![\"Entertainment](\"https:\/\/www.digitalmusicnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Sleep-Token-1024x546.jpg\" "\\"Entertainment\\"")
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A live performance from Sleep Token, whose Even in Arcadia<\/em> was one of the top-selling Sony Music releases of Q2 2025. Photo Credit: Excel23<\/p>\n<\/div>\n That fiscal-first-quarter report comes from the overarching Sony Group Corp. and, as with prior performance breakdowns, contains a number of moving parts. Perhaps most significantly, the conglomerate collects revenue in a variety of currencies but reports in yen.<\/p>\n This time around, execs emphasized the point\u2019s material impact on the period\u2019s music financials; the below conversions reflect the current yen-dollar exchange rate.<\/p>\n Next, the business groups core Sony Music revenue with that attributable to \u201cvisual media and platform.\u201d Housing certain mobile apps, movies, and more, the latter is best omitted to get a better idea of actual music revenue.<\/p>\n (One visual media and platform example: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba \u2013 The Movie: Infinity Castle<\/em>, which is said to have generated north of $119 million\/\u00a517.6 billion at the Japanese box office since its July 18th premiere.)<\/p>\n All told, then, Sony Group identified $3.11 billion\/\u00a5458.95 billion in external music revenue for April, May, and June 2025, reflecting a 5.3% year-over-year improvement. Less visual media and platform, though, revenue came in at $2.71 billion\/\u00a5400.17 billion, for comparatively modest YoY growth of 1.1%.<\/p>\n Therein, recorded streaming revenue slipped slightly YoY to $1.33 billion\/\u00a5196.02 billion, compared to a 10.6% YoY hike for physical formats including vinyl ($176.87 million\/\u00a526.09 billion).<\/p>\n \u201cOn a U.S. dollar basis, streaming revenues for the quarter increased 7% year-on-year in Recorded Music and 8% in Music Publishing,\u201d higher-ups elaborated, noting as well a $188.45 billion\/\u00a527.80 billion exchange-rate hit absorbed by the music segment during Q2.<\/p>\n Rounding out recorded music, permanent downloads revenue jumped 52% YoY to $66.64 million\/\u00a59.83 billion, with licensing, merch, and live performances contributing a combined $471.47 million\/\u00a569.55 billion (down 4.2% YoY) on the quarter.<\/p>\n By revenue, Sony Music\u2019s top-selling second-quarter projects were Bad Bunny\u2019s Deb\u00ed Tirar M\u00e1s Fotos<\/em>, SZA\u2019s SOS<\/em><\/a>, Sleep Token\u2019s Even in Arcadia, <\/em>Tate McRae\u2019s So Close to What<\/em>, and Bad Bunny\u2019s Un Verano Sin Ti<\/em>, respectively.<\/p>\n Bearing in mind the above-mentioned exchange-rate impact, publishing streaming revenue improved 0.4% YoY to $384.72 million\/\u00a556.75 billion.<\/p>\n Lastly, music\u2019s overall operating income rose 8.1% YoY to $629.17 million\/\u00a592.81 billion; visual media and platform made up \u201cslightly more than 10%\u201d of the profit.<\/p>\n Looking ahead to the remainder of the fiscal year \u2013 meaning the next nine months \u2013 Sony Music increased its forecast slightly to $12.88 billion\/\u00a51.87 trillion, citing an anticipated recorded music boost \u201cresulting mainly from an increase in revenues from streaming services.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/section><\/div>\nEntertainment Sony Music Entertainment (SME) achieved Q2 2025 revenue growth despite a streaming decline on the recorded side, according to a newly released earnings report. <\/strong><\/h2>\n
Digging into the latter sum, Sony Music\u2019s across-the-board recorded revenue technically increased by close to 1% YoY at $2.04 billion\/\u00a5301.49 billion.<\/h4>\n
Shifting to publishing, where Sony Music Publishing\u2019s catalog encompassed 6.63 million works as of March 31st, revenue grew 2.1% YoY to $669.04 million\/\u00a598.69 billion.<\/h4>\n