Warner Music Group plans to cut annual costs by $300 million through a combination of layoffs and chopping expenses related to administration and real estate, according to a memo from CEO Robert Kyncl to staff on Tuesday (July 1).

“Many changes will be implemented in the next three months, with the remainder in fiscal 2026,” Kyncl wrote. Staff cuts will account for $170 million of the planned reductions.

In the memo obtained by Billboard, Kyncl called this “the remaining steps in our plan to help future-proof the company and unlock the next era of growth,” indicating that this would be the end of a series of rounds of layoffs the company has implemented in the past few years.

“I know that this news is tough and unsettling, and you will have many questions,” he added.

Kyncl indicated that the money freed up through these cuts will be reinvested in A&R — “a more holistic and targeted approach to partnering with the world’s greatest musical talent” — and M&A. To that latter point, earlier today, WMG announced it was launching a $1.2 billion catalog acquisition venture with Bain Capital. 

WMG has undergone multiple waves of layoffs since Kyncl took the helm at the start of 2023. The company announced a 4% staff cut that March, and a 10% cut the following year. Atlantic Records was then hit with significant layoffs in September.

While the company’s current market share initially dipped — falling from 17.26% halfway through 2023 to 15.68% halfway through 2024 — it has since started to rebound, climbing to 16.38% through June 26 of this year. WMG’s overall market share is up as well, from 18.22% midway through 2024 to 18.71% so far in 2025. 

That has been reflected on the Billboard charts as well. Atlantic signee Alex Warren’s “Ordinary” has spent four of the past five weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, while earlier this year Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ “Die With A Smile” spent five non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 (co-released by Atlantic and Universal-owned Interscope).

In his memo, Kyncl said these gains are evidence that the company’s strategy of becoming “more effective and more efficient” is “gaining momentum.”

“Our artists have held half of the Top Ten on the Spotify Global chart for the past 10 weeks and nailed the No. 1 spot for all but four weeks of 2025,” he wrote. He also called out “new highs” on the publishing side of WMG’s business.

Read Kyncl’s full memo below.

Hi everyone, 

Two years ago, we began to transform our company; not just to tinker around the edges of an old model, but to build a fast, innovative, and collaborative organization that reflects how music moves in the new world. 

Today, our strategy is gaining momentum. Our artists have held half of the Top Ten on the Spotify Global chart for the past ten weeks and nailed the No. 1 spot for all but four weeks of 2025. These aren’t just the biggest hits in the world today; they’re our evergreen catalog of the future. At the same time, we’re starting to see better progress in our global recorded music market share, while hitting new highs in music publishing. These wins are powered by our ability to become simultaneously more effective and more efficient… allowing us to invest in great talent, boost our star-making expertise, and deepen our world-building capabilities. 

Building on this success requires us to keep evolving. Today we’re announcing the remaining steps in our plan to help future-proof the company and unlock the next era of growth. Specifically, we’ll be reducing our annual costs by ~$300 million as we reinvest in the business: ~$170 million through headcount rightsizing for agility and impact, and ~$130 million in administrative and real estate expenses. Many changes will be implemented in the next three months, with the remainder in fiscal 2026.

I know that this news is tough and unsettling, and you will have many questions. The Executive Leadership Team has spent a lot of time thinking about our future state and how to put us on the best path forward. You’ll be hearing from your local leaders as soon as possible about your area of the company and your role within it. We’re communicating this now so, as we move through the process, we can be as thoughtful and open as possible with all of you. These decisions are not being made lightly, it will be difficult to say goodbye to talented people, and we’re committed to acting with empathy and integrity.

As we evolve, we’ll be focused on these core drivers of our success:

We’re putting more money behind the music… via a new growth plan.

A&R: Working with the ELT, we’ve sharpened our investment criteria… a more holistic and targeted approach to partnering with the world’s greatest musical talent, across (i) the most culturally potent and highest potential repertoire centers, (ii) globally managed off-roster catalog, and (iii) music publishing. 

M&A: We also have an ambitious M&A pipeline, especially for timeless catalogs. Our acquisitions of Tempo and start-up RSDL are good signposts of how we intend on growing both our copyrights and our capabilities. And, as you’ve seen today, we’ve announced an exciting venture with Bain Capital that adds up to $1.2 billion to our catalog purchasing power across both recorded music and music publishing.

We’re becoming a stronger, leaner company… for greater cut-through. 

TEAM: Our faster, more agile teams of local experts will be backed by a strengthened suite of services across Marketing, Distribution, Catalog, and Merchandising & Direct-to-Fan. This aligns our collective efforts with our clearest priorities, making it easier for great artistry and ideas to shine through. Our recent changes at LATAM and Atlantic Records, following the long-term rejuvenation of Warner Chappell and Warner Records, prove that teams can get leaner, deliver massive No. 1s, and win market share… all at the same time.   

TECH: We’ll continue to prioritize better digital tools for artists, songwriters, and employees. For example, we’ll expand the rollout of the WMG Pulse app and add more features to give artists and songwriters insights, while landing the benefits of our financial transformation initiative as well as a vastly improved supply chain and data infrastructure. By simplifying how we work, our WMG One platform will enable deeper focus, stronger collaboration, and more powerful outcomes.

In an ever-changing industry, we must continue to supercharge our capabilities in long-term artist, songwriter, and catalog development. That’s why this company was created in the first place, it’s what we’ve always been best at, and it’s how we’ll differentiate ourselves in the future.

As we implement these changes, we promise to communicate with you regularly. Thank you for your patience and support for one another. We’ve got some remarkable music coming, and I know that whatever challenges we’re navigating, your commitment to our artists and songwriters is unwavering. 

Thank you,

Robert

A judge has struck down Jay-Z’s extortion and defamation lawsuit against Tony Buzbee, the personal injury attorney who filed shocking rape allegations against the rap icon, though the duo’s bitter legal battle is far from over.

The order from Monday (June 30) tosses the claims brought by Jay-Z (Shawn Carter) in Los Angeles court against Buzbee, who alleged in a now-dropped civil lawsuit that the rapper and Sean “Diddy” Combs raped an anonymous 13-year-old girl together at an after-party following the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards.

Jay-Z vehemently denied those allegations and sued Buzbee for extortion and defamation last fall. There has since been lengthy litigation over whether to strike Jay-Z’s lawsuit under California’s anti-SLAPP statute, which allows for the quick dismissal of claims that threaten constitutionally protected speech.

Judge Mark H. Epstein repeatedly flip-flopped over what to do with Buzbee’s anti-SLAPP motion, saying in various tentative orders that he was inclined to keep the lawsuit at least partially alive. He has now changed his mind, and Monday’s final decision strikes the claims entirely.

The judge says Jay-Z’s extortion claims must fail because Buzbee was within his rights as a lawyer to demand a settlement payment from the rapper before suing him for rape last year.

“Selling silence for money in the civil context is not extortion; it is a settlement with a non-disclosure element,” writes Judge Epstein.  

Jay-Z’s defamation claims, which take issue with Buzbee’s statements to the press and social media activity, are a closer call. Judge Epstein has determined that these claims must be dismissed too because they don’t meet the so-called “actual malice” standard; that is, Jay-Z has not shown that Buzbee knowingly lied about the rape accusations.

Judge Epstein says the only evidence that Jay-Z submitted on this point is inadmissible: declarations from private investigators who claim they spoke to the anonymous rape accuser, known as Jane Doe; and that she said Jay-Z was not involved in her assault but that Buzbee pressured her to name the rapper.

Buzbee and Doe have both denied the truth of these statements, saying the victim was scared and intimidated by private investigators who showed up at her house. Regardless, Monday’s order deems this new evidence cannot be considered due to the legal hearsay rule.

However, Judge Epstein’s order effectively invites Jay-Z to appeal the admissibility decision by saying that if this evidence were admissible, the situation would “change dramatically.”

“Then there would be some evidence not only that Carter had nothing to do with any sexual assault on Doe, but that Buzbee knew it in the sense that (according to Doe) it was Buzbee that kept pressing to get Doe to implicate Carter,” writes Judge Epstein. “That pressure, coupled with the statement by Buzbee that he had investigated the claims, would be enough to support an inference of actual malice.”

Judge Epstein says himself that he’s not sure whether he reached the right conclusion, noting at the end of his 65-page order that it’s “painfully obvious that the court is struggling with this motion.” If Jay-Z’s efforts to appeal the admissibility decision were successful, he could get his defamation claims reinstated.

“The court is not wholly satisfied that this is the outcome that best serves the legislative and constitutional doctrines,” writes Judge Epstein. “It will be for the Court of Appeal to determine whether the court got it right or wrong, and whether the suit ought to go forward or ought to end. Stay tuned.”

In a statement shared with Billboard on Tuesday (July 1), Jay-Z’s attorney Alex Spiro says he will take Judge Epstein up on his suggestion for an appeal.

“We are surprised and disappointed by this ruling which turns on the misapplication of California law on the admissibility of the investigators’ statements,” says Spiro. “What does it say about our justice system if someone can knowingly bring about completely false claims of the most heinous nature imaginable against an innocent individual and get away with it on a technicality? We plan to appeal this case immediately.”

Buzbee, meanwhile, is celebrating Monday’s decision.

“The court rightly dismissed the case because it has no merit,” writes Buzbee in a Tuesday email to Billboard. “Buzbee wins again.”

In addition to the upcoming appeal of Monday’s ruling, Jay-Z is still pursuing a malicious prosecution lawsuit against both Buzbee and Doe in Alabama federal court. Buzbee also has his own ongoing litigation accusing Jay-Z’s company Roc Nation of encouraging and even bribing former clients to sue the lawyer for malpractice.

Katy Perry had an emotional moment on stage at her final Lifetimes Tour show in Australia, which comes just days after news broke that she and partner Orlando Bloom had split after nine years together.

In a clip captured from her Monday (June 30) performance at Adelaide Entertainment Centre, the singer holds up a hand heart before tearfully expressing her gratitude to fans. “Thank you for always being there for me, Australia,” she says into the microphone.

“It means the world,” Perry adds before launching into “Firework.”

The musician’s last show in Adelaide marks the end of a month-long run of shows in Australia, during which Perry also traveled through Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth. Days before the leg’s end, People reported Thursday (June 26) that she and Bloom had called it quits after nearly a decade together, a relationship that saw the couple getting engaged in 2019 and welcoming daughter Daisy in 2020.

Rumors that Perry and Bloom were headed for a split had circulated for weeks beforehand, but one moment at a Lifetimes show in late May seemed to indicate at the time that the two stars were still together. While joking with a fan in her Nevada crowd, the musician quipped, “If you keep DMing my man, I’m going to have you removed. Seriously, get your own life — I’m his wife.”

Soon, Perry will bring her Lifetimes trek closer to home with a North American leg starting July 10 in Denver. Following additional legs in Europe, Latin America and Asia, the trek will conclude Dec. 7 in the United Arab Emirates.

With all of the strife that’s come with the custody battle over his son, Halo, with Halle Bailey, DDG is thinking of alternate plans if he wants to have another kid in the future.

During a recent live stream while riding around France for Paris Fashion Week, DDG seemed okay with the idea of heading to a fertility clinic to have a child down the line.

“If I’m 29 or something like that, and I ain’t got the time,” he began. “I’ll just go to that little place, do my little one-two, put my s—t in a cup. Take a little egg from somebody, throw it in another little body. Cook that motherf—r up for nine months. You can do that type s—t when you got money. That’ll alleviate a lot of s—t.”

As far as his custody battle goes, Bailey was granted sole custody of their 18-month-old son earlier this year amid claims of domestic abuse as the Little Mermaid star accused DDG of attacking her on numerous occasions. As a result, the 25-year-old multi-hyphenate was also granted a restraining order against DDG in May

Bailey has since taken Halo to Rome to shoot a film this summer, and DDG is seeking permission from L.A. County court to visit their son while in Italy.

If permitted, DDG’s European visits will be supervised by an individual monitor, and a judge ruled that he will be barred from posting images of Halo to social media during their time together.

DDG has denied Bailey’s claims of abuse and filed a custody case of his own, which finds him alleging that the singer-actress is actually the culprit of abuse in their co-parenting relationship, as she’s threatened to harm herself.

Bailey responded, saying her mental health is under control and she’s “100 percent available and capable as a parent to our son.”

While Halle Bailey was awarded sole custody of Halo as the case plays out, a full hearing is slated for July in L.A. family court.

Bailey and DDG began dating in March 2022 and announced their split in October 2024. The former couple welcomed son, Halo, in December 2023.