Warner Bros. Discovery Partners With Cutting Edge in Historic Music Rights Joint Venture

Warner Bros. Discovery Partners With Cutting Edge in Historic Music Rights Joint Venture

By Marcus Delano Thompson

February 1, 2025 at 02:03 AM

Warner Bros. Discovery and Cutting Edge Group have formed a joint venture to co-own and manage WBD's extensive catalog of film and TV music, comprising over 400,000 compositions and song cues.

Man wearing black suit jacket

Man wearing black suit jacket

The partnership will maintain WBD's creative and operational control over the music rights while allowing Cutting Edge to jointly manage the works. The catalog includes iconic theme songs and music from properties like Game of Thrones, various comic-book films, and The Shawshank Redemption.

Universal Music Publishing Group and Sony Music Publishing will continue to handle administration for portions of the catalog. Germany's DWS Group is co-investing in the transaction alongside Cutting Edge.

Cutting Edge, which already holds stakes in over 1,000 films and 45,000 tracks, views this as a strategic move to maximize the distribution and revenue potential of WBD's musical assets. The deal represents a significant shift from WBD's earlier attempts to sell off its music library outright.

Cutting Edge founder and CEO Philip Moross emphasized the historic nature of the partnership, stating, "This truly is an iconic assembly of catalogs created over almost a century by one of Hollywood's original studios." He added that the joint venture validates their early conviction and specialist expertise in this market segment.

While financial terms remain undisclosed, industry experts consider this one of the largest music rights deals ever transacted, given the scope and prestige of WBD's catalog.

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