BMG CEO Thomas Coesfeld says taking his company’s digital distribution in-house and operational changes — two initiatives launched during his first year at the helm — are paying off.

The Berlin-based music company reported on Wednesday (Aug. 28) that it generated 459 million euros ($491.7 million) in revenue in the first half of 2024, marking an 11.1% increase from the year-ago period thanks to strong growth in digital income streams. Digital revenue, which contributed nearly 70% of BMG’s overall revenue for the period, rose 20.3% in the first half 2024 compared to 2023, as BMG exited a contract with Warner Music Group (WMG) and moved oversight of its digital distribution business in-house.

“This move is paying off,” Coesfeld tells Billboard of taking control of BMG’s 80-billion stream digital business. BMG now has greater insight into its streaming data, which enables it to provide “better marketing insights, more timely campaigning and iterations of that campaign [and] better tools around fandom” to its artists, who include Jelly Roll, Kylie Minogue and Mustard, Coesfeld says. Also, BMG saves money not paying fees to WMG’s ADA.

“One or two years ago we had this plan, we said this is what will happen,” Coesfeld adds. “And [these earnings] show it works.”

BMG’s first-half organic revenues grew by 12.5% while operating earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) — a closely watched measure of growth — rose by 35.5% to 122 million euros ($130.7 million). EBITDA margin was 26.5%, up from 21.7% in the first six months of 2023. BMG’s catalogs again underpinned that margin figure, as the company acquired 10 catalogs during the first half of the year. Details of those deals were not disclosed.

The close of the first six months of 2024 coincided with the end of Coesfeld’s first year as CEO. After taking the reins of BMG from longtime CEO Hartwig Masuch on July 1, 2023, Coesfeld has set a tone that communicates BMG is open to change, even if it means taking advantage of artificial intelligence and collaboration with historic rivals.

“We figured only if we anticipate trends a little earlier do we have a chance to win in this very competitive market,” Coesfeld says. “We are looking at a fundamentally attractive market that is growing. It is driven by tech and if we adopt it and don’t fight it there is huge opportunity for BMG and artists.”

One example of this approach is BMG’s partnership with a generative AI lab at Munich’s Technical University, through which they have successfully launched a pilot program that uses gen-AI to market BMG’s deep catalog. Students at the lab generated short videos that have proven to be more cost efficient and effective at getting the audience to engage with the music.

Last fall, BMG also began a structural reorganization that included letting go of around 40 employees. It was a “tough period… but a business necessity” and part of a broader strategy meant to help the company respond quickly to industry trends, Coesfeld says.

“The operational changes, which we enacted — digital distribution, better able to monetize our repertoire and catalogs and our reorg, which is complete, is making us way more agile and faster in delivering our service and making decisions,” he adds. “We are much more agile on a day-to-day.”

Sabrina Carpenter is on the verge of a major career milestone as her sixth album, Short n’ Sweet, races toward the top spot on the U.K. Official Albums Chart.

“Taste” singer is outselling her nearest competitor by 2-to-1 at the midweek mark, putting her in prime position to secure her first-ever No. 1 album in the U.K.

This potential chart-topping success would be a huge breakthrough for Carpenter, whose previous albums have yet to make a major impact on the U.K. charts. Now, with Short n’ Sweet, she’s not only aiming to crack the Top 40 for the first time but to do so in spectacular fashion.

However, the chart battle is far from over. Following their much-anticipated reunion announcement, Oasis is experiencing a resurgence that could shake up the rankings.

The Gallagher brothers’ iconic band has three albums set to re-enter the Top 40 this week: their former chart-leading greatest hits compilation Time Flies… (1994-2009) at No. 14, the legendary (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? at No. 26, and their seminal debut Definitely Maybe, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary, at No. 31.

With the hype surrounding their reunion tour, these albums are expected to climb even higher as the week progresses, making Oasis a strong contender in this week’s chart race.

Irish rockers Fontaines D.C. are also on fire with their new release, Romance, which is on track to debut in the Top 10, marking their fourth consecutive album to achieve this milestone in the U.K.

Travis Scott’s Days Before Rodeo is set to debut in the Top 10 at No. 6 after its release on streaming platforms for the first time. Meanwhile, country star Lainey Wilson is on track to secure her first U.K. Top 10 album with Whirlwind, reflecting the growing influence of country music across the pond.

Louis Tomlinson’s LIVE album, featuring recordings from his 2024 Faith In The Future and world tour shows, is expected to debut just outside the Top 10 at No. 11, adding yet another achievement to the former One Direction member’s solo career. Alt-pop artist Cassyette is also making a notable entry, with her debut album This World Fucking Sucks on track to debut at No. 22.

With Sabrina Carpenter leading the pack and Oasis making a strong comeback, this week’s U.K. Official Albums Chart is shaping up to be an exciting race to the finish.

Can Sabrina maintain her lead and claim the No. 1 spot, or will the legendary Oasis surge ahead? The countdown to the top continues.

Warner Music Japan has appointed Dr. Kenji Kitatani to the resurrected role of chairman of the label division, effective immediately. Dr. Kitatani will work closely with WMJ’s longtime president and CEO, Kazuyuki “Kaz” Kobayashi, to boost the company’s presence in the globe’s No. 2 music market.

Dr. Kitatani currently holds the title of chairman of DAZN Japan, a sports streaming platform, and he regularly writes for Forbes Japan and is a professor and director at the Institute for Content and Technology Integration at Kanazawa Institute of Technology. (His priors in academia also include faculty roles at Washington State University and Indiana University.) In the late 1990s and early 2000s, he held senior executive roles at Sony Corporation and between 2011 and 2017 acted as president of Avex International Holdings, the country’s largest independent music entertainment conglomerate.

Following his time at Avex Inc., Dr. Kitatani became executive vp of Asia and executive director for Japan at AEG, leaving in late 2021 before taking up a bevy of advisory roles at companies including Mitsubishi, NTTdocomo, InnoCan Pharma and FM Tokyo, among others.

“I am delighted to welcome Dr Kenji Kitatani to Warner Music and am pleased that such a distinguished executive has agreed to take on this challenge,” said Kobayashi. “We’ve achieved a lot in the last decade at Warner Music Japan, but our industry never stands still and we need to continue to adapt if we are to keep being the first choice for our country’s most exciting artists.”

Though technically not replacing anyone as chairman of Warner Music Japan, Dr. Kitatani is not the first executive to hold the vaulted title. The last person to occupy the position was industry veteran Kei Ishizaka, Kobayashi’s predecessor as CEO until Ishizaka’s departure in 2014.

“This is an exciting time in the Japanese music industry,” said Kitatani. “I am delighted to take up this new role at Warner Music, working with Kaz on the continuing evolution of the company as we build the most forward-thinking label in the Japanese market.”

Carole King is perhaps one of the most famous Taylor Swift fans in the world, and the iconic singer-songwriter joined the kickoff call for the Swifties for Kamala coalition on Tuesday night (Aug. 27).

“I am a Swiftie, and Taylor and I are actually friends. We have had conversations backstage and I see her as sort of my musical and songwriting granddaughter. We have a lovely relationship, and I’m so proud of her,” King told the thousands of listeners who tuned into the livestream, noting that her favorite song of Swift’s is “Shake It Off” from 1989.

“I’m excited about Kamala, because so many people are excited about Kamala, and I have met her. I admire her and the stars lined up, and Joe Biden did a really gracious, hard thing to do, and I’m so proud of him,” King continued. “But this is about you. I know you have your ways of communicating and social networking and organizing.”

King then encouraged Swifties to become in-person volunteers, and take part in door knocking and phone calling to rally voters. “I’ve been a political activist years. I’ve been a caller, I’ve been a door knocker, even as a famous person,” she explained, before giving the livestream tips on how to be a good door knocker. “I’m telling you all this because if any of you are thinking of volunteering to be door knockers or phone callers, but you’re a little nervous about what you might say, please believe me, you will be working with an organizer who will give you steps,” she said. “Don’t be afraid, because there is nothing to lose and everything to gain. […] There is too much at stake.”

To conclude, King shared that because Swift helped induct her into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2021 by performing the legend’s classic, “Will You Love Me Tomorrow,” she will return the favor. She then delivered a “surprise song” for the Swifties for Kamala by briefly singing the chorus of “Shake It Off.” “Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play/ And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate/ Baby, I’m just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake/ I shake it off, I shake it off,” she mused.

Swift has yet to endorse anyone in the 2024 presidential race between Trump and Harris. She is not affiliated with the group — which describes themselves as a “coalition of Swifties ready to mobilize Taylor Swift fans to help get Democratic candidates elected up and down the ballot” — but Swifties for Kamala have noted that the “I Can Do It With the Broken Heart” singer is “always welcome to show up to our party.”

Elsewhere in the Swifties for Kamala kickoff event, Sen. Elizabeth Warren spoke to the group, noting that her two favorite Taylor Swift songs are “Karma” and “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version) (10 Minute Version).” “What I love best about Swifties, you are resilient and you know how to take on bullies,” the politician explained. “You know how to be your most authentic, most joyful selves. You come together hand-to-hand, friendship bracelets on your wrists and you overcome pretty much anything that life throws at you. The Kamala Harris campaign is standing up for what’s right in the face of bullies like Donald Trump.”

She continued, “With Kamala Harris, it’s all very different. Under a Kamala Harris presidency, our future is bright. Kamala will sign abortion protections into law. She’ll take on big corporations that are screwing you over. I’m looking at you Ticketmaster on this one, and she will help level the playing field for all people. So here’s the deal. We’ve got 70 days until the election, and I’m just going to be blunt, it is going to be a tough fight ahead. We have a lot to do, and dang, there are only 24 hours in a day, or 144 ‘All Too Well (10 Minute Version)’s. But here’s the thing, just like you’ve done every time before, we will push this boulder up the hill, and we will win in November. So with that, I am looking forward to the era of the first woman president. So please get in the fight, knock on doors, make phone calls, and let’s elect Kamala Harris the next President of the United States. Swifties, you can get this done.”

Watch the full Swifties for Kamala kickoff call below.

“Die With a Smile,” which enters the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 3 this week, is the 14th collaboration involving Lady Gaga and/or Bruno Mars to reach the top 10 on Billboard’s flagship singles chart.

The honor roll of their past collabs includes an Oscar winner for best original song (“Shallow” by Gaga & Bradley Cooper) and two Grammy winners for record of the year (“Uptown Funk!” by Mark Ronson featuring Mars and “Leave the Door Open” by Silk Sonic – a.k.a. Mars and Anderson .Paak).

Mars’ longest-charting Hot 100 hit to date, “Uptown Funk!” (56 weeks), is a collaboration. Likewise, Gaga’s two longest-charting hits to date, “Just Dance” featuring Colby O’Donis (49 weeks) and “Shallow” (45 weeks) are collabs.

Their collaborators on these top 10 hits include some of the biggest stars of our time (Beyoncé, Ariana Grande, Cardi B, Snoop Dogg) and a few artists whose time in the pop spotlight was comparatively brief (O’Donis, Travie McCoy, B.o.B).

Mars and Cardi B have teamed for two top 10 hits: “Finesse” and “Please Me.” Mars has also had two top 10 hits as half of Silk Sonic. Gaga has yet to land a second top 10 hit with any of her collab partners, though she and Beyoncé, her partner on the No. 3-peaking “Telephone,” landed a second Hot 100 hit, “Video Phone” (which reached No. 65).

Here’s a list of all collaborations involving Gaga and/or Mars that have reached the top 10. The songs are listed in alphabetical order by title. The year shown is the year they peaked on the Hot 100. Now it’s over to you: Which is your personal favorite?