republic or John Janick’s Interscope Capitol Labels Group in Luminate’s market-share breakdown, despite the fact that UMG made its bicoastal realignment way back in early March. No, it makes zero sense that the market-share gods have yet to acknowledge these sweeping changes eight months after they reshaped the industry as a whole, but never fear—the post-reorg breakdown below provides a detailed look at the actual standings, as opposed to a market-share report that looks official but bears little resemblance to the world we’re now living in. In the real world, REPUBLIC Corps is the runaway leader in current share behind an insanely potent roster that boasts Morgan Wallen (in partnership with Seth England’s Big Loud), Island’s massive Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan, Mercury’s Post Malone and Noah Kahan, Boominati/Freebandz’s Metro Boomin, Drake and Ariana Grande. Along with Swift, this crew accounts for the top four albums YTD, seven of the Top 10 and 14 of the Top 20. Not only that, but Republic has become the biggest country-music marketing machine in memory, putting an exclamation mark on its awe-inspiring market share. Hot damn. ICLG, meanwhile, holds serve in overall market share this year thanks to superstars like Billie Eilish (with the #5 album YTD), Olivia Rodrigo and Kendrick Lamar (with two Top 50 LPs apiece), Eminem and the incredible exploding Gracie Abrams. Aaron Bay-Schuck and Tom Corson’s Warner is #3 in current, the product of its focus on developing and breaking new acts, as rookies Benson Boone (with the year’s #21 album) and Teddy Swims (#28) join previous breakthrough Zach Bryan and his Top 50 trifecta. Additionally, Warner’s share in country will likely further increase now that Bay-Schuck and Corson have brought Cris Lacy and Gregg Nadel’s high-scoring Nashville company into the Bunny hutch. Republic and Warner’s country shares are about the same; the primary difference between them is that Warner’s share includes the aforementioned Warner Nashville, but UMG Nashville isn’t part of Republic’s percentage. Warner sister label Atlantic appears to be on the verge of its own revitalization as Elliot Grainge brings youthful energy to the task of getting the storied company back in the thick of it following a recent slump. The fact that Atlantic has still managed a #3 ranking in overall share with a 7.7% is a testament to its deep catalog, which will provide a solid foundation for Grainge as he undertakes the label’s renovation. Charli xcx’s pop-cultural phenomenon BRAT, the fast-breaking ROSÉ and Bruno Mars, whose smashes with Lady Gaga and ROSÉ evidence his Midas touch, provide Grainge with a launching pad for his forward-facing efforts. Ron Perry’s Columbia, #5 in both metrics, has been paced by Parkwood’s Beyoncé, but Tyler, the Creator, whose CHROMAKOPIA has ruled the album chart since its release three weeks ago, has cemented his status as a cornerstone act for Big Red. With her SOS holding strong at #7 YTD, TDE’s SZA continues to deliver for RCA’s Peter Edge, #6 current and overall, while Travis Scott, Future and 21 Savage form a hip-hop triumvirate for Sylvia Rhone’s Epic, #7 in both metrics. Sony Nashville, led by the soon-to-retire Randy Goodman, Afo Verde’s Sony Latin and Todd Moscowitz’s hip-hop-centric Alamo give Rob Stringer’s parent company the 5-10 entries in the YTD current standings. Sony also has the #1 distribution company in The Orchard, whose 7.3% is the third biggest in the current sector. The overall seedings include Cindy Mabe’s UMG Nashville, Jesús López’s UMLE and Nat Pastor and JT Myers’ Virgin Music Group, each of which adds to the towering 38.4% haul of Sir Lucian Grainge’s league-leading UMG. It’s good to be king.

Morgan Wallen took home Entertainer of the Year for the first time, Megan Moroney was anointed New Artist of the Year and Chris Stapleton snagged three trophies at the 58th Annual CMA Awards on 11/20; click the link for some astute observations on the results from our own Holly Gleason. Stapleton’s “White Horse” earned him Single and Song of the Year (the latter shared with co-writer Dan Wilson). The bearded marvel was also dubbed Male Vocalist of the Year. Female Vocalist honors went to Lainey Wilson, while Old Dominion took Vocal Group of the Year for the [checks notes] 908th time. Cody Johnson won Album of the Year for his acclaimed set Leather. Brooks & Dunn’s victory in the Vocal Duo category gave them their 19th career trophy—they are tied with Stapleton for the most wins. Musical Event went to “you look like you love me” by Ella Langley f/Riley Green. Wilson (who also won for Video of the Year) co-hosted the ceremony with Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning. The list of performers on the show is, frankly staggering, but here we go: Bryan, Eric Church, Luke Combs, Ashley McBryde, Moroney, Kacey Musgraves, Post Malone, Shaboozey, Stapleton, Wilson and Bailey Zimmerman, Kelsea Ballerini with Noah Kahan, Dierks Bentley featuring Molly Tuttle, Sierra Hull and Bronwyn Keith-Hynes, Brooks & Dunn featuring Jelly Roll, Jelly Roll featuring Keith Urban, Langley featuring Green, Malone featuring Stapleton, Thomas Rhett and Teddy Swims and Cody Johnson and surprise guest Carrie Underwood, not to mention a celebration of 2024 CMA Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award recipient George Strait, who performed with Wilson, Jamey Johnson, Miranda Lambert, Parker McCollum and Stapleton. Phew! The full telecast is streamable on Hulu; individual performances are available for viewing on YouTube. Here are a few.

Spotify is doing some fine-tuning of its teams and we thought you’d find this breakdown of the changes informative. You’re welcome. Monica Herrera Damashek (pictured) now leads both the Artist Partnerships and Label Partnerships teams and reports to Music Partnerships and Audience head Joe Hadley (also pictured). Damashek, a 10-year veteran, has led North America Label Partnerships for the past year and now will also look after the team driving manager engagement and genre-marketing strategy as regards Pop, Hip Hop, R&B, Latin, Dance, Indie, Rock and Alternative. The aforementioned North America Label Partnerships squad is evolving to a fully regionalized structure to enhance its on-the-ground presence with labels and distributors. Team leaders are Jana Coffey (West Coast), Jesse Jacobsen (East Coast) and Tim Foisset (Nashville and Canada). This team oversees new-release marketing campaigns, recent examples of which involved Sabrina Carpenter, Gracie Abrams, Kelsea Ballerini, SEVENTEEN and more. Artist Partnerships is responsible for the DSP’s engagement with managers as well as genre marketing and off-cycle artist marketing designed to assist outreach to fans. Leading this team are Ashley Graver, whose genre remit expands as head of Artist Partnerships for Pop/Dance/Indie/Rock/Alt/Latin, and head of Hip Hop and R&B Artist Partnerships Josh Peas. Recent initiatives include a Charli xcx/Troye Sivan SWEAT tour partnership, Billions Club with Ed Sheeran, “Rock Never Dies” and “The Gold Standard: Women in Hip Hop” campaigns, and the Spotify Huis at Amsterdam Dance Event. Joe and Monica are currently assembling a playlist that explains these alterations to the company’s team structure entirely via the dubstep craze of 2011.

Warner Music Group enjoyed a 2.8% increase in revenue to $1.63b amid its fiscal Q4 results, despite a 69% drop in net income to $48m. The company attributed the latter to high interest and exchange rates and saw subscription streaming growth for a fourth consecutive quarter, with a 9.7% uptick in revenue. Specific recorded music revenue jumped 3.6% to $1.33b thanks to gains in licensing, digital, physical, artist services and expanded rights. That helped offset a 1% decline in music publishing revenue to $295m, a figure impacted by the loss of $25m from the termination of a BMG distribution deal. Full-year revenue rose 6% at $6.4b compared to 2023, while net income of $478 million reflected a 9% increase. The company's top sellers in the quarter were Benson Boone, Zach Bryan, Teddy Swims, Dua Lipa and Charli xcx. WMG CEO Robert Kyncl said the company increased its A&R investment by approximately 11% in fiscal 2024 and "will consider bolt-on acquisitions that accelerate our progress while meeting our return thresholds." He added that the WMG board has authorized a share repurchase program of up to $100m, which "demonstrates our confidence in the value of our company and our optimism for the path ahead." "Our performance this quarter and this year demonstrated our strength and adaptability in a thriving, fast-moving market," Kyncl elaborated. "We continue to evolve WMG based on the principle that simplicity and focus drive higher intensity and global impact. This is enhancing our ability to attract original artists and songwriters at all stages of their careers, helping them realize their musical visions and grow passionate, loyal fan bases." Said WMG CFO Bryan Castellani, "These results underscore the diversity and resilience of our business. Our strong streaming performance, underpinned by positive industry trends, combined with our cost discipline, resulted in robust cash-flow generation. We are excited by the opportunities ahead and look forward to delivering more culture-shaping music in 2025 and beyond."

UMG Greater China has reached a global agreement with Chinese indie Modern Sky, affording the label's roster access to UMG’s distribution network and bringing its catalog under the UMGC umbrella. Founded in 1997, Modern Sky is home to 150 artists and a catalog of more than 500 albums, including titles by New Pants, Re-TROS, Second Hand Rose, Miserable Faith, Ma Di and Tizzy T. In making the announcement, Timothy Xu, chairman and CEO of UMGC, said, “We are thrilled to collaborate with Modern Sky, a label that has been instrumental in defining China’s independent music culture and propelling it forward. This collaboration not only broadens the global reach of Chinese music but highlights the distinct energy and creativity that define China’s young generation today.” Shen Lihui, founder and CEO of Modern Sky, added, “Joining UMG’s global network and its community of exceptional artists marks an exciting new chapter for us. Through this collaboration, we’re thrilled to bring a fresh side of Chinese originality to the world, inviting audiences everywhere to experience the unique energy and cultural depth of China’s youth.” Modern Sky has accelerated its international expansion in recent years by establishing divisions in New York, Liverpool and Tokyo. In 2009 the company branched out into the live arena with the Strawberry Music Festival, which has gone on annually since. In 2014, it staged its first international event, the Modern Sky Music Festival, which took place in New York’s Central Park and has since spawned events in Helsinki, Seattle, Los Angeles and Toronto. Pictured (l-r): Timothy Xu, Lihui Shen, Adam Granite (UMG EVP, Market Development)

Lady Gaga continues to spread her “Disease” via alternate versions, the latest of which, “Disease (The Poison Live)," is out now. This take, produced by Gaga, serves as a bookend to the acoustic “Disease (The Antidote Live),” putting a more ominous spin on the track by pitting Gaga's wailing vocals against an insistent electric guitar. Check the video here. At least one version of “Disease” should appear on the diva's new album, which Interscope says will be released in February. We will consider it our Valentine from Gaga as we do not expect to receive any other. Meanwhile, the woman born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta remains red hot around the world with her Bruno Mars collab "Die With a Smile," which has officially reached 1 billion streams on Spotify faster than any other song.

Top Dawg Entertainment will host its 11th annual "TDE Christmas" concert, toy drive and community giveback in Los Angeles' Watts neighborhood next month. The two-day event, presented 12/12-13 by Top Dawg Love the Kids, has become a holiday tradition for the residents of Nickerson Gardens, where TDE founder Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith grew up, and surrounding communities. Those hoping to see TDE artists SZA, SchoolBoy Q, Jay Rock, Doechii, Isaiah Rashad, SiR, Ab-Soul, Ray Vaughn, Zacari, Kal Banx (and surprise guests) perform on 12/12 can gain entrance by bringing unwrapped toys, new clothes/shoes or other donations. The free community giveback, 12/13, will see a toy giveaway and raffles, youth-sports programming, barbering services and a family holiday photo op. It will also host a job fair including organizations that offer employment and create re-entry pathways for ex-offenders. TDE will roll out its holiday happening at 11251 Compton Ave. Considering that more than 10,000 people flocked to last year's event, public transportation and rideshare are strongly encouraged.