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As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 22, 2005May 26, 2020

Registration No. 333-123249333-236298



UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington,

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549


AMENDMENT NO. 3
2 TO

FORMS-1

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER
THE

SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

WARNER MUSIC GROUP CORP.

Warner Music Group Corp.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Itsits Charter)

Delaware7900Delaware13-4271875

(State or Other Jurisdiction of

Incorporation or Organization)

 7929

(Primary Standard Industrial

Classification Code Number)

 13-4271875

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification Number)




75 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, NY 10019
(212) 275-2000


1633 Broadway

New York, New York 10019

(212)275-2000

(Address, including Zip Code,zip code, and Telephone Number,telephone number, including Area Code,area code, of Registrant's Principal registrant’s principal executive offices)

Paul M. Robinson, Esq.

Executive Offices)


David H. Johnson, Esq.
Vice President and General Counsel
Warner Music Group Corp.
75 Rockefeller Plaza
and Secretary

Trent N. Tappe, Esq.

Senior Vice President, Deputy General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer

1633 Broadway

New York, NYNew York 10019

(212) 275-2030275-2000

(Name, Address,address, including Zip Code,zip code, and Telephone Number,telephone number, including Area Code,area code, of Agent For Service)agent for service)


Copies to:

Edward P. Tolley III,

Matthew E. Kaplan, Esq.
Simpson Thacher

Eric T. Juergens, Esq.

Debevoise & BartlettPlimpton LLP

919 Third Avenue

New York, New York 10022

(212)909-6000

Michael Kaplan, Esq.

Derek Dostal, Esq.

Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
425450 Lexington Avenue
New York, New York 10017-395410017
Tel: (212) 455-2000
Fax: (212) 455-2502450-4000

William M. Hartnett, Esq.
Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP
80 Pine Street
New York, New York 10005-1702
Tel: (212) 701-3000
Fax: (212) 269-5420

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale of the securities to the public:As soon as practicable after this registration statement becomes effective.

If any of the securities being registered on this formForm are beingto be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, check the following box.  o

If this formForm is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.  o

If this formForm is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.  o

If this formForm is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.  

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, aonon-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule12b-2 of the Exchange Act.


Large accelerated filer  Accelerated filer  
Non-accelerated filerSmaller reporting company  
Emerging growth company  

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act.  ☐

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE


Title Of Each Class Of
Securities To Be Registered

 Amount to be Registered
 Proposed Maximum Offering Price
Per Unit

 Proposed Maximum
Aggregate Offering
Price(1)(2)

 Amount Of
Registration Fee(3)


Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share 37,490,000 shares $24.00 $899,760,000 $105,901.75

(1)
Includes shares to be sold upon exercise of the underwriters' option to purchase additional shares. See "Underwriting." Also includes shares of common stock to be sold by selling stockholders.
(2)
Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee under Rule 457(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act").
(3)
Previously paid.

 

 

Title of Each Class of

Securities to be Registered

 

Amount to be
Registered(1)

 

Proposed
Maximum

Offering Price

Per Share

 

Proposed
Maximum
Aggregate

Offering Price(1)(2)

 

Amount of

Registration Fee(3)

Class A common stock, par value $0.001 per share

 80,500,000 $26.00 $2,093,000,000 $271,671.40

 

 

(1)

Includes shares/offering price of shares that may be sold upon exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares.

(2)

This amount represents the proposed maximum aggregate offering price of the securities registered hereunder. These figures are estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the amount of the registration fee pursuant to Rule 457(a) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

(3)

The registrant previously paid $12,980 of this amount.

The registrant hereby amends this Registration Statementregistration statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statementregistration statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 as amended, or until the Registration Statementregistration statement shall become effective on such date as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.




The information in this preliminary prospectus is not complete and may be changed. These securitiesThe selling stockholders may not be soldsell these securities until the registration statement filed with theU.S. Securities and Exchange Commission isdeclares our registration statement effective. This preliminary prospectus is not an offer to sell nor doesthese securities and it seek an offeris not soliciting offers to buy these securities in any state or jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

Subject to Completion, dated April 22, 2005SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED MAY 26, 2020

PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS

32,600,00070,000,000 Shares

GRAPHIC


LOGO

Warner Music Group Corp.

Class A Common Stock


 

This is the initial public offering of shares of Class A common stock of Warner Music Group Corp. Warner Music Group Corp. is offering 27,170,000 shares of common stock.

The selling stockholders namedidentified in this prospectus are offering an additional 5,430,00070,000,000 shares of Class A common stock. This offering is subject to our obtaining an amendment to our subsidiary's senior secured credit facility. Subject to obtainingstock in this amendment, we intend to use $574 millionoffering. We will not receive any of the net proceeds from the sale of the shares being sold by usthe selling stockholders in this offering, including any shares they may sell pursuant to redeem certain indebtednessthe underwriters’ option to purchase additional Class A common stock.

Upon completion of our subsidiaries and to pay the related premiums and interest obligations thereon. See "Use of Proceeds." Warner Music Group Corp.this offering, we will not receive any of the proceeds from the shareshave two classes of common stock, soldClass A common stock and Class B common stock. Each share of Class A common stock is entitled to one vote per share. Each share of Class B common stock is entitled to 20 votes per share. Holders of our Class A common stock and Class B common stock vote together as a single class on all matters, except as otherwise set forth in this prospectus or as required by applicable law. Each outstanding share of Class B common stock will convert automatically into one share of Class A common stock upon any transfer, except for certain exceptions and permitted transfers described in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. The Class B common stock, which is held by Access Industries, LLC and certain of its affiliates, will represent approximately 99.2% of the selling stockholders.total combined voting power of our outstanding common stock following this offering (or approximately 99.1% of the total combined voting power of our outstanding common stock if the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional shares of our Class A common stock).

Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for theour Class A common stock. It is currently estimatedWe have been approved to list our Class A common stock on The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq”), under the symbol “WMG”.

We anticipate that the initial public offering price per share will be between $22.00$23.00 and $24.00. Warner Music Group Corp. has applied to list$26.00 per share.

After the completion of this offering, we will be a “controlled company” within the meaning of the corporate governance standards of Nasdaq.

Investing in our Class A common stock on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "WMG".

involves risks. See "Risk Factors"Risk Factors” beginning on page 1323 of this prospectus to read about factors you should consider before buying shares of theour Class A common stock.

 

Per ShareTotal

Initial public offering price

$$

Underwriting discounts and commissions (1)

$$

Proceeds, before expenses, to the selling stockholders

$$

(1)

We have agreed to reimburse the underwriters for certain expenses in connection with this offering. See “Underwriting.”

The underwriters also may purchase up to 10,500,000 additional shares from the selling stockholders at the initial offering price less the underwriting discounts and commissions, within 30 days from the date of this prospectus.

Neither the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of thesethe securities described herein or passed upon the accuracydetermined if this prospectus is truthful or adequacy of this prospectus.complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.


Per Share
Total
Initial public offering price$$
Underwriting discount$$
Proceeds, before expenses, to Warner Music Group Corp. $$
Proceeds, before expenses, to selling stockholders$$

        To the extent that the underwriters sell more than 32,600,000 shares of common stock, the underwriters have the option to purchase up to an additional 4,890,000 shares from the selling stockholders at the initial public offering price, less the underwriting discount.


The underwriters expect to deliver the shares to purchasers against payment in New York, New York on or about                     , 2005.2020.

Morgan StanleyCredit SuisseGoldman Sachs & Co. LLC  Morgan Stanley




Lehman Brothers
        BofA Securities


Deutsche Bank Securities




Banc of America Securities LLC
        Citigroup


Citigroup
J.P. Morgan



Allen & Company LLC


Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc.


UBS Investment Bank
Blaylock & Partners, L.P.Barclays  Pacific Crest SecuritiesEvercore ISI  Guggenheim SecuritiesMacquarie CapitalNomuraRBC Capital Markets
SunTrust Robinson HumphreyCIBC Capital MarketsHSBCSOCIETE GENERALE    LionTreeThe Raine Group
AmeriVet SecuritiesBancroft CapitalBlaylock Van, LLC

C.L. King &

Associates

Loop Capital Markets
Roberts & RyanRamirez & Co., Inc.
Siebert Capital Markets  Utendahl CapitalSiebert Williams Shank  Williams Capital

Telsey Advisory

Group L.P.

Tigress Financial Partners

The date of this prospectus is

Prospectus dated                    , 20052020


GRAPHIC


LOGO

Warner Records wea Sire RHINO REPRISE RECORDS ROADRUNNER Parlophone nonesuch fueled by ramen Elektra music group big Beat atlantic asylum ada



TABLE OF CONTENTS


Page

Certain Important Terms

i

Prospectus Summary

 1

Risk Factors

  1323

Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements and Information

  3047

Use of Proceeds

  3250

Dividend Policy

  3351

Capitalization

  3452

Dilution

  3554
The Transactions37
Pro Forma Consolidated Condensed Financial Statements42

Selected Historical Consolidated Financial and Other Data

  6156
Management's

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

  6457
Industry Overview

Business

  110109
Business

Management

  115127
Management

Executive Compensation

  130137

Principal and Selling Stockholders

  145158

Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions

  148161

Description of Capital Stock

  152167

Shares Eligible ForAvailable for Future Sale

  156
Description of Indebtedness159
Certain U.S. Federal Income and Estate Tax Consequences to Non-U.S. Holders168
Underwriting171
Legal Matters 176
Experts

Material U.S. Federal Tax Considerations ForNon-U.S. Holders

  176178
Available Information

Underwriting

  176182

Validity of Common Stock

191

Experts

191

Where You Can Find More Information

191

Index to Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements

 F-1

We have not, and the selling stockholders and the underwriters have not, authorized anyone to provide you with information different from, or in addition to, that contained in this prospectus and any dealer, salesperson or other personrelated free writing prospectus. We, the selling stockholders and the underwriters take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurances as to givethe reliability of, any information or represent anythingthat others may give you. This prospectus is an offer to you other thansell only the shares offered hereby, but only under circumstances and in jurisdictions where it is lawful to do so. The information contained in this prospectus. You must not rely on unauthorized information or representations.

This prospectus does not offer to sell or ask for offers to buy any of the securities in any jurisdiction where it is unlawful, where the person making the offer is not qualified to do so, or to any person who can not legally be offered the securities. The information in this prospectus is current only as of the date on its cover, and may change after that date.

i



MARKET AND INDUSTRY DATA AND FORECASTS

        This prospectus includes industry data and forecasts that we have prepared based, in part, upon industry data and forecasts obtained from industry publications and surveys and internal company surveys. As noted in this prospectus, International Federation of the Phonographic Industry ("IFPI"), Recording Industry Association of America ("RIAA"), Nielsen SoundScan ("SoundScan"), Informa Media Research, Music & Copyright Report ("Music & Copyright"), National Music Publishers' Association ("NMPA"), The NPD Group, Enders Analysis and the U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics were the primary sources for third-party industry data and forecasts. These third-party industry publications and surveys and forecasts generally state that they believe the information contained therein was obtained from sources they believe to be reliable, but that they can give no assurance as to the accuracy or completeness of included information. We have not independently verified any of the data from third-party sources nor have we ascertained the underlying economic assumptions relied upon therein. Similarly, while we believe the industry forecasts and market research are reliable, we have not independently verified such forecasts and research.

ii



PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

This summary highlights information contained elsewhere in this prospectus. This summary is not complete and may not contain all of the information that is important to you. We urge you to read this entire prospectus, including the "Risk Factors" section and the combined financial statements and related notes, before investing in our common stock.

We acquired substantially all of Time Warner Inc.'s music division on March 1, 2004. In this prospectus, the term "Warner Music Group" refers to Warner Music Group Corp. and not its subsidiaries. In this prospectus, the terms "we," "our," "ours," "us," "Company" and "WMG" refer collectively to Warner Music Group and its consolidated or combined subsidiaries, except where otherwise indicated. Warner Music Group is a holding company. Its only asset is the ownership of all of the outstanding shares of WMG Holdings Corp., which we refer to as "Holdings". Holdings' only asset is its ownership of all of the outstanding shares of WMG Acquisition Corp., which we refer to as "Acquisition Corp." We conduct all of our business through Acquisition Corp. The use of these terms is not intended to imply that Warner Music Group and its subsidiaries are not separate and distinct legal entities. In 2004, we changed our fiscal year end from November 30 to September 30. Accordingly, the fiscal year ended September 30, 2004 is a ten-month period. In addition, as a result of the acquisition from Time Warner, and as described further in our financial statements and the notes thereto included elsewhere in this prospectus, results discussed for the ten months ended September 30, 2004 represent the mathematical addition of our pre-acquisition three-month period ended February 29, 2004 and our post-acquisition seven-month period ended September 30, 2004. Calculations of market share are based on revenues, except as otherwise noted.

Our Company

        We are one of the world's major music companies. Our company is composed of two businesses: Recorded Music and Music Publishing. We are a global company, generating over half of our revenues in more than 50 countries outside of the U.S. Acquisition Corp. acquired substantially all of Time Warner Inc.'s music division from Time Warner on March 1, 2004 for $2.595 billion in cash and non-cash consideration. See "The Transactions."

        Our Recorded Music business produces revenue through the marketing, sale and licensing of recorded music in physical and digital formats. We believe we have one of the world's largest and most varied recorded music catalogs, including 27 of the top 100 U.S. best-selling albums of all time—more than any other recorded music company. Our roster of over 38,000 artists spans all musical genres and includes Led Zeppelin, The Eagles, Madonna, Metallica and Fleetwood Mac. Our more recent successes include Linkin Park, Simple Plan, Jet, Michelle Branch, Sean Paul and Josh Groban. Our Recorded Music business generated 83% of our consolidated revenues during the twelve months ended December 31, 2004.

        Our Music Publishing business owns and acquires rights to musical compositions, exploits and markets these compositions and receives royalties or fees for their use. We hold rights in over one million copyrights across a broad range of musical styles from over 65,000 songwriters and composers. Our library includes titles such as "Summertime" by George and Ira Gershwin and DuBose Heyward, "Happy Birthday to You" by Mildred and Patty Hill, "Night and Day" by Cole Porter, "When a Man Loves a Woman" by Calvin Lewis and Andrew Wright, and "Star Wars Theme" by John Williams, as well as more recent popular titles such as "Smooth" by Itaal Shur and Rob Thomas and "Thank You" by Dido Armstrong and Paul Herman. Our Music Publishing business generated 17% of our consolidated revenues during the twelve months ended December 31, 2004.


Industry Overview

        Recorded music and music publishing focus on different products and benefit from different sources of revenues. The following table summarizes the product, the "artist" that is responsible for creating the product and the means by which the product generates revenue:


Recorded Music
Music Publishing

The Product




The recording




The song
The "Artist"Recording artistSongwriter or composer
How revenues are generatedWhen a recording (in physical or digital format) is sold or licensedWhen a recording (in physical or digital format) of the song is sold or licensed
When a song is performed publicly (e.g., radio, television, concert or nightclub)
When a song is synchronized with visual images (e.g., movies and advertisements)
When a song's printed sheet music is sold

        The recorded music business is the business of discovering and developing recording artists and promoting, selling and licensing their works. In 2004, the recorded music industry generated $32.1 billion in retail sales worldwide. The industry experienced robust growth in the 1990s but in recent years has seen a decline due primarily to the increase in digital piracy. In an effort to curb this decline, the industry launched an intensive campaign in 2003 to limit digital piracy. We believe these anti-piracy efforts are beginning to produce results as evidenced by increased consumer awareness, reduced illegal downloading activity and growth for the year ended January 2, 2005 in U.S. music physical unit sales of approximately 1% relative to the comparable year ended December 28, 2003, as reported by SoundScan. Moreover, the industry has been encouraged by the recent proliferation and early success of legitimate digital music distribution channels, as evidenced by the 141 million digital tracks sold in the U.S. through the year ended January 2, 2005. See "Industry Overview—Recorded Music."

        According to the most recent published estimates by Enders Analysis, the worldwide music publishing industry accounted for $3.7 billion in revenues in 2003. See "Industry Overview—Music Publishing."

Competitive Strengths

        While we have recorded net losses on a historical and pro forma basis, primarily due to the decline since 1999 of recorded music sales, increased operating costs, increased competition, and such items as currency fluctuations and impairment charges, we believe we benefit from the following competitive strengths:

        Industry Leading Recording Artists and Songwriters.    We have been able to consistently attract, develop and retain successful recording artists and songwriters. This has enabled us to accumulate over decades a large and varied portfolio of recorded music and music publishing assets that generate stable and recurring cash flows.


        Stable, Highly Diversified Revenue Base.    Our revenue base is derived primarily from relatively stable and recurring sources such as our music publishing library, our catalog of recorded music and new releases from our existing base of established artists. In any given year, we believe that less than 10% of our total revenues depend on artists without established track records, with each of these artists typically representing less than 1% of our revenues. We have built a large and diverse catalog of recordings and compositions that covers a wide breadth of musical styles and are a significant player in each of our major geographic regions.

        High Cash Flow Business Model.    We generate relatively high levels of cash flow from operations as a result of our highly variable cost structure, our minimal capital requirements and our ability to adjust the timing and amount of much of our spending. Through our recent restructuring effort, we have substantially streamlined our cost structure. In addition, outsourcing arrangements entered into in October 2003 with Cinram International Inc. ("Cinram") have significantly reduced our exposure to fixed costs and are expected to continue to reduce our future capital expenditure requirements.

        Well Positioned For Growth in Digital Distribution and Emerging Technologies.    For the year ended January 2, 2005, our market share of digital recorded music track sales in the U.S. as measured by SoundScan was higher than our overall recorded music album market share in the U.S., which we believe reflects the relative strength of our content and in particular our catalog content. In addition, we are highly focused on several new media initiatives: supporting existing and new online services in the U.S. and abroad, working with legitimate P2P providers, influencing the evolution of new mobile phone services and formats and simplifying the clearance of all of our content for digital distribution.

        Proven and Committed Management Team.    We are led by an experienced senior management team with an average of approximately 20 years of entertainment industry expertise. Edgar Bronfman, Jr. is our Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Bronfman, while President and CEO of The Seagram Company Ltd. ("Seagram"), oversaw the merger of Universal Music Group ("Universal") and PolyGram N.V. ("PolyGram"), and successfully managed the combined business, the world's then largest recorded music company.

        Strong Equity Sponsorship.    Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P. and its affiliates ("THL"), Bain Capital and its affiliates ("Bain Capital"), and Providence Equity Partners Inc. and its affiliates ("Providence Equity") are each leading private equity firms with extensive experience in managing investments in entertainment and media assets and Music Capital Partners, L.P. ("Music Capital") brings significant and directly relevant management experience in the music industry. Through Music Capital, Mr. Bronfman is participating in this offering as a selling stockholder, along with THL, Bain Capital and Providence Equity.

Business Strategy

        We intend to increase revenues, operating income and cash flow through the following business strategies:

        Attract, Develop and Retain Established and Emerging Recording Artists and Songwriters.    A critical element of our strategy is to continue to find, develop and retain recording artists and songwriters who achieve long-term profitable success. We believe our relative size, the strength of our management team, our ability to respond to industry and consumer trends and challenges, our diverse array of genres, our large catalog of hit releases and our valuable music publishing library will help us continue to successfully build our roster of artists and songwriters.

        Maximize the Value of Our Music Assets.    Our Recorded Music business focuses on marketing our artists and catalog in new ways to retain existing fans of established artists and to generate new demand for our proven hits. Our Music Publishing business seeks to capitalize on the growing demand for the use of musical compositions in media products such as videogames, commercials, other musical works (such as authorized sampling), films, DVDs, mobile phone ring tones and Internet and wireless



streaming and downloads by marketing and promoting our libraries to producers of these media in new and innovative ways.

        Focus on Continued Management of Our Cost Structure.    Immediately following the acquisition by Acquisition Corp. of substantially all of Time Warner's music division on March 1, 2004, we commenced a broad-based restructuring plan (the "Restructuring Plan"). We intend to continue to maintain a disciplined approach to cost management in our business, and to pursue additional cost savings. We have completed substantially all of the Restructuring Plan with annualized cost savings of approximately $250 million. We project the one-time costs associated with the Restructuring Plan to be between $225 million to $250 million, of which approximately $140 million has been paid through December 31, 2004. This projection is substantially less than the $310 million original estimate of such restructuring charges. We expect to pay a majority of the remaining costs in 2005 and 2006. There are still significant risks associated with the Restructuring Plan. See "Risk Factors" and "Business."

        Invest in Accordance with an Improved Asset Allocation Strategy.    Our new management has undertaken a rigorous company-wide initiative in conjunction with outside consultants in order to enhance our financial performance through developing a more targeted approach to investments. Implementing the results of this study, we will primarily seek to invest in lines of business, geographic locations and individual projects where we believe we can optimize our return on capital.

        Develop and Optimize Our Physical Distribution Channel Strategies.    We will continue to develop innovative programs with our physical distribution channel partners in order to implement forward-looking strategies for our mutual benefit. We will invest to meet the needs of our partners to create more efficient collaboration, such as direct-to-retail distribution strategies and vendor managed inventory.

        Capitalize on Digital Distribution and Emerging Technologies.    We believe new technology formats should represent a fast-growing and high-margin channel for the distribution and exploitation of our music. In particular, new and emerging third-party digital distribution outlets are not only reasonably priced, but also offer a superior customer experience to illegal alternatives, as they are easy to use, offer uncorrupted song files and integrate seamlessly with increasingly popular portable music players such as the Apple iPod, the Dell Digital Jukebox and the iRiver iHP. In addition, as networks and phone handsets become more sophisticated, our music is increasingly becoming available through mobile and other wireless service providers as ring tones, ringback tones and audio and music video downloads.

        Contain Digital Piracy.    We, along with the rest of the music industry, are actively combating piracy through technological innovation, litigation, education and the promotion of legislation both in the U.S. and internationally.

Recent Developments

        Return of Capital and Dividend on Preferred.    In September 2004, we returned $342 million of capital (the "Return of Capital") to the Investors (as defined below) and paid a dividend of $8 million on the preferred equity of Holdings held by the Investors (the "Dividend on Preferred"). The Return of Capital and Dividend on Preferred were funded out of our cash balance and not from the incurrence of additional debt. We obtained an amendment to Acquisition Corp.'s senior secured credit agreement to provide for the Return of Capital and Dividend on Preferred.

        Debt Incurrence and Payment to Investors.    On December 23, 2004, Holdings incurred approximately $700 million of new debt, consisting of $250 million of Floating Rate Notes due 2011 (the "Holdings Floating Rate Notes"), $200 million of Floating Rate Senior PIK Notes due 2014 (the "Holdings PIK Notes") and $250 million in gross proceeds of 9.5% Senior Discount Notes due 2014 (the "Holdings Discount Notes") (with aggregate principal amount at maturity of $396.8 million) (collectively, the "Holdings Notes"). The proceeds from the issuance of the Holdings Notes were used to fund a return



of approximately $681 million from Holdings to its shareholders and the shareholders of Warner Music Group (the "Holdings' Payment to Investors" and along with the Holdings Notes, the "Holdings Refinancing") through a combination of dividends on Holdings' preferred stock and repurchases of its common and preferred stock. Of the total of $681 million, approximately $209 million was used to redeem the remaining shares of cumulative preferred stock of Holdings, including $9 million of accrued dividends, and approximately $472 million was used to pay a return of capital to Warner Music Group, of which all but $50 million was distributed to its shareholders. We distributed $42.5 million of such $50 million to the Investors on March 28, 2005 and intend to distribute the remaining $7.5 million to the Investors prior to this offering. We previously obtained an amendment to Acquisition Corp.'s senior secured credit agreement to provide for the Holdings' Payment to Investors, including the distribution of the remaining $50 million to the Investors.

The Concurrent Transactions. Prior to this offering, Warner Music Group Corp. intends to declare and pay a dividend to the Investors in the form of promissory notes in an aggregate amount, which, after the remaining $7.5 million is distributed from cash on hand as part of the Holdings Refinancing, would equal the remaining preference amount on the Investors' Class L Common Stock at the time the dividend is paid. We expect the amount of that dividend to be approximately $8.5 million. In addition, prior to this offering, Warner Music Group Corp. intends to declare a $141.5 million cash dividend to the holders of its Class L Common Stock and Class A Common Stock, consisting of the Investors (including Mr. Bronfman through Music Capital) and certain members of management. Of the $141.5 million cash dividend, management's pro rata share will be $10.1 million, of which an aggregate of $600,000 will be paid in cash, when the dividend is paid to the Investors, to Messrs. Bronfman and Cohen and one other officer on account of their vested restricted shares. The remaining $9.5 million is required by the various restricted stock agreements to be withheld by the company for the accounts of a total of ten members of management, including Messrs. Bronfman, Cohen and other current Named Executive Officers, Messrs. Albertini and Johnson, on account of their unvested restricted shares. Their ratable portion of such withheld funds will be paid when and if such restricted shares vest. Though this dividend will be paid following consummation of this offering, stockholders who buy common stock in this offering will not participate in this dividend. We also intend to terminate our management agreement with the Investors prior to this offering and pay an approximate $73 million termination fee to the Investors, which fee would be payable within 90 days of termination. We have agreed with Historic TW to repurchase their Three-Year Warrants which, using a formula based in part on the mid-point of the estimated price range, would result in an aggregate purchase price of approximately $166 million. We intend to pay one-time special bonuses of approximately $35 million to management and employees of Warner Music Group, consisting of (a) approximately $20 million to be paid to holders of restricted stock and stock options to make employees whole for certain unfavorable tax consequences, (b) approximately $5 million to be paid to holders of stock options representing an adjustment for outstanding options as a result of the $141.5 million special cash dividend on the Class L Common Stock and Class A Common Stock and (c) approximately $10 million to substantially all of our employees who will have no equity participation in our company upon the consummation of this offering. In addition, we are seeking an amendment to Acquisition Corp.'s senior secured credit facility to, among other things, increase the size of the term loan available. After this offering, we intend to use a portion of our cash on hand existing prior to this offering, plus the proceeds from $250 million of new term loan borrowings under Acquisition Corp.'s proposed amendment to its senior secured credit facility, to repay the $8.5 million of remaining preference promissory notes, to pay the $73 million termination fee, to pay the $141.5 million cash dividend, to pay the special one-time bonuses and to pay approximately $166 million for the repurchase of Historic TW's Three-Year Warrants. We refer to the above transactions as the "Concurrent Transactions."



        Sources and uses of proceeds for the Concurrent Transactions and the payment of the remaining $7.5 million distribution from the Holdings Refinancing are summarized in the following table:

Sources
(in millions)

 Uses
(in millions)

 
New term loan $250.0 Dividend to Investors from remaining Holdings Notes' proceeds $7.5 
Existing cash  184.5 Repay to Investors remaining preference promissory notes  8.5 
     Pay to Investors management agreement termination fee  73.0 
     Repurchase Three-Year Warrants from Historic TW  166.0(1)
     Pay dividend to Investors  131.4 
     Pay/withhold dividend to certain members of management  10.1(2)
     Pay one-time special bonuses to senior management and employees  35.0 
     Transactions costs  3.0 
  
   
 
Total $434.5 Total $434.5 
  
   
 

(1)
We have agreed with Historic TW to repurchase the Three-Year Warrants in connection with closing of this offering which, using a formula based in part on the mid-point of the estimated price range, would result in an aggregate purchase price of approximately $166 million.

(2)
Of such amount, $0.6 million will be paid to Messrs. Bronfman and Cohen and one other officer when the Investors' share of the dividend is paid and $9.5 million will be witheld by the Company for a total of ten members of management, including Messrs. Bronfman, Cohen, Albertini and Johnson, until their unvested restricted shares vest.

New Chief Financial Officer. We recently announced that Michael D. Fleisher has been named as our permanent Chief Financial Officer. He replaced Michael Ward who was our acting Chief Financial Officer while we conducted a search to fill the position on a permanent basis. See "Management."

New Head of Warner/Chappell Music. On February 17, 2005, Acquisition Corp. announced that Les Bider, Chairman and CEO of its music-publishing arm, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., had decided to step down following the appointment of a successor and a transition period. Mr. Bider had been CEO of Warner/Chappell Music since 1987. On April 11, 2005, Acquisition Corp. announced that Richard Blackstone had been hired to serve as Chairman and CEO of Warner/Chappell Music, Inc. as Mr. Bider's successor starting no later than January 1, 2006. Mr. Blackstone had previously been President and Chief Executive Officer of Zomba Music Publishing. Mr. Blackstone has 15 years of experience in the music publishing industry. See "Management."

New Joint Venture. On April 8, 2005, we entered into an agreement with an affiliate of Sean "P. Diddy" Combs to form Bad Boy Records LLC, a joint venture in recorded music owned 50% by us and 50% by the affiliate. We purchased our 50% membership interest in Bad Boy Records LLC for approximately $30 million in cash. The joint venture includes catalog and roster artists such as Notorious B.I.G., Mario Winans, M.A.S.E., Carl Thomas, B5 and P. Diddy. Mr. Combs will be the CEO of the joint venture and will supervise its staff and day-to-day operations. We will provide funding, marketing, promotion and certain back-office services for the joint venture.


        Warner Music Group Corp. was incorporated under Delaware law on November 21, 2003. Our principal executive offices are located at 75 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10019. Our telephone number is (212) 275-2000.



THE OFFERING

Shares of common stock offered by Warner Music Group Corp.27,170,000 shares
Shares of common stock offered by the selling stockholders5,430,000 shares
Selling stockholdersThomas H. Lee Partners, L.P., Bain Capital, LLC, Providence Equity Partners Inc. and Music Capital Partners, L.P. and/or one or more of their affiliates (collectively, the "Investors"). See "Principal and Selling Stockholders."
Shares of common stock to be outstanding after this offering143,020,313 shares (which includes approximately 8.3 million shares of restricted stock).
Use of proceedsWe estimate that the net proceeds to us from this offering, after deducting underwriting discounts and estimated offering expenses, will be approximately $581 million.
This offering is subject to our obtaining an amendment to Acquisition Corp.'s senior secured credit facility. Subject to obtaining this amendment, we intend to use $574 million of the net proceeds from the sale of shares being sold by us in this offering as follows:
approximately $209 million to redeem all outstanding Holdings PIK Notes and to pay interest thereon through the anticipated date of redemption;
approximately $265 million to redeem all outstanding Holdings Floating Rate Notes and to pay related premiums and interest thereon through the anticipated date of redemption; and
approximately $100 million to redeem 35% of the Holdings Discount Notes and to pay related premiums and interest thereon through the anticipated date of redemption;
We intend to use the remaining net proceeds for general corporate purposes.
See "Use of Proceeds" and "Description of Indebtedness."
We will not receive any of the net proceeds from the sale of shares of our common stock by the selling stockholders. The selling stockholders will receive all net proceeds from the sale of shares of our common stock offered by them under this prospectus.
Proposed New York Stock Exchange symbolWMG

        Unless we specifically state otherwise, all information in this prospectus:

    assumes no exercise by the underwriters of their option to purchase additional shares;

    excludes 1,355,066 shares of common stock reserved for issuance pursuant to LTIP stock option agreements, of which options to purchase 1,303,824 shares have been issuedaccurate as of the date of this prospectus;

    excludes 3,416,133 sharesprospectus, regardless of common stock we intend to reserve for issuance under our 2005 Omnibus Stock Plan,the time of which we intend to grant options to purchase up to 1,138,711 shares at the datedelivery of this offering;

    excludes 4,000,590 sharesprospectus and any sale of common stock reserved for issuance in connection with other currently outstanding options under stock option agreements with certain of our employees;

    assumes the repurchase of the Three-Year Warrants and excludes all shares of common stock issuable to Historic TW upon exercise of the Three-Year Warrants (equal to approximately 19.0 million shares of common stock if Historic TW exercises the Three-Year Warrants with payment of cash or approximately 6.9 million shares of common stock if they exercise without payment of cash after giving effect to the Recapitalization described below); and

    gives effect to the Recapitalization described below.


    BASIS OF PRESENTATION

            We are making changes to the organizational documents and capital structure of Warner Music Group Corp. prior to this offering. Unless otherwise indicated, all information in this prospectus reflects:

      the conversion of all 9,444 outstanding shares of Class L Common Stock of Warner Music Group Corp. into 9,444 pre-split shares of Class A Common Stock (which, along with all other outstanding shares of Class A Common Stock, will be renamed as common stock) as described below;

      a 1,139 for 1 split of our common stock to be effective immediately prior to this offering;

      the filing of an amendment and a second amended and restated certificate of incorporation (the "Charter") with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware immediately prior to this offering, which, among other things, will have the effect of eliminating from the authorized capital stock of Warner Music Group Corp. the Class L Common Stock and Class A Common Stock and add to the authorized capital stock common and preferred stock; and

      the exclusion of all shares of common stock issuable to Historic TW upon exercise of the Three-Year Warrants.

            Prior to this offering, the authorized capital stock of Warner Music Group Corp. consisted of shares of Class L Common Stock and shares of Class A Common Stock. The Class L Common Stock was identical to the Class A Common Stock, except that the Class L Common Stock was non-voting, was convertible into shares of Class A Common Stock as described below, and each share of Class L Common Stock was entitled to a preferential payment upon any distribution by us to holders of Warner Music Group Corp. capital stock (whether by dividend, liquidating distribution or otherwise) equal to the base amount for such share ($81,000) plus an amount, accruing from March 1, 2004, sufficient to provide a return at a rate of 10% per annum, compounded quarterly, on the base amount for such share. We have made preferential payments to date aggregating approximately $814 million, after paying the $7.5 million dividend as part of the Holdings Refinancing. The remaining amount of the preferential payment will be approximately $8.5 million (the "Remaining Preference Amount"). The Remaining Preference Amount may be paid from any cash available to us. Prior to this offering, Warner Music Group Corp. intends to declare and pay a dividend to the holders of its Class L Common Stock, consisting of the Investors, in an amount equal to the Remaining Preference Amount. The dividend will be in the form of promissory notes to the Investors. After this offering, we intend to repay those promissory notes with a portion of the proceeds from borrowings under the new term loan and cash on hand. See "Prospectus Summary—Recent Developments—The Concurrent Transactions." After giving effect to the dividend of those promissory notes, each share of Class L Common Stock and Class A Common Stock will share equally in all distributions by us to holders of Warner Music Group Corp. capital stock. Under the terms of the Class L Common Stock, after giving effect to that dividend, each outstanding share of Class L Common Stock will be converted prior to this offering into one share of Class A Common Stock. After giving effect to the subsequent 1,139 for 1 stock split on the Class A Common Stock, each share of Class L Common Stock will have become 1,139 shares of Class A Common Stock, which will be renamed "Common Stock".

            Together, we refer to the conversion of the Class L Common Stock into Class A Common Stock on a one-for-one basis, the stock split on the Class A Common Stock and the renaming of the Class A Common Stock to common stock, as the "Recapitalization."

            In March 2004, we issued to Historic TW Inc. ("Historic TW"), a subsidiary of Time Warner Inc., warrants (the "Three-Year Warrants") giving it the right to purchase up to approximately 15% of the Class L Common Stock of Warner Music Group Corp., 15% of the Class A Common Stock of Warner Music Group Corp. and 15% of the preferred securities of WMG Holdings Corp. ("Holdings"), our wholly owned subsidiary, issued to THL, Bain Capital, Music Capital and Providence Equity, in each case taking



    into account the exercise of the Three-Year Warrants. Subsequent to the issuance of the Three-Year Warrants, Holdings redeemed all of its preferred securities and, immediately prior to this offering, we will effect the Recapitalization. As a result, the Three-Year Warrants will represent the right to purchase up to approximately 19.0 million shares of our common stock (or approximately 15% of our common stock held bystock.

    CERTAIN IMPORTANT TERMS

    We use the Investors taking into accountfollowing capitalized terms in this prospectus:

    “A&R” means Artists and Repertoire, which is the exercise of the Three-Year Warrants). The net exercise price payable by Historic TW upon exercise of all of the Three-Year Warrants is equal to seventy-five percent (75%) of the fair market value per share of our common stockdepartment at the time multiplied by the number of shares of common stock issuable upon exercise, less credits (after giving effect to the additional $7.5 million dividend, $8.5 million Remaining Preference Amount and the $141.5 million special cash dividend) currently amounting to approximately $48.8 million that have been calculated based on qualifying distributions on or repurchases of shares held by the Investors. In addition, as a result of the redemption of the preferred stock of Holdings, Historic TW is entitled to $15 million in cash if it exercises the Three-Year Warrants. Assuming the Three-Year Warrants are exercised at the time of this offering and that the fair market value of our common stock for purposes of the formula above equals the public offering price, the aggregate net exercise price would be approximately $278.6 million based on an assumed initial public offering price of $23.00 per share, the mid-point of the estimated price range on the cover of this prospectus. If Historic TW exercised the Three-Year Warrants with payment of cash, they would own approximately 19.0 million of shares of common stock after giving effect to the Recapitalization. If Historic TW exercised the Three-Year Warrants without payment of cash, they would own approximately 6.9 million shares of common stock after giving effect to the Recapitalization.

            The Three-Year Warrants provide that they may be exercised at any time prior to the consummation of this offering, after which time the Three-Year Warrants expire. The Three-Year Warrants provide that Historic TW may pay the exercise price in cash or, in the alternative, may exercise without payment of cash and receive a reduced number of shares of common stock. The amount of such reduction would be equal to the number of shares having an aggregate fair market value at the time equal to the exercise price. If the Three-Year Warrants are not exercised and our agreement to repurchase the Three-Year Warrants is not consummated, Historic TW will continue to hold the MMT Warrants (as defined below) which will permit it to acquire our common stock (i) upon the sale to certain music companies of all or substantially all of the recorded music businesscompany or a music publishing business conducted by us orcompany that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the acquisition byartistic development of recording artists and songwriters.

    “Access” means Access Industries, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, and its affiliates, certain music companies of 35%which are our controlling stockholders.

    “Acquisition Corp.” means WMG Acquisition Corp., a Delaware corporation, and a direct wholly owned subsidiary of the outstanding shares of Warner Music Group Corp. or Holdings; (ii) the acquisition of all or substantially all of the recorded music business or music publishing business of certain music companies; or (iii) a merger with or the formation of a joint venture or other combination of all or substantially all of Warner Music Group Corp. or Holdings' recorded music business or music publishing business with that of certain music companies. If a definitive agreement for such a transaction is not executed by March 1, 2007, or if the MMT Warrants are not exercised within 90 days of the consummation of such a transaction, the MMT Warrants will expire. Additionally, if the Three-Year Warrants are exercised or repurchased underHoldings.

    “common stock” means our agreement with Historic TW, the MMT Warrants will expire. See "The Transactions—Warrants."

            We have agreed with Historic TW to repurchase the Three-Year Warrants in connection with the Concurrent Transactions. Under the terms of our agreement, Historic TW is not permitted to exercise the Three-Year Warrants pending the repurchase.

            See "Description of Capital Stock" for a description of ourClass A common stock and the material terms of our Charter.


    Risk Factors

            Investing in ourClass B common stock, involves substantial risk. You should carefully consider all thecollectively.

    “constant currency” refers to information in this prospectus prior to investing in our common stock. In particular, we urge you to consider carefully the factors set forth under the heading "Risk Factors."



    SUMMARY HISTORICAL AND PRO FORMA FINANCIAL AND OTHER DATA

            The following table sets forth the summary historical and pro formathat compares financial and other data as of the dates and for the periods indicated. The summary balance sheet data as of September 30, 2004 and November 30, 2003 and the statement of operations and other data for each of (i) the seven months ended September 30, 2004, (ii) the three months ended February 29, 2004, (iii) the ten months ended September 30, 2003 and (iv) the years ended November 30, 2003 and 2002 have been derived from our audited financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. The summary balance sheet data as of December 31, 2004 and the statement of operations and other data for the three months ended December 31, 2004 and 2003, have been derived from our unaudited interim financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. The balance sheet data as of November 30, 2002 are derived from our audited financial statements that are not included in this prospectus. The summary historical balance sheet data as of September 30, 2003, December 31, 2003 and the summary historical financial data as of and for each of the two years ended November 30, 2001 and 2000 have been derived from our unaudited financial statements that are not included in this prospectus.

            The comparability of the summary historical financial data has been affected by a number of significant events and transactions. These include the Acquisition (as defined below) in 2004, a related change in our fiscal year to September 30 from November 30, which was enacted in 2004, and the acquisition of Time Warner by AOL in 2001 (the "AOL Time Warner Merger"). Due to the change in our year end, financial information for 2004 is a transition period and reflects a shortened ten-month period ended September 30, 2004. This period is also separated into pre-acquisition and post-acquisitionmetrics between periods as a result of the change in accounting basis that occurred relating to the Acquisition. For all periods prior to the Acquisition (as defined below), the music and publishing businesses formerly owned by Time Warner are referred to as "Old WMG" or the "Predecessor." For all periods subsequent to the Acquisition, the business is referred to as the "Successor." In addition, summary historical financial data for 2000 do not reflect the pushdown of a portion of the purchase price relating to the AOL Time Warner Merger that occurred in 2001 to the financial statements of Acquisition Corp. and its combined and consolidated subsidiaries.

    The summary unaudited pro forma consolidated financial data for the twelve months ended September 30, 2004 gives effect, in the manner described under "Pro Forma Consolidated Condensed Financial Statements" and the notes thereto, to (i) the acquisition of the business by Acquisition Corp. effective as of March 1, 2004 (the "Acquisition") and the borrowings under Acquisition Corp.'s senior secured credit facility and bridge loan and an initial capital investment by the Investors (the "Original Financing"), (ii) the use of the proceeds from the issuance of Acquisition Corp.'s $465 million 73/8% senior subordinated notes due 2014 (the "dollar notes") and £100 million 81/8% senior subordinated notes due 2014 (the "sterling notes" and, collectively with the dollar notes, the "Acquisition Corp. Notes"), additional borrowings under the senior secured credit facility and cash on hand to repay or return certain amounts incurred in connection with the Original Financing (the "Acquisition Corp. Refinancing"), (iii) our CD and DVD manufacturing, packaging and physical distribution agreements with Cinram (the "Cinram Agreements"), (iv) the Holdings' offering of Holdings Notes and the Holdings' Payment to Investors (the "Holdings Refinancing"), (v) the Recapitalization, the offering of common stock by us and the use of proceeds therefrom (collectively, the "Initial Common Stock Offering") and (vi) the Concurrent Transactions as if they all occurred as of October 1, 2003. The summary unaudited pro forma financial data as of and for the three months ended December 31, 2004 gives effect to the Holdings Refinancing (to the extent not already included therein), the Initial Common Stock Offering and the Concurrent Transactions, as if they occurred on October 1, 2003. The summary pro forma consolidated condensed financial data are presented for informational purposes only and are not necessarily indicative of our financial position or results of operations that would have occurredexchange rates had the transactions been consummated as of the dates indicated. In addition, the summary pro forma consolidated condensed financial data are not necessarily indicative of our future financial condition or operating results.

            You should read the information contained in this table in conjunction with "Pro Forma Consolidated Condensed Financial Statements," "Selected Historical Consolidated Financial and Other Data," "Capitalization," "Management'sremained constant period over period. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations," "The Transactions"Operations—Key Operating Measures—Constant Currency.”

    i


    “Holdings” means WMG Holdings Corp., a Delaware corporation, and a direct wholly owned subsidiary of WMG.

    “Merger” means the merger, dated July 20, 2011, of Airplanes Merger Sub, Inc. with and into WMG with WMG surviving as an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Access, pursuant to the Agreement and Plan of Merger dated as of May 6, 2011, by and among WMG, AI Entertainment Holdings LLC (formerly Airplanes Music LLC), an affiliate of Access, and Airplanes Merger Sub, Inc.

    “Revolving Credit Agreement” means the revolving credit agreement, dated as of January 31, 2018, as amended or supplemented, among Acquisition Corp., Credit Suisse AG, as administrative agent, and the historical auditedother financial institutions and interim unaudited financial statementslenders from time to time party thereto.



    “Secured Notes” means, collectively, the 5.000% Senior Secured Notes due 2023 (the “5.000% Secured Notes”), the 4.125% Senior Secured Notes due 2024 (the “4.125% Secured Notes”), the 4.875% Senior Secured Notes due 2024 (the “4.875% Secured Notes”) and the accompanying notes3.625% Senior Secured Notes due 2026 (the “3.625% Secured Notes”).

    “Secured Notes Indenture” means the Indenture, dated as of November 1, 2012 (the “Senior Secured Base Indenture”), among Acquisition Corp., the guarantors party thereto, Credit Suisse AG, as Notes Authorized Agent and Collateral Agent, and Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as trustee (the “Trustee”), as supplemented by the Fifth Supplemental Indenture, dated as of Warner Music GroupJuly 27, 2016 (the “5.000% Supplemental Indenture”), as supplemented by the Sixth Supplemental Indenture, dated as of October 18, 2016 (the “4.875% Supplemental Indenture”), as supplemented by the Seventh Supplemental Indenture, dated as of October 18, 2016 (the “4.125% Supplemental Indenture”), as supplemented by the Eighth Supplemental Indenture, dated as of October 9, 2018 (the “3.625% Supplemental Indenture”), and as supplemented by the Ninth Supplemental Indenture, dated as of April 30, 2019 (the “Additional 3.625% Supplemental Indenture”), in each case, among Acquisition Corp., the guarantors party thereto and the Trustee.

    “selling stockholders” means (i) Altep 2012 L.P., WMG Management Holdings, LLC, AI Entertainment Holdings LLC and AI Entertainment Management, LLC (together, the “Firm Selling Stockholders”) and (ii)(a) one or more series of Blavatnik Family Foundation LLC (“BFFLLC”), to the extent that one or more such series receives a contribution of shares of Class B common stock in connection with this offering from Access Industries, LLC and is authorized by its combined and consolidated subsidiaries included elsewheremember(s) to sell shares of Class A common stock in this prospectus.offering, (b) CT/FT Holdings LLC, Blavatnik July 2019-13 Investment Trust and Alex Blavatnik, to the extent that such stockholders decide to sell shares of Class A common stock in this offering (such shares, together with the shares of Class A common stock in clause (ii)(a), “Contingent Sale Shares”) and (c)(1) either or both of Access Industries, LLC and AI Entertainment Holdings LLC, to the extent any series of BFFLLC does not receive a contribution of shares of Class B common stock from Access Industries, LLC or any series of BFFLLC does not sell all of its Contingent Sale Shares and (2) AI Entertainment Holdings LLC, to the extent that any stockholder named in clause (ii)(b) does not sell all of its Contingent Sale Shares.

     
     Historical
     Pro Forma
     
     
     Predecessor
     Successor
      
      
     
     
      
      
      
      
      
     Three
    Months
    Ended
    December 31,
    2003

     Three
    Months
    Ended
    February 29,
    2004

     Seven
    Months
    Ended
    September 30,
    2004

     Three
    Months
    Ended
    December 31,
    2004

     Twelve
    Months
    Ended
    September 30,
    2004

     Three
    Months
    Ended
    December 31,
    2004

     
     
     Fiscal Years Ended November 30,
     Ten Months
    Ended
    September 30,
    2003

     
     
     2000
     2001
     2002
     2003
     
     
     (unaudited)

     (unaudited)

     (audited)(1)

     (audited)(1)

     (unaudited)

     (unaudited)

     (audited)(1)

     (audited)(1)

     (unaudited)

     (unaudited)(2)

     (unaudited)(2)

     
       (in millions, except per share data) 
    Statement of Operations Data:                                  
     Revenues $3,461 $3,226 $3,290 $3,376 $2,487 $1,178 $779 $1,769 $1,088 $3,436 $1,088 
     Cost of revenues  (1,960) (1,731) (1,873) (1,940) (1,449) (648) (415) (944) (581) (1,843) (581)
     Selling, general and administrative expenses  (1,297) (1,402) (1,282) (1,286) (995) (391) (319) (677) (331) (1,291) (331)
     Impairment of goodwill and other intangible assets      (1,500) (1,019)   (1,019)       (1,019)  
     Depreciation and amortization  (282) (868) (249) (328) (272) (80) (72) (140) (60) (245) (60)
     Operating income (loss)  (36) (766) (1,542) (1,158) (197) (948) (11) 18  130  (929) 130 
     Interest expense, net  (13) (34) (23) (5) (5) (3) (2) (80) (38) (150) (42)
     Income (loss) before cumulative effect of accounting change  (408) (910) (1,230) (1,353) (239) (1,146) (32) (238) 36  (863) 59 
     Net income (loss) $(408)$(910)$(6,026)$(1,353)$(239)$(1,146)$(32)$(238)$36 $(863)$59 
     Pro forma net income (loss) per common share:(4)                                  
      Basic                      $(2.21)$0.33 $(6.42)$0.44 
      Diluted                      $(2.21)$0.31 $(6.42)$0.42 
     Pro forma average common shares:(4)                                  
      Basic                       107.5  107.5  134.3  134.3 
      Diluted                       107.5  115.3  134.3  142.1 

    Segment Data:

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     
     Revenues:                                  
      Recorded Music $2,929 $2,701 $2,752 $2,839 $2,039 $1,028 $630 $1,429 $940  N/A  N/A 
      Music Publishing  554  547  563  563  467  159  157  348  155  N/A  N/A 
      Intersegment eliminations  (22) (22) (25) (26) (19) (9) (8) (8) (7) N/A  N/A 
      
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
      Total revenues $3,461 $3,226 $3,290 $3,376 $2,487 $1,178 $779 $1,769 $1,088 $3,436 $1,088 
      
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     Operating income (loss):                                  
      Recorded Music $(22)$(733)$(1,206)$(1,130)$(181)$(933)$(9)$24 $152  N/A  N/A 
      Music Publishing  47  23  (273) 23  19  6  17  53  10  N/A  N/A 
      Corporate expenses  (61) (56) (63) (51) (35) (21) (19) (59) (32) N/A  N/A 
      
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
      Total operating income (loss) $(36)$(766)$(1,542)$(1,158)$(197)$(948)$(11)$18 $130 $(929)$130 
      
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    OIBDA(3):

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     
      Recorded Music $214 $73 $173 $116 $8 $141 $38 $120 $194  N/A  N/A 
      Music Publishing  91  81  88  107  88  27  38  87  24  N/A  N/A 
      Corporate expenses  (59) (52) (54) (34) (21) (17) (15) (49) (28) N/A  N/A 
      
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
      Total OIBDA(3) $246 $102 $207 $189 $75 $151 $61 $158 $190 $335 $190 
      
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

    Cash Flow Data:

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     
     Cash flows provided by
    (used in):
                                      
      Operating activities $75 $(122)$(13)$278 $257 $31 $321 $86 $63  N/A  N/A 
      Investing activities  (153) (175) (365) (65) (73) (7) 14  (2,663) (25) N/A  N/A 
      Financing activities  61  227  385  (121) (151) 16  (10) 2,661  (296) N/A  N/A 
     Capital expenditures  (64) (91) (88) (51) (30) (27) (3) (15) (6) N/A  N/A 

     
     Historical
     Pro Forma
     
     Predecessor
     Successor
      
      
     
      
      
      
      
      
     Three
    Months
    Ended
    December 31,
    2003

     Three
    Months
    Ended
    February 29,
    2004

     Seven
    Months
    Ended
    September 30,
    2004

     Three
    Months
    Ended
    December 31,
    2004

     Twelve
    Months
    Ended
    September 30,
    2004

     Three
    Months
    Ended
    December 31,
    2004

     
     Fiscal Years Ended November 30,
     Ten Months
    Ended
    September 30,
    2003

     
     2000
     2001
     2002
     2003
     
     (unaudited)

     (unaudited)

     (audited)(1)

     (audited)(1)

     (unaudited)

     (unaudited)

     (audited)(1)

     (audited)(1)

     (unaudited)

     (unaudited)(2)

     (unaudited)(2)

       (in millions)
    Balance Sheet Data
    (at period end):
                                     
     Cash and equivalents $106 $34 $41 $144 $80 $126 $471 $555 $306 $N/A $96
     Total assets  6,791  17,642  5,679  4,484  5,255  4,606  4,560  5,090  5,023  N/A  4,804
     Total debt (including current portion of long-term debt)  102  115  101  120  115  126  132  1,840  2,546  N/A  2,262
     Shareholders' equity/(deficit)  5,228  14,588  3,001  1,587  2,635  1,696  1,691  280  (125) N/A  107

    (1)
    Audited, except for Other Financial Data.

    (2)
    See "Pro Forma Consolidated Condensed Financial Statements."

    (3)
    We evaluate segment and consolidated performance based on several factors, of which

    “Senior Credit Facilities” means the primary measure is operating income (loss) before non-cash depreciation of tangible assets, non-cash amortization of intangible assets and non-cash impairment charges to reduce the carrying value of goodwill and intangible assets (which we refer to as "OIBDA"). See "Use of OIBDA" under "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" elsewhere herein. Note that OIBDA is different from Adjusted EBITDA asSenior Term Loan Facility (as defined in "Management's“Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Financial Condition and Liquidity—Covenant Compliance"Liquidity—Senior Term Loan Facility”) together with the Revolving Credit Facility (as defined in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Financial Condition and Liquidity—Liquidity—Revolving Credit Facility”).

    “Senior Notes Indenture” means the Indenture, dated as of April 9, 2014 (the “Senior Notes Base Indenture”), among Acquisition Corp., the guarantors party thereto and the Trustee, as supplemented by the Fifth Supplemental Indenture thereto, dated as of March 14, 2018 (the “Senior Notes Supplemental Indenture”), among Acquisition Corp., the guarantors party thereto and the Trustee.

    “Senior Term Loan Credit Agreement” means the credit agreement, dated November 1, 2012, as amended or supplemented, among Acquisition Corp., Credit Suisse AG, as administrative agent and collateral agent, and the other financial institutions and lenders from time to time party thereto.

    ii


    “Warner Music Group” or “WMG” means Warner Music Group Corp., a Delaware corporation, without its consolidated subsidiaries.

    “we,” “us,” “our” and the “Company” mean Warner Music Group Corp. and its consolidated subsidiaries, unless the context refers only to Warner Music Group Corp. as a corporate entity.

    MARKET AND INDUSTRY DATA

    This prospectus includes estimates regarding market and industry data and forecasts, including industry size, share of industry sales, industry position, growth rates and penetration rates, which are based on publicly available information, industry publications and surveys, reports from government agencies, reports by market research firms and our own estimates based on our management’s knowledge of, and experience in, the music entertainment industry and market segments in which we compete. Third-party industry publications and forecasts generally state that the information contained therein has been obtained from sources generally believed to be reliable. The third-party industry sources referenced in this prospectus include, among others, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (“IFPI”), Nielsen, Music & Copyright, MIDiA and Billboard. Our estimates involve risks and uncertainties and are subject to change based on various factors, including those discussed under the captions “Risk Factors,” “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements and Information” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”

    SERVICE MARKS, TRADEMARKS AND TRADE NAMES

    We own various service marks, trademarks and trade names, such as Asylum, Atlantic, Elektra, EMP, Parlophone, Reprise, Rhino, Sire, SPINNIN’ RECORDS, Warner Chappell and WEA, and license various service marks, trademarks and trade names, such as WARNER, WARNER MUSIC, WARNER RECORDS and the “W” logo, that we deem particularly important to our business. This prospectus also contains trademarks, service marks and trade names of other companies which are the property of their respective owners. We do not intend our use or display of such names or marks to imply relationships with, or endorsements of us by, any other company.

    PRESENTATION OF FINANCIAL INFORMATION

    We have made rounding adjustments to some of the figures included in this prospectus. Accordingly, numerical figures shown as totals in some tables may not be an arithmetic aggregation of the figures that precede them. Unless otherwise indicated, all references to “U.S. dollars,” “dollars,” “U.S. $” and “$” in this prospectus are to the lawful currency of the United States of America.

    In this prospectus, we present certain financial measures that are not calculated in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”), such measures referred to herein as “non-U.S. GAAP”. You should review the reconciliation and accompanying disclosures carefully in connection with your consideration of such non-U.S. GAAP measures and note that the way in which we calculate these measures may not be comparable to similarly titled measures employed by other companies.

    iii


    PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

    The following summary highlights selected information contained in this prospectus. Because this is only a summary, it does not contain all of the information you should consider before investing in our Class A common stock. You should carefully read the entire prospectus, including the sections entitled “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” as well as our annual and interim financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus, before making an investment decision. For the definitions of certain capitalized terms used in this prospectus, please refer to “Certain Important Terms.”

    Our Company

    We are one of the world’s leading music entertainment companies. Our renowned family of iconic record labels, including Atlantic Records, Warner Records, Elektra Records and Parlophone Records, is home to many of the world’s most popular and influential recording artists. In addition, Warner Chappell Music, our global music publishing business, boasts an extraordinary catalog that includes timeless standards and contemporary hits, representing works by over 80,000 songwriters and composers, with a global collection of more than 1.4 million musical compositions. Our entrepreneurial spirit and passion for music has driven our recording artist and songwriter focused innovation for decades.

    Our Recorded Music business, home to superstar recording artists such as Ed Sheeran, Bruno Mars and Cardi B, generated $3.840 billion of revenue in fiscal 2019, representing 86% of total revenues. Our Music Publishing business, which includes esteemed songwriters such as Twenty One Pilots, Lizzo and Katy Perry, generated $643 million of revenue in fiscal 2019, representing 14% of total revenues. We benefit from the scale of our global platform and our local focus.

    Today, global music entertainment companies such as ours are more important and relevant than ever. The traditional barriers to widespread distribution of music have been erased. The tools to make and distribute music are at every musician’s fingertips, and today’s technology makes it possible for music to travel around the world in an instant. This has resulted in music being ubiquitous and accessible at all times. Against this industry backdrop, the volume of music being released on digital platforms is making it harder for recording artists and songwriters to get noticed. We cut through the noise by identifying, signing, developing and marketing extraordinary talent. Our global A&R experience and marketing strategies are critical ingredients for recording artists or songwriters who want to build long-term global careers. We believe that the music, not the technology, delights fans and drives the business forward.

    Our commercial innovation is crucial to maintaining our momentum. We have championed new business models and empowered established players, while protecting and enhancing the value of music. We were the first major music entertainment company to strike landmark deals with important companies such as Apple, YouTube and Tencent Music Entertainment Group, as well as with pure-play music technology companies such as MixCloud, SoundCloud and Audiomack. We adapted to streaming faster than other major music entertainment companies and, in 2016, were the first such company to report that streaming was the largest source of our recorded music revenue. Looking into the future, we believe the universe of opportunities will continue to expand, including through the proliferation of new devices such as smart speakers and the monetization of music on social media and other platforms. We believe advancements in technology will continue to drive consumer engagement and shape a growing and vibrant music entertainment ecosystem.

    We have achieved growth and profitability at scale. For the fiscal years ended September 30, 2019, September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017, we generated $4.5 billion, $4.0 billion and $3.6 billion in revenue, respectively, representing year-over-year growth of 12% and 12%, respectively. For the fiscal years ended



    September 30, 2019, September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017, we reported net income of $258 million, $312 million and $149 million, respectively. For the fiscal years ended September 30, 2019, September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017, our Adjusted EBITDA was $737 million, $1,033 million (which includes a pre-tax net gain of $389 million related to the sale of Spotify shares acquired in the ordinary course of business) and $604 million, respectively. Adjusted EBITDA is anon-U.S. GAAP measure. For a discussion of Adjusted EBITDA and a reconciliation to the most closely comparable U.S. GAAP measure, see “Summary Historical Consolidated Financial Data.”

    Our History

    The Company today consists of individual companies that are among the most respected and iconic in the music industry, with a history that dates back to the establishment of Chappell & Co. in 1811 and Parlophone in 1896.

    The Company began to take shape in 1967 when Warner-Seven Arts, the parent company of Warner Records (formerly known as Warner Bros. Records) acquired Atlantic Records, which discovered artists such as Led Zeppelin and Aretha Franklin. In 1969, Kinney National Company acquired Warner-Seven Arts, and in 1970, Kinney Services (which was later spun off into Warner Communications) acquired Elektra Records, which was renowned for artists such as The Doors and Judy Collins. In order to harness their collective strength and capabilities, in 1971, Warner Bros., Elektra and Atlantic Records formed a groundbreaking U.S. distribution network commonly known as WEA Corp., or simply WEA, which now stretches across the world.

    Throughout this time, the Company’s music publishing division, Warner Bros. Music, built a strong presence. In 1987, the purchase of Chappell & Co. created Warner Chappell Music, one of the industry’s major music publishing forces with a storied history that today connects Ludwig van Beethoven, George Gershwin, Madonna and Lizzo.

    The parent company that had grown to become Time Warner completed the sale of the Company to a consortium of private equity investors in 2004, in the process creating the world’s largest independent music company. The Company was taken public the following year, and in 2011, Access acquired the Company.

    Since acquiring the Company, Access has focused on revenue growth and increasing operating margins and cash flow combined with financial discipline. Looking past more than a decade of music entertainment industry transitions, Access and the Company foresaw the opportunities that streaming presented for music. Over the last eight years, Access has consistently backed the Company’s bold expansion strategies through organic A&R as well as acquisitions. These strategies include investing more heavily in recording artists and songwriters, growing the Company’s global reach, augmenting its streaming expertise, overhauling its systems and technological infrastructure, and diversifying into other music-based revenue streams.

    The purchase of Parlophone Label Group (“PLG”) in 2013 strengthened the Company’s presence in core European territories, with recording artists as diverse as Coldplay, David Bowie, David Guetta and Tinie Tempah. That acquisition was followed by other investments that further strengthened the Company’s footprint in established and emerging markets. Other milestones include the Company’s acquisitions ofdirect-to-audience businesses such as entertainment specialtye-tailer EMP (as defined in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Factors Affecting Results of Operations and Comparability—Acquisition of EMP”), live music application Songkick and youth culture platform UPROXX.

    Our Industry and Market Opportunity

    The music entertainment industry is large, global and vibrant. The recorded music and music publishing industries are growing, driven by consumer and demographic trends in the digital consumption of music.



    Consumer Trends and Demographics

    Consumers today engage with music in more ways than ever. According to IFPI, global consumers spent 18 hours listening to music each week in 2019. Demographic trends and smartphone penetration have been key factors in driving growth in consumer engagement. Younger consumers typically are early adopters of new technologies, including music-enabled devices. According to Nielsen, in 2019, 58% of teens in the United States between the ages of 13 and 17 and 45% of millennials in the United States between the ages of 18 and 34 used their smartphones to listen to music on a weekly basis, as compared to a 40% average for all U.S. consumers. Furthermore, in 2019, U.S. teens and millennials listened to an average of 32.6 and 29.7 hours of music each week, respectively, above the 26.9 hours for all U.S. consumers.

    Members of older demographic groups are also increasing their music engagement. According to an IFPI survey of 19 leading geographic markets in 2019, 54% of35- to64-year-olds used a streaming service to listen to music in the past month, representing an increase from 46% in 2018, which was the highest rate of growth for use of streaming services across all age groups.

    Music permeates our culture across age groups, as evidenced by the footprint that music has across social media. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (“RIAA”), as of September 2019, 7 out of the top 10 most followed accounts on Twitter belong to musicians, and according to YouTube, the majority of videos that have achieved more than one billion lifetime views as well as the top 10 most watched videos of all time, belong to musicians.

    Recorded Music

    The recorded music industry generated $20.2 billion in global revenue in 2019 and has consistently grown since 2015, according to IFPI. IFPI measures the recorded music industry based on four revenue categories: digital (including streaming), physical, synchronization and performance rights. Digital is the largest, generating $12.9 billion of revenue in 2019, representing 64% of global recorded music revenue. Within digital, streaming generated approximately 88% of revenue, or $11.4 billion, with the remainder of digital revenue coming from other formats such as downloads. Overall, digital grew by 18% in 2019, with streaming increasing by 24%.

    Physical represented approximately 22% of global recorded music revenue in 2019, with growth in formats such as vinyl partially offsetting declines in CD sales. Performance rights revenue represents the use of recorded music by broadcasters and public venues, and represented approximately 13% of global recorded music revenue in 2019. Synchronization revenue is generated from the use of recorded music in advertising, film, video games and television content, and represented 2% of global recorded music revenue in 2019. According to IFPI, global recorded music revenue has grown at a 9% CAGR since 2015.

    We believe the following secular trends will continue to drive growth in the recorded music industry:

    Streaming Still in Early Stages of Global Adoption and Penetration

    According to IFPI, global paid music streaming subscribers totaled 341 million at the end of 2019. While this represents an increase of 34% from 255 million in 2018, it still represents less than 11% of the 3.2 billion smartphone users globally, according to Statista. It also represents a small fraction of the user bases for large, globally scaled digital services such as Facebook, which reported 2.6 billion monthly users across its services as of April 2020, and YouTube, which reported over two billion unique monthly users as of May 2020.On-demand streaming (both audio and video) reached 1.15 trillion streams in the United States in 2019, according to Nielsen, and this growth is expected to continue. According to Statista, as of March 16, 2020, 12% of adults (calculated across four demographic cohorts—Generation Z, Millennials, Generation X and Baby Boomers) reported that they are likely to spend more on music streaming due to the COVID-19 pandemic.



    The potential of global paid streaming subscriber growth is demonstrated by the penetration rates in early adopter markets. Approximately 30% of the population in Sweden, where Spotify was founded, was estimated to be paid music subscribers in 2018, according to MIDiA. This compares to approximately 25% and 16% for established markets such as the United States and Germany, respectively. Moreover, paid digital music subscribers in Japan, the world’s second-largest recorded music market in 2018 according to IFPI, still only represented approximately 7% of the population, according to MIDiA. There also remains substantial opportunity in emerging markets, such as Brazil and India, where smartphone penetration is low compared to developed markets. For example, according to Statista, smartphone penetration for Brazil and India as of September 2019 was 46% and 25%, respectively, compared to 79% in the United States.

    China, in particular, represents a substantial growth market for the recorded music industry. According to IFPI, paid streaming models are at an early stage in China, with an estimated 33 million paid subscribers in 2018, representing only 2% of China’s population of over 1.4 billion. Despite its substantial population, China was the world’s seventh-largest music market in 2019, having only broken into the top 10 in 2017.

    Opportunities for Improved Streaming Pricing

    In addition to paid subscriber growth, we believe that, over time, streaming revenues will increase due to pricing increases as the broader market further develops. Streaming services are already at the early stages of experimenting with price increases. For example, in 2018, Spotify increased monthly prices for its service in Norway. In addition, in 2019, Amazon launched Amazon Music HD, a high-quality audio streaming offering that is available to customers at a premium price in the United States. We believe the value proposition that streaming provides to consumers supports premium product initiatives.

    Technology Enables Innovation and Presents Additional Opportunities

    Technological innovation has helped facilitate the penetration of music listening across locations, including homes, offices and cars, as well as across devices, including smartphones, tablets, wearables, digital dashboards, gaming consoles and smart speakers. These technologies represent advancements that are deepening listener engagement and driving further growth in music consumption.

    Device Innovation.According to Nielsen, as of August 2019, U.S. consumers listened to music across an average of 4.1 devices per week. We believe that the use of multiple devices is expanding listening hours by bringing music into more moments of consumers’ lives, and the different uses these devices enable are also broadening the base of music to which consumers are exposed. The music that consumers listen to during a commute may be different than the music they listen to while they exercise, and different still than the music they play through a smart speaker while cooking a meal. Smart speakers enable consumers to access music more readily by using their voices. According to PwC, smart speaker ownership is expected to increase at a 38% CAGR from 2018 through 2023, to 440 million devices globally in 2023. The adoption of smart speakers in the United States has been strong, and according to Nielsen, 31% of music listeners today own smart speakers. Smart speakers are fueling further growth in streaming, by converting more casual listeners into paid subscribers, drawn in by music as a critical application for these devices. According to Nielsen, 61% of U.S. consumers who use a smart speaker weekly to listen to music currently pay for a subscription as well.

    Format and Monetization Model Innovation.Short-form music and music-based video content has grown rapidly, driven by the growth of global social video applications such as TikTok, which features15-second videos often set to music. TikTok has reportedly been downloaded more than one billion times since its launch in 2017 and has a global reach of 500 million users, according to Nielsen. Such applications have the potential for mass adoption, illustrating the opportunity for additional platforms of scale to be created to the benefit of the music entertainment industry. These platforms enable incremental consumption of music appealing to varied, and



    often younger, audiences. From a recording artist’s perspective, these platforms have the potential to rewrite the path to stardom. For example, our recording artist, Fitz & the Tantrums, an American band, rose to international fame in 2018 as their song “HandClap” went viral in Asia on TikTok. Fitz & the Tantrums quickly topped the international music charts in South Korea and surpassed one billion streams in China. Short-form music and music-based video content have also become increasingly popular on social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, further illustrating the growing number of potential pathways through which recording artists may gain consumer exposure.

    Music Publishing

    According to Music & Copyright, the music publishing industry generated $5.6 billion in global revenue in 2019, representing an approximate 2% increase from $5.5 billion in 2018 (following an increase in global music publishing revenues of 11% from 2017 to 2018). Music publishing involves the acquisition of rights to, and the licensing of, musical compositions (as opposed to sound recordings) from songwriters, composers or other rightsholders. Music publishing revenues are derived from four main royalty sources: mechanical, performance, synchronization and digital. In 2019, digital, which accounted for approximately 42% of global revenue, represented the largest and fastest-growing component of industry revenues, while performance, which accounted for approximately 30%, represented the second-largest component of industry revenues. Synchronization accounted for approximately 19% of global revenue in 2019. Mechanical revenues from traditional physical music formats (e.g., CDs, DVDs, downloads), which accounted for approximately 8% of global revenue in 2019, have continued to fall while digital revenues have grown to offset this decline.

    Positive Regulatory Trends

    The music industry has benefitted from positive regulatory developments in recent years, which are expected to lead to increased revenues for the music entertainment industry in the coming years. These include the 2018 U.S. Music Modernization Act (“MMA”), the 2018 SDARS III and Phonorecords III Copyright Royalty Board (“CRB”) proceedings and the 2019 European Union (“E.U.”) Copyright Directive. See “Business—Our Industry and Market Opportunity—Positive Regulatory Trends” for additional information.

    Our Competitive Strengths

    Well-Positioned to Benefit from Growth in the Global Music Market Driven by Streaming. The music entertainment industry has undergone a transformation in the consumption and monetization of content towards streaming over the last five years. According to IFPI, from 2015 through 2019, global recorded music revenue grew at a CAGR of 9%, with streaming revenue growing at a CAGR of 42% and increasing as a percentage of global recorded music revenue from 19% to 56% over the same period. By comparison, from fiscal year 2015 to fiscal year 2019, our recorded music streaming revenue grew at a CAGR of 37% and increased as a percentage of our total recorded music revenues from 24% to 55%. We believe our innovation-focused operating strategy with an emphasis on genres that over-index on streaming platforms (e.g.,hip-hop and pop) has consistently allowed our digital revenue growth to outpace the market, highlighted by our becoming the first major music entertainment company to report that our streaming revenue was the largest source of recorded music revenue in 2016.

    The growth of streaming services has not only improved the discoverability and personalization of music, but has also increased consumer willingness to pay for seamless convenience and access. We believe consumer adoption of paid streaming services still has significant potential for growth. For example, according to MIDiA, in 2018, approximately 30% of the population in Sweden, an early adopter market, was paid music subscribers. This illustrates the opportunity to drive long-term growth by increasing penetration of paid subscriptions throughout the world, including important markets such as the United States, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom and France, where paid subscriber levels are lower. Our catalog and roster of recording artists and songwriters, including our strengths inhip-hop and pop music, position us to benefit as streaming continues to



    grow. We also believe our diversified catalog of evergreen music amassed over many decades will prove advantageous as demographics evolve from younger early adopters to a wider demographic mix and as digital music services target broader audiences.

    Established Presence in Growing International Markets, Including China. We believe we will benefit from the growth in international markets due to our local A&R focus, as well as our local and global marketing and distribution infrastructure that includes a network of subsidiaries, affiliates, andnon-affiliated licensees and sub-publishers in more than 70 countries. We are developing local talent to achieve regional, national and international success. We have expanded our global footprint over time by acquiring independent recorded music and music publishing businesses, catalogs and recording artist and songwriter rosters in China, Indonesia, Poland, Russia and South Africa, among other markets. In addition, we have increased organic investment in heavily populated emerging markets by, for example, launching Warner Music Middle East, our recorded music affiliate covering 17 markets across the Middle East and North Africa with a total population of 380 million people. We have also strengthened our Warner Music Asia executive team with new appointments and promotions. According to IFPI in 2018, recorded music industry revenues in Asia and Australasia grew 12% year-over-year. Over the same period and on a constant-currency basis, we grew revenues in Asia and Australasia by 21%, again outpacing the industry.

    With every region around the world at different stages in transitioning to digital formats, we believe establishing creative hubs by opening new regional offices and partnering with local players will achieve our objective of building local expertise while delivering maximum global impact for our recording artists and songwriters. For example, we recently invested in one of Nigeria’s leading music entertainment companies, Chocolate City, and music from this influential independent company’s recording artists and songwriters will join our repertoire and receive the support of our wide-ranging global expertise, including distribution and artist services.

    Differentiated Platform of Scale with Top Industry Position. With over $4 billion in annual revenues, over half of which are generated outside of the United States, we believe our platform is differentiated by the scale, reach and broad appeal of our music. Our collection of owned and controlled recordings and musical compositions, spanning a large variety of genres and geographies over many decades, cannot be replicated. As one of three major music entertainment companies, our industry position remains strong and poised for continued growth. As reported in Music & Copyright, our global recorded music market share has increased approximately 6% from 2011 to 2019, growing from 15.1% to 16.0%. In addition, according to Nielsen, Atlantic Records was the No. 1 record label on the Billboard 200 in the United States in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

    Star-Making, Culture-Defining Core Capabilities. For decades, our A&R strategy of identifying and nurturing recording artists and songwriters with the talents to be successful has yielded an extensive catalog of iconic music across a wide breadth of musical genres and marquee brands all over the world. Our marketing and promotion departments provide a comprehensive suite of solutions that are specifically tailored to each of our recording artists and carefully coordinated to create the greatest sales momentum for new and catalog releases alike. The development of our vibrant roster of recording artists has been informed by our significant experience in being able to adapt to changes in consumer trends and sentiment over time. Our creative instincts yield custom strategies for each and every one of our recording artists, including, for example:

    Cardi B, whose first Atlantic Records single “Bodak Yellow” was abreak-out hit that has been certified nine times Platinum in the United States by the RIAA;

    Twenty One Pilots, whose rise to stardom accelerated with the release of their second Fueled by Ramen studio album,Blurryface; and

    Portugal. The Man, which celebrated its first entry on theBillboard Hot 100 chart after the release of their eighth studio album,Woodstock, featuring the track “Feel It Still.”



    In addition, Warner Chappell Music boasts a diversified catalog of timeless classics together with an ever-growing group of contemporary songwriters who are actively contributing to today’s top hits. We believe our longstanding reputation and relationships in the creative community, as well as our historical success in talent development and management, will continue to attract new recording artists and songwriters with staying power and market potential through the strength and scale of our proprietary capabilities.

    Strong Financial Profile with Robust Growth, Operating Leverage and Free Cash Flow Generation. For fiscal year 2017 through fiscal year 2019, we have grownas-reported revenues at a CAGR of 12%, and on a constant-currency basis, at a CAGR of 10%, driven by secular tailwinds, organic reinvestment in A&R and strategic acquisitions. For our fiscal year 2019, our business generated net income and Adjusted EBITDA of $258 million and $737 million, respectively, implying an Adjusted EBITDA margin of approximately 16%. We have an efficient business model as demonstrated by our high Free Cash Flow conversion of Adjusted EBITDA. In fiscal year 2019, we generated $24 million of Free Cash Flow (after taking into account $183 million related to the acquisition of EMP). We believe our financial profile provides a strong foundation for our continued growth.

    Experienced Leadership Team and Committed Strategic Investor. Our management team has successfully designed and implemented our business strategy, delivering strong financial results, releasing an increasing flow of new music and establishing a dynamic culture of innovation. At the same time, our management team has driven an increase in operating margins and cash flow through an improved revenue mix to higher-margin digital platforms and overhead cost management, while maintaining financial flexibility to both organically invest in the business and pursue strategic acquisitions to diversify our revenue mix. Our Recorded Music and Music Publishing businesses are led by entrepreneurial and creative individuals with extensive experience in discovering and developing recording artists and songwriters and managing their creative output on a global scale. In addition, we have benefited, and expect to continue to benefit, from our acquisition by Access in July 2011, which has provided us with strategic direction, M&A and capital markets expertise and planning support to help us take full advantage of the ongoing transition in the music entertainment industry.

    Expertise in Strategic Acquisitions and Investments That Extend Our Capabilities. Since 2011 when Access became our controlling shareholder, we have completed more than 15 strategic acquisitions. The acquisition of PLG in 2013 significantly strengthened our worldwide roster, global footprint and executive talent, particularly in Europe. In addition, we have made several smaller strategic acquisitions aimed at expanding our artist services capabilities in our Recorded Music business, including EMP, one of Europe’s leading specialty music and entertainment merchandisee-tailers; Sodatone, a premier A&R insight tool; UPROXX, the youth culture and video production powerhouse; Spinnin’ Records, one of the world’s leading independent electronic music companies; and Songkick’s concert discovery application. These transactions showcase the growing breadth of our platform across the music entertainment ecosystem and have increased our direct access to fans of our recording artists and songwriters. In addition to our commercial arrangements with digital music services, we opportunistically invest in some of those services as well as other companies in our industry, including minority equity stakes in Deezer, a French digital music service in which Access owns a controlling equity interest, and Tencent Music Entertainment Group, the leading online music entertainment platform in China. Acquiring and investing in businesses that are highly complementary to our existing portfolio further enables us to potentially derive incremental and new revenue streams from different business models in new markets.

    Our Growth Strategies

    Attract, Develop and Retain Established and Emerging Recording Artists and Songwriters. A critical component of our global strategy is to produce an increasing flow of new music by finding, developing and retaining recording artists and songwriters who achieve long-term success. Since 2011, our annual new releases have grown significantly and our catalog of musical compositions has increased to over 1.4 million. We expect to



    enhance the value of our assets by continuing to attract and develop new recording artists and songwriters with staying power and market potential. Our A&R teams seek to sign talented recording artists and songwriters who will generate meaningful revenues and increase the enduring value of our catalog. We have also made meaningful investments in technology to further expand our A&R capabilities in a rapidly changing music environment. In 2018, we acquired Sodatone, an advanced A&R tool that uses streaming, social and touring data to help track early predictors of success. When combined with the strength of our current ability to identify creative talent, we expect this to further enhance our ability to scout and sign breakthrough recording artists and songwriters. In addition, we anticipate that investment in or commercial relationships with technology companies will enable us to tailor our marketing efforts for established recording artists and songwriters by gaining valuable insight into consumer reactions to new releases. We regularly evaluate our recording artist and songwriter rosters to ensure that we remain focused on developing the most promising and profitable talent and are committed to maintaining financial discipline in the negotiation of our agreements with recording artists and songwriters.

    Focus on Growth Markets to Position Us to Realize Upside from Incremental Penetration of Streaming.While the rapid growth of streaming has already transformed the music entertainment industry, streaming is still in relatively early stages, as significant opportunity remains in both developed markets and markets largely untapped by the adoption of paid streaming subscriptions. Some of our largest markets, such as the United States, Germany, United Kingdom and France, still lag Nordic countries in penetration of paid subscriptions and have room for future growth. In these markets, we will continue to increase our output of new releases and use data to more effectively target our marketing efforts. Less mature markets, such as China and Brazil, have large populations with relatively high smartphone penetration, and we are well placed to benefit from streaming tailwinds over the next several years with our local presence and extensive catalog.

    Expand Global Presence with Investment in Local Music in Nascent Markets. We recognize that music is inherently local in nature, shaped by people and culture. According to IFPI, in 2018, at least seven of the top-selling singles in Brazil, India, Italy and South Korea were performed by or featured local artists. Similarly, in 2018, at least seven of the top-selling albums in France, Germany, Spain and Turkey were performed by or featured local artists. One of our vital business functions is to help our recording artists and songwriters solve the complexities associated with a fragmented, global market of mixed musical tastes. We have found that investment in local music provides the best opportunity to understand these nuances, and we have made it a strategic priority to seek out investment opportunities in emerging markets. For example, we opened an office in the Middle East and North Africa region to prepare for the forecasted rise in smartphone penetration and projected uptake in digital music. These investments are made with the purpose of increasing our understanding of local market dynamics and popularizing our current roster of recording artists and songwriters around the world. The impact of this local focus is demonstrated by increased revenues. For example, in fiscal year 2019, on a constant-currency basis, our revenues grew by 11% in the United States and Canada, 17% in Latin America, 25% in Asia and Australasia, and 26% in Europe and the rest of the world.

    Embrace Commercial Innovation with New Digital Distributors and Partners. We believe the growth of digital formats will continue to create new and powerful ways to distribute and monetize our music. We were the first major music company to strike landmark deals with important companies such as Apple, YouTube, Peloton and Tencent Music Entertainment Group, as well as with pure-play music technology companies such as MixCloud, SoundCloud and Audiomack. We believe that the continued development of new digital channels for the consumption of music and increasing access to digital music services present significant promise and opportunity for the music entertainment industry. We are also focused on investing in emerging music technologies, demonstrated by our launch of WMG Boost, a seed-stage investment fund forstart-ups in the music entertainment industry and through partnerships with entrepreneurial incubators such as TechStars. We intend to continue to extend our technological reach by executing deals with new partners and developing optimal business models that will enable us to monetize our music across various platforms, services and devices. We also intend to continue to support and invest in emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, artificial reality,



    virtual reality, high-resolution audio, mobile messaging and other technologies to continue to build new revenue streams and position ourselves for long-term growth.

    Pursue Acquisitions to Enhance Asset Portfolio and Long-Term Growth. We have successfully completed a number of strategic acquisitions, particularly in our Recorded Music business. Strengthening and expanding our global footprint provides us with insights on markets in which we can immediately capitalize on favorable industry trends, as evidenced by our acquisition of PLG in 2013. We also build upon our core competencies with additive and ancillary capabilities. For example, our acquisition of UPROXX, one of the most influential media brands for youth culture, not only provides a platform for short-form music and music-based video content production to market and promote our recording artists, but also includes sales capabilities to monetize advertising inventory on digital audio and video platforms. We plan to continue selectively pursuing acquisition opportunities while maintaining financial discipline to further improve our growth trajectory and drive operating efficiencies with increased free cash flow generation. With respect to our Music Publishing business, we have the opportunity to generate significant value by acquiring other music publishers and extracting cost savings (as acquired catalogs can be administered with little incremental cost), as well as by increasing revenues through more aggressive monetization efforts. We will also continue to evaluate opportunities to add to our catalog or acquire or make investments in companies engaged in businesses that we believe will help to advance our strategies.

    Our Recording Artist and Songwriter Value Proposition

    Over the last five years, we have outperformed in a highly competitive market. For example, from January 2017 through April 2020, our owned and distributed labels have received more U.S. Gold and Platinum certifications from the RIAA for debut albums than those of any other company. Our success is a function of attracting exceptional talent and helping them build long and lucrative careers. In an environment where music entertainment companies often fiercely compete to sign recording artists and songwriters, our ability to differentiate our core capabilities is crucial. We are constantly strengthening our skill sets, as well as evolving and expanding the comprehensive suite of services we provide. Our goal is not to be the biggest music entertainment company, but the best.

    In the digital world, consumers have more than 50 million tracks at their fingertips, growing at a rate of approximately 40,000 songs per day. The sheer volume of music being released on digital music services is making it harder for recording artists and songwriters to stand out and get noticed. At the same time, music that is fresh and original is currently what resonates most strongly on digital music services. We believe our Recorded Music and Music Publishing businesses remain not just relevant, but essential to the booming music entertainment economy. Our proven ability to cut through the noise is more necessary and valuable than ever.

    Below is an overview of the many creative and commercial services we provide our recording artists and songwriters. Our interests are aligned with theirs. By creating value for our recording artists and songwriters, we create value for ourselves. That philosophy is behind our current momentum, and we believe it will continue to propel our business into the future.

    Welcoming Talent

    We offer recording artists and songwriters numerous pathways into our ecosystem. Whether it is anup-and-coming songwriter making music in his or her bedroom, a breakout superstar recording artist selling out stadiums or an icon looking to curate a legacy, we offer the necessary support and resources.

    We are not just searching for immediate hits. We scout and sign talent with the market potential for longevity and lasting impact. As a result, we are investing in more new music every year without losing our



    commitment to each recording artist and songwriter. It is that focus, patience and passion that has built and sustained the reputation that perpetuates our cycle of success.

    Creative Partnership

    Our A&R executives both champion and challenge the talent they sign, empowering them to realize their visions and evolve over time. Our longstanding relationships within the creative community also provide our recording artists and songwriters with a wide network of collaborators, which is a vital part of helping them to realize their best work. We provide the investment that gives our recording artists and songwriters the requisite time and space to experiment and flourish. This includes access to a multitude of songwriters’ rooms and recording studios around the globe with more to come.

    Marketing and Promotional Firepower

    We are experts in the art of amplification, with proven specialties in every aspect of marketing and promotion. From every meaningful digital music service and social media network to radio, press, film, television and retail, we are plugged into the most influential people and platforms for music entertainment. At the same time, by combining our collective experience with billions of transactions each and every week, we gather the insights needed to make meaningful commercial decisions grounded in data-based discipline. Most importantly, we quickly adapt to changes in how music is consumed to maximize the opportunities for our recording artists and songwriters. For example, we quickly honed our expertise in securing placement on playlists and other valuable positioning on digital music services.

    Global Reach and Local Expertise

    As of September 30, 2019, we employed approximately 5,400 persons around the world. This means we can build local fan bases for international recording artists and songwriters, as well as supply the network to deliver worldwide fame. Our local strength fuels our global impact and vice versa. We employ a global priority system to provide as many recording artists as possible a genuine shot at success. Our approach combines a deep understanding of local cultures, with a close-knit, nimble team that is in constant communication around the world.

    A Broad Universe of Opportunity

    Albums, singles, videos and songs are still the primary drivers for our business. But as the demand for music has grown, music has been woven into the fabric of our daily lives in new and increasingly sophisticated ways. It is our job to help our recording artists and songwriters capitalize on this expanding universe.

    In our Recorded Music business, beyond digital and physical revenue streams, we provide a wide array of artist services, including merchandise,e-commerce, VIP ticketing and fan clubs. In our Music Publishing business, we take an active role in expanding the consumption of music, through performance, digital, mechanical, synchronization and, the original music publishing revenue stream, sheet music. Last year, we launched a creative services team that is tasked with finding innovative ways to revitalize catalogs and create new possibilities for our songwriters.

    In 2017, we launched a film and television unit and subsequently acquired additional video production capabilities in order to offer greater storytelling possibilities for our recording artists and songwriters.

    The centralization of our technology capabilities and data insights has resulted in increased transparency of our royalty reporting to our recording artists and songwriters. We defend and protect our recording artists’ and songwriters’ creative output by remaining vigilant in the collection of different types of royalties around the world and defending against illegitimate and illegal uses of our owned and controlled copyrights.



    Representative Sample of Recording Artists and Songwriters

    Our Recorded Music business includes music from:

    Global superstars such as Ed Sheeran, Bruno Mars, Michael Bublé, Cardi B, Kelly Clarkson, Coldplay, David Guetta, Dua Lipa, Neil Young, Prince, Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Phil Collins, Fleetwood Mac, Tom Petty and The Smiths.

    Next-generation talent including A Boogie wit da Hoodie, Charli XCX, Lizzo and Bebe Rexha.

    International stars such as Anitta, Aya Nakamura, TWICE, Christopher, Udo Lindenberg and Laura Pausini.

    Our Music Publishing business includes musical compositions by:

    Superstars such as Stormzy, Twenty One Pilots, Green Day, Katy Perry, George Michael, Chris Stapleton, Damon Albarn, Dave Mustaine and Kacey Musgraves.

    International talent such as Jonathan Lee, Tia Ray, Manuel Medrano, Melendi, Bausa, Shy’m, Tove Lo and Jack & Coke.

    Songwriting icons like Brody Brown, Liz Rose, Justin Tranter, busbee,The-Dream, Dr. Dre, Stephen Sondheim, George & Ira Gershwin and Gamble & Huff.

    Recent Developments

    During the one month ended April 30, 2020, we experienced a 12% increase in Recorded Music streaming revenue, our largest and fastest-growing source of revenue, despite the impact of COVID-19 on digital advertising markets. For the one month ended April 30, 2020, Recorded Music streaming revenue was estimated to be $183 million compared to $168 million (or $163 million on a constant-currency basis) for the one month ended April 30, 2019. We also experienced an increase in Music Publishing digital revenue during this period. For the one month ended April 30, 2020, Music Publishing digital revenue was estimated to be $22 million compared to $19 million (or $18 million on a constant-currency basis) for the one month ended April 30, 2019. Total digital revenue increased in the one month ended April 30, 2020 driven by increases in Recorded Music paid streaming revenue and Music Publishing digital revenue, offset by a decrease in Recorded Music ad-supported revenue resulting from the impact of COVID-19 and download revenue due to the continued shift to streaming services. Despite the economic impacts associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, total digital revenue is estimated to have grown 10% year-over-year to $216 million for the one month ended April 30, 2020 compared to $203 million (or $196 million on a constant-currency basis) for the one month ended April 30, 2019. On a constant-currency basis, estimated total digital revenue grew $20 million and represented 73% of total revenue for the one month ended April 30, 2020 compared to 60% for the one month ended April 30, 2019. Our digital revenue trends are consistent with certain published market trends.

    For the one month ended April 30, 2020, estimated total revenue was $295 million compared to $335 million (or $329 million on a constant-currency basis) for the one month ended April 30, 2019. On a constant currency basis, this represents a decrease of $34 million, or 10% year-over-year. An increase in total digital revenue, including gains in Recorded Music paid streaming revenue and Music Publishing digital revenue, in April 2020 compared to April 2019 was more than offset by decreases in revenue from artist services and expanded-rights, ad-supported digital and physical revenue in Recorded Music and synchronization revenue in Music Publishing. As the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, we expect these revenue sources to largely recover. Digital revenue is among our highest margin revenue while some of the revenue sources that have been negatively impacted by the economic effects of the pandemic, such as artist services and physical, are intrinsically lower margin. As a result, we expect the impact on OIBDA of decreased revenue from these sources



    to be less than the impact on revenue. We are also taking additional steps to offset the impact of COVID-19 on OIBDA by controlling discretionary spending, initiating cost reduction programs and allocating our resources to areas where they will be most impactful.

    For a discussion of the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business for the six months ended March 31, 2020, see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Business Overview—Factors Affecting Results of Operations and Comparability—COVID-19 Pandemic.” For additional information on the specific risks we face from COVID-19 and the potential future adverse impact that the COVID-19 pandemic and associated government responses could have on our results of operations, cash flows and financial condition, see “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business—Our results of operations, cash flows and financial condition are expected to be adversely impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.”

    Cautionary Statement Regarding Estimated Results

    The estimated financial information for the Company for the one month ended April 30, 2020 is preliminary, unaudited and subject to completion. This information reflects management’s current views and may change as a result of management’s review of results and other factors, including a wide variety of significant business, economic and competitive risks and uncertainties. Such preliminary financial information is subject to the finalization and closing of the accounting books and records of the Company (which have yet to be performed) and should not be viewed as a substitute for full quarterly financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The Company cautions you that the estimated financial information for the one month ended April 30, 2020 is not a guarantee of future performance or outcomes and actual results may differ materially from those described above. Factors that could cause actual results to differ from those described above are set forth in “Risk Factors” and “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements and Information.” The Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or other factors. You should read this information together with “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and the Company’s audited historical consolidated financial statements appearing elsewhere in this prospectus. No independent registered public accounting firms have audited, reviewed or compiled, examined or performed any procedures with respect to these preliminary results, nor have they expressed any opinion or any other form of assurance on the preliminary results.

    The Company maintains a 52-53 week fiscal year ending on the last Friday in each reporting period. Quarters within the fiscal year include 13-week periods, unless a fiscal year includes a 53rd week, in which case the fourth quarter of the fiscal year will be a 14-week period. The one month ended April 30, 2020 consists of four weeks, and therefore, it represents less than one-third of the Company’s fiscal quarter that will end June 30, 2020.

    The unaudited preliminary financial information is presented for informational purposes only and does not purport to represent the Company’s financial condition or results of operations for any future date or period. As a result, prospective investors should exercise caution in relying on this information and should not draw any inferences from this information regarding financial or operating data not provided.

    Our Controlling Stockholder and Our Status as a Controlled Company

    Access Industries is a privately-held industrial group with long-term holdings worldwide. Founded in 1986 by British-American industrialist and philanthropist Len Blavatnik, Access identifies new strategic investment opportunities and invests in both emerging and established industries to create transformative companies and generate significant growth over time. Headquartered in the United States, Access owns strategic and diversified investments around the world in various key sectors including media and telecommunications, natural resources and chemicals, venture capital, real estate and biotechnology.



    In the technology, media and entertainment (“TME”) sector, Access has created a media platform for the 21st century built on investments in disruptive technologies, content platforms and production companies. In addition to Warner Music Group, Access’s TME holdings include DAZN, the leading digital sports content streaming company, Deezer, the high-resolution online music streaming service with 14 million active monthly users, Access Entertainment, which invests in premium-quality television, film and theater, and other transformational companies.

    Following the completion of this offering, Access will hold an aggregate of 440,000,000 shares of our Class B common stock, representing approximately 99.2% of the total combined voting power of our outstanding common stock (or an aggregate of 429,500,000 shares of our Class B common stock, representing approximately 99.1% of the total combined voting power of our outstanding common stock if the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional shares of our Class A common stock from the selling stockholders) and approximately 86.3% of the economic interest (or approximately 84.2% of the economic interest if the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional shares of our Class A common stock from the selling stockholders). Accordingly, Access will have the ability to control the outcome of matters submitted to our stockholders for approval, including the election of our directors and the approval of any change in control transaction. We believe that this voting structure aligns our interests in creating stockholder value.

    Because Access will control a majority of the total combined voting power of our outstanding common stock, we will be a “controlled company” under the corporate governance rules for Nasdaq-listed companies. Therefore, we may elect not to comply with certain corporate governance standards, such as the requirement that our board of directors have a compensation committee and nominating and corporate governance committee composed entirely of independent directors. Following the completion of this offering, we intend to take advantage of these exemptions.

    Our Corporate Information

    Warner Music Group Corp. is a Delaware corporation. Our principal executive offices are located at 1633 Broadway, New York, New York 10019, and our telephone number is (212)275-2000. Our website is www.wmg.com. Information on, or accessible through, our website or any other website is not incorporated by reference herein and does not constitute a part of this prospectus.

    Summary Risk Factors

    Our business is subject to a number of risks, including risks that may prevent us from achieving our business objectives or may adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and prospects that you should consider before making a decision to invest in our Class A common stock. These risks are discussed more fully in “Risk Factors” in this prospectus. These risks include, but are not limited to, the following:

    our results of operations, cash flows and financial condition are expected to be adversely impacted by the coronavirus pandemic;

    our ability to identify, sign and retain recording artists and songwriters and the existence or absence of superstar releases;

    the ability to further develop a successful business model applicable to a digital environment and to enter into artist services and expanded-rights deals with recording artists in order to broaden our revenue streams in growing segments of the music entertainment business;

    the popular demand for particular recording artists or songwriters and music and the timely delivery to us of music by major recording artists or songwriters;



    the diversity and quality of our recording artists, songwriters and releases;

    slower growth in streaming adoption and revenue;

    our dependence on a limited number of digital music services for the online distribution and marketing of our music and their ability to significantly influence the pricing structure for online music stores;

    risks associated with ournon-U.S. operations, including limited legal protections of our intellectual property rights and restrictions on the repatriation of capital;

    the impact of heightened and intensive competition in the recorded music and music publishing industries and our inability to execute our business strategy;

    threats to our business associated with digital piracy, including organized industrial piracy;

    a potential loss of catalog if it is determined that recording artists have a right to recapture U.S. rights in their recordings under the U.S. Copyright Act;

    our substantial leverage; and

    holders of our Class A common stock will have limited or no ability to influence corporate matters due to the dual class structure of our common stock and the existing ownership of Class B common stock by Access, which has the effect of concentrating voting control with Access for the foreseeable future.



    THE OFFERING

    Class A common stock offered by the selling stockholders

    70,000,000 shares.

    Option to purchase additional shares of Class A common stock offered by the selling stockholders

    The underwriters have a30-day option to purchase up to an additional 10,500,000 shares of Class A common stock from the selling stockholders at the initial public offering price, less underwriting discounts and commissions.

    Class A common stock to be outstanding after this offering

    70,000,000 shares (or 80,500,000 if the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional shares of our common stock).

    Class B common stock to be outstanding after this offering

    440,000,000 shares (or 429,500,000 if the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional shares of our common stock).

    Total Class A common stock and Class B common stock to be outstanding after this offering

    510,000,000 shares.

    Use of proceeds

    We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of Class A common stock by the selling stockholders in this offering.

    Voting rights

    Upon completion of this offering, we will have two classes of voting common stock, Class A common stock and Class B common stock. Each share of Class A common stock is entitled to one vote per share and each share of Class B common stock is entitled to 20 votes per share.

    Holders of Class A common stock and Class B common stock vote together as a single class on all matters (including the election of directors) submitted to a vote of stockholders, unless otherwise required by law or specified in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. Upon the completion of this offering, Access, which will be the holder of all of the outstanding shares of Class B common stock, will collectively hold approximately 99.2% of the total combined voting power of our outstanding common stock (or approximately 99.1% of the total combined voting power of our outstanding common stock if the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional shares of our common stock). As a result, the holders of the outstanding shares of Class B common stock will have the ability to control the outcome of matters submitted to our stockholders for approval, including the election of our directors and the approval of any change in control transaction. See “Description of Capital Stock—Common Stock—Voting Rights.”

    Conversion and related rights

    Our Class A common stock is not convertible into any other class of shares.


    Our Class B common stock is convertible into shares of our Class A common stock on aone-for-one basis at the option of the holder. In addition, each share of Class B common stock will convert automatically into one share of Class A common stock (i) upon any transfer of such share, except for certain permitted transfers described in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and (ii) on the first business day after the date on which the outstanding shares of Class B common stock constitutes less than 10% of the aggregate number of shares of common stock then outstanding, as determined by our board of directors. See “Description of Capital Stock—Common Stock—Conversion, Exchange and Transferability” for more information.

    Dividend policy

    The Company intends to institute a regular quarterly dividend to holders of our Class A common stock and Class B common stock whereby we intend to pay quarterly cash dividends of $0.12 per share. We expect to pay the first dividend under this policy in September 2020. The declaration of each dividend will be at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on our financial condition, earnings, liquidity and capital requirements, level of indebtedness, contractual restrictions with respect to payment of dividends, restrictions imposed by Delaware law, general business conditions and any other factors that our board of directors deems relevant in making such a determination. Therefore, there can be no assurance that we will pay any dividends to holders of our common stock, or as to the amount of any such dividends. See “Dividend Policy.”

    Stock exchange symbol

    “WMG”.

    The number of shares of our common stock to be outstanding immediately following this offering is based on no shares of Class A common stock and 510,000,000 shares of Class B common stock outstanding as of May 15, 2020, respectively, and excludes 40,654,090 shares of Class A common stock reserved for future issuance following this offering under our equity plans (of which 31,169,099 shares are potentially issuable over the 10-year period from the date of adoption of the Omnibus Incentive Plan to be adopted in connection with this offering, see “Executive Compensation—Compensation Discussion and Analysis—Changes to Executive Compensation in Connection with the Offering—Omnibus Incentive Plan”).

    Unless otherwise indicated, all information in this prospectus:

    gives effect to amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restatedby-laws to be adopted prior to the consummation of this offering;

    gives effect to the conversion of shares of Class B common stock held by the selling stockholders into an equivalent number of shares of Class A common stock upon the sale by the selling stockholders of such shares in this offering;

    gives effect to the reclassification of 1,068.638852275820 shares of our common stock existing prior to February 28, 2020 into shares of Class B common stock and the concurrent 477,242.614671815-for-1 stock split on our Class B common stock effected on February 28, 2020 resulting in 510,000,000 outstanding shares of Class B common stock;

    assumes no exercise by the underwriters of their option to purchase additional shares of Class A common stock from the selling stockholders;



    assumes that the initial public offering price of our Class A common stock will be $24.50 per share (which is the midpoint of the price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus); and

    does not reflect shares of Class A common stock potentially issuable in respect of deferred equity unit grants under our Senior Management Free Cash Flow Plan (the “Plan”). See “Executive Compensation—Long-Term Equity Incentives—Warner Music Group Corp. Senior Management Free Cash Flow Plan” for additional information on the Plan.



    SUMMARY HISTORICAL CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL DATA

    The financial data for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2019, September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017, and as of September 30, 2019 and September 30, 2018 have been derived from the Company’s audited financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. The financial data for the six months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019, and as of March 31, 2020 have been derived from the unaudited financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. The financial data as of March 31, 2019 have been derived from unaudited financial statements not included in this prospectus. This summary financial data should be read in conjunction with “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and the annual and interim financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. Historical results are not indicative of future operating results and results from interim periods are not indicative of full year results. The following consolidated statement of operations and combined basis thereinconsolidated balance sheet data have been prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”).

       Six Months Ended
    March 31,
      Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 
    (in millions)      2020          2019          2019          2018          2017     

    Statement of Operations Data:

          

    Revenues

      $2,327  $2,293  $4,475  $4,005  $3,576 

    Interest expense, net

       (66  (72  (142  (138  (149

    Net income

       48   153   258   312   149 

    Less: Income attributable to noncontrolling interest

       (2     (2  (5  (6

    Net income attributable to the Company.

       46   153   256   307   143 

    Balance Sheet Data (at period end):

          

    Cash and equivalents

      $484  $470  $619  $514  $647 

    Total assets

       6,124   5,902   6,017   5,344   5,718 

    Total debt (including current portion of long-term debt)

       2,983   2,990   2,974   2,819   2,811 

    Total equity (deficit)

       (285  (120  (269  (320  308 

    Cash Flow Data:

          

    Cash flows provided by (used in):

          

    Operating activities

      $164  $99  $400  $425  $535 

    Investing activities

       (51  (293  (376  405   (126

    Financing activities

       (245  151   88   (955  (128

    Depreciation & amortization

       132   137   269   261   251 

    Capital expenditures

       (28  (59  (104  (74  (44

    (in millions, except share and per share
    amounts)

     Six Months Ended March 31,  Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 
         2020          2019          2019          2018          2017     

    Earnings Per Share:

         

    Earnings per share—common stock

         

    Basic and Diluted

     $0.09  $0.30  $0.51  $0.61  $0.29 

    Weighted average common shares outstanding

      501,991,944   501,991,944   501,991,944   502,630,835   503,392,885 


       Six Months Ended
    March 31,
      Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 
    (in millions)      2020          2019          2019          2018          2017     

    Business Segment Data:

          

    Recorded Music

          

    Revenues

      $1,991  $1,974  $3,840  $3,360  $3,020 

    Operating income

       227   297   439   307   283 

    OIBDA

       317   391   623   480   451 

    Music Publishing

          

    Revenues

       339   323  $643  $653  $572 

    Operating income

       44   49   92   84   81 

    OIBDA

       81   86   166   159   152 

    Corporate expenses and eliminations

          

    Revenues

       (3  (4 $(8 $(8 $(16

    Operating loss

       (155  (77  (175  (174  (142

    OIBDA

       (150  (71  (164  (161  (130

    Total

          

    Revenues

       2,327   2,293  $4,475  $4,005  $3,576 

    Operating income

       116   269   356   217   222 

    OIBDA (1)

       248   406   625   478   473 

       Six Months Ended
    March 31,
      Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 
    (in millions)      2020           2019          2019           2018           2017     

    Other Financial Data:

             

    OIBDA (1)

      $  248   $  406  $625   $478   $473 

    Free Cash Flow (2)

      $113   $(194 $24   $830   $409 

       Twelve Months Ended
    March 31,
       Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 
           2020           2019           2019           2018           2017     

    Adjusted EBITDA (3)

      $755   $1,097   $737   $1,033   $604 

    (1)

    We evaluate our operating performance based on several factors, including our primary financial measure which is operating income (loss) beforenon-cash depreciation of tangible assets andnon-cash amortization of intangible assets (which we refer to as “OIBDA”). We consider OIBDA to be an important indicator of the operational strengths and performance of our businesses, and believe the presentation of OIBDA helps improve the ability to understand our operating performance and evaluate our performance in comparison to comparable periods.

    However, a limitation of the use of OIBDA as a covenant compliance measure. performance measure is that it does not reflect the periodic costs of certain capitalized tangible and intangible assets used in generating revenue in our businesses. Accordingly, OIBDA should be considered in addition to, not as a substitute for, operating income (loss), net income (loss) and other measures of financial performance reported in accordance with U.S. GAAP.



    The following is a reconciliation of operating income which is a GAAP measure of our(loss) from continuing operations to OIBDA and further provides the components from operating results, to OIBDA.

     
     Historical
     Pro Forma
     
     Predecessor
     Successor
      
      
     
      
      
      
      
      
     Three
    Months
    Ended
    December 31,
    2003

     Three
    Months
    Ended
    February 29,
    2004

     Seven
    Months
    Ended
    September 30,
    2004

     Three
    Months
    Ended
    December 31,
    2004

     Twelve
    Months
    Ended
    September 30,
    2004

     Three
    Months
    Ended
    December 31,
    2004

     
     Fiscal Years Ended November 30,
     Ten Months
    Ended
    September 30,
    2003

     
     2000
     2001
     2002
     2003
     
     (unaudited)

     (unaudited)

     (audited)(1)

     (audited)(1)

     (unaudited)

     (unaudited)

     (audited)(1)

     (audited)(1)

     (unaudited)

     (unaudited)(2)

     (unaudited)(2)

       (in millions)
    Operating income (loss) $(36)$(766)$(1,542)$(1,158)$(197)$(948)$(11)$18 $130 $(929)$130
    Depreciation and amortization expense  282  868  249  328  272  80  72  140  60  245  60
    Impairment of goodwill and other intangible assets      1,500  1,019    1,019        1,019  
      
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

    OIBDA

     

    $

    246

     

    $

    102

     

    $

    207

     

    $

    189

     

    $

    75

     

    $

    151

     

    $

    61

     

    $

    158

     

    $

    190

     

    $

    335

     

    $

    190
      
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    (4)
    Net income (loss) per share is calculated by dividingfrom continuing operations to net income (loss) for the periods presented:

       For the
    Six Months Ended
    March 31,
      Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 
    (in millions)      2020          2019          2019          2018          2017     

    Net income attributable to the Company

      $46  $153  $256  $307  $143 

    Income attributable to noncontrolling interest

       2   —     2   5   6 
      

     

     

      

     

     

      

     

     

      

     

     

      

     

     

     

    Net income

       48   153   258   312   149 

    Income tax expense (benefit)

       (7  98   9   130   (151
      

     

     

      

     

     

      

     

     

      

     

     

      

     

     

     

    Income (loss) before income taxes

       41   251   267   442   (2

    Other (income) expense, net

       9   (57  (60  (394  40 

    Interest expense, net

       66   72   142   138   149 

    Loss on extinguishment of debt

       —     3   7   31   35 
      

     

     

      

     

     

      

     

     

      

     

     

      

     

     

     

    Operating income

       116   269   356   217   222 

    Amortization expense

       94   109   208   206   201 

    Depreciation expense

       38   28   61   55   50 
      

     

     

      

     

     

      

     

     

      

     

     

      

     

     

     

    OIBDA

      $248  $406  $625  $478  $473 

    (2)

    Free Cash Flow reflects our net cash provided by operating activities less capital expenditures and cash paid or received for investments. We use Free Cash Flow, among other measures, to evaluate our operating performance. Management believes Free Cash Flow provides investors with an important perspective on the cash available to fund our debt service requirements, ongoing working capital requirements, capital expenditure requirements, strategic acquisitions and investments, and any dividends, prepayments of debt or repurchases or retirement of our outstanding debt or notes in open market purchases, privately negotiated purchases or otherwise. As a result, Free Cash Flow is a significant measure of our ability to generate long-term value. It is useful for investors to know whether this ability is being enhanced or degraded as a result of our operating performance. We believe the presentation of Free Cash Flow is relevant and useful for investors because it allows investors to view performance in a manner similar to the method management uses.

    The following is a reconciliation of net cash provided by operating activities to Free Cash Flow for the weighted average common shares outstanding. Unaudited pro forma basicperiods presented:

       Six Months Ended
    March 31,
      Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 
    (in millions)      2020          2019          2019          2018          2017     
       (unaudited)          

    Net cash provided by operating activities

      $164  $99  $400  $425  $535 

    Capital expenditures (a)

       (28  (59  (104  (74  (44

    Net cash received (paid) for investments (b)

       (23  (234  (272  479   (82

    Free Cash Flow

      $113  $(194 $24  $830  $409 
      

     

     

      

     

     

      

     

     

      

     

     

      

     

     

     

    (a)

    Fiscal years 2019 and 2018 include Los Angeles headquarters construction expenditures of $45 million and $28 million, respectively.

    (b)

    Reflects acquisition of music publishing rights and music catalogs, net, investments and acquisitions of businesses, net and proceeds from the sale of investments including, in the first fiscal quarter of 2019 and fiscal year 2019, the $183 million used to fund the acquisition of EMP, which was entirely debt financed, and in fiscal year 2018, the cash impact of the net gain of $389 million related to the sale of the Spotify shares.



    (3)

    Adjusted EBITDA is equivalent to “EBITDA” as defined in our Revolving Credit Facility and substantially similar to “Consolidated EBITDA” as defined under our indentures and “EBITDA” as defined under our Senior Term Loan Facility, respectively. Adjusted EBITDA differs from the term “EBITDA” as it is commonly used. The definition of Adjusted EBITDA, in addition to adjusting net income to exclude interest expense, income taxes, and depreciation and amortization, also adjusts net income by excluding items or expenses such as, among other items, (1) the amount of any restructuring charges or reserves, (2) anynon-cash charges (including any impairment charges), (3) any net loss resulting from hedging currency exchange risks, (4) the amount of management, monitoring, consulting and advisory fees paid to Access under the Management Agreement or otherwise, (5) business optimization expenses (including consolidation initiatives, severance costs and other costs relating to initiatives aimed at profitability improvement), (6) transaction expenses, (7) equity-based compensation expense and (8) certain extraordinary, unusual or non-recurring items. It also includes adjustments for the pro forma impact of certain projected cost savings, operating expense reductions and synergies and any quality of earnings analysis prepared by independent certified public accountants in connection with an acquisition, merger, consolidation or other investment. Adjusted EBITDA is a key measure used by our management to understand and evaluate our operating performance, generate future operating plans and make strategic decisions regarding the allocation of capital. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Financial Condition and Liquidity—Covenant Compliance.”

    Adjusted EBITDA has limitations as an analytical tool, and dilutedyou should not consider it in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of our results as reported under U.S. GAAP. Some of those limitations include: (1) it does not reflect the periodic costs of certain capitalized tangible and intangible assets used in generating revenue for our business, (2) it does not reflect the significant interest expense or cash requirements necessary to service interest or principal payments on our indebtedness and (3) it does not reflect every cash expenditure, future requirements for capital expenditures or contractual commitments. In particular, this measure adds back certainnon-cash, extraordinary, unusual ornon-recurring charges that are deducted in calculating net income; however, these are expenses that may recur, vary greatly and are difficult to predict. In addition, Adjusted EBITDA is not the same as net income or cash flow provided by operating activities as those terms are defined by U.S. GAAP and does not necessarily indicate whether cash flows will be sufficient to fund cash needs. Further, Adjusted EBITDA is calculated for the most recent four fiscal quarters. As a result, the measure can be disproportionately affected by a particularly strong or weak quarter, and it may not be comparable to the measure as calculated for any subsequent four-quarter period or any complete fiscal year. Accordingly, Adjusted EBITDA should be considered in addition to, not as a substitute for, net income (loss) per common share has beenand other measures of financial performance reported in accordance with U.S. GAAP.



    The following is a reconciliation of net income, which is the most directly comparable measure calculated in accordance with U.S. GAAP, to Adjusted EBITDA for each of the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, rules for initial public offerings. These rules require that the weighted average share calculation give retroactive effect to any changesperiods presented:

       Twelve Months Ended
    March 31,
      Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 
    (in millions)      2020          2019          2019          2018          2017     

    Net income

      $153  $462  $258  $312  $149 

    Income tax expense (benefit)

       (97  158   9   130   (151

    Interest expense, net

       137   138   142   138   149 

    Depreciation and amortization

       264   264   269   261   251 

    Loss on extinguishment of debt (a)

       4   9   7   31   35 

    Net gain on divestitures of business and asset dispositions and sale of securities (b)

       (2  (8  (4  (6  (4

    Restructuring costs (c)

       25   45   27   66   14 

    Net hedging gains and foreign exchange gains (d)

       (18  (44  (38  (7  22 

    Management fees (e)

       11   17   11   16   9 

    Transaction costs (f)

       4   3   3   —     3 

    Business optimization expenses (g)

       37   18   22   21   15 

    Equity-based compensation expense (h)

       196   50   49   62   70 

    Othernon-cash charges (i)

       39   (30  (19  —     19 

    Pro forma impact of specified transactions and other cost-savings initiatives (j)

       2   15   1   9   23 
      

     

     

      

     

     

      

     

     

      

     

     

      

     

     

     

    Adjusted EBITDA (k)

      $755  $1,097  $737  $1,033  $604 

    (a)

    Reflects net loss incurred on the early extinguishment of our debt incurred as part of (i) the May 2019 redemption of the remaining 5.625% Secured Notes, (ii) the June 2018 and December 2017 Senior Term Loan Credit Agreement Amendments (as defined in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations”), (iii) the October 2018 partial redemption of 4.125% Secured Notes, (iv) the October 2018 open market purchase of our 4.875% Senior Secured Notes and (v) the November 2018 partial redemption of 5.625% Secured Notes.

    (b)

    Reflects net gain on divestitures of business and asset dispositions and the sale of investment securities.

    (c)

    Reflects severance costs and other restructuring-related expenses.

    (d)

    Reflects net gains or losses from hedging activities and unrealized net gains due to foreign exchange on our Euro denominated debt and intercompany transactions.

    (e)

    Reflects management fees paid to Access, including an annual fee and related expenses. Pursuant to the Company’s and Holdings’ management agreement with Access, the annual fee is equal to the greater of a base amount of approximately $9 million and 1.5% of Adjusted EBITDA. The management agreement under which the Company incurs such fees will terminate in accordance with its terms upon consummation of this offering. See “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Transactions with Access Affiliates—Management Agreement” for additional information.

    (f)

    Reflects mainly integration, transaction and other nonrecurring costs, which includes qualifying costs associated with this offering for the twelve months ended March 31, 2020.

    (g)

    Reflects primarily costs associated with information technology systems updates and U.S. shared services relocation and other transformation initiatives.

    (h)

    Reflects non-cash equity-based compensation expense related to the Warner Music Group Corp. Senior Management Free Cash Flow Plan.

    (i)

    Reflects cash payments related to previousnon-cash charges, including but not limited to costs associated with our Los Angeles office consolidation (i.e., reversal ofadd-backs from lease terminations), unrealized losses (gains) on the mark-to-market of an equity method investment and losses on cost method investments.

    (j)

    Reflects pro forma impact of specified transactions and reasonably identifiable and factually supportable savings resulting from our U.S. shared services relocation and other transformation and cost-savings initiatives from actions taken or expected to be taken no later than 18 months after the end of such period.

    (k)

    The twelve months ended March 31, 2019 and fiscal year 2018 include a net gain of $389 million,pre-tax, related to the sale of Spotify shares acquired in the ordinary course of business.



    RISK FACTORS

    Investing in our capital structure as well as the numberClass A common stock involves a high degree of shares in this offering whose sale proceeds will be used to repay any debtrisk. You should consider and any dividends as reflected in the pro forma adjustments. Therefore, pro forma weighted average shares for purposesread carefully all of the unaudited pro forma basic net income (loss) per common share calculation has been adjusted to reflect the Recapitalizationrisks and this offering.



    RISK FACTORS

    You should carefully consider the risk factors set forthuncertainties described below, as well as the other information contained in this prospectus, including our annual and interim financial statements, before deciding to purchasemaking an investment decision. The risks described below are not the only ones facing us. The occurrence of any common stock. Any of the following risks or additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently believe to be immaterial could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition orposition, results of operations.operations or cash flows. In any such a case, the trading price of our Class A common stock could decline, and you may lose all or part of your original investment. This prospectus also contains forward-looking statements and estimates that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements as a result of specific factors, including the risks and uncertainties described below.


    Risks Related to Our Business

    Our results of operations, cash flows and financial condition are expected to be adversely impacted by the Business
    coronavirus pandemic.

    Increased costs associated with corporate governance compliance may significantly affectIn January 2020, a new strain of coronavirus, COVID-19, was identified in Wuhan, China. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared a pandemic. The pandemic has had and will have an adverse effect on our results of operations.operations, cash flows and financial condition.

            The Sarbanes-Oxley ActWhile physical revenue streams—physical revenue in our Recorded Music business and mechanical revenue in our Music Publishing business—have declined significantly over the last decade, the virus outbreak has resulted in declines in our physical revenue streams related to disruptions in manufacturing and physical supply chains, the mandated closure of 2002physical retailers, the requirement that people stay in their homes and our being subjectdecisions to delay the Securities Exchange Actrelease of 1934, as amended, will require changesnew recordings from artists with a more physical consumer base.

    The requirement that people stay in sometheir homes has negatively affected our business in other ways. It has ended live concert tours, adversely impacting our concert promotion business and our sale of our corporate governance and securities disclosure and compliance practices, and will require a review of our internal control procedures. For example, we will be required to implement disclosure controls, which currently need to be improved. We expect these developments to increase our legal compliance and financial reporting costs. In addition, they could maketour merchandise. It has made it more difficult for usartists to attractengage in marketing efforts around the release of their new recordings which, in some cases, has led to our decisions to delay the release of those recordings. It has delayed the release of new recordings by impeding the types of collaboration among artists, songwriters, producers, musicians, engineers and retain qualified membersstudios which are necessary for the delivery of those recordings. The cessation in the production of motion pictures and television programs has negatively affected licensing revenue in our Recorded Music business and synchronization revenue in our Music Publishing business.

    It has been widely reported that advertisers have reduced their advertising spend as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. We expect this will result in a corresponding decline in licensing revenue and ad-supported digital revenue in our Recorded Music business and synchronization, performance and ad-supported digital revenue in our Music Publishing business.

    The severity and the duration of the pandemic is difficult to predict but it is expected that the pandemic will materially and adversely affect the global economy, creating risk around the timing and collectability of our board of directors, or qualified executive officers. Finally, directoraccounts receivable and officer liability insurance for public companies like us has become more difficult and more expensive to obtain, and we may be required to accept reduced coverage or incur higher costs to obtain coverage that is satisfactory to us and our officers or directors. We are presently evaluating and monitoring regulatory developments and cannot estimate the timing or magnitude or additional costs we may incur as a result.

    Our internal controls over financial reporting may not be adequate and our independent auditors may not be able to certify as to their adequacy, which could have a significant and adverse effect on our business and reputation.

            We are evaluating our internal controls over financial reporting in order to allow management to report on, and our independent auditors to attest to, our internal controls over financial reporting, as required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and rules and regulations of the SEC thereunder, which we refer to as Section 404. Section 404 requires a reporting company such as ours to, among other things, annually review and disclose its internal controls over financial reporting, and evaluate and disclose changes in its internal controls over financial reporting quarterly. We will be required to comply with Section 404 as of September 30, 2006. We are currently performing the system and process evaluation and testing required (and any necessary remediation) in an effort to comply with management certification and auditor attestation requirements of Section 404. In the course of our ongoing evaluation, we have identified areas of our internal controls requiring improvement, and plan to design enhanced processes and controls to address these and any other issues that might be identified through this review. As a result, we expect to incur additional expenses and diversion of management's time. We cannot be certain as to the timing of completion of our evaluation, testing and remediation actions or the impact of the same on our operations and may not be able to ensure that the process is effective or that the internal controls are or will be effective in a timely manner. If we are not able to implement the requirements of Section 404 in a timely manner or with adequate compliance, our independent auditors may not be able to certify as to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting and we may be subject to sanctions or investigation by regulatory authorities, such as the Securities and Exchange Commission. As a result, there could be an adverse reaction in the financial markets dueleading to a loss of confidencedecline in the reliability of our financial statements. In addition, we may be required to incur costs in improving our internal control system and the hiring of additional personnel. Any such action could adversely affect our results.



    Our outside auditors have identified weaknesses in our internal controls that could affect our ability to ensure timely and reliable financial reports.

            In addition to our evaluation of internal controls under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and any areas requiring improvement that we identify as part of that process, in connection with the most recent audit of Acquisition Corp., our outside auditors identified a number of significant deficiencies that together constitute material weaknesses in our internal controls. A material weakness, as defined by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, is a significant deficiency that by itself, or in combination with other significant deficiencies, results in more than a remote likelihood that a material misstatement of the annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected.

            During the transition from a subsidiary of a multinational company to a stand alone entity, our outside auditors advised the audit committee of our board of directors and our management that numerous entity level controls were limited or not in place, including the need for a permanent chief financial officer (who we have since hired) and additional skilled accounting and SEC experienced personnel to enhance the accounting department both domestically and internationally, the need to develop a tax group, the need to establish our own internal audit department, the need to considerably enhance our documentation of our systems and controls, and the need to develop and implement a formal code of conduct. In addition, our outside auditors noted that our domestic operations currently use different royalty systems, which has created certain complexities in reconciling royalty expense and payables. While we recognize that additional staff is needed to cope with current requirements in royalty processing until a new system can be developed, we may not be able to hire and train additional staff. Finally, our auditors noted that our overall controls at our print business are significantly deficient. On December 15, 2004, we entered into a definitive agreement to sell our print business to Alfred Publishing Co., Inc. ("Alfred Publishing"), subject to customary closing conditions.

            We have already taken a number of actions to begin to address the items identified including:

      recently hiring a permanent chief financial officer;

      recently establishing an audit committee;

      outsourcing our internal audit functions;

      hiring external resources to lead our Section 404 evaluation efforts;

      hiring outside consultants to assist in the review of our current code of conduct and to assist in the implementation of a new code of conduct;

      hiring additional outside resources to assist our internal personnel with royalties accounting and SEC reporting;

      hiring a director of taxation and other tax department members; and

      entering into a joint venture with Universal Music Group, Exigen Group and Lightspeed Venture Partners to build a new uniform royalty system for all U.S. operations.

            While we have begun to take actions to address the items identified, additional measures will be necessary and these measures along with other measures we expect to take to improve our internal controls may not be sufficient to address the issues identified by our outside auditors or ensure that our internal controls are effective. If we are unable to provide reliable and timely financial reports our business and prospects could suffer material adverse effects and our share price could be adversely affected.



    The recorded music industry has been declining and may continue to decline, which may adversely affect our prospects and our results of operations.

            Illegal downloading of music from the Internet, CD-R piracy, industrial piracy, economic recession, bankruptcies of record wholesalers and retailers and growing competition for consumer discretionary spending and retail shelf space may all be contributing to a declining recorded music industry. Additionally, the period of growthwhich, in recorded music sales driven by the introduction and penetration of the CD format has ended. While DVD-Audio, DualDisc and downloadable digital files are thought to represent potential new avenues for growth, no significant new legitimate audio format has yet emerged to take the place of the CD. The value of worldwide sales fell as the music industry witnessed a decline of 4.9% from 1999 to 2000, 5.7% from 2000 to 2001, 6.7% from 2001 to 2002 and 7.6% from 2002 to 2003. Although we believe that the recorded music industry should improve as evidenced by the year-over-year growth in U.S. music physical unit sales in 2004 and the performance in overall (physical and digital) music unit sales globally in 2004, the industry may relapse into a period of decline as witnessed from 1999 to 2003. We cannot assure you as to the timing or the extent of any improvement in the industry or that the evidence of improvement in 2004 based upon U.S. sales through the one-year period ending January 2, 2005 and global sales in the first half of 2004 will continue. For example, as of April 17, 2005, year-to-date U.S. recorded music sales (excluding sales of digital tracks) are down approximately 9% year-over-year. A declining recorded music industry is likely to lead to reduced levels of revenue and operating income generated by our Recorded Music business. Additionally, a declining recorded music industry is also likely toturn, could have a negative impact on our Music Publishing business, which generates a significant portion of its revenues from mechanical royalties, primarily from the sale of music in CD and other recorded music formats.

    There may be downward pressure on our pricing and our profit margins.

            There are a variety of factors which could cause us to reduce our prices and erode our profit margins. They are, among others, increased price competition among record companies resulting from the Universal and Sony BMG recorded music duopoly, price competition from the sale of motion pictures in DVD-Video format and videogames, the ever greater price negotiating leverage of mass merchandisers and big box retailers, the increased costs of doing business with mass merchandisers and big box retailers as a result of complying with operating procedures that are unique to their needs and the adoption by record companies of initially lower-margin formats such as DualDisc and DVD-Audio. See "Risk Factors—We may be materially and adversely affected by the formation of Sony BMG Music Entertainment."

    Our prospects and financial results may be adversely affected if we fail to identify, sign and retain artists and songwriters and by the existence or absence of superstar releases and by local economic conditions in the countries in which we operate.

            We are dependent on identifying, signing and retaining artists with long-term potential, whose debut albums are well received on release, whose subsequent albums are anticipated by consumers and whose music will continue to generate sales as part of our catalog for years to come. The competition among record companies for such talent is intense. Competition among record companies to sell records is also intense and the marketing expenditures necessary to compete have increased as well. We are also dependent on signing and retaining songwriters who will write the hit songs of today and the classics of tomorrow under terms that are economically attractive to us. Our competitive position is dependent on our continuing ability to attract and develop talent whose work can achieve a high degree of public acceptance. Our financial results may be adversely affected if we are unable to identify, sign and retain such artists and songwriters under terms that are economically attractive to us. Our financial results may also be affected by the existence or absence of superstar artist releases during a particular period. Some music industry observers believe that the number of superstar acts with



    long-term appeal, both in terms of catalog sales and future releases, has declined in recent years. Additionally, our financial results are generally affected by the general economic and retail environment of the countries in which we operate, as well as the appeal of our recorded music catalog and our music publishing library.

    We may have difficulty addressing the threats to our business associated with home copying and Internet downloading.

            The combined effect of the decreasing cost of electronic and computer equipment and related technology such as CD burners and the conversion of music into digital formats have made it easier for consumers to create unauthorized copies of our recordings in the form of, for example, CDs and MP3 files. A substantial portion of our revenue comes from the sale of audio products that are potentially subject to unauthorized consumer copying and widespread dissemination on the Internet without an economic return to us. We are working to control this problem through litigation, by lobbying governments for new, stronger copyright protection laws and more stringent enforcement of current laws and by establishing legitimate new media business models. We cannot give any assurances that such measures will be effective. For instance, the Inducing Infringement of Copyrights Act of 2004 introduced in the Senate on June 22, 2004 was not enacted in 2004. If we fail to obtain appropriate relief through the judicial process or the complete enforcement of judicial decisions issued in our favor (or if judicial decisions are not in our favor, such as in the recent file-sharing cases in the U.S. and Canada, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Inc.et al vs. Grokster Ltd.et al, and BMG Canada Inc.et al vs. John Doeet al, respectively), if we are unsuccessful in our efforts to lobby governments to enact and enforce stronger legal penalties for copyright infringement or if we fail to develop effective means of protecting our intellectual property (whether copyrights or other rights such as patents, trademarks and trade secrets) or entertainment-related products or services, our results of operations, cash flows and financial position and prospects may suffer. On March 29, 2005,condition. To the U.S. Supreme Court heardextent the appeal of the decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit in the Grokster case. The issue to be decided by the Supreme Court is the liability of file sharing software developers and vendors for the copyright infringement that takes place on their services. Both the district court and the Ninth Circuit had found that Grokster and Streamcast could not be found contributorily and vicariously liable for the copyright infringement committed by the users of their services.

    Organized industrial piracy may lead to decreased sales.

            The global organized commercial pirate trade is a significant threat to the music industry. Worldwide, industrial pirated music (which encompasses unauthorized physical copies manufactured for sale but does not include Internet downloads or home CD burning) is estimated to have generated over $4.5 billion in revenues in 2003, according to IFPI. IFPI estimates that 1.7 billion pirated units were manufactured in 2003. According to IFPI estimates, approximately 35% of all music CDs sold worldwide in 2003 were pirated. Unauthorized copies and piracy contributed to the decrease in the volume of legitimate sales and put pressure on the price of legitimate sales. They have had, and may continue to have, an adverse effect on our business.

    Our Restructuring Plan may not be successful and mayCOVID-19 pandemic adversely affect our business.

            The scope of our Restructuring Plan is broad and significant and may cause losses toaffects our business, that we cannot predict. At the time of the Acquisition, we had identified up to $277 million of annualized cost savings to be achieved within 18 months and had identified approximately $310 million of associated restructuring charges. Although we have now implemented annualized cost savings of approximately $250 million and expect the actual charges to be between $225 million and $250 million, we cannot assure you that:

      we will actually achieve all such identified savings;

        we will implement all measures needed to achieve such savings; and

        the costs to implement our Restructuring Plan will not exceed our identified costs due to, among other things, higher than expected costs related to staff reductions or consolidation of our operations.

              The primary challenge we face in realizing the cost savings in our Restructuring Plan is avoiding increased costs required to support our ongoing operations. Specifically, a variety of factors could cause us not to achieve the benefits of the restructuring, or could result in harm to our business, including, among others, the following:

        higher than expected retention costs for employees that will be retained;

        increased operating costs or other unexpected costs associated with supporting the business and meeting financial objectives such as revenue growth;

        loss of revenues and market share due to, among other things, a diminished ability to attract and hire desirable talent;

        unexpected loss of artists or key employees; and

        loss of revenues and market share due to, among other things, a lack of sufficient resources to promote records and albums, and a lack of sufficient resources to attract new artists.

              If we fail to successfully implement the remainder of the Restructuring Plan, including our cost-saving measures, our results of operations, cash flows or financial condition, it may also have the effect of heightening other risks described in this section.

      Given the uncertainty around the extent and financial position may suffer. In addition,timing of the potential future spread or mitigation of the virus and around the imposition or relaxation of protective measures, we cannot predictat this time reasonably estimate the extentimpact to which our Restructuring Plan may adversely affect our business.

      Our involvement in intellectual property litigation could adversely affect our business.

              Our business is highly dependent upon intellectual property, a field that has encountered increasing litigation in recent years. If we are alleged to infringe the intellectual property rights of a third party, any litigation to defend the claim could be costly and would divert the time and resources of management, regardless of the merits of the claim. There can be no assurance that we would prevail in any such litigation. If we were to lose a litigation relating to intellectual property, we could be forced to pay monetary damages and to cease the sale of certain products or the use of certain technology. Any of the foregoing may adversely affect our business.

      The recorded music industry is under investigation by Eliot Spitzer, the Attorney General for the State of New York, regarding its practices in promoting its records to radio stations.

              On September 7, 2004, November 22, 2004 and March 31, 2005, Eliot Spitzer, the Attorney General of the State of New York, served Warner Music Group with requests for information in the form of subpoenas duces tecum in connection with an industry-wide investigation of the relationship between music companies and radio stations, including the use of independent promoters and accounting for any such payments. In response to the Attorney General's subpoenas. We have been producing documents and expect to complete our production in May or June. We also understand that this investigation has been expanded to include companies that own radio stations. The investigation is pursuant to New York Executive Law §63(12) and New York General Business Law §349, both of which are consumer fraud statutes. It is too soon to predict the outcome of this investigation, but it has the potential to result in changes in the manner in which the recorded music industry promotes its records or financial penalties, which could adversely affect our business, including our brand value.



      Due to the nature of our business, ourfuture results of operations, and cash flows may fluctuate significantly from period to period.and financial condition.

              Our net sales, operating income and profitability, like those of other companies in the music business, are largely affected by the number and quality of albums that we release, our release schedule, and, more importantly, the consumer demand for these releases. We also make advance payments to recording artists and songwriters, which impact our operating cash flows. The timing of album releases and advance payments is largely based on business and other considerations and is made without regard to the timing of the release of our financial results. We report results of operations quarterly and our results of operations and cash flows in any reporting period may be materially affected by the timing of releases and advance payments, which may result in significant fluctuations from period to period.

      Our operating results fluctuate on a seasonal and quarterly basis, and, in the event we do not generate sufficient net sales in our first fiscal quarter, we may not be able to meet our debt service and other obligations, including those under the Acquisition Corp. Notes and the Holdings Notes.

              Our business is seasonal. For the twelve months ended December 31, 2004, we derived approximately 83% of our revenues from our Recorded Music business. In the recorded music business, purchases are heavily weighted towards the last three months of the calendar year which represent our first quarter under our new September 30 fiscal year. Historically, we have realized greater than 35% of recorded music net sales worldwide during the last three months of the calendar year, making those three months (i.e., our new first fiscal quarter) material to our full-year performance. We realized 35% of recorded music calendar year net sales during the last three months of 2004. This sales seasonality affects our operating cash flow from quarter to quarter. We cannot assure you that our recorded music net sales for the last three months of any calendar year will continue to be sufficient to meet our obligations or that they will be higher than such net sales for our other quarters. In the event that we do not derive sufficient recorded music net sales in such last three months, we may not be able to meet our debt service under the notes and our other obligations.

      We may be unable to compete successfully in the highly competitive markets in which we operate, and we may suffer reduced profits as a result.

      The industryindustries in which we operate isare highly competitive, is based onhave experienced ongoing consolidation among major music entertainment companies and are driven by consumer preferences and isthat are rapidly changing. Additionally, the music industry requiresthey require substantial human and capital resources. We compete with other recorded music companies and music publisherspublishing companies to identify and sign new recording artists and songwriters who subsequentlywith the potential to achieve long-term success and to enter into and renew agreements with established recording artists and songwriters. In addition, our competitors may from time to time increase the amounts they spend to discover, or to market and promote, recording artists and songwriters or reduce the prices of their pricesmusic in an effort to expand market share and introduce new services, or improve the quality of their products or services.share. We may lose business if we are unable to sign successful recording artists or songwriters or to match the prices orof the quality of products and services,music offered by our competitors. Our Recorded Music business competes not only with other recorded music companies, but also with recording artists who may choose to distribute their own works (which has become more practicable as music is distributed online rather than physically) and companies in other industries (such as Spotify) that may choose to sign direct deals with recording artists or recorded music companies. Our Music Publishing business competes not only with other music publishing companies, but also with songwriters who publish their own works.works and companies in other industries that may choose to sign direct deals with songwriters or music publishing companies. Our Recorded Music business is to a large extent dependent on technological developments, including access to and selection and viability of new technologies, and is subject to potential pressure from competitors as a result of their technological developments. For example, our Recorded Music business may be further adversely affected by technological developments that facilitate the piracy of music, such as Internetpeer-to-peer file-sharing and CD-R activity; file sharing, by itsan inability to enforce our intellectual property rights in digital environments;environments and by itsa failure to further develop a successful business modelmodels applicable to a digital online environment. ItThe Recorded Music business also faces competition from other forms of entertainment and leisure activities, such as cable and satellite television, pre-recorded filmsmotion pictures and video games in physical and digital formats.

      Our prospects and financial results may be adversely affected if we fail to identify, sign and retain recording artists and songwriters and by the existence or absence of superstar releases.

      We are dependent on videocassettesidentifying, signing and DVD,retaining recording artists with long-term potential, whose debut music is well received on release, whose subsequent music is anticipated by consumers and whose music will continue to generate sales as part of our catalog for years to come. The competition among record companies for such talent is intense. Competition among record companies to sell and otherwise market and promote music is also intense. We are also dependent on signing and retaining songwriters who will write the Internethit songs of today and computerthe classics of tomorrow. Our competitive position is dependent on our continuing ability to attract and videogames.develop recording artists and songwriters whose work can achieve a high degree of public acceptance and who can timely deliver their music to us. Our financial results may be adversely affected if we are unable to identify, sign and retain such recording artists and songwriters under terms that are economically attractive to us. Our financial results may also be affected by the existence or absence of superstar recording artist releases during a particular period. Some music entertainment industry observers believe that the number of superstar recording acts with long-term appeal, both in terms of catalog sales and future releases, has declined in recent years. Additionally, our financial results are generally affected by the appeal of our recorded music and music publishing catalogs to consumers.

      If streaming adoption or revenues grows less rapidly or levels off, our prospects and our results of operations may be adversely affected.

      Streaming revenues are important because they have offset declines in downloads and physical sales and represent a growing area of our Recorded Music business. According to IFPI, streaming revenues, which includes revenues fromad-supported and subscription services, accounted for approximately 88% of digital revenues in 2019, up approximately 5% year-over-year. There can be no assurance that this growth pattern will



      persist or that digital revenues will continue to grow at a rate sufficient to offset and exceed declines in downloads and physical sales. If growth in streaming revenues levels off or fails to grow as quickly as it has over the past several years, our Recorded Music business may experience reduced levels of revenues and operating income. Additionally, slower growth in streaming adoption or revenues is also likely to have a negative impact on our Music Publishing business, which generates a significant portion of its revenues from sales and other uses of recorded music.

      We are substantially dependent on a limited number of digital music services for the online distribution and marketing of our music, and they are able to significantly influence the pricing structure for online music stores and may not correctly calculate royalties under license agreements.

      We derive an increasing portion of our revenues from the licensing of music through digital distribution channels. We are currently dependent on a small number of leading digital music services. In fiscal year 2019, revenue earned under our license agreements with our top two digital music accounts, Apple and Spotify, accounted for approximately 27% of our total revenues. We have limited ability to increase our wholesale prices to digital music services as a small number of digital music services control much of the legitimate digital music business. If these services were to adopt a lower pricing model or if there were structural changes to other pricing models, we could receive substantially less for our music, which could cause a material reduction in our revenues, unless offset by a corresponding increase in the number of transactions. We currently enter into short-term license agreements with many digital music services and provide our music on anat-will basis to others. There can be no assurance that we will be able to renew or enter into new license agreements with any digital music service. The terms of these license agreements, including the royalty rates that we receive pursuant to them, may change as a result of changes in our bargaining power, changes in the industry, changes in the law, or for other reasons. Decreases in royalty rates, rates of revenue sharing or changes to other terms of these license agreements may materially impact our business, operating results and financial condition. Digital music services generally accept and make available all of the music that we deliver to them. However, if digital music services in the future decide to limit the types or amount of music they will accept from music entertainment companies like us, our revenues could be significantly reduced. See “Business—Recorded Music—Sales and Digital Distribution.”

      We are also substantially dependent on a limited number of digital music services for the marketing of our music. A significant proportion of the music streamed on digital music services is from playlists curated by those services or generated from those services’ algorithms. If these services were to fail to include our music on playlists, change the position of our music on playlists or give us less marketing space, it could adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition.

      Under our license agreements and relevant statutes, we receive royalties from digital music services in order to stream or otherwise offer our music. The determination of the amount and timing of such payments is complex and subject to a number of variables, including the revenue generated, the type of music offered and the country in which it is sold, identification of the appropriate licensor, and the service tier on which music is made available. As a result, we may not be paid appropriately for our music. Failure to be accurately paid our royalties may adversely affect our business, operating results, and financial condition.

      Our business operations in some foreign countries subject us to trends, developments or other events in foreign countries which may affect us adversely.

      We are a global company with strong local presences, which have become increasingly important as the popularity of music originating from a country'scountry’s own language and culture has increased in recent years. Our mix of national and international recording artists and songwriters providesis designed to provide a significant degree of diversification fordiversification. However, our music portfolio. However, our creative content does not necessarily enjoy universal appeal.appeal and if it does not continue to appeal in various countries, our results of operations could be adversely impacted. As a result, our results can be

      affected not only by general industry trends, but also by trends, developments or other events in individual countries, including:

      restrictions on the repatriation of capital;

      fluctuations in interest and foreign exchange rates;

      differences and unexpected changes in regulatory environment, including environmental, health and safety, local planning, zoning and labor laws, rules and regulations;

      varying tax regimes which could adversely affect our results of operations or cash flows, including regulations relating to transfer pricing and withholding taxes on remittances and other payments by subsidiaries and joint ventures;

      exposure to different legal standards and enforcement mechanisms and the associated cost of compliance;

      difficulties in attracting and retaining qualified management and employees or rationalizing our workforce;

      tariffs, duties, export controls and other trade barriers;

      global economic and retail environment;

      longer accounts receivable settlement cycles and difficulties in collecting accounts receivable;

      recessionary trends, inflation and instability of the financial markets;

      higher interest rates; and

      political instability.

      We may not be able to insure or hedge against these risks, and we may not be able to ensure compliance with all of the applicable regulations without incurring additional costs.costs, or at all. For example, our results of operations could be impacted by fluctuations of the U.S. dollar against most currencies. See “—Unfavorable currency exchange rate fluctuations could adversely affect our results of operations.” Furthermore, financing may not be available in countries with less than investment-grade sovereign credit ratings. As a result, it may be difficult to create or maintain profit-makingprofitable operations in developingvarious countries.

      In addition, our results can be affected by trends, developments and other events in individual countries. There can be no assurance that in the future other country-specific trends, developments or other events will not have such a significant adverse effect on our business, results of operations or financial condition.

      Our business may be adversely affected by competitive Unfavorable conditions can depress revenues in any given market conditions and we may not be able to execute our business strategy.

              We intend to increase revenues and cash flow through a business strategy which requires us to, amongprompt promotional or other things, continue to maximize the value of our music assets, significantly reduce costs to maximize flexibility and adjust to new realities of the market, continue to act to contain digital piracy and capitalize on digital distribution and emerging technologies.

              Each of these initiatives requires sustained management focus, organization and coordination over significant periods of time. Each of these initiatives also requires success in building relationships with third parties and in anticipating and keeping up with technological developments and consumer preferences. The results of the strategy and the success of our implementation of this strategy will not



      be known for some time in the future. If we are unable to implement the strategy successfully or properly react to changes in market conditions, our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows could be adversely affected.

      Our ability to operate effectively could be impaired if we fail to attract and retain our executive officers.

              Our success depends, in part, upon the continuing contributions of our executive officers. Although we have employment agreements with our executive officers, there is no guaranteeactions that they will not leave. The loss of the services of any of our executive officers or the failure to attract other executive officers could have a material adverse effect on our business or our business prospects. See "Management" and "Prospectus Summary—Recent Developments—New Chief Financial Officer" and "Prospectus Summary—Recent Developments—New Head of Warner/Chappell Music."

      Legitimate channels for digital distribution of our creative content are a recent development, and their impact on our business is unclear and may be adverse.

              We have positioned ourselves to take advantage of the Internet and wireless as a sales distribution channel and believe that the development of legitimate channels for digital music distribution holds promise for us in the future. However, legitimate channels for digital distribution are a recent development and we cannot predict their impact on our business. Any legitimate digital distribution channel that does develop may result in lower or less profitable sales for us than comparable physical sales. In addition, if piracy continues unabated and legitimate digital distribution channels fail to gain consumer acceptance, our results of operations could be harmed.

      A significant portion of our music publishing revenues is subject to rate regulation either by government entities or by local third-party collection societies throughout the world, which may limit our profitability.

              Mechanical royalties and performance royalties are the two largest sources of income to our Music Publishing business and mechanical royalties are a significant expense to our Recorded Music business. In the U.S., mechanical rates are set pursuant to industry negotiations contemplated by the U.S. Copyright Act and performance rates are set by performing rights societies and subject to challenge by performing rights licensees. Outside the U.S., mechanical and performance rates are typically negotiated on an industry-wide basis. The mechanical and performance rates set pursuant to such processes may adversely affect us by limiting our ability to increase the profitability of our Music Publishing business. If the mechanical rates are set too high it may also adversely affect us by limiting our ability to increase the profitability of our Recorded Music business. The German IFPI group has filed a petition with the Arbitration Board of the German Patent and Trademark Office for the reduction of the current royalty rate for licensing compact discs from 9.01% of the Published Price for Dealers (PPD) to 5.57%. If the German IFPI group succeeds or other record companies or recorded music industry groups take similar positions in other countries and succeed, this could result in a significant loss of revenues for our Music Publishing business.margins.

      Unfavorable currency exchange rate fluctuations could adversely affect our results of operations.

      As we continue to expand our international operations, we become increasingly exposed to the effects of fluctuations in currency exchange rates. The reporting currency for our financial statements is the U.S. dollar. We have substantial assets, liabilities, revenues and costs denominated in currencies other than U.S. dollars. To prepare our consolidated financial statements, we must translate those assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses into U.S. dollars at then-applicable exchange rates. Consequently, increases and decreases in the value of the U.S. dollar versus other currencies will affect the amount of these items in our consolidated financial statements, even if their value has not changed in their original currency. These translations could result in significant changes to our results of operations from period to period. For the twelve



      months ended December 31, 2004, approximately 57%Prior to intersegment eliminations, 56% of our revenues and 38% of our assets related to operations in foreign territories. See footnote 24 to our historical financial statements andterritories for the accompanying notes included elsewhere in this prospectus.fiscal year ended September 30, 2019. From time to

      time, we enter into foreign exchange contracts to hedge the risk of unfavorable foreign currency exchange rate movements. During the current fiscal year, we have hedged a portion of our material foreign currency exposures related to royalty payments remitted between our foreign affiliates and our U.S. affiliates. However, these hedging strategies should not be expected to fully eliminate the foreign exchange rate risk to which we are exposed.

      Our business may be adversely affected by competitive market conditions, and we may not be able to execute our business strategy.

      We expect to increase revenues and cash flow through a business strategy which requires us, among other things, to continue to maximize the value of our music, to significantly reduce costs to maximize flexibility and adjust to new realities of the market, to continue to act to contain digital piracy and to diversify our revenue streams into growing segments of the music entertainment business by continuing to capitalize on digital distribution and emerging technologies, entering into expanded-rights deals with recording artists and by operating our artist services businesses.

      Each of these initiatives requires sustained management focus, organization and coordination over significant periods of time. Each of these initiatives also requires success in building relationships with third parties and in anticipating and keeping up with technological developments and consumer preferences and may involve the implementation of new business models or distribution platforms. The results of our strategy and the success of our implementation of this strategy will not be known for some time in the processfuture. If we are unable to implement our strategy successfully or properly react to changes in market conditions, our financial condition, results of evaluatingoperations and cash flows could be adversely affected.

      Due to the nature of our hedging practicesbusiness, our results of operations and cash flows and the trading price of our common stock may fluctuate significantly from period to period.

      Our results of operations are affected by the amount and quality of music that we release, the number of releases that include musical compositions published by us, timing of release schedules and, more importantly, the consumer demand for these releases. We also make advance payments to recording artists and songwriters, which impact our results of operations and operating cash flows. The timing of releases and advance payments is largely based on business and other considerations and is made without regard to the impact of the timing of the release on our financial results. In addition, certain of our license agreements with digital music services contain minimum guarantees and/or require that we are paid minimum guarantee payments. Our results of operations and cash flows in any reporting period may be materially affected by the timing of releases and advance payments and minimum guarantees, which may result in significant fluctuations from period to period, which may have an adverse impact on the price of our Class A common stock.

      Our results of operations in any reporting period may also be affected by the Plan, which pays annual bonuses to certain executives based on our free cash flow and offers participants the opportunity to share in appreciation of our common stock. The extent of the benefits awarded under the Plan is affected by our operating results and trading price of our common stock and, as such, to the extent that either or both fluctuates, the value of the award may increase or decrease materially, which could affect our cash flows and results of operations. In connection with this offering, we amended the Plan to provide that, following completion of the offering, Plan participants would no significant foreign exchange contractslonger have been entered into asthe option to settle deferred amounts in cash or to be paid in cash for redemption of December 31, 2004. Seetheir vested interests in WMG Management Holdings, LLC (“Management LLC”). Instead, following the offering, all deferred interests under the Plan would be settled in or redeemed with shares of our common stock. We currently expect to incur an accounting-related non-cash charge for the quarterly reporting period ending June 30, 2020, which is the next reporting date on which we are required to measure our share-based compensation costs under the Plan, and we currently estimate such charge to be approximately $388 million (assuming the midpoint of the price range set forth on the cover of this prospectus). Our estimate of this Plan-related charge is preliminary and is subject to change due to numerous factors, including the price at which

      shares are ultimately sold in this offering. We may also "Management'sincur non-cash charges in subsequent quarters during which the Plan is in effect. For more information on our accounting for share-based compensation, see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Market Risk Management."Operation—Critical Accounting Policies—Accounting for Share-Based Compensation.” For additional information on the Plan, see “Executive Compensation—Long-Term Equity Incentives—Warner Music Group Corp. Senior Management Free Cash Flow Plan.”

      Our ability to operate effectively could be impaired if we fail to attract and retain our executive officers.

      We compete with other music entertainment companies and other companies for top talent, including executive officers. Our success depends, in part, upon the continuing contributions of our executive officers, however, there is no guarantee that they will not leave. Only some of our executive officers have employment agreements. In fiscal year 2019, we did not have an employment agreement with our CEO. Our CEO and certain of our executive officers and members of management are participants in the Plan. The loss of the services of any of our executive officers or key members of management the failure to attract and retain other executive officers could have a material adverse effect on our business or our business prospects.

      A significant portion of our revenues are subject to rate regulation either by government entities or by local third-party collecting societies throughout the world and rates on other income streams may be set by governmental proceedings, which may limit our profitability.

      Mechanical royalties and performance royalties are two of the main sources of income to our Music Publishing business and mechanical royalties are a significant expense to our Recorded Music business. In the United States, mechanical royalty rates are set every five years pursuant to an administrative process under the U.S. Copyright Act, unless rates are determined through industry negotiations, and performance royalty rates are determined by negotiations with performing rights societies, the largest of which, ASCAP and BMI, are subject to a consent decree rate-setting process if negotiations are unsuccessful. In June 2019, the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice opened a review of its consent decrees with ASCAP and BMI to determine whether the decrees should be maintained in their current form, modified or terminated. Outside the United States, mechanical and performance royalty rates are typically negotiated on an industry-wide basis. In most territories outside the United States, mechanical royalties are based on a percentage of wholesale prices for physical product and based on a percentage of consumer prices for digital formats. The mechanical and performance royalty rates set pursuant to such processes may adversely affect us by limiting our ability to increase the profitability of our Music Publishing business. If the mechanical and performance royalty rates are set too high it may also adversely affect us by limiting our ability to increase the profitability of our Recorded Music business. In addition, rates our Recorded Music business receives in the United States for webcasting and satellite radio are set every five years by an administrative process under the U.S. Copyright Act unless rates are determined through industry negotiations. It is important as revenues continue to shift from physical to diversified distribution channels that we receive fair value for all of the uses of our intellectual property as our business model now depends upon multiple revenue streams from multiple sources. The rates set for recorded music and music publishing income sources through collecting societies or legally prescribed rate-setting processes could have a material adverse impact on our business prospects.

      Failure to obtain, maintain, protect and enforce our intellectual property rights could substantially harm our business, operating results and financial condition.

      The success of our business depends on our ability to obtain, maintain, protect and enforce our trademarks, copyrights and other intellectual property rights. The measures that we take to obtain, maintain, protect and enforce our intellectual property rights, including, if necessary, litigation or proceedings before governmental authorities and administrative bodies, may be ineffective, expensive and time-consuming and, despite such measures, third parties may be able to obtain and use our intellectual property rights without our permission. Additionally, changes in law may be implemented, or changes in interpretation of such laws may occur, that may

      affect our ability to obtain, maintain, protect or enforce our intellectual property rights. Failure to obtain, maintain, protect or enforce our intellectual property rights could harm our brand or brand recognition and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operation.

      We alsoin-license certain major trademarks from third parties, including the WARNER, WARNER MUSIC and WARNER RECORDS trademarks and the “W” logo, pursuant to a perpetual, royalty-free license agreement that may be terminated by the licensor under certain circumstances, including our material breach of the license agreement and certain events of insolvency. Upon any such termination, we may be required to either negotiate a new or reinstated agreement with less favorable terms or otherwise lose our rights to use the licensed trademarks, which may require us to change our corporate name and undergo other significant rebranding efforts. Any such rebranding efforts may be disruptive to our business operations, require us to incur significant expenses and have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operation.

      Our involvement in intellectual property litigation could adversely affect our business.

      Our business is highly dependent upon intellectual property, an area that has encountered increased litigation in recent years. If we are alleged to infringe, misappropriate or otherwise violate the intellectual property rights of a third party, any litigation to defend the claim could be costly and would divert the time and resources of management, regardless of the merits of the claim and whether the claim is settled out of court or determined in our favor. There can be no assurance that we would prevail in any such litigation. If we were to lose a litigation relating to intellectual property, we could be forced to pay monetary damages and to cease using certain intellectual property or technologies. Any of the foregoing may adversely affect our business.

      Digital piracy continues to adversely impact our business.

      A substantial portion of our revenue comes from the distribution of music which is potentially subject to unauthorized consumer copying and widespread digital dissemination without an economic return to us, including as a result of “stream-ripping.” In itsMusic Listening 2019report, IFPI surveyed 34,000 Internet users to examine the ways in which music consumers aged 16 to 64 engage with recorded music across 21 countries. Of those surveyed, 23% used illegal stream-ripping services, the leading form of music piracy. Organized industrial piracy may also lead to decreased revenues. The impact of digital piracy on legitimate music revenues and subscriptions is hard to quantify, but we believe that illegal file sharing and other forms of unauthorized activity, including stream manipulation, have a substantial negative impact on music revenues. If we fail to obtain appropriate relief through the judicial process or the complete enforcement of judicial decisions issued in our favor (or if judicial decisions are not in our favor), if we are unsuccessful in our efforts to lobby governments to enact and enforce stronger legal penalties for copyright infringement or if we fail to develop effective means of protecting and enforcing our intellectual property (whether copyrights or other intellectual property rights such as patents, trademarks and trade secrets) or our music entertainment-related products or services, our results of operations, financial position and prospects may suffer.

      An impairment in the carrying value of goodwill or other intangible and long-lived assets could negatively affect our operating results and equity.

      As of March 31, 2020, we had $1.761 billion of goodwill and $151 million of indefinite-lived intangible assets. Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 350,Intangibles—Goodwill and Other (“ASC 350”) requires that we test these assets for impairment annually (or more frequently should indications of impairment arise) by first assessing qualitative factors and then by quantitatively estimating the fair value of each of our reporting units (calculated using a discounted cash flow method) and comparing that value to the reporting units’ carrying value, if necessary. If the carrying value exceeds the fair value, there is a potential impairment and additional testing must be performed. In performing our annual tests and determining whether indications of impairment exist, we consider numerous factors including actual and projected operating results of each reporting unit, external market factors such as market

      prices for similar assets and trends in the music entertainment industry. We performed an annual assessment, at July 1, 2019, of the recoverability of our goodwill and indefinite-lived intangibles as of September 30, 2019, noting no instances of impairment. However, future events may occur that could adversely affect the estimated fair value of our reporting units. Such events may include, but are not limited to, strategic decisions made in response to changes in economic and competitive conditions and the impact of the economic environment on our operating results. Failure to achieve sufficient levels of cash flow at our reporting units could also result in impairment charges on goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets. If the value of the acquired goodwill or acquired indefinite-lived intangible assets is impaired, our operating results and shareholders’ equity could be adversely affected.

      We also had $1.644 billion of definite-lived intangible assets as of March 31, 2020. FASB ASC Topic360-10-35 (“ASC 360-10-35”) requires companies to review these assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amounts may not be recoverable. No such events or circumstances were identified during the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019. If similar events occur as enumerated above such that we believe indicators of impairment are present, we would test for recoverability by comparing the carrying value of the asset to the net undiscounted cash flows expected to be generated from the asset. If those net undiscounted cash flows do not exceed the carrying amount, we would perform the next step, which is to determine the fair value of the asset, which could result in an impairment charge. Any impairment charge recorded could negatively affect our operating results and shareholders’ equity.

      We may not have full control and ability to direct the operations we conduct through joint ventures.

      We currently have interests in a number of joint ventures and may in the future enter into further joint ventures as a means of conducting our business. In addition, we structure certain of our relationships with recording artists and songwriters as joint ventures. We may not be able to fully control the operations and the assets of our joint ventures, and we may not be able to make major decisions or may not be able to take timely actions with respect to our joint ventures unless our joint venture partners agree.

      If we acquire, combine with or invest in other businesses, we will face risks inherent in such transactions.

      We have in the past considered and will continue, from time to time, to consider, opportunistic strategic or transformative transactions, which could involve acquisitions, combinations or dispositions of businesses or assets, or strategic alliances or joint ventures with companies engaged in music entertainment, entertainment or other businesses. Any such combination could be material, be difficult to implement, disrupt our business or change our business profile, focus or strategy significantly.

      Any future transaction could involve numerous risks, including:

      potential disruption of our ongoing business and distraction of management;

      potential loss of recording artists or songwriters from our rosters;

      difficulty integrating the acquired businesses or segregating assets to be disposed of;

      exposure to unknown and/or contingent or other liabilities, including litigation arising in connection with the acquisition, disposition and/or against any businesses we may acquire;

      reputational or other damages to our business as a result of a failure to consummate such a transaction for, among other reasons, failure to gain antitrust approval; and

      changing our business profile in ways that could have unintended consequences.

      If we enter into significant transactions in the future, related accounting charges may affect our financial condition and results of operations, particularly in the case of any acquisitions. In addition, the financing of any significant acquisition may result in changes in our capital structure, including the incurrence of additional

      indebtedness, which may be substantial. Conversely, any material disposition could reduce our indebtedness or require the amendment or refinancing of our outstanding indebtedness or a portion thereof. We may not be successful in addressing these risks or any other problems encountered in connection with any strategic or transformative transactions. We cannot assure you that if we make any future acquisitions, investments, strategic alliances or joint ventures or enter into any business combination that they will be completed in a timely manner, or at all, that they will be structured or financed in a way that will enhance our creditworthiness or that they will meet our strategic objectives or otherwise be successful. We also may not be successful in implementing appropriate operational, financial and management systems and controls to achieve the benefits expected to result from these transactions. Failure to effectively manage any of these transactions could result in material increases in costs or reductions in expected revenues, or both. In addition, if any new business in which we invest or which we attempt to develop does not progress as planned, we may not recover the funds and resources we have expended and this could have a negative impact on our businesses or our company as a whole.

      We have outsourced certain finance and accounting functions and may outsource other back-office functions, which will make us more dependent upon third parties.

      In an effort to be more efficient and generate cost savings, we have outsourced certain finance and accounting functions. As a result, we rely on third parties to ensure that our needs are sufficiently met. This reliance subjects us to risks arising from the loss of control over processes, changes in pricing that may affect our operating results, and potentially, termination of provisions of these services by our suppliers. A failure of our service providers to perform services in a satisfactory manner may have a significant adverse effect on our business. We may outsource other back-office functions in the future, which would increase our reliance on third parties.

      We have engaged in substantial restructuring activities in the past, and may need to implement further restructurings in the future and our restructuring efforts may not be successful or generate expected cost savings.

      Our business is significantly impacted by ongoing changes in the music entertainment industry. In response, we actively seek to adapt our cost structure to the changing economics of the industry. For example, we have shifted and continue to shift resources from our physical sales channels to efforts focused on digital channels, emerging technologies and other new revenue streams, and we continue our efforts to reduce overhead and manage our variable and fixed-cost structure. In fiscal year 2018, we completed the creation of our new center of excellence for U.S. financial shared services in Nashville, Tennessee, which combined our U.S. transactional financial functions in one location. To establish the new center, we moved some of our U.S. departments to Nashville. In August 2019, we announced that we were beginning a financial transformation initiative to upgrade our information technology and finance infrastructure over the next two years, including related systems and processes. We expect to incur material costs in connection with this project, and there can be no assurance that we will be successful in upgrading our systems and processes effectively or on the timetable and at the costs contemplated, or that we will achieve the expected long-term cost savings.

      We cannot be certain that we will not be required to implement further restructuring activities, make additions or other changes to our management or workforce based on other cost reduction measures or changes in the markets and industry in which we compete. Our inability to structure our operations based on evolving market conditions could impact our business. Restructuring activities can create unanticipated consequences and negative impacts on the business, and we cannot be sure that any ongoing or future restructuring efforts will be successful or generate expected cost savings.

      If we or our service providers do not maintain the security of information relating to our customers, employees and vendors and our music, security information breaches through cyber security attacks or otherwise could damage our reputation with customers, employees, vendors and artists, and we could incur substantial additional costs, become subject to litigation and our results of operations and financial condition could be adversely affected. Moreover, even if we or our service providers maintain such security, such breaches remain a possibility due to the fact that no data security system is immune from attacks or other incidents.

      We receive certain personal information about our customers and potential customers, and we also receive personal information concerning our employees, artists and vendors. In addition, our online operations depend upon the secure transmission of confidential information over public networks. We maintain security measures with respect to such information, but despite these measures, are vulnerable to security breaches by computer hackers and others that attempt to penetrate the security measures that we have in place. A compromise of our security systems (through cyber-attacks, which are rapidly evolving and sophisticated, or otherwise) that results in personal information being obtained by unauthorized persons or other bad acts could adversely affect our reputation with our customers, potential customers, employees, artists and vendors, as well as our operations, results of operations, financial condition and liquidity, and could result in litigation against us or the imposition of governmental penalties. Unauthorized persons have also attempted to redirect payments to or from us. If any such attempt were successful, we could lose and fail to recover the redirected funds, which loss could be material. We may also be subject to cyber-attacks that target our music, includingnot-yet-released music. The theft and premature release of this music may adversely affect our reputation with current and potential artists and adversely impact our results of operations and financial condition. In addition, a security breach could require that we expend significant additional resources related to our information security systems and could result in a disruption of our operations.

      We increasingly rely on third-party data storage providers, including cloud storage solution providers, resulting in less direct control over our data. Such third parties may also be vulnerable to security breaches and compromised security systems, which could adversely affect our business.

      Evolving laws and regulations concerning data privacy may result in increased regulation and different industry standards, which could increase the costs of operations or limit our activities.

      We engage in a wide array of online activities and are thus subject to a broad range of related laws and regulations including, for example, those relating to privacy, consumer protection, data retention and data protection, online behavioral advertising,geo-location tracking, text messaging,e-mail advertising, mobile advertising, content regulation, defamation, age verification, the protection of children online, social media and other Internet, mobile and online-related prohibitions and restrictions. The regulatory framework for privacy and data security issues worldwide has become increasingly burdensome and complex, and is likely to continue to be so for the foreseeable future. Practices regarding the collection, use, storage, transmission, security and disclosure of personal information by companies operating over the Internet and mobile platforms are receiving ever-increasing public and governmental scrutiny. The U.S. government, including Congress, the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Commerce, has announced that it is reviewing the need for even greater regulation for the collection of information concerning consumer behavior on the Internet and mobile platforms, including regulation aimed at restricting certain targeted advertising practices, the use of location data and disclosures of privacy practices in the online and mobile environments, including with respect to online and mobile applications. State governments are engaged in similar legislative and regulatory activities. In addition, privacy and data security laws and regulations around the world are being implemented rapidly and evolving. These new and evolving laws (including the European Union General Data Protection Regulation effective on May 25, 2018 and the California Consumer Privacy Act effective on January 1, 2020) are likely to result in greater compliance burdens for companies with global operations. Globally, many government and consumer agencies have also called for new regulation and changes in industry practices with respect to information collected from consumers, electronic marketing and the use of third-party cookies, web beacons and similar technology for online behavioral advertising.

      The Federal Trade Commission adopted certain revisions to its rule promulgated pursuant to the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (“COPPA”), effective as of July 1, 2013, that may impose greater compliance burdens on us. COPPA imposes a number of obligations, such as obtaining verifiable parental permission on operators of websites, apps and other online services to the extent they collect certain information from children who are under 13 years of age. The changes broaden the applicability of COPPA, including by expanding the definition of “personal information” subject to the rule’s parental consent and other obligations.

      Our business, including our ability to operate and expand internationally, could be adversely affected if laws or regulations are adopted, interpreted or implemented in a manner that is inconsistent with our current business practices and that require changes to these practices. Therefore, our business could be harmed by any significant change to applicable laws, regulations or industry practices regarding the collection, use or disclosure of customer data, or regarding the manner in which the express or implied consent of consumers for such collection, use and disclosure is obtained. Such changes may require us to modify our operations, possibly in a material manner, and may limit our ability to develop new products, services, mechanisms, platforms and features that make use of data regarding our customers and potential customers. Any actual or alleged violations of laws and regulations relating to privacy and data security, and any relevant claims, may expose us to potential liability, fines and may require us to expend significant resources in responding to and defending such allegations and claims, regardless of merit. Claims or allegations that we have violated laws and regulations relating to privacy and data security could also result in negative publicity and a loss of confidence in us.

      The enactment of legislation limiting the terms by which an individual can be bound under a "personal services"“personal services” contract could impair our ability to retain the services of key artists.

      California Labor Code Section 2855 ("(“Section 2855"2855”) limits the duration of time any individual can be bound under a contract for "personal services"“personal services” to a maximum of seven years. In 1987, Subsection (b) was added, which provides a limited exception to Section 2855 for recording contracts, creating a damages remedy for record companies. Legislation was introducedSuch legislation could result in California to repeal Subsection (b) and then withdrawn. Legislation was introducedcertain of our existing contracts with artists being declared

      unenforceable, or may restrict the terms under which we enter into contracts with artists in New York to create a statute similar to Section 2855, the future, either of

      which did not advance.could adversely affect our results of operations. There is no assurance that New York, California or any other state will not reintroduce or introduce similar legislation in the future. In fact, legislation similarfuture seeking to Section 2855 has recently been introduced in the New York Assembly.repeal Subsection (b). The repeal of Subsection (b) of Section 2855 and/or the passage of legislation similar to Section 2855 by other states could materially adversely affect our results of operations and financial position.

      We face a potential loss of catalog if it is determinedto the extent that our recording artists have a right to recapture rights in their recordings under the U.S. Copyright Act.

      The U.S. Copyright Act provides authors (or their heirs) a right to terminate U.S. licenses or assignments of rights in their copyrighted works.works in certain circumstances. This right does not apply to works that are "works“works made for hire".hire.” Since the effective dateenactment of U.S. copyrightabilitythe Sound Recordings Act of 1971, which first accorded federal copyright protection for sound recordings (February 15, 1972)in the U.S., virtually all of our agreements with recording artists provide that such recording artists render services under an employment-for-hireawork-made-for-hire relationship. A termination right exists under the U.S. Copyright Act for U.S. rights in musical compositions that are not "works“works made for hire".hire.” If any of our commercially available sound recordings were determined not to be "works“works made for hire",hire,” then the recording artists (or their heirs) could have the right to terminate the U.S. federal copyright rights they granted to us, generally during a five-year period starting at the end of 35 years from the date of release of a recording under a post-1977 license or assignment (or, in the case of apre-1978 grant in apre-1978 recording, generally during a five-year period starting either at the end of 56 years from the date of copyright or on January 1, 1978, whichever is later)copyright). A termination of U.S. federal copyright rights could have an adverse effect on our Recorded Music business. From time to time, authors (or their heirs) canhave the opportunity to terminate our U.S. rights in musical compositions. However, weWe believe the effect of thoseany potential terminations is already reflected in the financial results of our Music Publishing business.

      If our recording artists and songwriters are characterized as employees, we acquirewould be subject to employment and withholding liabilities.

      Although we believe that the recording artists and songwriters with which we partner are properly characterized as independent contractors, tax or investother regulatory authorities may in other businesses, we will face certain risks inherentthe future challenge our characterization of these relationships. We are aware of a number of judicial decisions and legislative proposals that could bring about major reforms in such transactions.

              We may acquire, make investments in, or enter into strategic alliances or joint venturesworker classification, including the California legislature’s recent passage of California Assembly Bill 5 (“AB 5”). AB 5 purports to codify a new test for determining worker classification that is widely viewed as expanding the scope of employee relationships and narrowing the scope of independent contractor relationships. Given AB 5’s recent passage, there is no guidance from the regulatory authorities charged with companies engaged in businesses that are similar or complementary to ours. If we make such



      acquisitions or investments or enter into strategic alliances, we will face certain risks inherent in such transactions. For example, gaining regulatory approval for significant acquisitions or investments could be a lengthy processits enforcement, and there can be no assuranceis a significant degree of a successful outcome. We could face difficulties in managing and integrating newly acquired operations. Additionally, such transactions would divert management resources and may result in the loss of artists or songwriters from our rosters. We cannot assure you that if we make any future acquisitions, investments, strategic alliances or joint ventures that they will be completed in a timely manner, that they will be structured or financed in a way that will enhance our creditworthiness or that they will meet our strategic objectives or otherwise be successful. Failure to effectively manage any of these transactions could result in material increases in costs or reductions in expected revenues, or both.

      We are controlled by entities that may have conflicts of interest with us or you in the future.

              After giving effect to this offering, the Investors will still control a majority of our capital stock (approximately 71%). So long as the Investors continue to hold a majority of our outstanding common stock, the Investors will be entitled to nominate a majority of our board of directors, and will have the ability to effectively control the vote in any election of directors.uncertainty regarding its application. In addition, after giving effectAB 5 has been the subject of widespread national discussion and it is possible that other jurisdictions may enact similar laws. If such regulatory authorities or state, federal or foreign courts were to this offering, representatives of the Investors will occupy substantially all of the seats ondetermine that our board of directorsrecording artists and pursuantsongwriters are employees, and not independent contractors, we would be required to the stockholders agreement, will have the rightwithhold income taxes, to appoint all of the independent directorswithhold and pay Social Security, Medicare and similar taxes and to our board.pay unemployment and other related payroll taxes. We would also be liable for unpaid past taxes and subject to penalties. As a result, any determination that our recording artists and songwriters are our employees could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

      Fulfilling our obligations incident to being a public company will be expensive and time-consuming, and any delays or difficulties in satisfying these obligations could have a material adverse effect on our future results of operations and our stock price.

      Following this offering, we will be subject to the Investors have the abilityreporting, accounting and corporate governance requirements applicable to control our policies and operations,issuers of listed equity, including the appointmentlisting standards of management,Nasdaq and the entering intoSarbanes-Oxley Act. The expenses associated with being a public company include increases in auditing, accounting and legal fees and expenses, investor relations expenses, increased directors’ fees and director and officer liability insurance costs, registrar and transfer agent fees and listing fees, as well as other expenses. Failure to comply with any of mergers, acquisitions, sales of assets, divestituresthe public company requirements applicable to us following the offering could potentially subject us to sanctions or investigations by the U.S. Securities and other extraordinary transactions, future issuances of our common stockExchange Commission (the “SEC”) or other securities, the payments of dividends, if any, on our common stock, the incurrence of debt by us and the amendment of our certificate of incorporation and bylaws. The Investors will have the ability to prevent any transaction that requires the approval of our board of directors or the stockholders regardless of whether or not other members of our board of directors or stockholders believe that any such transaction is in their own best interests. For example, the Investors could cause us to make acquisitions that increase our indebtedness or to sell revenue-generating assets. Additionally, the Investors are in the business of making investments in companies and may from time to time acquire and hold interests in businesses that compete directly or indirectly with us. The Investors may also pursue acquisition opportunities that may be complementary to our business, and, as a result, those acquisition opportunities may not be available to us. So long as the Investors continue to meet certain ownership thresholds, the Investors will be entitled to nominate a majority of our board of directors. See "Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Stockholders Agreement." In addition, so long as the Investors continue to own a significant amount of our equity, even if such amount is less than 50%, they will continue to be able to strongly influence or effectively control our decisions.regulatory authorities.

      Our reliance on one company for the manufacturing, packaging and physical distribution of our products in North America and Europe could have an adverse impact on our ability to meet our manufacturing, packaging and physical distribution requirements.

              Cinram is currently our exclusive supplier of manufacturing, packaging and physical distribution services in North America and most of Europe. Accordingly, our continued ability to meet our manufacturing, packaging and physical distribution requirements in those territories depends largely on Cinram's continued successful operation in accordance with the service level requirements mandated by us in our service agreements. If, for any reason, Cinram were to fail to meet contractually required service levels, we would have difficulty satisfying our commitments to our wholesale and retail customers, which could have an adverse impact on our revenues. Even though our agreements with Cinram give us a right to terminate based upon failure to meet mandated service levels, and there are several capable substitute suppliers, it might be difficult for us to switch to substitute suppliers for any such services, particularly in the short-term, and the delay and transition time associated with finding



      substitute suppliers could itself have an adverse impact on our revenues. In addition, our agreements with Cinram begin to expire in the next two years, beginning in 2006. If we are unable to negotiate renewals of these agreements we would have to switch to substitute suppliers. Further, pricing negotiated with Cinram in future agreements may be more or less favorable than the existing agreements.

      We may be materially and adversely affected by the separation of our business from Time Warner.

              As a result of the Acquisition, we are an independent entity. We cannot assure you that our separation from Time Warner will progress smoothly, which could materially and adversely impact our results. In the past, we have relied on contractual arrangements which required Time Warner and its affiliates to provide some services such as critical transitional services and shared arrangements to us such as tax, treasury, benefits and information technology, most of which expired as of December 31, 2004. Time Warner still provides some DX Online Services, a web-based solution designed to manage small package shipping. See "Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Seller Administrative Services Agreement." However, we have replaced the majority of these services and arrangements and are in the process of replacing any remaining services and arrangements that we will still need as an independent entity. The new services and arrangements we have put in place may not operate as effectively or cost effectively as those we previously received from Time Warner and we may not be able to replace any remaining services and arrangements on terms and conditions, including service levels and cost, as favorable as those we have received from Time Warner.

      We may be materially and adversely affected by the formation of Sony BMG Music Entertainment.

              In August 2004 Sony Music Entertainment ("Sony") and Bertelsmann Music Group ("BMG") merged their recorded music businesses to form Sony BMG Music Entertainment ("Sony BMG"). As a result, the recorded music market now consists of four major players (Universal, Sony BMG, EMI Recorded Music ("EMI") and us) rather than five (Universal, Sony, BMG, EMI and us). Prior to the formation of Sony BMG, there was one disproportionately large major, Universal, with approximately 25% market share and four other majors relatively equal in size with market shares ranging between 11% and 14%. Now there are two majors with 25% to 30% market shares, Universal and Sony BMG, and two significantly smaller majors, EMI and us. There is a threat that the change in the competitive landscape caused by the new Universal and Sony BMG duopoly could drive up the costs of artist signings and the costs of marketing and promoting records to our detriment.


      Risks Related to ourOur Leverage

      Our substantial leverage on a consolidated basis could adversely affect our ability to raise additional capital to fund our operations, limit our ability to react to changes in the economy or our industry and prevent us from meeting our obligations under our indebtedness.

      We are highly leveraged. As of DecemberMarch 31, 2004,2020, our total consolidated indebtedness, net of deferred financing costs, was $2.55$2.983 billion. AfterIn addition, we would have been able to borrow up to $167 million under our Revolving Credit Facility (as defined later in this prospectus) as of March 31, 2020 (after giving effect to the Initial Common Stock Offering and the Concurrent Transactions, we would have had $2.26 billionapproximately $13 million of debtletters of credit outstanding under our Revolving Credit Facility as of DecemberMarch 31, 2004. We have an additional $250 million available for borrowing under the revolving portion of Acquisition Corp.'s senior secured credit facility (less $4 million of current letters of credit)2020). See "Capitalization" for additional information.

      Our high degree of leverage could have important consequences for you, including:

        makingour investors. For example, it may make it more difficult for us and our subsidiaries to make payments on our indebtedness;

        increasing increase our vulnerability to general economic and industry conditions;

          requiring a substantial portionconditions, including recessions and periods of cash flow from operations to be dedicated to the payment of principalsignificant inflation and interest on indebtedness, therefore reducing our ability to use our cash flow to fund our operations, capital expenditures and future business opportunities;

          exposingfinancial market volatility; expose us to the risk of increased interest rates as certain ofbecause any borrowings we make under the borrowingsrevolving portion of our subsidiaries, including borrowings under Acquisition Corp.'s senior secured credit facility,Senior Credit Facilities will bebear interest at variable ratesrates; require us to use a substantial portion of interest;

          limitingour cash flow from operations to service our indebtedness, thereby reducing our ability and the ability of our subsidiaries to obtain additional financing forfund working capital, capital expenditures product development, debt service requirements, acquisitions and general corporate or other purposes; and

          limitingexpenses; limit our ability to adjustrefinance existing indebtedness on favorable terms or at all or borrow additional funds in the future for, among other things, working capital, acquisitions or debt

        service requirements; limit our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changing market conditionschanges in our business and placingthe industries in which we operate; place us at a competitive disadvantage compared to competitors that have less indebtedness; and limit our competitors who are less highly leveraged.ability to borrow additional funds that may be needed to operate and expand our business.

        We and our subsidiaries may be able to incur substantial additional indebtedness in the future, subject to the restrictions contained in Acquisition Corp.'s senior secured credit facility and the indentures relating togoverning our outstanding notes as well as under the Acquisition Corp. Notes and Holdings Notes.Senior Credit Facilities. If new indebtedness is added to our current debt levels, the related risks that we and our subsidiaries now face could intensify.

        The indentures that govern our outstanding notes and the Senior Credit Facilities contain restrictive covenants that limit our ability to engage in activities that may be in our long-term best interests. Those covenants include restrictions on our ability to, among other things, incur more indebtedness, pay dividends, redeem stock or make other distributions, make investments, create liens, transfer or sell assets, merge or consolidate and enter into certain transactions with our affiliates. Our failure to comply with those covenants could result in an event of default, which, if not cured or waived, could result in the acceleration of all of our indebtedness. See also “—Our debt agreements contain restrictions that limit our flexibility in operating our business.” Any such event of default or acceleration could have an adverse effect on the trading price of our common stock.

        As a holding company, WMG depends on the ability of its subsidiaries to transfer funds to it to meet its obligations.

        WMG is a holding company for all of our operations and is a legal entity separate from its subsidiaries. Dividends and other distributions from WMG’s subsidiaries are the principal sources of funds available to WMG to pay corporate operating expenses, to pay stockholder dividends, to repurchase stock and to meet its other obligations. The inability to receive dividends from our subsidiaries could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, liquidity or results of operations.

        The subsidiaries of WMG have no obligation to pay amounts due on any liabilities of WMG or to make funds available to WMG for such payments. The ability of our subsidiaries to pay dividends or other distributions to WMG in the future will depend, among other things, on their earnings, tax considerations and covenants contained in any financing or other agreements, such as the covenants governing our current indebtedness which restrict the ability of Acquisition Corp. to pay dividends and make distributions. In addition, such payments may be limited as a result of claims against our subsidiaries by their creditors, including suppliers, vendors, lessors and employees.

        If the ability of our subsidiaries to pay dividends or make other distributions or payments to WMG is materially restricted by cash needs, bankruptcy or insolvency, or is limited due to operating results or other factors, we may be required to raise cash through the incurrence of debt, the issuance of equity or the sale of assets. However, there is no assurance that we would be able to raise sufficient cash by these means. This could materially and adversely affect our ability to pay our obligations or pay dividends, which could have an adverse effect on the trading price of our common stock.

        Acquisition Corp. may not be able to generate sufficient cash to service all of theirits indebtedness, and may be forced to take other actions to satisfy theirits obligations under suchits indebtedness, which may not be successful.

                Our subsidiaries'Acquisition Corp.’s ability to make scheduled payments on or to refinance theirits debt obligations depends on our subsidiaries'its financial condition and operating performance, which is subject to prevailing economic and competitive conditions and to certain financial, business and other factors beyond their and our control. Our subsidiariesAcquisition Corp. may not be able to maintain a level of cash flowsflow from operating activities sufficient to permit themus to pay the principal, premium, if any, and interest on theirour indebtedness.

        Acquisition Corp. will rely on its subsidiaries to make payments on its borrowings. If these subsidiaries do not dividend funds to Acquisition Corp. in an amount sufficient to make such payments, if necessary in the future, Acquisition Corp. may default under the indentures or credit facilities governing its borrowings, which would result in all such borrowings becoming due and payable.

        Our debt agreements contain restrictions that limit our flexibility in operating our business.

        The indentures governing our outstanding notes contain various covenants that limit our ability to engage in specified types of transactions. These covenants limit our ability and the ability of our restricted subsidiaries to, among other things: incur additional debt or issue certain preferred shares; create liens on certain debt; pay dividends on or make distributions in respect of our capital stock or make investments or other restricted payments; sell certain assets; pay dividends to us (in the case of our restricted subsidiaries) or make certain other intercompany transfers; enter into certain transactions with our affiliates; and consolidate, merge, sell or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of our assets.

        In addition, the credit agreements governing the Senior Credit Facilities contain a number of covenants that limit our ability and the ability of our restricted subsidiaries to: pay dividends on, and redeem and purchase, equity interests; make other restricted payments; make prepayments on, redeem or repurchase certain debt; incur certain liens; make certain loans and investments; incur certain additional debt; enter into guarantees and hedging arrangements; enter into mergers, acquisitions and asset sales; enter into transactions with affiliates; change the business we and our subsidiaries conduct; pay dividends or make distributions; amend the terms of subordinated debt and unsecured bonds; and make certain capital expenditures.

        Our ability to borrow additional amounts under the revolving portion of the Senior Credit Facilities depends upon satisfaction of these covenants. Events beyond our control can affect our ability to meet these covenants. In addition, under the credit agreement governing the revolving portion of the Senior Credit Facilities, a financial maintenance covenant is applicable if at the end of a quarter the outstanding amount of loans and letters of credit is in excess of $105 million.

        Our failure to comply with obligations under the instruments governing our indebtedness may result in an event of default under such instruments. We cannot be certain that we will have funds available to remedy these defaults. A default, if not cured or waived, may permit acceleration of our indebtedness. If our subsidiaries'indebtedness is accelerated, we cannot be certain that we will have sufficient funds available to pay the accelerated indebtedness or will have the ability to refinance the accelerated indebtedness on terms favorable to us or at all.

        All of these restrictions could affect our ability to operate our business or may limit our ability to take advantage of potential business opportunities as they arise, and may have an adverse effect on the trading price of our common stock. We may, from time to time, refinance our existing indebtedness, which could result in the agreements governing any new indebtedness having fewer or less restrictive covenants, including removing or lessening restrictions on our ability to incur additional indebtedness or make restricted payments.

        If our cash flows and capital resources are insufficient to fund theirour debt service obligations, we and our subsidiaries may be forced to reduce or delay investments in recording artists and songwriters, capital expenditures or dividends, or to sell assets, seek additional capital or restructure or refinance theirour indebtedness. These alternative measures may not be successful and may not permit our subsidiariesus to meet theirour scheduled debt service obligations. In the absence of such operating results and financing resources, we could face substantial liquidity problems and might be required to dispose of material assets or operations to meet our subsidiaries' debt service and other obligations. The senior secured credit facility and the indentures governing the Acquisition Corp. Notes and the Holdings Notesour outstanding notes restrict our subsidiaries' ability to dispose of assets and use the proceeds from any such disposition. Our subsidiariesdispositions. We may not be able to consummate any such dispositionthose dispositions or to obtain the proceeds which we could realize from them. Additionally,them and these proceeds may not be adequate to meet any debt service obligations then due.

                Holdings also will be relying on Acquisition Corp. and its subsidiaries While subject to make payments oncertain restrictions in our debt agreements, if we were to pay dividends to our shareholders, the Holdings Notes. For example, interest on the Holdings Floating Rate Senior Notes is payable quarterly, in cash, commencing in March 2005. If Acquisition Corp. does not dividend funds to Holdings in an amount sufficientused to make such dividend payments Holdingswould not be available to service our indebtedness.

        Despite our indebtedness levels, we may default underbe able to incur substantially more indebtedness, which may increase the indenturerisks created by our substantial indebtedness.

        We may be able to incur substantial additional indebtedness, including additional secured indebtedness, in the future. The indentures governing our outstanding notes and the credit agreements governing the Senior Credit Facilities will not fully prohibit us, Holdings Notes,or our subsidiaries from incurring additional indebtedness under certain circumstances. If we, Holdings or our subsidiaries are in compliance with certain incurrence ratios set forth in such indentures, we, Holdings or our subsidiaries may be able to incur substantial additional indebtedness, which would result in allmay increase the risks created by our current substantial indebtedness.

        Our ability to incur secured indebtedness is subject to compliance with certain secured leverage ratios that are calculated as of the date of incurrence. The amount of secured indebtedness that we are able to incur and the timing of any such notes becoming dueincurrence under these ratios vary from time to time and payable. Because Acquisition Corp.'sare a function of several variables, including our outstanding indebtedness and our results of operations calculated as of specified dates or for certain periods.

        To the extent that the terms of our current debt agreements have covenantswould prevent us from incurring additional indebtedness, we may be able to obtain amendments to those agreements that limit its abilitywould allow us to incur such additional indebtedness, and such additional indebtedness could be material.

        A downgrade, suspension or withdrawal of the rating assigned by a rating agency to us could cause the liquidity or market value of our indebtedness to decline and our cost of capital to increase.

        Any future lowering of our ratings may make paymentsit more difficult or more expensive for us to Holdings, Holdingsobtain additional debt financing. Therefore, although reductions in our debt ratings may not have access to funds in an amount sufficient to service its indebtedness.



        Ourimmediate impact on the cost of debt agreements contain restrictions that limitor our flexibility in operating our business.

                Acquisition Corp.'s senior secured credit agreement and the indentures governing the Acquisition Corp. Notes and Holdings Notes contain various covenants that limit our ability to engage in specified types of transactions. These covenants limit the ability of restricted subsidiaries of Holdings and Acquisition Corp. to, among other things:

          incur additional indebtedness or issue certain preferred shares;

          pay dividends on or make distributions in respect of our capital stock or make other restricted payments;

          make certain investments;

          sell certain assets;

          create liens on certain indebtedness without securing the notes;

          consolidate, merge, sell or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of our assets;

          enter into certain transactions with our affiliates; and

          designate our subsidiaries as unrestricted subsidiaries.

                In addition, under Acquisition Corp.'s senior secured credit agreement, Acquisition Corp., Holdings and their subsidiaries are required to satisfy and maintain specified financial ratios and other financial condition tests. Their ability to meet those financial ratios and tests can be affected by events beyond our control, andliquidity, they may not be able to meet those ratiosimpact the cost of debt and tests. A breach of any of these covenants could result in a default under Acquisition Corp.'s senior secured credit agreement. Uponliquidity over the occurrence of an event of default under Acquisition Corp.'s senior secured credit agreement, the lenders could elect to declare all amounts outstanding under Acquisition Corp.'s senior secured credit agreement to be immediately due and payable and terminate all commitments to extend further credit. If we were unable to repay those amounts, the lenders under Acquisition Corp.'s senior secured credit agreement could proceed against the collateral granted to them to secure that indebtedness. We have pledged a significant portion of our assets as collateral under Acquisition Corp.'s senior secured credit agreement. If the lenders under Acquisition Corp.'s senior secured credit agreement accelerate the repayment of borrowings, we may not have sufficient assets to repay Acquisition Corp.'s senior secured credit agreement, as well as any unsecured indebtedness. On December 6, 2004, we amended the senior secured credit agreement to make certain changes. In connection with the Initial Common Stock Offering and the Concurrent Transactions, we intend to further amend the senior secured credit agreement. See "Description of Indebtedness" for a description of these changes.

        Warner Music Group Corp. is a holding company, dependent on its subsidiaries, and the terms of Acquisition Corp.'s senior secured credit agreement and the indentures governing the Acquisition Corp. Notes and Holdings Notes limit its subsidiaries from paying dividends or otherwise transferring their assets to it.

                Our operations are conducted through our subsidiaries, and the ability of our subsidiaries to make payments to us is dependent on the earnings and the distribution of funds from our subsidiaries. However, none of our subsidiaries is obligated to make funds available to us. Further, the agreements governing the currentmedium term and future indebtedness of our subsidiariesaccess at a reasonable rate to the debt markets may not permit our subsidiariesbe adversely impacted.

        Risks Related to provide us with sufficient dividends, distributions or loans to pay dividends on our common stock. The terms ofOur Controlling Stockholder

        Following the indentures governing the Acquisition Corp. Notes and Holdings Notes significantly restrict Acquisition Corp., Holdings and other subsidiaries from paying dividends and otherwise transferring assets to us. For example, the ability of Acquisition Corp. and Holdings to make such payments is governed by a formula based on 50% of each of their consolidated net income (which, as defined in



        the indentures governing such notes, excludes goodwill impairment charges and any after-tax extraordinary, unusual or nonrecurring gains and losses) accruing from June 1, 2004 and July 1, 2004, respectively. In addition, as a condition to making such payments to us based on such formula, Acquisition Corp. and Holdings must each have an adjusted EBITDA to interest expense ratio of at least 2.0 to 1 after giving effect to any such payments. Acquisition Corp. may also make a restricted payment prior to April 15, 2009 if, immediately after giving pro forma effect to such restricted payment and any indebtedness incurred to finance such restricted payment, its net indebtedness to adjusted EBITDA ratio would not exceed 3.75 to 1 and its net senior indebtedness to adjusted EBITDA ratio would not exceed 2.50 to 1. In addition, Holdings may make a restricted payment if, immediately after giving pro forma effect to such restricted payment and any indebtedness incurred to finance such restricted payment, its net indebtedness to adjusted EBITDA ratio would not exceed 4.25 to 1.0. Notwithstanding such restrictions, the indentures permit an aggregate of $45.0 million and $75.0 million of such payments to be made by Acquisition Corp. and Holdings, respectively, whether or not there is availability under the formula or the conditions to its use are met. In addition, the Holdings indenture permits Holdings to dividend up to 6% per annum from proceedscompletion of this offering, received by Holdings.

                Acquisition Corp.'s senior secured credit agreement permits Acquisition Corp.Access will continue to make additional restricted payments to Holdings, the proceedscontrol us and may have conflicts of whichinterest with other stockholders. Conflicts of interest may be utilized by Holdings to make additional restricted payments, in an aggregate amount not to exceed $10.0 million (such amount subject to increase to $50.0 million if the leverage ratio as of the last day of the immediately preceding four fiscal quarters was less than 3.5 to 1), and subject to further increase in an amount equal to 50% of excess cash flow that is not otherwise applied pursuant to Acquisition Corp.'s senior secured credit agreement. In addition, Acquisition Corp.'s senior secured credit agreement permits Holdings to pay cash interest on its indebtedness (including the Holdings Notes) up to a maximum amount of $35 million in any fiscal year for the next five years. Thereafter, the credit agreement will permit Holdings to pay in cash interest when due that is then required to be paid in cash, assuming there has been no event of default under the senior secured credit agreement. The proposed amendment to the senior secured credit agreement will also permit distributions not in excess of $90 million in any fiscal year to be applied to pay regular quarterly cash dividends to holdersarise because affiliates of our common stock after this offering. Furthermore, Holdings' subsidiaries will be permitted under the terms of Acquisition Corp.'s senior secured credit agreementcontrolling stockholder have continuing agreements and other indebtedness to incur additional indebtedness that may restrict or prohibit the making of distributions, the payment of dividends or the making of loans by such subsidiaries to Holdings. See "Description of Indebtedness."


        business relationships with us.


        Risks Related To This Offering

        We are a "controlled company" within the meaning of the New York Stock Exchange rules and, as a result, will qualify for, and intend to rely on, exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements.

        Upon completion of this offering, Access will hold approximately 99.2% of the total combined voting power of our Investorsoutstanding common stock (or 99.1% of the total combined voting power if the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional shares of Class A common stock from the selling stockholders), and 86.3% of the economic interest of our outstanding common stock (or 84.2% of the economic interest if the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional shares of Class A common stock from the selling stockholders). As a result, and in addition to certain other rights granted to Access as disclosed elsewhere in this prospectus, Access will continue to be able to control the election of our directors, affect our legal and capital structure, change our management, determine our corporate and management policies and determine, without the consent of our other stockholders, the outcome of any corporate transaction or other matter submitted to our stockholders for approval, including potential mergers or acquisitions, asset sales and other significant corporate transactions. Access will also have sufficient voting power to amend our organizational documents. In addition, under the provisions of a stockholder agreement that we will enter into with Access prior to the consummation of this offering (the “Stockholder Agreement”), the relevant terms of which will govern the powers afforded the Company under our organizational documents, Access will have consent rights with respect to certain corporate and business activities that we may undertake, including during periods where Access holds less than a majority of the total combined voting power of our outstanding common stock. Specifically, the Stockholder Agreement will provide that, until the date on which Access ceases to hold at least 10% of our outstanding common stock, Access’s prior written consent will be required before we may take

        certain corporate and business actions, whether directly or indirectly through a subsidiary, including, among others, the following:

        any merger, consolidation or similar transaction (or any amendment to or termination of an agreement to enter into such a transaction) with or into any other person whether in a single transaction or a series of transactions, subject to certain specified exceptions;

        any acquisition or disposition of securities, assets or liabilities, subject to certain specified exceptions;

        any change in our authorized capital stock or the creation of any new class or series of our capital stock;

        any issuance or acquisition of capital stock (including stock buy-backs, redemptions or other reductions of capital), or securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for capital stock or equity-linked securities, subject to certain specified exceptions;

        any issuance or acquisition of debt securities to or from a third party, subject to certain specified exceptions; and

        any amendment (or approval or recommendation of any amendment) to our certificate of incorporation or by-laws.

        As a result of these consent rights, Access will maintain significant control over our corporate and business activities until such rights cease. For additional discussion of Access’s consent rights under the Stockholder Agreement, see “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Stockholder Agreement—Consent Rights.”

        Additionally, until Access ceases to hold more than 50% of the total combined voting power of our outstanding common stock, pursuant to Section 141(a) of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (“DGCL”), the Executive Committee will have all of the power and authority (including voting power) of our board of directors. The Executive Committee will have the authority to approve any actions of the Company, except for matters that must be approved by the Audit Committee of our board of directors (or both the Executive Committee and the Audit Committee), or by a committee orsub-committee qualified to grant equity to persons subject to Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) for purposes of exempting transactions pursuant toSection 16b-3 thereunder, or as required under Delaware law, SEC rules and Nasdaq rules. See “Management—Board Composition and Director Independence.”

        Access also has the power to direct us to engage in strategic transactions, with or involving other companies in our industry, including acquisitions, combinations or dispositions, and the acquisition of certain assets that may become available for purchase, and any such transaction could be material. Any such transaction would carry the risks set forth above under “—If we acquire, combine with or invest in other businesses, we will face certain risks inherent in such transactions.”

        Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and our amended and restatedby-laws will also include a number of provisions that may discourage, delay or prevent a change in our management or control for so long as Access owns specified percentages of our common stock. See “—Risks Related to Our Common Stock and This Offering—Anti-takeover provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restatedby-laws and Delaware law could discourage, delay or prevent a change of control of our company and may affect the trading price of our Class A common stock.” These provisions not only could have a negative impact on the trading price of our Class A common stock, but could also allow Access to delay or prevent a corporate transaction of which the public stockholders approve.

        Additionally, Access is in the business of making investments in companies and is actively seeking to acquire interests in businesses that operate in our industry and other industries and may compete, directly or indirectly, with us. Access may also pursue acquisition opportunities that may be complementary to our business,

        which could have the effect of making such acquisition opportunities unavailable to us. Access could elect to cause us to enter into business combinations or other transactions with any business or businesses in our industry that Access may acquire or control, or we could become part of a group of companies organized under the ultimate common control of Access that may be operated in a manner different from the manner in which we have historically operated. Any such business combination transaction could require that we or such group of companies incur additional indebtedness, and could also require us or any acquired business to make divestitures of assets necessary or desirable to obtain regulatory approval for such transaction. The amounts of such additional indebtedness, and the size of any such divestitures, could be material. Access may also from time to time purchase outstanding debt securities that we issued, and could also subsequently sell any such debt securities. Any such purchase or sale may affect the value of, trading price or liquidity of our debt securities. See “—Under our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, Access and its affiliates, and in some circumstances, any of our directors and officers who is also a director, officer, employee, stockholder, member or partner of Access and its affiliates, have no obligation to offer us corporate opportunities.”

        Conflicts of interest may arise between our controlling stockholder and us. Affiliates of our controlling stockholder engage in transactions with us. Further, Access may, from time to time, acquire and hold interests in businesses that compete directly or indirectly with us, and they may either directly, or through affiliates, also maintain business relationships with companies that may directly compete with us. In general, Access or its affiliates could pursue business interests or exercise their voting power as stockholders in ways that are detrimental to us but beneficial to themselves or to other companies in which they invest or with whom they have a material relationship. In addition, a number of persons who currently are our directors and officers have been and remain otherwise affiliated with Access and, in some cases, such affiliations also involve financial interests. These relationships may create, or may create the appearance of, conflicts of interest when these directors and officers are faced with decisions that could have different implications for Access and us.

        As a result of these relationships, the interests of Access may not coincide with our interests or the interests of the holders of our Class A common stock. So long as Access continues to control a significant amount of the total combined voting power of our outstanding common stock, Access will continue to be able to strongly influence or effectively control our decisions, including potential mergers or acquisitions, asset sales and other significant corporate transactions.

        Under our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, Access and its affiliates, and in some circumstances, any of our directors and officers who is also a director, officer, employee, stockholder, member or partner of Access and its affiliates, have no obligation to offer us corporate opportunities.

        The policies relating to corporate opportunities and transactions with Access and its affiliates to be set forth in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, address potential conflicts of interest between the Company, on the one hand, and Access, its affiliates and its directors, officers, employees, stockholders, members or partners who are directors or officers of the Company, on the other hand. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that we, on our behalf and on behalf of our subsidiaries, renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, corporate opportunities, that are from time to time presented to Access or any of its affiliates, directors, officers, employees, stockholders, members or partners, even if the opportunity is one that we or our subsidiaries might reasonably be deemed to have pursued or had the ability or desire to pursue if granted the opportunity to do so. None of Access, its affiliates or any of its directors, officers, employees, stockholders, members or partners will generally be liable to us or any of our subsidiaries for breach of any fiduciary or other duty, as a director or otherwise, by reason of the fact that such person pursues, acquires or participates in such corporate opportunity, directs such corporate opportunity to another person or fails to present such corporate opportunity, or information regarding such corporate opportunity, to us or our subsidiaries unless, in the case of any such person who is a director or officer, such corporate opportunity is expressly offered to such director or officer in writing solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer. To the fullest extent permitted by law, by becoming a stockholder in our company, stockholders will be deemed to have notice of and consented to this provision of our amended and restated

        certificate of incorporation. Although these provisions are designed to resolve conflicts between us and Access and its affiliates fairly, conflicts may not be resolved in our favor or be resolved at all.

        If Access sells a controlling interest in our company to a third party in a private transaction, you may not realize any change of control premium on shares of our Class A common stock and we may become subject to the control of a presently unknown third party.

        Following the completion of this offering, Access will have the ability, should it choose to do so, to sell some or all of its shares of our common stock in a privately negotiated transaction. If such a transaction were to be sufficient in size, it could result in a change of control of the Company. The ability of Access to privately sell such shares of our common stock, with no requirement for a concurrent offer to be made to acquire all of the shares of our Class A common stock that will be publicly traded hereafter, could prevent you from realizing any change of control premium on your shares of our Class A common stock that may otherwise accrue to Access upon its private sale of our common stock. Additionally, if Access privately sells a significant equity interest in us, we may become subject to the control of a presently unknown third party. Such third party may have conflicts of interest with the interests of other stockholders.

        Risks Related to Our Common Stock and This Offering

        The dual class structure of our common stock and the existing ownership of Class B common stock by Access have the effect of concentrating voting control with Access for the foreseeable future, which will limit or preclude your ability to influence corporate matters.

        Our Class A common stock, which is the stock being offered in this offering, has one vote per share, and our Class B common stock has 20 votes per share. Given the greater number of votes per share attributed to our Class B common stock, Access, who is our only Class B stockholder, will hold approximately 99.2% of total combined voting power of our outstanding common stock following the completion of this offering (or approximately 99.1% of the total combined voting power of our outstanding common stock if the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional shares of our Class A common stock). As a result of our dual class ownership structure, Access will be able to exert a significant degree of influence or actual control over our management and affairs and over matters requiring stockholder approval, including the election of directors, mergers or acquisitions, asset sales and other significant corporate transactions. Further, Access will own shares representing approximately 86.3% of the economic interest of our outstanding common stock following this offering (or approximately 84.2% of the economic interest of our outstanding common stock if the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional shares of our Class A common stock). Because of the 20-to-1 voting ratio between the Class B common stock and Class A common stock, the holders of Class B common stock collectively will continue to control a majority of the total combined voting power of our outstanding common stock. As a result, we are a "controlled company" withinstock and therefore be able to control all matters submitted to our stockholders for approval, so long as the meaningoutstanding shares of Class B common stock represent at least approximately 10% of the New York Stock Exchangetotal number of outstanding shares of common stock. This concentrated control will limit your ability to influence corporate governance standards. Undermatters for the New York Stock Exchange rules, a company of which more than 50% of the voting power is held by an individual, a group, or another company is a "controlled company" and may elect notforeseeable future. For example, Access will be able to comply with certain New York Stock Exchange corporate governance requirements, as applicable, including (1) the requirement that a majority of the boardcontrol elections of directors, consistamendments of independent directors, (2) the requirement that we have a nominating/corporate governance committee that is composed entirelyour certificate of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee's purpose and responsibilities and (3) the requirement that we have a compensation committee that is composed entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee's purpose and responsibilities. Following this offering, we intend to utilize these exemptions. As a result, we will not have a majority of independent directors nor will our nominating and corporate governance committee, which we expect will also serve as our executive committee, and compensation committee consist entirely of independent directors. Accordingly, you will not have the same protections afforded to stockholders of companies that are subject to all of the New York Stock Exchange corporate governance requirements.

        There is no existing market for our common stock, and we do not know if one will develop to provide you with adequate liquidity.

                There has not been a public market for our common stock. We have applied to list our common stock on the New York Stock Exchange. However, we cannot predict the extent to which investor interest in our company will leadincorporation or by-laws, increases to the developmentnumber of a trading market on the New York Stock Exchangeshares available for issuance under our equity incentive plans or otherwiseadoption of new equity incentive plans and approval of any merger or how liquid that market might become. The initial public offering pricesale of assets for the shares will be determined by negotiations between us and the representatives of the underwriters based on numerous factors that we discuss in the "Underwriting" section of this prospectus andforeseeable future. This control may not be indicative of prices that will prevail in the open market following this offering.

        Future sales of our shares could depressmaterially adversely affect the market price of our Class A common stock.

        Additionally, the holders of our Class B common stock may cause us to make strategic decisions or pursue acquisitions that could involve risks to you or may not be aligned with your interests. The holders of our Class B common stock will also be entitled to a separate vote in the event we seek to amend our certificate of incorporation.

        The difference in the voting rights of our Class A common stock and Class B common stock may harm the value and liquidity of our Class A common stock.

        The difference in the voting rights of our Class A common stock and Class B common stock could harm the value of our Class A common stock to the extent that any investor or potential future purchaser of our Class A common stock ascribes value to the right of holders of our Class B common stock to 20 votes per share of Class B common stock. The existence of two classes of common stock could also result in less liquidity for our Class A common stock than if there were only one class of our common stock.

        Our dual class structure may depress the trading price of our Class A common stock.

        Our dual class structure may result in a lower or more volatile market price of our Class A common stock could decline as a resultor in adverse publicity or other adverse consequences. For example, certain index providers have announced restrictions on including companies with dual or multiple class share structures in certain of salestheir indexes. S&P Dow Jones and FTSE Russell have announced changes to their eligibility criteria for inclusion of a large numbershares of public companies on certain indices, including the S&P 500. These changes exclude companies with multiple classes of shares of common stock from being added to these indices. In addition, several stockholder advisory firms have announced their opposition to the use of dual or multiple class structures. As a result, the dual class structure of our common stock may prevent the inclusion of our Class A common stock in these indices and may cause stockholder advisory firms to publish negative commentary about our corporate governance practices or otherwise seek to cause us to change our capital structure. Any such exclusion from indices could result in a less active trading market for our Class A common stock. Any actions or publications by stockholder advisory firms critical of our corporate governance practices or capital structure could also adversely affect the value of our Class A common stock.

        Future sales of shares by existing stockholders could cause our stock price to decline.

        Sales of substantial amounts of our Class A common stock in the public market after thefollowing this offering, or the perception that suchthese sales could occur.occur, could cause the market price of our Class A common stock to decline. These sales, or the possibility that these sales may occur, also might make it more difficult for us to sell equity securities in the future at a time and at a price that we deem appropriate.

                We,Based on shares outstanding as of May 15, 2020, upon the completion of this offering, we will have 70,000,000 outstanding shares of Class A common stock and 440,000,000 outstanding shares of Class B common stock. All of the shares sold pursuant to this offering will be immediately tradable without restriction under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the “Securities Act,” except for any shares held by “affiliates,” as that term is defined in Rule 144 under the Securities Act, or “Rule 144.”

        The remaining shares of Class B common stock outstanding as of May 15, 2020 will be restricted securities within the meaning of Rule 144, but will be eligible for resale subject, in certain cases, to applicable volume, manner of sale, holding period and other limitations of Rule 144 or pursuant to an exception from registration under Rule 701 under the Securities Act, or “Rule 701,” subject to the terms of thelock-up agreements described below.

        Upon the completion of this offering, we intend to file one or more registration statements on FormS-8 under the Securities Act to register the shares of Class A common stock to be issued under our equity compensation plans, including the Plan, and, as a result, all shares of Class A common stock acquired upon settlement of deferred equity units granted under the Plan will also be freely tradable under the Securities Act, subject to the terms of thelock-up agreements, unless purchased by our affiliates. In addition, 31,169,099 shares of our Class A common stock are reserved for future issuances under the Omnibus Incentive Plan to be adopted in connection with this offering over the 10-year period from the date of adoption.

        In connection with this offering, we, the selling stockholders, all of our directors and executive officers Historic TW (to the extent of any remaining interest) and the Investorsholders of all of our outstanding stock have entered intolock-up agreements under which, subject to certain

        exceptions, we and they have agreed with the underwriters not to sell, transfer or dispose of or hedge, directly or indirectly, any shares of our Class A common stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for shares of our Class A common stock subject to specified exceptions, during thefor a period from the date of this prospectus continuing through the date that is 180 days after the date of this prospectus, except with the prior written consent of Goldman, SachsMorgan Stanley & Co.

                After LLC. Following the expiration of this offering, we180-daylock-up period, approximately 440,000,000 shares of our Class A common stock (assuming conversion of all shares of Class B common stock into shares of Class A common stock) will be eligible for future sale, subject to the applicable volume, manner of sale, holding period and other limitations of Rule 144 or pursuant to an exception from registration under Rule 701. As resale restrictions end, the market price of our Class A common stock could decline if Access sells its shares or is perceived by the market as intending to sell them. Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC may, in its sole discretion and at any time, release all or any portion of the securities subject tolock-up agreements entered into in connection with this offering. Furthermore, subject to the expiration or waiver of thelock-up agreements, Access will have approximately 143.0 millionthe right to require us to register shares of common stock outstanding. After giving effectfor resale in some circumstances pursuant to a registration rights agreement we will enter into with Access.

        In the Recapitalization, there are 497,732future, we may issue additional shares of restrictedClass A common stock, which have vested and up to an additional 995,464Class B common stock or other equity or debt securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for shares of restricted stock which may vest upon this offering. In addition, 99,579 shares subject to options have vested and up to an additional 199,157 shares subject to options may vest upon this offering. Of those shares, the approximately 32.6 million shares we and the selling stockholders are offering will be freely tradable. The approximately 108.0 million shares that



        were outstanding immediately prior to this offering excluding unvested restricted stock will be eligible for resale from time to time after the expiration of the 180-day lock-up period, subject to contractual and Securities Act restrictions. None of those shares may currently be resold under Rule 144(k) without regard to volume limitation and approximately 108.0 million shares may, subject to existing lock-up agreements, currently be sold subject to volume, manner of sale and other conditions of Rule 144. After the expiration of the 180-day lock-up period, the Investors, which will collectively beneficially own approximately 102.1 million shares, and Historic TW (to the extent of any remaining interest), will have the ability to cause us to register the resale of their shares and certain holders of our unregisteredClass A common stock will be able to participate in such registration. In addition, notwithstanding the foregoing, we intend to register all shares of restricted common stock and shares underlying options pursuant to our benefit plans and arrangements on a registration statement on Form S-8 following this offering. Furthermore, if Historic TW does not exercise any of the Three-Year Warrants prior to the consummation of this offering or our agreement to repurchase the Three-Year Warrants is not consummated, it will continue to hold the MMT Warrants exercisable for approximately 26.7 million shares upon certain events. We have agreed with Historic TW to repurchase the Three-Year Warrants in connection with a financing, strategic investment, litigation settlement or employee arrangement or otherwise. Any of these issuances could result in substantial dilution to our existing stockholders and could cause the Concurrent Transactions. If we repurchase the Three-Year Warrants, they will be deemedtrading price of our Class A common stock to have been exerciseddecline.

        Our Class A common stock has no prior public market, and the MMT Warrants will expire.

        The market price of our Class A common stock may be volatile whichand could causedecline after this offering.

        Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our Class A common stock, and an active market for our Class A common stock may not develop or be sustained after this offering. We have been approved to list our Class A common stock on Nasdaq. We and the valueselling stockholders negotiated the initial public offering price per share with the representatives of your investment to decline.

                Securities markets worldwide experience significantthe underwriters and, therefore, that price and volume fluctuations. This market volatility, as well as general economic, market or potential conditions, could reducemay not be indicative of the market price of our Class A common stock in spiteafter this offering. We cannot assure you that an active public market for our Class A common stock will develop after this offering or, if one does develop, that it will be sustained. In the absence of an active public trading market, you may not be able to sell your shares. An inactive market may also impair our operating performance.ability to raise capital to continue to fund operations by selling shares and may impair our ability to make strategic investments by using our shares as consideration. In addition, our operating results could be below the expectations of securities analysts and investors, and in response, the market price of our Class A common stock may fluctuate significantly. Among the factors that could decrease significantly. As a result, theaffect our stock price are:

        industry or general market priceconditions;

        domestic and international economic factors unrelated to our performance;

        changes in our customers’ preferences;

        changes in law or regulation;

        lawsuits, enforcement actions and other claims by third parties or governmental authorities;

        adverse publicity related to us or another industry participant;

        actual or anticipated fluctuations in our operating results;

        changes in securities analysts’ estimates of our financial performance or lack of research coverage and reports by industry analysts;

        action by institutional stockholders or other large stockholders (including Access), including future sales of our Class A common stock;

        failure to meet any guidance given by us or any change in any guidance given by us, or changes by us in our guidance practices;

        speculation in the press or investment community;

        investor perception of us and our industry;

        changes in market valuations or earnings of similar companies;

        announcements by us or our competitors of significant contracts, acquisitions, dispositions or strategic partnerships;

        war, terrorist acts, epidemic disease and pandemics, including COVID-19;

        any future sales of our Class A common stock could decline below the initial public offering price. You mayor other securities;

        additions or departures of key personnel; and

        misconduct or other improper actions of our employees.

        In particular, we cannot assure you that you will be unableable to resell your shares of our common stock at or above the initial public offering price. Among other factorsStock markets have experienced extreme volatility in recent years that could affect our stock price are:

                See also "—Duehas been unrelated to the natureoperating performance of particular companies. These broad market fluctuations may adversely affect the trading price of our business, our results of operations and cash flows may fluctuate significantly from period to period."Class A common stock. In the past, following periods of volatility in the market price of a company'scompany’s securities, stockholders have often instituted class action securities litigation has often been instituted against those companies. Suchthe affected company. Any litigation if instituted,of this type brought against us could result in substantial costs and a diversion of managementour management’s attention and resources, which could significantly harmmaterially and adversely affect our profitabilitybusiness, consolidated results of operations, liquidity or financial condition.

        Purchasers in this offering will experience immediate and reputation.



        Thesubstantial dilution in the book value of sharestheir investment.

        The initial public offering price of our Class A common stock purchased inis substantially higher than the offering will be immediately diluted and may be subject to additional dilution in the future.

                Investors who purchasenet tangible book value per share of our Class A common stock in the offering will be diluted by $43.22 per share after giving effectoutstanding prior to the sale of 32.6 million shares ofthis offering. Therefore, if you purchase our Class A common stock in this offering, atyou will incur an immediate substantial dilution of $32.03 in net tangible book value per share from the price you paid (calculated based on the assumed initial public offering price of $23.00$24.50 per share, which represents the mid-pointmidpoint of the estimated offering price range set forth on the cover of this prospectus,prospectus). For additional information about the dilution that you will experience immediately upon completion of this offering, see “Dilution.”

        If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or publish misleading or unfavorable research about our business, our stock price and excluding all shares oftrading volume could decline.

        The trading market for our Class A common stock issuable to Historic TW upon exercisewill depend in part on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our business. We do not currently have, and may never obtain, research coverage for our Class A common stock. If there is no research coverage of our Class A common stock, the Three-Year Warrants in connection with the Concurrent Transactions, and the sale of up to 4,890,000 shares to the underwriters pursuant to the option we are granting them in connection with this offering. In the past we have granted stock options to our employees to purchase shares oftrading price for our common stock and granted and sold restrictedmay be negatively impacted. In the event we obtain research coverage for our Class A common stock, if one or more of the analysts downgrades our stock or publishes misleading or unfavorable research about our business, our stock price would likely decline. If one or more of the analysts ceases coverage of our Class A common stock or fails to publish reports on us regularly, demand for our Class A common stock could decrease, which could cause our Class A common stock price or trading volume to decline.

        Future offerings of debt or equity securities which would rank senior to our employees, and wecommon stock may continue to grant options and grant and sell restricted stockadversely affect the market price of our Class A common stock.

        If, in the future, we decide to issue debt or equity securities that rank senior to our employees. ToClass A common stock, it is likely that such securities will be governed by an indenture or other instrument containing covenants restricting our operating flexibility. Additionally, any convertible or exchangeable securities that we issue in the extent that these options are exercisedfuture may have rights, preferences and privileges more favorable than those of our Class A common stock and may result in dilution to owners of our Class A common stock. We and, indirectly, our stockholders, will bear the cost of

        issuing and servicing such securities. Because our decision to issue debt or equity securities in any future offering will depend on market conditions and other issuancesfactors beyond our control, we cannot predict or estimate the amount, timing or nature of common stock are made, there will be further dilution. In addition, if we issue preferred stock, the rightsour future offerings. Thus, holders of the holders ofour Class A common stock will be subject to, and may be harmed by,bear the rights of holders of any preferred stock. Lastly, if the Three-Year Warrants are not exercised or repurchased by us under our agreement with Historic TW, Historic TW, the holderrisk of our MMT Warrants, may purchase approximately 26.7 million sharesfuture offerings reducing the market price of our Class A common stock pursuant toand diluting the MMT Warrants upon the occurrencevalue of certain corporate events, which shares Historic TW can also require to be registered.their stock holdings in us.

        ProvisionsAnti-takeover provisions in our Charteramended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws and Delaware law may discourage a takeover attempt.by-laws

                Provisions contained in our Charter and amended and restated bylaws ("Bylaws") and Delaware law could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire us, even if doing so might be beneficial to our stockholders. Provisions of our Charter and Bylaws impose various procedural and other requirements, which could make it more difficult for shareholders to effect certain corporate actions. For example, our Charter authorizes our board of directors to determine the rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions of unissued series of preferred stock, without any votediscourage, delay or action by our shareholders. Thus, our board of directors can authorize and issue shares of preferred stock with voting or conversion rights that could adversely affect the voting or other rights of holders of our common stock. These rights may have the effect of delaying or deterringprevent a change of control of our company. company and may affect the trading price of our Class A common stock.

        Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and our amended and restatedby-laws include a number of provisions that may discourage, delay or prevent a change in our management or control over us that stockholders may consider favorable. For example, prior to the consummation of this offering, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restatedby-laws will collectively:

        authorize two classes of common stock with disparate voting power, the Class A common stock that will be offered and sold pursuant to this prospectus and the Class B common stock that will provide the holders thereof with the ability to control the outcome of matters requiring stockholder approval, even if such holders own significantly less than a majority of the shares of our outstanding common stock;

        permit different treatment of our Class A common stock and Class B common stock in a change of control transaction if approved by a majority of the voting power of our outstanding Class A common stock and a majority of the voting power of our outstanding Class B common stock, voting separately;

        authorize the issuance of “blank check” preferred stock that could be issued by our board of directors to thwart a takeover attempt;

        provide that vacancies on our Board, including vacancies resulting from an enlargement of our Board, may be filled only by a majority vote of directors then in office once Access ceases to beneficially own more than 50% of the total combined voting power of the outstanding shares of our common stock;

        prohibit stockholders from calling special meetings of stockholders if Access ceases to beneficially own more than 50% of the total combined voting power of the outstanding shares of our common stock;

        prohibit stockholder action by written consent, thereby requiring all actions to be taken at a meeting of the stockholders, if Access ceases to beneficially own more than 50% of the total combined voting power of the outstanding shares of our common stock;

        establish advance notice requirements for nominations of candidates for election as directors or to bring other business before an annual meeting of our stockholders;

        require the approval of holders of at least 66 2/3% of the total combined voting power of the outstanding shares of our common stock to amend our amended and restatedby-laws and certain provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation if Access ceases to beneficially own more than 50% of the total combined voting power of the outstanding shares of our common stock; and

        subject us to Section 203 of the DGCL, which limits the ability of stockholders holding shares representing more than 15% of the voting power of our outstanding voting stock from engaging in certain business combinations with us, once Access no longer owns at least 5% of the total combined voting power of our outstanding common stock.

        These provisions may prevent our stockholders from receiving the benefit from any premium to the market price of our Class A common stock offered by a bidder in a takeover context. Even in the absence of a takeover attempt, the existence of these provisions may adversely affect the prevailing market price of our Class A common stock if the provisions are viewed as discouraging takeover attempts in the future.

        Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restatedby-laws may also make it difficult for stockholders to replace or remove our management. Furthermore, the existence of the foregoing provisions, as well as the significant amount of common stock that Access will own and voting power that Access will hold following this offering, could limit the price that certain investors might be willing to pay in the future for shares of our Class A common stock. See "DescriptionThese provisions may facilitate management and board entrenchment that may delay, deter, render more difficult or prevent a change in our control, which may not be in the best interests of Capital Stock."our stockholders.

        We will be a “controlled company” within the meaning of Nasdaq rules and, as a result, we will qualify for, and intend to rely on, exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements. You will not have the same protections afforded to stockholders of companies that are subject to such requirements.

        After the consummation of this offering, Access will hold approximately 99.2% of the total combined voting power of our outstanding common stock (or approximately 99.1% if the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional shares from the selling stockholders). Accordingly, we will qualify as a “controlled company” within the meaning of Nasdaq corporate governance standards. Under Nasdaq rules, a company of which more than 50% of the voting power is held by an individual, group or another company is a “controlled company” and may elect not to comply with certain Nasdaq corporate governance standards, including:


        the requirement that a majority of the members of our board of directors be independent directors;

        the requirement that our nominating and corporate governance committee be composed entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee’s purpose and responsibilities;

        the requirement that we have a compensation committee that is composed entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee’s purpose and responsibilities; and

        the requirement for an annual performance evaluation of the nominating and corporate governance and compensation committees.

        Following this offering, we intend to use these exemptions. As a result, we will not have a majority of independent directors, our compensation and our nominating and corporate governance committees will not consist entirely of independent directors and such committees may not be subject to annual performance evaluations. Additionally, we are only required to have all independent audit committee members within one year from the date of listing. Consequently, you will not have the same protections afforded to stockholders of companies that are subject to all of Nasdaq corporate governance rules and requirements. Our status as a controlled company could make our Class A common stock less attractive to some investors or otherwise harm our stock price.

        Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will include provisions limiting the personal liability of our directors for breaches of fiduciary duty under the DGCL.

        Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will contain provisions permitted under the action asserting a claim arising under the DGCL relating to the liability of directors. These provisions will eliminate a director’s personal liability to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL for monetary damages resulting from a breach of fiduciary duty, except in circumstances involving:

        any breach of the director’s duty of loyalty;

        acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of the law;

        Section 174 of the DGCL (unlawful dividends); or

        any transaction from which the director derives an improper personal benefit.

        The principal effect of the limitation on liability provision is that a stockholder will be unable to prosecute an action for monetary damages against a director unless the stockholder can demonstrate a basis for liability for which indemnification is not available under the DGCL. These provisions, however, should not limit or eliminate our rights or any stockholder’s rights to seeknon-monetary relief, such as an injunction or rescission, in the event of a breach of a director’s fiduciary duty. These provisions will not alter a director’s liability under federal securities laws. The inclusion of this provision in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation may discourage or deter stockholders or management from bringing a lawsuit against directors for a breach of their fiduciary duties, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise have benefited us and our stockholders.

        Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will designate the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware as the sole and exclusive forum for certain litigation that may be initiated by our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers or stockholders.

        Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be the sole and exclusive forum for (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed to us or our stockholders by any of our directors, officers, other employees, agents or stockholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim arising out of or under the DGCL, or as to which the DGCL confers jurisdiction on the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (including, without limitation, any action asserting a claim arising out of or pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or our amended and restatedby-laws) or (iv) any action asserting a claim that is governed by the internal affairs doctrine, in each case subject to such Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware having personal jurisdiction over the indispensable parties named as defendants. However, claims subject to exclusive jurisdiction in the federal courts, such as suits brought to enforce a duty or liability created by the Securities Act, the Exchange Act, or the rules and regulations thereunder, need not be brought in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware. By becoming a stockholder in our company, you will be deemed to have notice of and have consented to the provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation related to choice of forum. The choice of forum provision in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation may limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or any of our directors, officers, other employees, agents or stockholders, which may discourage lawsuits with respect to such claims. Additionally, a court could determine that the exclusive forum provision is unenforceable, and our stockholders will not be deemed to have waived our compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. If a court were to find these provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation inapplicable to, or unenforceable in respect of, one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, or results of operations.


        SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
        AND INFORMATION

                All statements other than statements of historical facts included in thisThis prospectus including, without limitation, statements regarding our future financial position, business strategy, budgets, projected costs, savings and plans and objectives of management for future operations, are forward-looking statements. In addition,contains forward-looking statements generallyand cautionary statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Some of the forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminologyterms such as "may," "will," "expect," "intend," "estimate," "anticipate," "believe"“believes,” “expects,” “may,” “will,” “shall,” “should,” “would,” “could,” “seeks,” “aims,” “projects,” “is optimistic,” “intends,” “plans,” “estimates,” “anticipates” or "continue"other comparable terms or the negative thereofthereof. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, all matters that are not historical facts. They appear in a number of places throughout this prospectus and include, without limitation, our ability to compete in the highly competitive markets in which we operate, statements regarding our ability to develop talent and attract future talent, our ability to reduce future capital expenditures, our ability to monetize our music, including through new distribution channels and formats to capitalize on the growth areas of the music entertainment industry, our ability to effectively deploy our capital, the development of digital music and the effect of digital distribution channels on our business, including whether we will be able to achieve higher margins from digital sales, the success of strategic actions we are taking to accelerate our transformation as we redefine our role in the music entertainment industry, the effectiveness of our ongoing efforts to reduce overhead expenditures and manage our variable and fixed cost structure and our ability to generate expected cost savings from such efforts, our success in limiting piracy, the growth of the music entertainment industry and the effect of our and the industry’s efforts to combat piracy on the industry, our intention to pay dividends or variations thereonrepurchase or similar terminology. Although we believeretire our outstanding debt or notes in open market purchases, privately or otherwise, the impact on us of potential strategic transactions, our ability to fund our future capital needs and the effect of litigation on us.

        Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which may be beyond our control. We caution you that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, we can give no assurancenot guarantees of future performance or outcomes and that such expectations will prove to have been correct. Important factors that could causeactual performance and outcomes, including, without limitation, our actual results toof operations, financial condition and liquidity, and the development of the market in which we operate, may differ materially from our expectations ("cautionary statements") are disclosed under "Risk Factors" and elsewherethose made in this prospectus, including, without limitation, in conjunction with the forward-looking statements included in this prospectus. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to us, or persons acting on our behalf, are expressly qualified in their entiretysuggested by the cautionary statements.

                There are a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus. As stated elsewhereIn addition, even if our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows, and the development of the market in which we operate, are consistent with the forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus, those results or developments may not be indicative of results or developments in subsequent periods. New factors emerge from time to time that may cause our business not to develop as we expect, and it is not possible for us to predict all of them. Factors that could cause actual results and outcomes to differ from those reflected in forward-looking statements include, without limitation:

        risks related to the effects of natural or man-made disasters, including pandemics such as COVID-19;

        our ability to identify, sign and retain recording artists and songwriters and the existence or absence of superstar releases;

        our inability to compete successfully in the highly competitive markets in which we operate;

        the ability to further develop a successful business model applicable to a digital environment and to enter into artist services and expanded-rights deals with recording artists in order to broaden our revenue streams in growing segments of the music entertainment business;

        the popular demand for particular recording artists and/or songwriters and music and the timely delivery to us of music by major recording artists and/or songwriters;

        the diversity and quality of our recording artists, songwriters and releases;

        slower growth in streaming adoption and revenue;

        our dependence on a limited number of digital music services for the online distribution and marketing of our music and their ability to significantly influence the pricing structure for online music stores;

        trends, developments or other events in some foreign countries in which we operate;

        risks uncertaintiesassociated with ournon-U.S. operations, including limited legal protections of our intellectual property rights and restrictions on the repatriation of capital;

        unfavorable currency exchange rate fluctuations;

        the impact of heightened and intensive competition in the recorded music and music publishing industries and our inability to execute our business strategy;

        significant fluctuations in our operations, cash flows and the trading price of our common stock from period to period;

        our failure to attract and retain our executive officers and other important factors include, among others:key personnel;

        a significant portion of our revenues are subject to rate regulation either by government entities or by local third-party collecting societies throughout the world and rates on other income streams may be set by governmental proceedings, which may limit our profitability;

        risks associated with obtaining, maintaining, protecting and enforcing our intellectual property rights;

        our involvement in intellectual property litigation;

        threats to our business associated with digital piracy, including organized industrial piracy;

        an impairment in the carrying value of goodwill or other intangible and long-lived assets;

        our failure to have full control and ability to direct the operations we conduct through joint ventures;

        the impact of, and risks inherent in, acquisitions or other business combinations;

        risks inherent to our outsourcing certain finance and accounting functions;

        the fact that we have engaged in substantial restructuring activities in the past, and may need to implement further restructurings in the future and our restructuring efforts may not be successful or generate expected cost savings;

        our ability to maintain the security of information relating to our customers, employees and vendors and our music;

        risks related to evolving laws and regulations concerning data privacy which might result in increased regulation and different industry standards;

        legislation limiting the terms by which an individual can be bound under a “personal services” contract;

        a potential loss of catalog if it is determined that recording artists have a right to recapture U.S. rights in their recordings under the U.S. Copyright Act;

        potential employment and withholding liabilities if our recording artists and songwriters are characterized as employees;

        any delays and difficulties in satisfying obligations incident to being a public company;

        the impact of our substantial leverage on our ability to raise additional capital to fund our operations, on our ability to react to changes in the economy or our industry and on our ability to meet our obligations under our indebtedness;

        the continued decline in the global recorded music industry and the rate of overall decline in the music industry;

        our ability to continue to identify, sign and retain desirable talent at manageable costs;

        the threat posed to our business by piracy of music by means of home CD-R activity and Internet peer-to-peer file-sharing;

        the significant threat posed to our business and the music industry by organized industrial piracy;

        the impact of the Restructuring Plan on our business (including our ability to generate revenues and attract desirable talent);

        the popular demand for particular recording artists and/or songwriters and albumssufficient cash to service all of our indebtedness, and the timely completionrisk that we may be forced to take other actions to satisfy our obligations under our indebtedness, which may not be successful;

        the fact that our debt agreements contain restrictions that limit our flexibility in operating our business;

        the significant amount of albums by major recording artists and/or songwriters;

        the diversitycash required to service our indebtedness and quality of our portfolio of songwriters;

        the diversity and quality of our album releases;

        significant fluctuations in our results of operations and cash flows due to the nature of our business;

        our involvement in intellectual property litigation;

        the possible downward pressure on our pricing and profit margins;

        the seasonal and cyclical nature of recorded music sales;

        our ability to continue to enforce our intellectual property rights in digital environments;

        the ability to developgenerate cash or refinance indebtedness as it becomes due depends on many factors, some of which are beyond our control;

        our indebtedness levels, and the fact that we may be able to incur substantially more indebtedness, which may increase the risks created by our substantial indebtedness;

        risks of downgrade, suspension or withdrawal of the rating assigned by a successful business model applicablerating agency to a digital environment;

        us could impact our cost of capital;

        the ability to maintain product pricing in a competitive environment;


            the impact of heightened and intensive competition in the recorded music and music publishing businesses and our inability to execute our business strategy;

            risks associated with our non-U.S. operations, including limited legal protectionsdual class structure of our intellectual property rightscommon stock and restrictions onAccess’s existing ownership of our Class B common stock have the repatriationeffect of capital;

            concentrating over our management and affairs and over matters requiring stockholder approval with Access;

          risks related to our Senior Management Free Cash Flow Plan following the possible unexpected lossconsummation of artiststhis offering; and key employees

          risks related to other factors discussed under “Risk Factors” of this prospects.

          You should read this prospectus completely and our market share as a result of the Restructuring Plan;

          the impact of legitimate music distribution on the Internet or the introduction of other new music distribution formats;

          the impact of rate regulations on our Music Publishing business;

          risks associated with the fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates;

          our ability and the ability of our joint venture partners to operate our existing joint ventures satisfactorily;

          the enactment of legislation limiting the terms by which an individual canunderstanding that actual future results may be bound under a "personal services" contract could impair our ability to retain the services of key artists;

          potential loss of catalog if it is determined that recording artists have a right to recapture recordings under the U.S. Copyright Act;

          changes in law and government regulations;

          legal or other developments related to pending litigation or the industry-wide investigation of the relationship between music companies and radio stations by the Attorney General of the State of New York;

          trends that affect the end uses of our musical compositions (which include uses in broadcast radio and television, film and advertising businesses);

          the growth of other products that compete for the disposable income of consumers;

          risks inherent in relying on one supplier for manufacturing, packaging and distribution services in North America and Europe;

          risks inherent in our acquiring or investing in other businesses;

          the possibility that our owners' interests will conflict with ours or yours;

          our ability to act as a stand-alone company;

          increased costs and diversion of resources associated with complying with the internal control reporting or other requirements of Sarbanes-Oxley;

          weaknesses in our internal controls that could affect our ability to ensure timely and reliable financial reports;

          the effects associated with the formation of Sony BMG Music Entertainment;

          failure to attract and retain key personnel; and

          the other factors set forth under "Risk Factors."

          materially different from expectations. All forward-looking statements attributable to us or persons acting on our behalf applymade in this prospectus are qualified by these cautionary statements. These forward-looking statements are made only as of the date of this prospectus, and are expressly qualified in their entiretywe do not undertake any obligation, other than as may be required by the cautionary statements included in this prospectus. We undertake no obligationlaw, to publicly update or revise any forward-looking or cautionary statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date made or to reflectchanges in assumptions, the occurrence of events, unanticipated events.or otherwise, and changes in future operating results over time or otherwise.

          Other risks, uncertainties and factors, including those discussed under “Risk Factors,” could cause our actual results to differ materially from those projected in any forward-looking statements we make. Readers should read carefully the factors described in “Risk Factors” to better understand the risks and uncertainties inherent in our business and underlying any forward-looking statements.



          USE OF PROCEEDS

                  We estimate that the net proceeds to us from the sale of the shares of common stock being offered hereby, after deducting the underwriting discount and estimated offering expenses, will be approximately $581 million.

                  This offering is contingent upon our obtaining an amendment to Acquisition Corp.'s senior secured credit facility. Subject to obtaining this amendment, Warner Music Group Corp. intends to contribute all such net proceeds to Holdings as an equity capital contribution. Holdings will use $574 million of these funds to redeem all outstanding Holdings' Floating Rate Senior Notes due 2011, all outstanding Holdings' Floating Rate Senior PIK Notes due 2014 and 35% of the aggregate principal amount of the outstanding Holdings' 9.5% Senior Discount Notes due 2014, including redemption premiums and interest obligations through the anticipated dates of redemption. We intend to use the remaining net proceeds for general corporate purposes.

                  The estimated sources and uses of funds (assuming a mid-May 2005 closing unless otherwise specified, and assuming the initial public offering price is $23.00 per share, which is the mid-point of the estimated range set forth on the cover of this prospectus) are set forth in the table below. The actual amounts may vary depending on the time of the closing of this offering, the actual redemption dates and the initial public offering price.

          Sources
          (in millions)

           Uses
          (in millions)

          Proceeds to us from the initial public offering of common stock(1) $625 Redemption of all of the Holdings
          Floating Rate Notes(2)
           $265
               Redemption of all of the Holdings PIK Notes(2)  209
               Partial Redemption of the Holdings Discount Notes(2)  100
               General corporate purposes  7
               Estimated fees and expenses(3)  44
            
             
              Total Sources $625     Total Uses $625
            
             

          (1)
          All of such amount will be contributed to Holdings as an equity capital contribution.

          (2)
          Amounts include accrued and unpaid interest, up to, but not including, the anticipated redemption dates, of $5 million and $9 million related to the Holdings Floating Rate Notes and the Holdings PIK Notes, respectively, and redemption premiums, as of the anticipated redemption dates, of $10 million and $9 million related to the Holdings Floating Rate Notes and the Holdings Discount Notes, respectively. The Holdings PIK Notes are redeemable at par value. Principal amounts of debt to be repaid on the anticipated redemption dates are $250 million, $200 million and $91 million related to the Holdings Floating Rate Notes, the Holdings PIK Notes and the Holdings Discount Notes, respectively. The principal amount of the Holdings Discount Notes represents 35% of the accreted value on the anticipated date of redemption.

          (3)
          Represents estimated underwriting discounts on the sale of shares of common stock by us and other expenses.

                  The interest rate on the Holdings Floating Rate Notes is equal to three-month LIBOR plus 4.375%, reset quarterly. The interest rate on the Holdings PIK Notes is equal to six-month LIBOR plus 7.0%, reset semi-annually. Additional terms of the Holding Floating Rate Notes, Holding PIK Notes and Holdings Discount Notes are described under "Description of Indebtedness."

          We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of Class A common stock by the netselling stockholders in this offering (including any proceeds from the sale of shares by theof Class A common stock that such selling stockholders including any proceeds received by them in connection with any exercise ofmay sell pursuant to the underwriters'underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares.Class A common stock). The selling stockholders will receive all netof the proceeds from the sale of shares of our Class A common stock offered by themsuch selling stockholders.

          DIVIDEND POLICY

          Dividend Policy

          The Company intends to institute a regular quarterly dividend to holders of our Class A common stock and Class B common stock whereby we intend to pay quarterly cash dividends of $0.12 per share. We expect to pay the first dividend under this prospectus.

                  Any increasepolicy in the aggregate amountSeptember 2020. The declaration of net proceeds to us from the sale of common stock in this offeringeach dividend will result in a corresponding increase in the amount available for general corporate purposes. Any decrease in the amount of net proceeds to us below $574 million (which equals the amountcontinue to be usedat the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on our financial condition, earnings, liquidity and capital requirements, level of indebtedness, contractual restrictions with respect to redeem the indebtedness in the table above), will result in a corresponding reduction in either (i) the amount of Holdings Discount Notes to be redeemed or (ii) the $141.5 million special cash dividend to be paid to our existing stockholders in connection with the Concurrent Transactions.



          DIVIDEND POLICY

                  We paid $202 million, including $2 millionpayment of dividends, on preferred sharesrestrictions imposed by Delaware law, general business conditions and any other factors that our board of Holdings, to our Investors at the time of the Acquisition Corp. Refinancing, $350 milliondirectors deems relevant in connection with the Return of Capital and Dividend on Preferred and $631 million in connection with the Holdings' Payment to Investors throughmaking such a combination of dividends and share repurchases. We distributed $42.5 million of the remaining $50 million of net proceeds from the issuance of the Holdings Notes to the Investors on March 28, 2005 and intend to distribute the remaining $7.5 million to the Investors prior to this offering.

                  In addition, prior to this offering, Warner Music Group Corp. intends to declare anddetermination. Therefore, there can be no assurance that we will pay a dividend equal to the Remaining Preference Amount to the Investors in the form of promissory notes. Warner Music Group Corp. also intends to declare a $141.5 million cash dividend to the holders of its Class L Common Stock and Class A Common Stock, consisting of the Investors and certain members of management. Though this dividend would be paid following consummation of this offering, stockholders who buy common stock in this offering will not participate in such dividend. See "Prospectus Summary—Recent Developments—The Concurrent Transactions."

                  The amounts available to us to pay further cash dividends will be restricted by Acquisition Corp.'s senior secured credit agreement and indentures governing the various notes of our subsidiaries, including the indenture governing the Holdings Notes and the indenture governing the Acquisition Corp. Notes. Under Acquisition Corp.'s senior secured credit agreement, generally neither Holdings nor Holdings' subsidiaries may pay dividends or otherwise transfer their assets to us. However, Acquisition Corp.'s senior secured credit agreement permits such restricted payments in an amount not to exceed $10.0 million, subject to increase up to $50.0 million if the leverage ratio is less than 3.5 to 1, and subject to additional increase in an amount equal to 50% of excess cash flow that is not otherwise applied pursuant to Acquisition Corp.'s senior secured credit agreement. The proposed amendment to the senior secured credit agreement is also expected to permit (i) the distribution of $141.5 million to our stockholders as described under "Prospectus Summary—Recent Developments—The Concurrent Transactions" in connection with the Concurrent Transactions and (ii) distributions not in excess of $90 million in any fiscal year to be applied to pay regular quarterly cash dividends to holders of our common stock, after this offering.or as to the amount of any such dividends.

          WMG is a holding company for all of our operations and is a legal entity separate from its subsidiaries. All of WMG’s business operations are conducted through our subsidiaries. Dividends and other distributions from WMG’s subsidiaries are the principal sources of funds available to WMG to pay corporate operating expenses, to pay stockholder dividends, to repurchase stock and to meet its other obligations. The indentures governingagreements to which our subsidiaries are party, including the HoldingsSecured Notes Indenture, the Senior Notes Indenture, the Revolving Credit Agreement and the Acquisition Corp.Senior Term Loan Credit Agreement, each contain certain provisions that restrict the payment of dividends, subject to certain exceptions. Generally, the Secured Notes also limitIndenture, the ability of Holdings, Acquisition Corp.Senior Notes Indenture, the Revolving Credit Facility and theirthe Senior Term Loan Credit Agreement permit our subsidiaries to pay dividends to us. Under such indentures, generally our subsidiaries may pay dividends orand make certain other restricted payments depending on(i) only if, at the time of the restricted payment and after giving pro form effect thereto, Acquisition Corp. would have been able to incur at least $1.00 of additional indebtedness and remain in compliance with the fixed charge coverage ratio of 2.00 to 1.00 and (ii) the aggregate amount of dividends distributed over a formula based onspecified reference period does not exceed 50% of consolidatedAcquisition Corp.’s net income. In addition, Acquisition Corp. may also make such restricted payments if, on a pro forma basis after giving effectincome calculated over the same reference period, subject to any such payment, it has a net indebtednesscertain other limitations and basket exceptions. We believe that these agreements will permit our subsidiaries to adjusted EBITDA ratio of no greater than 3.75distribute funds to 1.0 and a net senior indebtednessus in an amount sufficient to adjusted EBITDA ratio of no greater than 2.5permit us to 1.0, and Holdings may make such restricted payments if, on a pro forma basis after giving effect to any such payment, it has a net indebtedness to adjusted EBITDA ratio of no greater than 4.25 to 1.0. Acquisition Corp. and Holdings may also make restricted payments under the indentures of up to $45.0 million and $75.0 million, respectively, without regard to any such provisions. The Holdings indenture permits Holdings to dividend up to 6% per annum from proceeds of this offering received by Holdings. See "Management'spay our currently intended dividends. For more details, see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Financial Condition and Liquidity—Liquidity."Liquidity” and “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Leverage—As a holding company, WMG depends on the ability of its subsidiaries to transfer funds to it to meet its obligations.”

                  We currently intendDelaware law requires that dividends be paid only out of “surplus,” which is defined as the fair market value of our net assets, minus our stated capital; or out of the current or the immediately preceding year’s earnings.

          On March 25, 2020, the Company’s board of directors declared a cash dividend of $37.5 million which was paid to pay regular quarterlystockholders on April 17, 2020 and recorded as an accrual as of March 31, 2020. On December 16, 2019, the Company’s board of directors declared a cash dividendsdividend of $37.5 million which was paid to stockholders on our common stock in an amount notJanuary 17, 2020. On September 23, 2019, the Company’s board of directors declared a cash dividend of $206.25 million which was paid to exceedstockholders on October 4, 2019. For fiscal year 2019, the Company paid an aggregate of $80 million per year. Any decision to declare and pay dividends in the future will be made at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on, among other things, our results of operations, cash requirements, financial condition, contractual restrictions and other factors that our board of directors may deem relevant.



          CAPITALIZATION

                  The following table sets forth our cash and cash equivalents and capitalization as of December 31, 2004 (1) on an actual basis and (2) on an as-adjusted basis to reflect:

            the $42.5 million dividend to the Investors paid on March 28, 2005, and the remaining $7.5 million dividend to the Investors which we expect to pay prior to this offering, in each case from a portion of the remaining proceeds from the Holdings Notes;

            the Recapitalization;

            the sale by us of approximately 27.2 million shares of our common stock in this offering at an assumed initial public offering price of $23.00 per share, the mid-point of the estimated price range shown on the cover page of this prospectus, after deducting the underwriting discount and estimated offering expenses;

            the application of the estimated net proceeds as described in "Use of Proceeds;" and

            the Concurrent Transactions.

                  The information should be read in conjunction with "The Transactions," "Pro Forma Consolidated Condensed Financial Statements," "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and our historical combined financial statements and the accompanying notes thereto appearing elsewhere in this prospectus.

           
           As of December 31, 2004
           
           
           Actual
           As Adjusted
           
           
           (unaudited, in millions)

           
          Cash and equivalents $306 $96 
            
           
           
          Debt:       
           Revolving credit facility(1) $ $ 
           Term loan(2)  1,191  1,441 
           Acquisition Corp. Notes(3)  658  658 
          Holdings Floating Rate Notes  250   
          Holdings Discount Notes(4)  251  163 
          Holdings PIK Notes(5)  196   
            
           
           
          Total debt $2,546 $2,262 
            
           
           
          Shareholders' equity:       
           Actual: Class A Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share, 200,000 shares authorized and 92,294 shares issued and outstanding; Class L Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share, 20,000 shares authorized and 9,444.4444 shares issued and outstanding; As adjusted: common stock, par value $0.001 per share, 500 million shares authorized, approximately 143 million shares issued and outstanding(6); preferred stock, par value $0.001 per share, 100 million shares authorized, no shares issued and outstanding $ $ 
          Additional paid-in capital  93  474 
          Accumulated deficit  (202) (351)
          Accumulated other comprehensive earnings  (16) (16)
            
           
           
          Total shareholders' equity $(125)$107 
            
           
           
          Total capitalization $2,421 $2,369 
            
           
           

          (1)
          Acquisition Corp. currently has no borrowings outstanding under the $250 million revolving portion of Acquisition Corp.'s senior secured credit facility but has issued $4$93.75 million in letters of credit under such agreement. See "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and "Description of Indebtedness—Senior Secured Credit Facility."
          (2)
          Acquisition Corp. is seekingcash dividends to amend its senior secured credit facility to, among other things, increase the term loan borrowings thereunder by an additional $250 million, which would bring the total amount of the new facility to $1,441 million. See "Description of Indebtedness" and "Prospectus Summary—Recent Developments—The Concurrent Transactions."
          (3)
          Includes $465 million aggregate principal amount of the dollar notes and the U.S. dollar equivalent, as of December 31, 2004, of the £100 million aggregate principal amount of the sterling notes of our wholly owned subsidiary, Acquisition Corp. See "Description of Indebtedness."
          (4)
          Represents the accreted value as of December 31, 2004 of the $396.81 million ($306.81 million, as adjusted) aggregate principal amount at maturity of the Holdings Discount Notes. See "Description of Indebtedness."
          (5)
          Represents the outstanding amount due as of December 31, 2004 with respect to the $200 million Holdings PIK Notes, including accrued PIK interest on such Holdings PIK Notes, less unamortized discount. See "Description of Indebtedness."
          (6)
          Amount does not include shares reserved for issuance pursuant to (i) the Three-Year Warrants or MMT Warrants, (ii) any stock option agreements or LTIP stock option agreements and (iii) the option to purchase additional shares of common stock in this offering granted to the underwriters.


          DILUTION

                  Dilution is the amount by which the offering price paid by the purchasers of the common stock to be sold in this offering will exceed the net tangible book value per share of common stock after the offering. The net tangible book value per share presented below is equal to the amount of our total tangible assets (total assets less intangible assets) less total liabilities as of December 31, 2004. As of December 31, 2004, we had a net tangible book deficit of $(3,116) million, or $(26.98) per share after giving effect to the Recapitalization. On a pro forma basis, after giving effect to:

            the $42.5 million dividend to the Investors paid on March 28, 2005, and the remaining $7.5 million dividend to the Investors which we expect to pay prior to this offering, in each case from a portion of the remaining proceeds from the Holdings Notes;

            the sale of 27,170,000 shares of common stock by us in this offering at an assumed initial public offering price of $23.00 per share, the mid-point of the price range on the cover of this prospectus; and

            the Concurrent Transactions

          our pro forma net tangible book deficit as of December 31, 2004 would have been $(2,884) million, or $(20.22) per share of common stock. This represents an immediate decrease in net tangible book deficit of $6.76 per share to existing stockholders and an immediate dilution in net tangible book value of $43.22 per share to new investors.

                  The following table illustrates this dilution on a per share basis:

          Assumed initial public offering price per share    $23.00 
           Net tangible book deficit per share at December 31, 2004 $(26.98)   
           Increase in net tangible book value per share attributable to new investors  6.76    
            
              
          Pro forma net tangible book deficit per share after the offering     (20.22)
               
           
          Dilution per share to new investors    $43.22 
               
           

                  The following table summarizes, on the same pro forma basis as of December 31, 2004, the total number of shares of common stock purchased from us, the total consideration paid to us and the average price per share paid by the existing shareholders and by new investors purchasing shares in this offering:

           
           Shares Purchased
           Total Consideration
            
           
           
           Average Price
          Per Share

           
           
           Number
           Percent
           Amount
           Percent
           
           
           (in millions)

           
          The Investors 107,544,922 75%$(104)(20)%$(0.97)
          Management 7,946,908 6%$(5)(1)%$(0.63)
          New investors 27,170,000 19%$625 121%$23.00 
            
           
           
           
           
           
           Total 142,661,830 100%$516 100%$3.62 

                  Total consideration and average price per share paid by the Investors in the table above give effect to the $131.4 million cash dividend (which represents the portion of the $141.5 million cash dividend we intend to pay to the Investors), the repayment of the promissory notes issued in connection with the dividend to holders of Class L Common Stock, the $42.5 million dividend to the Investors paid on March 28, 2005, and the remaining $7.5 million dividend to the Investors which we expect to pay prior to this offering. Total consideration and average price per share paid by certain members of our management in the table above give effect to the $10.1 million cash dividend (which represents the portion of the $141.5 million cash dividend we intend to pay to, or withhold for, such members of



          management). See "Prospectus Summary—Recent Developments—The Concurrent Transactions." As the table indicates, the Investors' total consideration for their shares would be $(104) million, with an average share price of $(0.97), which means that the Investors in the aggregate will have received $104 million more than they originally invested and management's total consideration for their shares would be $(5) million, with an average share price of $(0.63), which means that management in the aggregate will have received $5 million more than they originally invested.

                  The tables and calculations above include all vested and unvested restricted shares of common stock and assume no exercise of outstanding options, of the option granted to the underwriters to purchase additional shares of common stock in this offering or of the Three-Year Warrants. The table and calculation above excludes the proceeds from the secondary offering, as such proceeds are received directly by the selling stockholders. After giving effect to the Recapitalization, there will be approximately 5,304,414 shares of our common stock subject to options outstanding at an average exercise price per share of $3.97 (see "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Factors Affecting Results of Operations and Financial Condition—Future Charges and Payments Relating to Executive Compensation"), of which approximately 99,579 shares have vested and of which up to an additional 199,157 shares may vest as a result of this offering. To the extent that these options are exercised or the Three-Year Warrants are not purchased by us, there will be further dilution to new investors. See "Management," "Shares Eligible for Future Sale—Stock Options and Restricted Stock" and "Prospectus Summary—Recent Developments—The Concurrent Transactions."

                  The number of shares held by stockholders selling shares in this offering will be reduced by the secondary offering and to the extent the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares. If the underwriters fully exercise their option, the selling stockholders will own a total of 97,224,922 shares or approximately 68% of our total outstanding shares which, along with the secondary offering, will decrease the average price paid by the selling stockholders per share to $(1.07). In addition, after giving effect to Recapitalization, there will be approximately 8,305,390 restricted shares of our common stock outstanding, of which approximately 497,732 shares have vested and of which up to 995,464 shares may vest as a result of this offering, based on the initial public offering price per share.



          THE TRANSACTIONS

                  The following is, among other things, a summary of the Acquisition and certain terms of the purchase agreement, dated as of November 24, 2003, as amended on March 1, 2004, between Time Warner and Acquisition Corp. The following summary is qualified in its entirety by reference to the purchase agreement.

                  In addition to the purchase agreement, at the closing of the Acquisition, the parties entered into agreements governing certain relationships between and among the parties after the closing of the Acquisition. These agreements include a stockholders agreement, a seller services agreement, a purchaser services agreement, and a management agreement. See "Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions" for descriptions of these agreements.

          The Acquisition

                  On March 1, 2004, Acquisition Corp., an indirect subsidiary of Warner Music Group, acquired substantially all of Time Warner's music division. The initial purchase price for the Acquisition was $2.595 billion (subject to customary post-closing adjustments), consisting of $2.560 billion in cash and $35 million in non-cash consideration in the form of warrants issued to Historic TW.

                  On November 15, 2004, Acquisition Corp. and Time Warner made certain Section 338(h)(10) elections under the Internal Revenue Code, which, for tax purposes, increased the cost basis of our domestic net assets and will allow us to deduct the associated annual depreciation and amortization expenses.

          The Original Financing and the Acquisition Corp. Refinancing

                  We financed the Acquisition, related fees and expenses and a portion of our identified restructuring costs through our Original Financing of (i) $1.15 billion of borrowings under the term loan portion of Acquisition Corp.'s senior secured credit facility, which, in addition to the term loan facility, includes a $250 million revolving credit facility, (ii) borrowings under a $500 million senior subordinated bridge loan facility and (iii) a $1.25 billion aggregate initial capital investment by the Investors. See "Description of Indebtedness."

          For the Acquisition Corp. Refinancing we applied the proceeds from the offering of the Acquisition Corp. Notes, an additional $50 million of borrowings under the term loan portion of the senior secured credit facility plus available cash on hand, to (i) repay all amounts outstanding under the senior subordinated bridge loan facility plus accrued and unpaid interest, (ii) return a portion of the initial capital investment by the Investors and (iii) pay fees and expenses (the Acquisition Corp. Refinancing, together with the Original Financing and the Acquisition, the "Transactions").



                  The following table sets forth the sources and uses of funds as if the Acquisition Corp. Refinancing had occurred on March 1, 2004 simultaneously with the Acquisition and the Original Financing:

          Sources

            
           Uses

            
           
          (in millions)

            
           (in millions)

            
           
          Revolving credit facility(1) $ Purchase price(2) $2,606 
          Term loan  1,200 Purchase price adjustments(4)  (72)
          Senior subordinated notes(3)  650 Interest to Time Warner(5)  26 
                 
           
          Capital investment by the Investors  1,048 Total cash consideration(2)  2,560 
               Fees and expenses(6)  200 
               Cash to balance sheet  138 
            
             
           
          Total sources $2,898 Total uses $2,898 
            
             
           

          (1)
          The revolving credit facility provides for borrowings of up to $250 million.

          (2)
          Excludes warrants issued to Time Warner valued at approximately $35 million. Total consideration includes purchase price adjustments and interest to Time Warner.

          (3)
          Includes the U.S. dollar equivalent of the sterling notes, based on the exchange rate as of the date of issuance of the sterling notes.

          (4)
          Approximately $67 million of the purchase price adjustments for the Acquisition relates primarily to cash that Time Warner swept from our balance sheet after December 1, 2003 (the day at which the Investors began receiving the economic benefit of our business), net of the existing cash balance as of November 30, 2003. Approximately $5 million was an adjustment for negotiations in the tax structuring process between signing and closing of the Acquisition. Pursuant to the terms of the purchase agreement between the Investors and Time Warner, the purchase consideration is subject to certain adjustments, generally based on changes in the financial position of Old WMG between the date the purchase agreement was signed and the date the transaction closed. The parties currently are in discussions over the terms of final settlement. Such changes are not expected to be material; however, the purchase price has been reduced by approximately $24 million on a preliminary basis to reflect a reimbursement by Time Warner to the Investors of a portion of the purchase consideration already agreed upon by the parties.

          (5)
          In exchange for an arrangement in which the economic benefit of the acquired business accrued to the Investors as of December 1, 2003, we agreed to pay interest to Time Warner on the cash purchase price between December 1, 2003 and the closing of the Acquisition.

          (6)
          This amount includes commitment, placement, financial advisory and other transaction fees as well as legal, accounting and other professional fees.

          Warrants

                  A portion of the consideration paid to Time Warner by us was in the form of warrants in Parent Corp. and Holdings that were issued to Historic TW.

                  One of the two classes of warrants we issued to Historic TW in March 2004 gives Historic TW the right to purchase up to approximately 19.9% of the Class L Common Stock of Warner Music Group Corp., 19.9% of the Class A Common Stock of Warner Music Group Corp. and 19.9% of the preferred securities of Holdings issued to the Investors and taking into account the exercise of the warrants (the "MMT Warrants"). Subsequent to the issuance of the MMT Warrants, Holdings redeemed all of its preferred securities in connection with the Acquisition Corp. Refinancing and the Holdings' Payment to Investors and, immediately prior to this offering, we will effect the Recapitalization. As a result, the



          MMT Warrants will represent the right to purchase up to 26.7 million shares of our common stock (or approximately 19.9% of our common stock held by the Investors taking into account the exercise of the MMT Warrants). The MMT Warrants provide that Historic TW may exercise its rights in whole or in part under the MMT Warrants (i) upon the sale to certain music companies of all or substantially all of the recorded music business or music publishing business conducted by us or the acquisition by certain music companies of 35% of the outstanding shares of Warner Music Group Corp. or Holdings; (ii) the acquisition of all or substantially all of the recorded music business or music publishing business of certain music companies; or (iii) a merger with or the formation of a joint venture or other combination of all or substantially all of Warner Music Group Corp. or Holdings' recorded music business or music publishing business with that of certain music companies. If a definitive agreement for such a transaction is not executed by March 1, 2007, or if the MMT Warrants are not exercised within 90 days of the consummation of such a transaction, the MMT Warrants will expire. Additionally, the MMT Warrants will expire if the Three-Year Warrants (defined herein) are exercised either in whole or in part. The MMT Warrants will expire upon the exercise of the Three-Year Warrants.

                  The other class of warrant we issued to Historic TW in March 2004 was the Three-Year Warrants, which give Historic TW the right to purchase up to approximately 15% of the Class L Common Stock of Warner Music Group Corp., 15% of the Class A Common Stock of Warner Music Group Corp. and 15% of the preferred securities of Holdings issued to the Investors and taking into account the exercise of the Three-Year Warrants. Subsequent to the issuance of the Three-Year Warrants, Holdings redeemed all of its preferred securities and, immediately prior to this offering, we will effect the Recapitalization. As a result, the Three-Year Warrants will represent the right to purchase up to approximately 19.0 million shares of our common stock (or approximately 15% of our common stock held by the Investors taking into account the exercise of the Three-Year Warrants). The Three-Year Warrants provide that Historic TW may exercise its rights in whole or in part under the Three-Year Warrants at any time after the closing of the Acquisition until the earliest of: (i) March 1, 2007; (ii) the consummation of any public equity offering that results in the common stock of Warner Music Group Corp. being publicly traded; (iii) the sale for cash and/or securities of a class that is publicly traded to a third-party of a majority of the then-outstanding common and preferred securities of Warner Music Group Corp. or Holdings; and (iv) the exercise of either the Three-Year Warrants or the MMT Warrants. The Three-Year Warrants will expire at the consummation of this offering if not exercised prior to the consummation of this offering. We have agreed with Historic TW to repurchase the Three-Year Warrants in connection with the Concurrent Transactions. Upon repurchase, the Three-Year Warrants will be deemed to have been exercised and the MMT Warrants will expire as decribed in the preceeding paragraph.

          Representations and Warranties; Indemnification

                  The purchase agreement contains customary representations and warranties of Time Warner and of Acquisition Corp., including representations and warranties of Time Warner regarding organization, authorization, non-contravention, governmental consents, capital stock of the companies, subsidiaries, financial statements, absence of certain changes, no undisclosed material liabilities, material contracts, compliance with laws and court orders, litigation, title to real property, sufficiency of the acquired assets, intellectual property rights, licenses and permits, tax matters, employee plans, environmental compliance and brokers. Acquisition Corp.'s right to obtain indemnification from Time Warner, and the right of Time Warner to obtain indemnification from Acquisition Corp., for any breach of these respective representations and warranties is generally limited to an aggregate amount of losses in excess of approximately $26 million, subject to a cap equal to approximately $260 million.



          Other Provisions

          No-Solicit; No-Hire

                  Subject to certain exceptions, for two years after March 1, 2004, Time Warner and its affiliates may not solicit or employ any employee who was employed in our businesses immediately before the closing.

          Employee Matters and Pension

                  For one year after March 1, 2004, we agreed to provide Acquisition Corp.'s employees with base salary, bonus and other cash-based compensation opportunities based on targets Acquisition Corp. established and severance benefits that are no less favorable than provided to the employees of Time Warner's music division immediately prior to the Acquisition. In addition, Acquisition Corp. has agreed to be responsible for funding of pension benefit obligations of up to $25 million subsequent to the date of the purchase agreement for current and former employees of the business under non-U.S.-based defined benefit pension plans maintained by Time Warner or any of its subsidiaries. Acquisition Corp. has also otherwise agreed to be responsible for any employment-related liabilities attributable to current and former employees of the business under Time Warner benefit plans other than any U.S. defined benefit pension plan, U.S. retiree medical plan, non-qualified deferred compensation plan or severance plan covering individuals who were not employees of the business as of November 24, 2003.

          Use of Names and Logos

                  Acquisition Corp. has agreed to license from two subsidiaries of Time Warner, on a royalty free basis pursuant to trademark license agreements, certain trademarks and service marks used in the business. The terms of the licenses, subject to provisions providing for termination for cause, is in perpetuity with respect to the marks WARNER, WARNER MUSIC, and a "W" logo and fifteen years from February 29, 2004 with respect WARNER BROS. RECORDS, WARNER BROS. PUBLICATIONS, and WB & Shield designs.

          The Investors

                  With in excess of $35 billion under management in the aggregate, THL, Bain Capital and Providence Equity have considerable private equity investment experience and a long history of working and investing together. These firms, in particular, have a deep knowledge of the global media and entertainment industry with recent investments in media, entertainment, publishing and cable television.

                  In addition, Edgar Bronfman, Jr., an investor through Music Capital and our Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, has significant and directly relevant management experience in the music industry. From 1994 to 2000, Mr. Bronfman served as President and CEO of Seagram. During his tenure as CEO of Seagram, he consummated $85 billion in transactions, transformed the company into one of the world's leading media and communications companies and supervised the creation of the world's largest music company in 1998 through the merger of Universal and PolyGram.

                  THL is a private equity firm founded in 1974 that currently manages several private equity funds with aggregate capital commitments of approximately $14 billion. THL has invested in more than 80 businesses and is currently investing from Thomas H. Lee Equity Fund V, an equity fund with over $6.1 billion of committed capital. Recent media-related investments include ProSiebenSAT.1 Media, the largest private television network in Germany, Houghton Mifflin Company, a leading educational publisher, American Media and TransWestern Publishing. THL has more than 20 investment professionals based in Boston.

                  Bain Capital is a private investment firm that manages several pools of capital including private equity, venture capital, high-yield assets, mezzanine capital and public equity with over $16 billion in



          assets under management. Since its inception in 1984, the firm has raised seven private equity funds and made private equity investments and add-on acquisitions in over 250 companies around the world, in a variety of sectors, including media and entertainment. Recent media-related investments include ProSiebenSAT.1 Media, Houghton Mifflin Company, Artisan Entertainment and Loew's Cineplex Entertainment Corporation. Bain Capital has more than 160 investment professionals, with its headquarters in Boston and additional offices in New York, London and Munich.

                  Providence Equity is a private investment firms specializing in equity investments in media and communications companies. The principals of Providence manage funds with over $9.0 billion in equity commitments, including Providence Equity Partners V, a $4.25 billion private equity fund, and have invested in more than 80 companies operating in over 20 countries since the firm's inception in 1990. Current and previous areas of investment include cable television content and distribution, wireless and wireline telephony, publishing, radio and television broadcasting and other media and communications sectors. Recent investments include PanAmSat Holding Corporation, Kabel Deutschland (Germany's largest cable operator), Mountain States Cable, Casema, F&W Publications and ProSiebenSAT.1 Media.

          Ownership and Corporate Structure

                  The chart below summarizes our ownership and corporate structure as of December 31, 2004 after giving effect to the Initial Common Stock Offering and the Concurrent Transactions.

          LOGO


          (1)
          We currently have no borrowings outstanding under the $250 million revolving portion of Acquisition Corp.'s senior secured credit facility but have issued $4 million of letters of credit under such agreement. Borrowings under the senior secured credit facility and the senior secured term loan facility are guaranteed by Holdings.

          (2)
          Includes the U.S. dollar equivalent of the sterling notes, based on the exchange rate as of December 31, 2004.

          (3)
          Only wholly owned U.S. subsidiaries that guarantee the senior secured credit facility guarantee the Acquisition Corp. Notes. Such guarantees are on a senior subordinated basis. The Holdings Notes are not currently guaranteed, but pursuant to the indenture governing the Holdings Notes, will be guaranteed by any wholly owned U.S. subsidiary that guarantees indebtedness of Holdings.


          PRO FORMA CONSOLIDATED CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

                  The following unaudited pro forma consolidated condensed balance sheet as of December 31, 2004 gives effect to the Holdings Refinancing (to the extent not already reflected), the Initial Common Stock Offering and the Concurrent Transactions as if they had occurred as of that date. All financial effects resulting from the Acquisition and the Original Financing, the Cinram Agreements and the Acquisition Corp. Refinancing are already reflected in our historical balance sheet as of December 31, 2004, and accordingly, no pro forma adjustments to the balance sheet are necessary.

                  The following unaudited pro forma consolidated condensed statement of operations for the twelve months ended September 30, 2004 gives effect to (i) the Acquisition and the Original Financing, (ii) the Cinram Agreements, (iii) the Acquisition Corp. Refinancing, (iv) the Holdings Refinancing, (v) the Initial Common Stock Offering and (vi) the Concurrent Transactions as if they occurred as of October 1, 2003. Because we presented a shortened ten-month, transition period in the historical financial statements relating to our change in fiscal year that was enacted in 2004,2018, the unaudited pro forma consolidated condensed statement of operations has been further adjusted to present a full consecutive twelve-month period ended September 30, 2004 in order to provide more meaningful information to the users of our financial information.

                  The following unaudited pro forma consolidated condensed statement of operations for the three months ended December 31, 2004 gives effect to (i) the Holdings Refinancing, (ii) the Initial Common Stock Offering and (iii) the Concurrent Transactions, as of October 1, 2003. All financial effects resulting from the Acquisition and the Original Financing, the Cinram Agreements and the Acquisition Corp. Refinancing are already reflected in our historical statement of operations for the three months ended December 31, 2004, and accordingly, no pro forma adjustments to the statement of operations for such period are necessary.

                  The pro forma consolidated condensed financial statements have been derived from, and should be read in conjunction with, our historical audited and interim unaudited financial statements, including the notes thereto, included elsewhere herein. The pro forma consolidated condensed financial statements are presented for informational purposes only and are not necessarily indicative of our financial position or results of operations that would have occurred had the events been consummated as of the dates indicated. In addition, the pro forma consolidated condensed financial statements are not necessarily indicative of our future financial condition or operating results.

          The Acquisition and the Original Financing

                  Pro forma adjustments for the Acquisition and the Original Financing reflect the purchase of substantially all of Time Warner's music division effective on March 1, 2004 for an aggregate purchase price of $2.649 billion, including $78 million of direct acquisition costs (excluding financing fees) and a $24 million reduction in the purchase price subsequently agreed to between the Investors and Time Warner that has yet to be settled. The consideration exchanged consisted of $2.560 billion of cash and $35 million of non-cash consideration in the form of warrants that give Historic TW the right to purchase common stock of Warner Music Group Corp. under certain conditions. The terms of the warrants are described elsewhere herein.

                  The cash portion of the Acquisition, including $78 million of direct acquisition costs, was financed by a $1.250 billion initial capital investment by the Investors and aggregate borrowings of $1.388 billion under the term loan portion of Acquisition Corp.'s senior secured credit facility and under Acquisition Corp.'s former senior subordinated bridge loan facility. We incurred $262 million of additional indebtedness under the term loan portion of the senior secured credit facility to pay certain



          financing-related fees, as well as to fund future working capital requirements that included a portion of the anticipated costs to restructure the business.

          Restructuring Plan

                  We have conducted a detailed assessment of our existing cost structure. As a result of this assessment, we have identified substantial cost-reduction opportunities in our business, the majority of which are associated with headcount reductions from the consolidation of operations and the streamlining of corporate and label overhead. By the end of December 2004, we had implemented approximately $250 million of annualized cost savings, of which approximately $144 million has been reflected in our statement of operations through December 31, 2004. We have completed substantially all of our restructuring efforts. We project the one-time costs associated with our restructuring to be $225 million to $250 million, of which approximately $140 million has beenCompany paid through December 31, 2004. We expect to pay a majority of the remaining costs in 2005 and 2006. Because there are still significant risks associated with the Restructuring Plan, we have not given pro forma effect to any cost savings or incremental one-time costs that have not already been reflected in the historical financial statements of Warner Music Group Corp. See "Risk Factors."

          Purchase Price Allocation

                  The Acquisition was accounted for under the purchase method of accounting for business combinations. Accordingly, the estimated cost to acquire such assets was allocated to our underlying net assets in proportion to their respective fair values. Most of the valuations and other studies which provide the basis for such an allocation have been completed; however, we are still waiting for certain information in order to finalize the purchase price allocation, including a final settlement of terms with Time Warner. As more fully described in the notes to the pro forma condensed financial statements, a preliminary allocation of the excess of cost over the book value of net tangible assets has been made to identifiable intangible assets in the amounts of $1.216 billion to recorded music catalog, $808 million to music publishing copyrights, $978 million to goodwill and $110 million to trademarks.

          The Cinram Agreements

                  Prior to the end of October 2003, we purchased manufacturing, packaging and physical distribution services from affiliates of Time Warner that were under the common control of Time Warner and our management. Pricing for such services was not negotiated on an arm's-length basis and did not reflect market rates. At the end of October 2003, Time Warner sold its CD and DVD manufacturing, packaging and physical distribution operations to Cinram. As part of the sale, we and Time Warner entered into long-term arrangements with Cinram under which Cinram provides manufacturing, packaging and physical distribution services for our products in the U.S. and Europe. Accordingly, the pro forma consolidated condensed statement of operations for the twelve-month period ended September 30, 2004 has been adjusted to reflect the more favorable market-based rates negotiated on an arm's-length basis under the Cinram Agreements for the October 2003 period in which the Cinram Agreements were not in effect.

          The Acquisition Corp. Refinancing

                  Pro forma adjustments for the Acquisition Corp. Refinancing reflect the interest-related effects relating to the issuance of approximately $650 million principal amount of the Acquisition Corp. Notes, an additional $50 million of borrowings under the term loan portion of Acquisition Corp.'s senior secured credit facility plus available cash on hand to (i) repay all $500 million in borrowings under Acquisition Corp.'s senior subordinated bridge loan facility and (ii) redeem a portion of the preferred



          stock in Holdings held by the Investors in the amount of $202 million, including accrued dividends of $2 million.

          The Holdings Refinancing

                  Pro forma adjustments for the Holdings Refinancing reflect (i) the interest-related effects relating to the issuance by Holdings of $847 million aggregate principal amount at maturity of the Holdings Notes on December 23, 2004 and the use of the $681 million of proceeds therefrom, net of $15 million of debt issuance costs, to redeem the remaining preferred stock in Holdings in the amount of $209 million, including accrued dividends of $9 million, and to pay a dividend on the Class L Common Stock of $422 million and (ii) the payment of an aggregate of $50$925 million in cash dividends on the Class L Common Stock using the proceeds from the offering of the Holdings Notes, of which $42.5 million was paid on March 28, 2005 and the remaining $7.5 million will be distributed to the Investors prior to this offering.

          The Initial Common Stock Offering

                  Pro forma adjustments for the Initial Common Stock Offering reflect (i) the Recapitalization, (ii) the issuance of 27,170,000 shares of our common stock and (iii) the use of $574 million of our net proceeds from the issuance of common stock to repay all outstanding Holdings Floating Rate Notes, all outstanding Holdings PIK Notes and 35% of the outstanding aggregate principal amount at maturity of Holdings Discount Notes, including redemption premiums and interest obligations through the anticipated redemption date of June 15, 2005.

                  Pro forma adjustments for the Initial Common Stock Offering exclude (i) 5,430,000 shares currently held by the existing stockholders, which will be sold as part of this offering and (ii) up to an additional 4,890,000 shares currently held by the existing stockholders, which are subject to the underwriters' option to acquire and sell such shares as part of this offering. No change in the amount of outstanding shares will resultreflected proceeds from the sale of suchSpotify shares andacquired in the proceeds for these currently outstanding shares will be received directly byordinary course of business. For fiscal year 2017, the sellingCompany paid an aggregate of $84 million in cash dividends to stockholders.

          Concurrent Transactions

                  Pro forma adjustments for the Concurrent Transactions reflect the effect of obtaining the proposed amendment to Acquisition Corp.'s senior secured credit facility, including the incurrence of $250 million of additional borrowings. Pro forma adjustments also reflect the use of the $247 million of net proceeds therefrom, plus $177 million of available cash on hand (i) to pay approximately $166 million to Historic TW to repurchase the Three-Year Warrants, (ii) to pay $73 million to terminate the management services agreement with the Investors, (iii) to pay an $8.5 million dividend in satisfaction of the remaining liquidation preference on our Class L Common Stock, (iv) to pay For a $141.5 million dividend to the holders of Warner Music Group Corp.'s Class L Common Stock and Class A Common Stock, including approximately $10 million relating to the holders of unvested shares of restricted stock which will be paid at a later date when, and if, such restricted shares vest, and (v) to pay one-time special bonuses of approximately $35 million to management and employees of Warner Music Group, consisting of (a) approximately $20 million to be paid to holders of restricted stock and stock options to make employees whole for certain unfavorable tax consequences, (b) approximately $5 million to be paid to holders of stock options representing an adjustment for outstanding options as a result of the $141.5 million special cash dividend on the Class L and Class A Common Stock and (c) approximately $10 million to substantially alldiscussion of our employees who will have no equity participation in our company upon the consummation of this offering.



          Interest Rate Sensitivity

                  As of December 31, 2004, on a pro forma basis after giving effect to (i) the use of $574 million of our net proceeds from the issuance of common stock to repay all outstanding Holdings Floating Rate Notes, all outstanding Holdings PIK Notes and 35% of outstanding Holdings Discount Notes, and (ii) the Concurrent Transactions, including the $250 million of new term loan borrowings under Acquisition Corp.'s proposed amendment to its senior secured credit facility, Warner Music Group would have had $1.041 billion of funded variable-rate indebtedness, net of the effect of $400 million notional amount of interest-rate swaps that effectively convert a portion of our variable-rate indebtedness to fixed-rate indebtedness. As such, we are sensitive to changes in interest rates. For each 0.125% increase or decrease in interest rates, our interest expense and net loss each would increase or decrease, respectively, by approximately $1 million.

          Non-cash, Stock-based Compensation Expense

                  As further described in "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Factors Affecting Results of Operations and Financial Condition," our compensation committee recently approved certain changes to the terms of previously granted stock options. For accounting purposes, these changes constituted a modification of the terms of the grants. Accordingly, we will be required to remeasure the aggregate compensation expense relating to such grants. Based on our preliminary analysis, we expect our aggregate non-cash compensation expense to increase to approximately $34 million for all awards granted as of April 14, 2005, which will be recognized over the vesting period of such awards. Such amount of non-cash compensation expense is expected to be recognized in the following manner: $15 million in fiscal 2005, $10 million in fiscal 2006, $6 million in fiscal 2007 and $3 million in fiscal 2008. This compares to previously recorded non-cash, stock-based compensation expense included in our pro forma consolidated condensed statements of operations of $1 million for the twelve months ended September 30, 2004 and $2 million for the three months ended December 31, 2004.



          WARNER MUSIC GROUP CORP.

          PRO FORMA CONSOLIDATED CONDENSED BALANCE SHEET
          As of December 31, 2004

           
            
           Pro Forma Adjustments
            
           
           Historical(1)
           The Holdings
          Refinancing(2)

           The Initial Common
          Stock Offering(3)

           The Concurrent Transactions(4)
           Pro Forma
           
           (in millions, unaudited)

          Assets      

          Current assets:

           

           

           

           

           

           

           

           

           

           

           

           

           

           

           
           Cash and equivalents $306 $(50)$7 $(167)$96
           Accounts receivable  821        821
           Inventories  65        65
           Royalty advances expected to be recouped within one year  204        204
           Deferred tax assets  48        48
           Other current assets  74        74
            
           
           
           
           
          Total current assets  1,518  (50) 7  (167) 1,308
          Royalty advances expected to be recouped after one year  204        204
          Investments  9        9
          Property, plant and equipment  180        180
          Goodwill  966        966
          Intangible assets subject to amortization  1,925        1,925
          Intangible assets not subject to amortization  100        100
          Other assets  121    (12) 3  112
            
           
           
           
           
          Total assets $5,023 $(50)$(5)$(164)$4,804
            
           
           
           
           

          Liabilities and Shareholders' Equity

           

           

           

           

           

           

          Current liabilities:

           

           

           

           

           

           

           

           

           

           

           

           

           

           

           
           Accounts payable $223       $223
           Accrued royalties  1,166        1,166
           Taxes and other withholdings  32        32
           Current portion of long-term debt  12        12
           Other current liabilities  622      (177) 445
            
           
           
           
           
          Total current liabilities  2,055      (177) 1,878

          Long-term debt

           

           

          2,534

           

           


           

           

          (534

          )

           

          250

           

           

          2,250
          Deferred tax liabilities  272        272
          Other noncurrent liabilities  287      10  297
            
           
           
           
           
          Total liabilities  5,148    (534) 83  4,697
          Shareholders' equity  (125) (50) 529  (247) 107
            
           
           
           
           
          Total liabilities and shareholders' equity $5,023 $(50)$(5)$(164)$4,804
            
           
           
           
           


          WARNER MUSIC GROUP CORP.

          NOTES TO THE PRO FORMA CONSOLIDATED CONDENSED BALANCE SHEET

          (1)
          Reflects the historical consolidated financial position of Warner Music Group Corp. as of December 31, 2004.

          (2)
          Reflects a decrease in equity of $50 million and a corresponding decrease in cash and equivalents related to the payment of a dividend on Class L Common Stock using the remaining proceeds from the Holdings Refinancing. Of such amount, $42.5 million was paid on March 28, 2005 and the remaining $7.5 million will be distributed to the Investors prior to this offering.

          (3)
          Pro forma adjustments to record the Initial Common Stock Offering as of December 31, 2004 reflect:

          a decrease in long-term debt of $534 million consisting of (i) the redemption of all $200 million principal amount of Holdings PIK Notes, which had a carrying value of $196 million as of December 31, 2004 after considering $4 million of unamortized original issuance discount, (ii) the redemption of all $250 million of Holdings Floating Rate Notes and (iii) the redemption of $88 million accreted principal amount of Holdings Discount Notes as of December 31, 2004.

          a decrease in other noncurrent assets of $12 million relating to the write off of a portion of the debt issuance costs relating to the Holdings Notes that will be redeemed using a portion of the proceeds from the Initial Common Stock Offering.

          an increase in cash and equivalents of $7 million consisting of (i) net proceeds raised of $581 million from the issuance of 27.2 million shares of our common stock to the public and (ii) the use of $574 million of such proceeds to redeem a portion of the Holdings Notes. The aggregate $574 million redemption cost for the Holdings Notes, including redemption premiums and interest obligations through the anticipated redemption date, includes $209 million to redeem all of the Holdings PIK Notes, $265 million to redeem all of the Holdings Floating Rate Notes and $100 million to redeem 35% of the outstanding Holdings Discount Notes.

          a net increase in shareholders' equity of $529 million consisting of (i) a $581 million increase in shareholders' equity relating to the issuance of 27.2 million shares of our common stock to the public, which is expected to raise net proceeds of $581 million, after deducting stock issuance costs of $44 million, (ii) a $36 million aggregate decrease in shareholders' equity relating to the payment of debt redemption premiums and unaccrued interest obligations through the anticipated redemption date relating to the Holdings' debt as of December 31, 2004 and (iii) a $16 million decrease in shareholders' equity relating to the write off of $12 million of debt issuance costs and $4 million of unamortized original issue discount relating to the Holdings Notes that will be redeemed using a portion of the proceeds from the Initial Common Stock Offering.

          Of the $36 million of redemption premium and unaccrued interest obligations through the anticipated redemption date noted above, $9 million relates to the redemption of all $200 million principal amount of the Holdings PIK Notes, $15 million relates to the redemption of all $250 million of the Holdings Floating Rate Notes and $12 million relates to the redemption of $88 million accreted principal amount of the Holdings Discount Notes as of December 31, 2004.

          The Recapitalization, which includes (i) the conversion of all outstanding shares of Class L Common Stock into shares of Class A Common Stock, (ii) the renaming of all outstanding shares of Class A Common Stock as common stock, which will have the effect of eliminating from our authorized capital stock the Class L Common Stock and Class A Common Stock and (iii) a 1,139 for 1 split of our common stock, had no effect on the pro forma consolidated condensed balance sheet as of December 31, 2004. This is because all such effects are limited to reclassifications within shareholders' equity.


            (4)
            Pro forma adjustments to record the Concurrent Transactions as of December 31, 2004 reflect:

            an increase in long-term debt of $250 million to reflect the incurrence of additional borrowings under Acquisition Corp.'s proposed amended and restated senior secured credit facility.

            an increase in non-current assets of $3 million relating to the debt issuance costs to be incurred in connection with the $250 million additional borrowings under Acquisition Corp.'s proposed amended and restated senior secured credit facility.

            a decrease in other current liabilities of $177 million relating to the repurchase of the Three-Year Warrants held by Historic TW. Such amount represents the recorded value of the liability as of December 31, 2004,

            an increase in other noncurrent liabilities of $10 million relating to the portion of the $141.5 million dividend that would be paid at a later date to holders of record of unvested shares of restricted stock when, and if, such restricted shares vest,

            a net decrease in shareholders' equity of $247 million consisting of (i) a $12 million increase relating to a one-time gain expected to be realized in connection with the repurchase of the Three-Year Warrants held by Historic TW, representing the excess of the $177 million carrying value of the liability as of December 31, 2004 over the $166 million cash paid to Historic TW, (ii) a $73 million decrease relating to the one-time charge expected to be incurred in connection with the payment to terminate the management services agreement with the Investors, (iii) a $35 million decrease relating to the one-time charge expected to be incurred in connection with the one-time special bonuses to be paid to management and employees of Warner Music Group, (iv) an $8.5 million decrease relating to a dividend to be paid in satisfaction of the remaining liquidation preference on our Class L Common Stock and (v) a $141.5 million decrease relating to a dividend to be paid to all of our shareholders existing immediately prior to this offering,

            a net decrease in cash and equivalents of $167 million consisting of (i) $247 million of net proceeds received from additional borrowings under Acquisitions Corp.'s senior secured credit facility, net of $3 million of debt issuance costs, (ii) the payment of $166 million to Historic TW to repurchase the Three-Year Warrants, (iii) the payment of $73 million to terminate the management services agreement with the Investors, (iv) the payment of an $8.5 million dividend in satisfaction of the remaining liquidation preference on our Class L Common Stock, (v) the payment of a $141.5 million dividend, of which approximately $10 million relating to the holders of unvested shares of restricted stock will be paid at a later date when, and if, such restricted shares vest and (vi) the payment of approximately $35 million of one-time special bonuses to management and employees of Warner Music Group.


              WARNER MUSIC GROUP CORP.
              PRO FORMA CONSOLIDATED CONDENSED STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS
              For the Twelve Months Ended September 30, 2004

               
                
                
                
               Pro Forma Adjustments
                
               
               
                
                
               Subtotal
              Historical
              Twelve
              Months
              Ended
              September 30,
              2004

                
               
               
               Historical
              Combined Ten
              Months Ended
              September 30,
              2004(1)

               Historical
              Two Months
              Ended
              November 30,
              2003(2)

               Excluded Net
              Assets(3)

               The
              Acquisition
              and the
              Original
              Financing(4)

               The Cinram
              Agreements(5)

               The Acquisition Corp.
              Refinancing(6)

               The Holdings
              Refinancing(7)

               The Initial
              Common Stock
              Offering(8)

               The Concurrent Transactions(9)
               Pro Forma
               
               
               (in millions, except per share data) (unaudited)

                
                
               
              Revenues $2,548 $889 $3,437 $(1)$ $ $ $ $ $ $3,436 
              Costs and expenses:                                  
               Costs of revenues(a)  (1,359) (491) (1,850) 2    5          (1,843)
               Selling, general and administrative expenses(a)  (996) (291) (1,287)   (4)           (1,291)
               Impairment of goodwill and other intangible assets    (1,019) (1,019)               (1,019)
               Amortization of intangible assets  (160) (41) (201)   23            (178)
               Restructuring costs  (26) (8) (34)               (34)
                
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
              Total costs and expenses  (2,541) (1,850) (4,391) 2  19  5          (4,365)
                
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
              Operating income (loss)  7  (961) (954) 1  19  5          (929)
              Interest expense, net  (82)   (82) (5) (40)   (8) (64) 48  1  (150)
              Net investment-related losses    (9) (9)               (9)
              Equity in the losses of equity—method investees, net  (4) (9) (13) (1)             (14)
              Deal-related transaction and other costs    (63) (63)               (63)
              Loss on repayment of bridge loan  (6)   (6)       6         
              Unrealized loss on warrants  (120)   (120)             120   
              Other expense, net  (4) (7) (11)               (11)
              Minority interest expense  (14)   (14)   (26)   20  20       
                
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
              Income (loss) before income taxes  (223) (1,049) (1,272) (5) (47) 5  18  (44) 48  121  (1,176)
              Income tax benefit (expense)  (47) (65) (112) 423      2        313 
                
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
              Net income (loss) $(270)$(1,114)$(1,384)$418 $(47)$5 $20 $(44)$48 $121 $(863)
                
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
              Net loss per common share(10):                                  
               Basic                               $(6.42)
               Diluted                               $(6.42)
              Average common shares(10):                                  
               Basic                                134.3 
               Diluted                                134.3 

                                          
              (a)    Includes depreciation     expense of: $(52)$(15)$(67)$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $(67)


              WARNER MUSIC GROUP CORP.
              NOTES TO THE PRO FORMA CONSOLIDATED CONDENSED STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS

              (1)
              Reflects our historical operating results for the combined ten-month transition period ended September 30, 2004, as follows:

               
               Successor
               Predecessor
               Combined
               
               
               Seven-Month
              Period Ended
              September 30, 2004

               Three-Month
              Period Ended
              February 29, 2004

               Ten-Month
              Period Ended
              September 30, 2004

               
               
                
               (in millions)

                
               
              Revenues $1,769 $779 $2,548 
              Costs and expenses:          
               Costs of revenues(a)  (944) (415) (1,359)
               Selling, general and administrative expenses(a)  (677) (319) (996)
               Impairment of goodwill and other intangible assets       
               Amortization of intangible assets  (104) (56) (160)
               Restructuring costs  (26)   (26)
                
               
               
               
              Total costs and expenses  (1,751) (790) (2,541)
                
               
               
               
              Operating income (loss)  18  (11) 7 
              Interest expense, net  (80) (2) (82)
              Net investment-related losses       
              Equity in the losses of equity-method investees, net  (2) (2) (4)
              Deal-related transaction and other costs       
              Loss on repayment of bridge loan  (6)   (6)
              Unrealized loss on warrants  (120)   (120)
              Other expense, net  (4)   (4)
              Minority interest expense  (14)   (14)
                
               
               
               
              Income (loss) before income taxes  (208) (15) (223)
              Income tax benefit (expense)  (30) (17) (47)
                
               
               
               
              Net income (loss) $(238)$(32)$(270)
                
               
               
               

                        
              (a) Includes depreciation expense of: $(36)$(16)$(52)
              (2)
              Reflects our historical operating results for the pre-acquisition, two-month period ended November 30, 2003.

              (3)
              Reflects pro forma adjustments to exclude the historical, pre-acquisition operating results relating to assets and liabilities that were not acquired or assumed by us in the Acquisition. Such adjustments consist of (i) the elimination of $15 million of interest income on cash and equivalents that were not acquired, (ii) the elimination of $10 million of interest expense on debt, capital lease

                and intercompany obligations that were not assumed, (iii) the elimination of $1 million of net, income on equity-method investees that were not acquired, (iv) the elimination of $1 million of revenues and $2 million of distribution costs relating to the sale of our physical distribution operations to Cinram, and (v) the elimination of $423 million of tax expense relating to the write-off of a deferred tax asset for net operating losses that was only available to us while we remained a member of the Time Warner consolidated tax return.


              No tax benefit has been provided on the aggregate pro forma decrease in pretax income due to the uncertainty of realization of Holdings' U.S.-based deferred tax assets.

              (4)
              Pro forma adjustments to record the Acquisition and the Original Financing for the twelve months ended September 30, 2004 reflect:

              an increase in interest expense of $40 million for the five-month period ended February 29, 2004 consisting of (i) a $19 million increase relating to $1.15 billion of borrowings under the term loan portion of our senior secured credit facility used to fund a portion of the cash purchase price and other transaction costs at a variable interest rate of 3.90% per annum based on three-month LIBOR rates for the five-month period ended February 29, 2004 plus a margin of 2.75%, (ii) a $16 million increase relating to $500 million of borrowings under Acquisition Corp.'s senior subordinated bridge loan facility used to fund a portion of the cash purchase price at an interest rate of 7.5% per annum and (iii) a $5 million increase relating to the amortization of $78 million of financing-related fees using a weighted-average life of 7 years paid in connection with the senior secured credit facility and senior subordinated bridge loan facility;

              an increase in selling, general and administrative expenses of $4 million for the five-month, pre-acquisition period ended February 29, 2004 relating to the $10 million annual management advisory fees paid to the Investors under the management services agreement described elsewhere herein;

              an increase in minority interest in the amount of $26 million to reflect aggregate annual preferred dividends of $40 million based on the original liquidation preference of $400 million and a dividend rate of 10% per annum on Holdings' preferred shares held by the Investors;

              a net decrease in amortization expense of intangible assets in the amount of $23 million for the five-month, pre-acquisition period ended February 29, 2004 consisting of (i) the elimination of $97 million of historical amortization expense which more than offset (ii) an increase in amortization expense of $74 million relating to the new values allocated on a preliminary basis

                  to our finite-lived identifiable intangible assets. The pro forma adjustment for the new amortization expense was calculated as follows:

              Intangible Assets Acquired

               Allocated Value
               Weighted-Average
              Useful Life

               Annual
              Amortization
              Expense

               Pro Forma
              Adjustments For
              the Five-Month,
              Pre-Acquisition
              Period Ended
              February 29, 2004

               
               (millions)

               (years)

               (millions)

               (millions)

              Finite-Lived Intangible Assets:           
               Recorded music catalog $1,216 10 $122 $51
               Music publishing catalog  808 15  54  23
               Trademarks  10 15  1  
               Other intangible assets subject to amortization  5 5  1  
                
                 
               
                $2,039   $178 $74
                
                 
               

              Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets:

               

               

               

               

               

               

               

               

               

               

               
               Trademarks $100 Indefinite    
               Goodwill  978 Indefinite    
                
                 
               
                $1,078      
                
                 
               
              Total intangible assets $3,117   $178 $74
                
                 
               

              No tax benefit has been provided on the aggregate pro forma decrease in pretax income due to the uncertainty of realization of Warner Music Group Corp.'s U.S.-based deferred tax assets.

              (5)
              Reflects pro forma adjustments to decrease cost of revenues in the amount of $5 million for the October 2003 period in which the more favorable, market-based pricing arrangements under the third-party Cinram Agreements for manufacturing, packaging and physical distribution services were not in effect.


              No tax provision has been provided on the pro forma increase in pretax income arising from this adjustment. This is because this adjustment, when taken in combination with the other pro forma adjustments described herein, still results in an aggregate net pretax loss for the Company. Accordingly, no tax benefit has been provided on the aggregate pro forma adjustments to pretax loss due to the uncertainty of realization of the Warner Music Group Corp.'s U.S.-based deferred tax assets.

              (6)
              Pro forma adjustments to record the Acquisition Corp. Refinancing for the twelve months ended September 30, 2004 reflect:

              a net increase in interest expense of $8 million and the elimination of a $6 million loss incurred on the repayment of the bridge loan. The pro forma adjustment to interest expense is calculated as follows:

              Description
               Annual Interest
              Expense(a)

               Amount of Interest
              Expense in Historical
              Operating Results

               Pro Forma
              Adjustment

               
               
                
               (in millions)

               
               Issuance of $465 million principal amount of U.S. dollar notes at a fixed interest rate of 7.375% per annum $34 $16 $18 
               Issuance of £100 million principal amount of sterling notes at a fixed interest rate of 8.125% per annum, which has been translated at a U.S. Dollar equivalent rate of $1.80 per British Pound  15  7  8 
               Additional $50 million of borrowings under the term loan portion of Acquisition Corp.'s senior secured credit facility at a variable interest rate of 4.01% per annum  2  1  1 
               Amortization of $34 million of debt issuance costs arising from the issuance of the Acquisition Corp. Notes over a weighted average life of 10 years  3  2  1 
                  
               
               
               
                  $54 $26 $28 
                  
               
                  
               Elimination of pro forma interest expense relating to the repayment of $500 million of borrowings under Acquisition Corp.'s senior subordinated bridge facility        (20)
                        
               
                        $8 
                        
               


                (a)
                With respect to variable-rate debt, interest expense is based upon underlying three-month LIBOR rates for the twelve months ended September 30, 2004.

                a decrease in minority interest expense of $20 million resulting from the redemption of half of the shares of Holdings preferred stock that had a liquidation preference of $200 million and a dividend rate of 10% per annum.


              Tax benefits of $2 million have been provided at a 30% tax rate on the $8 million pro forma decrease in international pretax income relating to Acquisition Corp.'s sterling notes. However, no tax provision has been provided on the pro forma increase in U.S.-based pretax income relating to minority interest expense. This is because this adjustment, when taken in combination with the other pro forma adjustments described herein, still results in an aggregate net pretax loss for the

                Company. Accordingly, no tax benefit has been provided on the aggregate pro forma adjustments to U.S.-based pretax loss due to the uncertainty of realization of Warner Music Group Corp.'s U.S.-based deferred tax assets.

              (7)
              Pro forma adjustments to record the Holdings Refinancing for the twelve months ended September 30, 2004 reflect:

              an increase in interest expense of $64 million consisting of (i) an $18 million increase relating to the issuance of $250 million principal amount of Holdings Floating Rate Notes at a variable interest rate of 7.085% based on three-month LIBOR rates plus a margin of 4.375%, (ii) a $24 million increase relating to the issuance of $397 million principal amount at maturity of Holdings Discount Notes ($250 million of proceeds after the original issuance discount) at a fixed interest rate of 9.5%, (iii) a $20 million increase relating to the issuance of $200 million principal amount of Holdings PIK Notes at a variable interest rate of 9.73% based on six-month LIBOR rates plus a margin of 7% and accretion of original issue discount, and (iv) a $2 million increase relating to the amortization of $15 million of debt issuance costs over a weighted-average period of 9 years.

              a decrease in minority interest expense of $20 million resulting from the redemption of the remaining shares of Holdings preferred stock that had a liquidation preference of $200 million and a dividend rate of 10% per annum.

                No tax benefit has been provided on the aggregate pro forma decrease in U.S.-based pretax income arising from the Holdings Refinancing due to the uncertainty of realization of Warner Music Group's U.S.-based deferred tax assets.

              (8)
              Pro forma adjustments to record the Initial Common Stock Offering for the twelve months ended September 30, 2004 reflect:

              an aggregate decrease in interest expense of $48 million consisting of (i) a $20 million decrease relating to the redemption of all $200 million principal amount of Holdings PIK Notes at a variable interest rate of 9.75% based on six-month LIBOR rates plus a margin of 7%, (ii) an $18 million decrease relating to the redemption of all $250 million of Holdings Floating Rate Notes at a variable interest rate of 7.09% based on three-month LIBOR rates plus a margin of 4.375%, (iii) an $8 million decrease relating to the redemption of $88 million accreted principal amount of Holdings Discount Notes as of December 31, 2004 at a fixed interest rate of 9.5% and (iv) a $2 million decrease relating to the amortization of $16 million of allocable deferred financing costs and original issuance discount that was being amortized over a weighted-average period of 9 years.

                No tax provision has been provided on the pro forma increase in U.S.-based pretax income. This is because this adjustment, when taken in combination with the other pro forma adjustments described herein, still results in an aggregate net pretax loss for the Company. Accordingly, no tax benefit has been provided on the aggregate pro forma adjustment to U.S.-based pretax loss due to the uncertainty of realization of Warner Music Group Corp.'s U.S.-based deferred tax assets.

                In addition, the pro forma consolidated condensed statement of operations excludes $52 million of one-time, pretax charges because they have no continuing impact on our operations. Such charges consist of (i) $16 million to write off debt issuance costs and unamortized original issuance discount relating to the Holdings Notes that will be redeemed using a portion of the proceeds from the Initial Common Stock Offering and (ii) $36 million to redeem a portion of the Holdings



                Notes, representing the aggregate redemption price (including redemption premiums and interest obligations through the anticipated redemption date thereon) in excess of the carrying value of the corresponding portion of the Holdings Notes as of December 31, 2004.

              (9)
              Pro forma adjustments to record the Concurrent Transactions for the twelve months ended September 30, 2004 reflect:

              a net decrease in interest expense of $1 million consisting of (i) an increase in interest expense of $9 million relating to the incurrence of $250 million of additional term loan borrowings under Acquisition Corp.'s proposed amended and restated senior secured credit facility at a variable interest rate of 3.76% per annum based on three-month LIBOR rates plus a margin of 2.5% and (ii) a cumulative decrease in interest expense of $10 million relating to an average 71 basis point reduction in the applicable credit margin on the $1.441 billion pro forma, weighted-average term loan borrowings during the period under our proposed amendment to the senior secured credit agreement.

              the elimination of a $120 million unrealized loss on warrants resulting from the assumed repurchase of the Three-Year Warrants held by Historic TW.

                No tax provision has been provided on the pro forma increase in U.S.-based pretax income. This is because this adjustment, when taken in combination with the other pro forma adjustments described herein, still results in an aggregate net pretax loss for the Company. Accordingly, no tax benefit has been provided on the aggregate pro forma adjustments to U.S.-based pretax loss due to the uncertainty of realization of Warner Music Group Corp.'s U.S.-based deferred tax assets.

                In addition, the pro forma consolidated condensed statement of operations excludes a net $97 million one-time, pretax charge because it has no continuing impact on our operations. Such charge consists of (i) an $11 million gain relating to the assumed repurchase of the Three-Year Warrants held by Historic TW, representing the excess of the $177 million carrying value of the liability as of December 31, 2004 over the $166 million of cash paid to Historic TW, (ii) a $73 million charge relating to the termination of the management services agreement and (iii) a $35 million charge relating to the payment of one-time, special bonuses to management and employees of Warner Music Group.

              (10)
              Pro forma basic earnings (loss) per common share is computed by dividing earnings (loss) available to common stockholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Pro forma diluted earnings per common share is computed by dividing earnings (loss) available to common stockholders by the sum of weighted average common shares outstanding plus dilutive common shares for the period. Pro forma basic and diluted common shares also include the number of shares from this offering whose proceeds were used for the repayment of debt.

                In connection with the Initial Common Stock Offering, the Company will (i) convert all of the outstanding shares of Class L Common Stock into shares of Class A Common Stock, (ii) rename all of the outstanding shares of Class A Common Stock as common stock, which will have the effect of eliminating from our authorized capital stock the Class L Common Stock and Class A Common Stock and (iii) authorize a 1,139 for 1 split of our common stock. Pro forma basic and diluted net income (loss) per common share has been computed after giving effect to the above transactions.


                      The following table sets forth the computation of pro forma basic and diluted net income (loss) per share (in millions, except per share amounts):

               
               Twelve Months Ended
              September 30,
              2004

               
              Basic and diluted pro forma net loss per common share:    
               Numerator:    
                 Net loss $(863)
                
               
               Denominator:    
                 Weighted average common shares outstanding  113.6 
                 Less: Weighted average unvested common shares subject to repurchase or cancellation  (6.1)
                 Add:    
                   Shares from this offering whose proceeds would be used for the repayment of debt(1)  26.8 
                
               
                     Denominator for basic calculation  134.3 
                 Effect for dilutive securities   
                
               
                     Denominator for diluted calculation  134.3 
                
               
               Pro forma net loss per common share—basic and diluted $(6.42)
                
               

              (1)
              Calculated as $574 million of proceeds to be used in the redemption of debt, including redemption premiums and accrued interest thereon through the anticipated date of redemption, divided by the offering proceeds of $21.38 per share, net of issuance costs.

                      Because the Company recognized a pro forma net loss for the twelve months ended September 30, 2004, the effects from the exercise of any outstanding stock options or the vestiture of shares of restricted stock, during such period would have been antidilutive. Accordingly, they have not been included in the presentation of diluted net income (loss) per common share.



              WARNER MUSIC GROUP CORP.
              PRO FORMA CONSOLIDATED CONDENSED STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS
              For the Three Months Ended December 31, 2004

               
               Historical
              Three
              Months
              Ended
              December 31,
              2004(11)

                
                
                
                
               
               
               Pro Forma Adjustments
                
               
               
               The Holdings
              Refinancing(12)

               The Initial
              Common Stock
              Offering(13)

               The Concurrent Transactions(14)
               Pro Forma
               
               
               (in millions, except per share data) (unaudited)

               
              Revenues $1,088 $ $ $ $1,088 
              Costs and expenses:                
               Costs of revenues(a)  (581)       (581)
               Selling, general and administrative expenses(a)  (331)       (331)
               Amortization of intangible assets  (46)       (46)
                
               
               
               
               
               
              Total costs and expenses  (958)        (958)
                
               
               
               
               
               
              Operating income (loss)  130         130 
              Interest expense, net  (38) (15) 12  (1) (42)
              Equity in the losses of equity-method investees, net  (1)       (1)
              Unrealized loss on warrants  (22)      22   
              Other income (expense) net  4        4 
              Minority interest expense  (5) 5       
                
               
               
               
               
               
              Income (loss) before income taxes  68  (10) 12  21  91 
              Income tax benefit (expense)  (32)       (32)
                
               
               
               
               
               
              Net income (loss) $36 $(10)$12 $21 $59 
                
               
               
               
               
               
              Net income per common share(15):                
               Basic             $0.44 
               Diluted             $0.42 
              Average common shares(15):                
               Basic              134.3 
               Diluted              142.1 

                        
              (a)    Includes depreciation expense of: $(14)$ $ $ $(14)

              (11)
              Reflects our historical operating results for the three months ended December 31, 2004.

              (12)
              Pro forma adjustments to record the Holdings Refinancing for the three months ended December 31, 2004 reflect:

              an increase in interest expense of $15 million consisting of (i) a $4 million increase relating to the issuance of $250 million principal amount of Holdings Floating Rate Notes at a variable interest rate of 6.675% based on three-month LIBOR rates plus a margin of 4.375%, (ii) a $6 million increase relating to the issuance of $397 million principal amount at maturity of Holdings Discount Notes ($250 million of proceeds after the original issuance discount) at a fixed interest rate of 9.5%, (iii) a $5 million increase relating to the issuance of $200 million principal amount of Holdings PIK Notes at a variable interest rate of 9.48% based on six-month LIBOR rates plus a margin of 7% and accretion of original issuance discount, (iv) a $1 million increase relating to the amortization of $15 million of debt issuance costs over a weighted-average period of 9 years and (v) a $1 million decrease relating to the amount of interest expense included in our historical operating results that was already considered in the adjustments above,

              a decrease in minority interest expense of $5 million resulting from the redemption of the remaining shares of Holdings preferred stock that had a liquidation preference of $200 million and a dividend rate of 10% per annum.

                No tax benefit has been provided on the aggregate pro forma decrease in U.S.-based pretax income arising from the Holdings Refinancing due to the uncertainty of realization of U.S.-based deferred tax assets.

              (13)
              Pro forma adjustments to record the Initial Common Stock Offering for the three months ended December 31, 2004 reflect:

              an aggregate decrease in interest expense of $12 million consisting of (i) a $5 million decrease relating to the redemption of all $200 million principal amount of Holdings PIK Notes at a variable interest rate of 9.48% based on six-month LIBOR rates plus a margin of 7%, (ii) a $4 million decrease relating to the redemption of all $250 million of Holdings Floating Rate Notes at a variable interest rate of 6.67% based on three-month LIBOR rates plus a margin of 4.375%, (iii) a $2 million decrease relating to the redemption of $88 million accreted principal amount of Holdings Discount Notes as of December 31, 2004 at a fixed interest rate of 9.5% and (iv) a $1 million decrease relating to the amortization of $16 million of allocable deferred financing costs and original issuance discount that was being amortized over a weighted-average period of 9 years.

                No tax provision has been provided on the pro forma increase in U.S.-based pretax income. This is because this adjustment, when taken in combination with the other pro forma adjustments described herein and additional projected pretax losses for fiscal 2005, results in an aggregate net pretax loss for the Company. Accordingly, no tax benefit has been provided on the aggregate pro forma adjustment to U.S.-based pretax income due to the uncertainty of realization of Warner Music Group Corp.'s U.S.-based deferred tax assets.

                In addition, the pro forma consolidated condensed statement of operations excludes $52 million of one-time, pretax charges because they have no continuing impact on our operations. Such charges consist of (i) $16 million to write off debt issuance costs and unamortized original issuance



                discount relating to the Holdings Notes that will be redeemed using a portion of the proceeds from the Initial Common Stock Offering and (ii) $36 million to redeem a portion of the Holdings Notes, representing the aggregate redemption price (including redemption premiums and interest obligations through the anticipated redemption date thereon) in excess of the carrying value of the corresponding portion of the Holdings Notes as of December 31, 2004.

              (14)
              Pro forma adjustments to record the Concurrent Transactions for the three months ended December 31, 2004 reflect:

              a net increase in interest expense of $1 million consisting of (i) an increase in interest expense of $4 million relating to the incurrence of $250 million of additional term loan borrowings under Acquisition Corp.'s senior secured credit facility at a variable interest rate of 5.6% per annum based on three-month LIBOR rates plus a margin of 2.5%, and (ii) a cumulative decrease in interest expense of $3 million relating to an average 71 basis point reduction in the average applicable credit margin on $1.441 billion pro forma, weighted-average term loan borrowings during the period under our proposed amendment to the senior secured credit agreement,

              the elimination of the $22 million of unrealized loss on warrants resulting from the assumed repurchase of the Three-Year Warrants held by Historic TW.

                No tax provision has been provided on the pro forma increase in U.S.-based pretax income. This is because this adjustment, when taken in combination with the other pro forma adjustments described herein and additional projected pretax losses for fiscal 2005, results in an aggregate net pretax loss for the Company. Accordingly, no tax benefit has been provided on the aggregate pro forma adjustments to U.S.-based pretax income due to the uncertainty of realization of Warner Music Group Corp.'s U.S.-based deferred tax assets.

                In addition, the pro forma consolidated condensed statement of operations excludes a net $97 million one-time, pretax charge because it has no continuing impact on our operations. Such charge consists of (i) an $11 million gain relating to the assumed repurchase of the Three-Year Warrants held by Historic TW, representing the excess of the $177 million carrying value of the liability as of December 31, 2004 over the $166 million of cash paid to Historic TW, (ii) a $73 million charge relating to the termination of the management services agreement and (iii) a $35 million charge relating to the payment of one-time, special bonuses to management and employees of Warner Music Group.

              (15)
              Pro forma basic earnings (loss) per common share is computed by dividing earnings (loss) available to common stockholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Pro forma diluted earnings per common share is computed by dividing earnings (loss) available to common stockholders by the sum of weighted average common shares outstanding plus dilutive common shares for the period. Pro forma basic and diluted common shares also include the number of shares from this offering whose proceeds were used for the repayment of debt.

                In connection with the Initial Common Stock Offering, the Company will (i) convert all of the outstanding shares of Class L Common Stock into shares of Class A Common Stock, (ii) rename all of the outstanding shares of Class A Common Stock as common stock, which will have the effect of eliminating from our authorized capital stock the Class L Common Stock and Class A Common Stock and (iii) authorize a 1,139 for 1 split of our common stock. Pro forma basic and diluted net income (loss) per common share has been computed after giving effect to the above transactions.


                      The following table sets forth the computation of pro forma basic and diluted net income (loss) per share (in millions, except per share amounts):

               
               Three Months Ended
              December 31,
              2004

               
              Basic and diluted pro forma net income per common share:    
               Numerator:    
                 Net income $59 
                
               
               Denominator:    
                 Weighted average common shares outstanding  114.6 
                 Less: Weighted average unvested common shares subject to repurchase or cancellation  (7.1)
                 Add:    
                   Shares from this offering whose proceeds would be used for the repayment of debt(1)  26.8 
                
               
                     Denominator for basic calculation  134.3 
                 Effect for dilutive securities:    
                 Add: Weighted average stock options and unvested common shares subject to repurchase or cancellation  7.8 
                
               
                     Denominator for diluted calculation  142.1 
                
               
               Pro forma net income per common share—basic $0.44 
                
               
               Pro forma net income per common share—diluted $0.42 
                
               

              (1)
              Calculated as $574 million of proceeds to be used in the redemption of debt, including redemption premiums and accrued interest thereon through the anticipated date of redemption, divided by the offering proceeds of $21.38 per share, net of issuance costs.


              SELECTED HISTORICAL CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL AND OTHER DATA

                      The following table sets forth our selected historical financial and other data as of the dates and for the periods indicated.

                      Our selected balance sheet data as of September 30, 2004 and November 30, 2003 and the statement of operations and other data for each of (i) the seven months ended September 30, 2004, (ii) the three months ended February 29, 2004, (iii) the ten months ended September 30, 2003 and (iv) the years ended November 30, 2003 and 2002 have been derived from our audited financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. The summary balance sheet data as of December 31, 2004 and the statement of operations and other data for the three months ended December 31, 2004 and 2003, have been derived from our unaudited interim financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. The balance sheet data as of November 30, 2002 are derived from our audited financial statements that are not included in this prospectus. Our summary historical balance sheet data as of September 30, 2003, December 31, 2003 and our summary historical financial data as of and for each of the two years ended November 30, 2001 and 2000 have been derived from our unaudited financial statements that are not included in this prospectus.

                      The comparability of our selected historical financial data has been affected by a number of significant events and transactions. These include the Acquisition in 2004, a related change in our fiscal year to September 30 from November 30, which was enacted in 2004, and the AOL Time Warner Merger in 2001. For all periods prior to the Acquisition, the music and publishing businesses formerly owned by Time Warner are referred to as "Old WMG" or the "Predecessor." For all periods subsequent to the Acquisition, the business is referred to as the "Company" or the "Successor." Due to the change in our year end, financial information for 2004 reflects a shortened ten-month period ended September 30, 2004 and is separated into two pre-acquisition and post-acquisition periods as a result of the change in accounting basis that occurred relating to the Acquisition. In addition, summary historical financial data for 2000 does not reflect the pushdown of a portion of the purchase price relating to the AOL Time Warner Merger that occurred in 2001 to our financial statements.



               
                
                
                
                
                
                
                
               Successor
               
               
               Predecessor
               
               
               Seven
              Months
              Ended
              September 30,
              2004

                
               
               
               Fiscal Years Ended November 30,
               Ten Months
              Ended
              September 30,
              2003

               Three Months
              Ended
              December 31,
              2003

               Three Months
              Ended
              February 29,
              2004

               Three Months
              Ended
              December 31,
              2004

               
               
               2000
               2001
               2002
               2003
               
               
               (unaudited)

               (unaudited)

               (audited)(1)

               (audited)(1)

               (unaudited)

               (unaudited)

               (audited)(1)

               (audited)(1)

               (unaudited)

               
               
               (in millions, except per share data)

               
              Statement of Operations Data:                            
               Revenues $3,461 $3,226 $3,290 $3,376 $2,487 $1,178 $779 $1,769 $1,088 
               Cost of revenues  (1,960) (1,731) (1,873) (1,940) (1,449) (648) (415) (944) (581)
               Selling, general and administrative expenses  (1,297) (1,402) (1,282) (1,286) (995) (391) (319) (677) (331)
               Impairment of goodwill and other intangible assets      (1,500) (1,019)   (1,019)      
               Depreciation and amortization  (282) (868) (249) (328) (272) (80) (72) (140) (60)
               Operating income (loss)  (36) (766) (1,542) (1,158) (197) (948) (11) 18  130 
               Interest expense, net  (13) (34) (23) (5) (5) (3) (2) (80) (38)
               Income (loss) before cumulative effect of accounting change  (408) (910) (1,230) (1,353) (239) (1,146) (32) (238) 36 
               Net income (loss) $(408)$(910)$(6,026)$(1,353)$(239)$(1,146)$(32)$(238)$36 
               Pro forma net income (loss) per common share(3):                            
                Basic                      $(2.21)$0.33 
                Diluted                      $(2.21)$0.31 
               Pro forma average common shares(3):                            
                Basic                       107.5  107.5 
                Diluted                       107.5  115.3 

              Segment Data:

               

               

               

               

               

               

               

               

               

               

               

               

               

               

               

               

               

               

               

               

               

               

               

               

               

               

               

               
               Revenues:                            
                Recorded Music $2,929 $2,701 $2,752 $2,839 $2,039 $1,028 $630 $1,429 $940 
                Music Publishing  554  547  563  563  467  159  157  348  155 
                Intersegment eliminations  (22) (22) (25) (26) (19) (9) (8) (8) (7)
                
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
                Total revenues $3,461 $3,226 $3,290 $3,376 $2,487 $1,178 $779 $1,769 $1,088 
                
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               Operating income (loss):                            
                Recorded Music $(22)$(733)$(1,206)$(1,130)$(181)$(933)$(9)$24 $152 
                Music Publishing  47  23  (273) 23  19  6  17  53  10 
                Corporate expenses  (61) (56) (63) (51) (35) (21) (19) (59) (32)
                
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
                Total operating income (loss) $(36)$(766)$(1,542)$(1,158)$(197)$(948)$(11)$18 $130 
                
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               OIBDA (2):                            
                Recorded Music $214 $73 $173 $116 $8 $141 $38 $120 $194 
                Music Publishing  91  81  88  107  88  27  38  87  24 
                Corporate expenses  (59) (52) (54) (34) (21) (17) (15) (49) (28)
                
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
                Total OIBDA (2) $246 $102 $207 $189 $75 $151 $61 $158 $190 
                
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               

               
                
                
                
                
                
                
                
               Successor
               
               
               Predecessor
               
               
               Seven
              Months
              Ended
              September 30,
              2004

                
               
               
               Fiscal Years Ended November 30,
               Ten Months
              Ended
              September 30,
              2003

               Three Months
              Ended
              December 31,
              2003

               Three Months
              Ended
              February 29,
              2004

               Three Months
              Ended
              December 31,
              2004

               
               
               2000
               2001
               2002
               2003
               
               
               (unaudited)

               (unaudited)

               (audited)(1)

               (audited)(1)

               (unaudited)

               (unaudited)

               (audited)(1)

               (audited)(1)

               (unaudited)

               
               
               (in millions)

               
              Cash Flow Data:                            
               Cash flows provided by (used in):                            
                Operating activities $75 $(122)$(13)$278 $257 $31 $321 $86 $63 
                Investing activities  (153) (175) (365) (65) (73) (7) 14  (2,663) (25)
                Financing activities  61  227  385  (121) (151) 16  (10) 2,661  (296)
               Capital expenditures  (64) (91) (88) (51) (30) (27) (3) (15) (6)

              Balance Sheet Data
              (at period end):

               

               

               

               

               

               

               

               

               

               

               

               

               

               

               

               

               

               

               

               

               

               

               

               

               

               

               

               
               Cash and equivalents $106 $34 $41 $144 $80 $126 $471 $555 $306 
               Total assets  6,791  17,642  5,679  4,484  5,255  4,606  4,560  5,090  5,023 
               Total debt (including current portion of long-term debt)  102  115  101  120  115  126  132  1,840  2,546 
               Shareholders' equity  5,228  14,588  3,001  1,587  2,635  1,696  1,691  280  (125)

              (1)
              Audited, except for Other Financial Data.

              (2)
              We evaluate segment performance based on several factors, of which the primary measure is operating income (loss) before non-cash depreciation of tangible assets, non-cash amortization of intangible assets and non-cash impairment charges to reduce the carrying value of goodwill and intangible assets (which we refer to as "OIBDA"). See "Use of OIBDA" under "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" elsewhere herein. Note that OIBDA is different from Adjusted EBITDA as defined in "Management'shistory see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Financial Condition and Liquidity—Covenant Compliance", which is presentedDividends.”

              CAPITALIZATION

              The following table sets forth our cash and equivalents and capitalization on a consolidated basis thereinand on a pro forma basis as a liquidityof March 31, 2020 to reflect:

              the amendment and debt compliance measure. The following is a reconciliation of operating income, which is a GAAP measurerestatement of our operating results,certificate of incorporation in connection with this offering; and

              the payment of a regular quarterly dividend of $37.5 million to OIBDA.

               
               Predecessor
               Successor
               
                
                
                
                
                
               Three
              Months
              Ended
              December 31,
              2003

                
               Seven
              Months
              Ended
              September 30,
              2004

                
               
               Fiscal Years Ended November 30,
               Ten Months
              Ended
              September 30,
              2003

               Three Months
              Ended
              February 29,
              2004

               Three Months
              Ended
              December 31,
              2004

               
               2000
               2001
               2002
               2003
               
               (unaudited)

               (unaudited)

               (audited)

               (audited)

               (unaudited)

               (unaudited)

               (audited)

               (audited)

               (unaudited)

               
               (in millions)

              Operating income (loss) $(36)$(766)$(1,542)$(1,158)$(197)$(948)$(11)$18 $130
              Depreciation and amortization expense  282  868  249  328  272  80  72  140  60
              Impairment of goodwill and other intangible assets      1,500  1,019    1,019      
                
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
              OIBDA $246 $102 $207 $189 $75 $151 $61 $158 $190
                
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               

              (3)
              Net income (loss) per share is calculated by dividing net income (loss)our existing stockholders on April 17, 2020, as well as the payment of certain costs, fees and expenses in connection with this offering.

              The selling stockholders are selling all of the shares of Class A common stock in this offering. We will not receive any of the proceeds from the sale of shares of Class A common stock by the weighted averageselling stockholders, including any proceeds from the sale of shares of Class A common shares outstanding.



              MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL
              CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

                      The following discussion and analysis of our results of operations and financial condition includes periods priorstock that such selling stockholders may sell pursuant to the consummation of the Transactions. Accordingly, the discussion and analysis of operating results for historical periods priorunderwriters’ option to 2004 does not reflect the significant impact that the Transactions have had on us, including significantly increased financing costs. purchase additional Class A common stock.

              You should read the following discussion of our results of operations and financial conditionthis table in conjunction with the "Pro Forma Consolidated Condensed Financial Statements", "Selected“Selected Historical Consolidated Financial Data,” “Management’s Discussion and Other Data"Analysis of Financial Condition and the audited historicalResults of Operations” and unauditedour annual and interim financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus.

                 Actual  Pro Forma 
                 As of March 31,
              2020
                As of March 31,
              2020
               
                 (in millions) 

              Cash and equivalents

                $484  $381 
                

               

               

                

               

               

               

              Debt (a)

                 

              Revolving Credit Facility (b)

                 —     —   

              Senior Term Loan Facility due 2023 (c)

                 1,315   1,315 

              5.000% Senior Secured Notes due 2023 (d)

                 298   298 

              4.125% Senior Secured Notes due 2024 (e)

                 339   339 

              4.875% Senior Secured Notes due 2024 (f)

                 218   218 

              3.625% Senior Secured Notes due 2026 (g)

                 492   492 

              5.500% Senior Notes due 2026 (h)

                 321   321 
                

               

               

                

               

               

               

              Total debt (i)

                $2,983  $2,983 
                

               

               

                

               

               

               

              Equity

                 

              Class A common stock, $0.001 par value per share; (i) Actual: 1,000,000,000 shares authorized, 0 shares issued and outstanding and (ii) Pro Forma: 1,000,000,000 shares authorized, 70,000,000 shares issued and outstanding

                 —     —   

              Class B common stock, $0.001 par value per share; (i) Actual: 1,000,000,000 shares authorized, 510,000,000 shares issued and outstanding and (ii) Pro Forma: 1,000,000,000 shares authorized, 440,000,000 shares issued and outstanding

                 1   1 

              Additional paid-in capital

                 1,127   1,127 

              Accumulated deficit

                 (1,166  (1,269

              Accumulated other comprehensive loss, net

                 (268  (268
                

               

               

                

               

               

               

              Total Warner Music Group Corp. deficit

                $(306 $(409
                

               

               

                

               

               

               

              Noncontrolling interest

                 21   21 
                

               

               

                

               

               

               

              Total deficit

                $(285 $(388
                

               

               

                

               

               

               

              Total capitalization

                $2,698  $2,595 
                

               

               

                

               

               

               

              (a)

              Acquisition Corp. is the borrower or issuer of all of the Company’s long-term debt.

              (b)

              Reflects $180 million of commitments under the Revolving Credit Facility, less letters of credit outstanding of approximately $13 million at March 31, 2020. There were no loans outstanding under the Revolving Credit Facility at May 15, 2020. On April 3, 2020, Acquisition Corp. entered into an amendment to the Revolving Credit Facility which, among other things, increased the commitments under the Revolving Credit Facility from an aggregate principal amount of $180 million to an aggregate principal amount of $300 million.

              (c)

              Principal amount of $1.326 billion at March 31, 2020 less unamortized discount of $3 million and unamortized deferred financing costs of $8 million at March 31, 2020.

              (d)

              Principal amount of $300 million less unamortized deferred financing costs of $2 million at March 31, 2020.

              (e)

              Face amount of €311 million at March 31, 2020. Above amounts represent the dollar equivalent of such note at March 31, 2020. Principal amount of $342 million less unamortized deferred financing costs of $3 million at March 31, 2020.

              (f)

              Principal amount of $220 million less unamortized deferred financing costs of $2 million at March 31, 2020.

              (g)

              Face amount of €445 million at March 31, 2020. Above amounts represent the dollar equivalent of such note at March 31, 2020. Principal amount of $491 million at March 31, 2020, an additional issuance premium of $7 million, less unamortized deferred financing costs of $6 million at March 31, 2020.

              (h)

              Principal amount of $325 million less unamortized deferred financing costs of $4 million at March 31, 2020.

              (i)

              Principal amount of debt of $3.004 billion, an additional issuance premium of $7 million, less unamortized discount of $3 million and unamortized deferred financing costs of $25 million at March 31, 2020.

              DILUTION

              If you invest in our Class A common stock in this offering, your ownership interest will be diluted to the extent of the difference between the initial public offering price per share of our Class A common stock and the net tangible book value per share of our currently outstanding common stock. Net tangible book value dilution per share to new investors means that the per share offering price of the Class A common stock exceeds the book value per share attributable to the shares of currently outstanding common stock held by existing stockholders.

              Our net tangible book value (deficit) as of March 31, 2020 was $(7.53). Net tangible book value per share before the offering has been determined by dividing net tangible book value (total book value of tangible assets less total liabilities) by the number of shares of common stock outstanding as of March 31, 2020.

              We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of our Class A common stock offered by the selling stockholders in this offering. Consequently, this offering will not result in any change to our net tangible book value per share, prior to giving effect to the payment of estimated fees and expenses in connection with this offering. Purchasing shares of common stock in this offering will result in net tangible book value dilution to new investors of $32.03 per share. The following table illustrates this per share dilution to new investors:

                Per Share 

              Assumed initial public offering price per share

               $24.50 

              Net tangible book value (deficit) per share as of March 31, 2020

               $(7.53) 

              Dilution in net tangible book value per share to new investors

               $32.03 
               

               

               

               

              The following table sets forth, as of March 31, 2020, the total number of shares of common stock owned by existing stockholders and to be owned by new investors, the total consideration paid and the average price per share paid by our existing stockholders (without giving effect to any dividends paid to the existing stockholders from time to time) and to be paid by new investors purchasing shares of Class A common stock in this offering. The calculation below is based on the midpoint of the price range set forth on the cover of this prospectus of $24.50 per share, before deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us.

                 Shares Purchased  Total Consideration  Average Price
              Per Share
               
                 Number   Percent  Amount   Percent    

              Existing stockholders

                 440,000,000    86.3 $974,000,000    36.2 $2.21 

              New investors

                 70,000,000    13.7   1,715,000,000    63.8   24.50 
                

               

               

                 

               

               

                

               

               

                 

               

               

                

               

               

               

              Total

                 510,000,000    100.0 $2,689,000,000    100.0 $5.27 
                

               

               

                  

               

               

                  

               

               

               

              After giving effect to the sale of shares of Class A common stock in this offering, new investors will hold 70,000,000 shares, or 13.7% of the total number of shares of common stock after this offering and existing stockholders will hold 86.3% of the total shares of common stock outstanding. If the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional shares, the number of shares of Class A common stock held by new investors will increase to 80,500,000, or 15.8% of the total number of shares of common stock after this offering, and the percentage of shares held by existing stockholders will decrease to 84.2% of the total shares of common stock outstanding.

              In addition, we may choose to raise capital due to market conditions or strategic considerations even if we believe we have sufficient funds for our current or future operating plans. To the extent that capital is raised through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities, the issuance of such securities could result in further dilution to our stockholders.

              The information discussed above is illustrative only and will adjust based on the actual public offering price and other terms of this offering determined at pricing. The number of shares of our Class A common stock outstanding immediately following this offering is based on no shares of our Class A common stock outstanding as of May 15, 2020. This number excludes 40,654,090 shares of our Class A common stock reserved for issuance under equity incentive plans of which 31,169,099 shares are potentially issuable over the 10-year period from the date of adoption of the Omnibus Incentive Plan to be adopted in connection with this offering.

              SELECTED HISTORICAL CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL DATA

              The following selected financial data have been derived from the Company’s audited and unaudited consolidated financial statements. The financial data for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2019, September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017, and as of September 30, 2019 and September 30, 2018 have been derived from the Company’s audited financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. The financial data for the six months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019, and as of March 31, 2020 have been derived from the Company’s unaudited financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. The financial data for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2016 and September 30, 2015, and as of September 30, 2017, September 30, 2016 and September 30, 2015 have been derived from audited financial statements not included in this prospectus. The financial data as of March 31, 2019 have been derived from unaudited financial statements not included in this prospectus. This selected financial data should be read in conjunction with “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and the annual and interim financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. Historical results are not indicative of future operating results and results from interim periods are not indicative of full year results. The following consolidated statement of operations and consolidated balance sheet data have been prepared in conformity with U.S. GAAP.

                Six Months Ended
              March 31,
                Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 
              (in millions)     2020          2019      2019  2018  2017  2016  2015 

              Statement of Operations Data:

                     

              Revenues

               $2,327  $2,293  $4,475  $4,005  $3,576  $3,246  $2,966 

              Interest expense, net

                (66  (72  (142  (138  (149  (173  (181

              Net income (loss)

                48   153   258   312   149   30   (88

              Less: Income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interest

                (2  —     (2  (5  (6  (5  (3

              Net income (loss) attributable to the Company.

                46   153   256   307   143   25   (91

              Balance Sheet Data (at period end):

                     

              Cash and equivalents

               $484  $470  $619  $514  $647  $359  $246 

              Total assets

                6,124   5,902   6,017   5,344   5,718   5,335   5,574 

              Total debt (including current portion of long-term debt)

                2,983   2,990   2,974   2,819   2,811   2,778   2,947 

              Total equity (deficit)

                (285  (120  (269  (320  308   210   239 

              Cash Flow Data:

                     

              Cash flows provided by (used in):

                     

              Operating activities

               $164  $99  $400  $425  $535  $342  $222 

              Investing activities

                (51  (293  (376  405   (126  (8  (95

              Financing activities

                (245  151   88   (955  (128  (216  (19

              Depreciation & amortization

                132   137   269   261   251   293   309 

              Capital expenditures

                (28  (59  (104  (74  (44  (42  (63
                Six Months Ended
              March 31,
                Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 
              (in millions, except share and per share amounts) 2020  2019  2019  2018  2017  2016  2015 

              Earnings/(Loss) Per Share:

                     

              Earnings/(Loss) per share—common stock

                     

              Basic and Diluted

                $0.09   $0.30   $0.51   $0.61   $0.29   $0.05   $(0.18

              Weighted average common shares outstanding

                501,991,944   501,991,944   501,991,944   502,630,835   503,392,885   503,392,885   503,392,885 

              Dividends Per Share:

                     

              Dividends per share—common stock

                     

              Basic and Diluted

                $0.15   $0.12   $0.59   $1.84   $0.17   $  —     $  —   

              MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION

              AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

              The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with “Selected Historical Consolidated Financial Data,” “Unaudited Pro Forma Financial Information” and our annual and interim financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. In addition to historical data, this discussion contains forward-looking statements about our business, operations and involves numerousfinancial performance based on current expectations that involve risks, uncertainties and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, those described in the "Risk Factors" section of this registration statement.assumptions. Actual results may differ materially from those containeddiscussed in anythe forward-looking statements.statements as a result of various factors. Factors that could or do contribute to these differences include those factors discussed below and elsewhere in this prospectus, particularly under the captions “Risk Factors” and “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements and Information.”

              BUSINESS OVERVIEW

              We are one of the world’s leading music entertainment companies. Our renowned family of iconic record labels, including Atlantic Records, Warner Records, Elektra Records and Parlophone Records, is home to many of the most popular and influential recording artists. In addition, Warner Chappell Music, our global music publishing business, boasts an extraordinary catalog that includes timeless standards and contemporary hits, representing works by over 80,000 songwriters and composers, with a global collection of more than 1.4 million musical compositions. We classify our business interests into two fundamental operations: Recorded Music and Music Publishing. A brief description of each of those operations is presented below.

              Components of Our Operating Results

              Recorded Music Operations

              Our Recorded Music business primarily consists of the discovery and development of recording artists and the related marketing, promotion, distribution, sale and licensing of music created by such recording artists. We play an integral role in virtually all aspects of the recorded music value chain from discovering and developing talent to producing, distributing and selling music to marketing and promoting recording artists and their music.

              In the United States, our Recorded Music business is conducted principally through our major record labels—Atlantic Records and Warner Records. In October 2018, we launched Elektra Music Group in the United States as a standalone label group, which comprises the Elektra, Fueled by Ramen and Roadrunner labels. Our Recorded Music business also includes Rhino Entertainment, a division that specializes in marketing our recorded music catalog through compilations, reissuances of previously released music and video titles and releasing previously unreleased material from our vault. We also conduct our Recorded Music business through a collection of additional record labels including Asylum, Big Beat, Canvasback, East West, Erato, FFRR, Nonesuch, Parlophone, Reprise, Sire, Spinnin’ Records, Warner Classics and Warner Music Nashville.

              Outside the United States, our Recorded Music business is conducted in more than 70 countries through various subsidiaries, affiliates andINTRODUCTIONnon-affiliated licensees. Internationally, we engage in the same activities as in the United States: discovering and signing artists and distributing, selling, marketing and promoting their music. In most cases, we also market, promote, distribute and sell the music of those recording artists for whom our domestic record labels have international rights. In certain smaller markets, we license the right to distribute and sell our music tonon-affiliated third-party record labels.

              Our Recorded Music business’ distribution operations include Warner-Elektra-Atlantic Corporation (“WEA Corp.”), which markets, distributes and sells music and video products to retailers and wholesale distributors; Alternative Distribution Alliance (“ADA”), which markets, distributes and sells the products of independent labels to retail and wholesale distributors; and various distribution centers and ventures operated internationally.

              In addition to our music being sold in physical retail outlets, our music is also sold in physical form to online physical retailers, such as Amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com and bestbuy.com, and distributed in digital form to an expanded universe of digital partners, including streaming services such as those of Amazon, Apple, Deezer, SoundCloud, Spotify, Tencent Music Entertainment Group and YouTube, radio services such as iHeart Radio and SiriusXM and download services.

              We have integrated the marketing of digital content into all aspects of our business, including A&R and distribution. Our business development executives work closely with A&R departments to ensure that while music is being produced, digital assets are also created with all distribution channels in mind, including streaming services, social networking sites, online portals and music-centered destinations. We also workside-by-side with our online and mobile partners to test new concepts. We believe existing and new digital businesses will be a significant source of growth and will provide new opportunities to successfully monetize our assets and create new revenue streams. The proportion of digital revenues attributable to each distribution channel varies by region and proportions may change as the introduction of new technologies continues. As one of the world’s largest music entertainment companies, we believe we are well positioned to take advantage of growth in digital distribution and emerging technologies to maximize the value of our assets.

              We have diversified our revenues beyond our traditional businesses by entering into expanded-rights deals with recording artists in order to partner with such artists in other aspects of their careers. Under these agreements, we provide services to and participate in recording artists’ activities outside the traditional recorded music business such as touring, merchandising and sponsorships. We have built and acquired artist services capabilities and platforms for marketing and distributing this broader set of music-related rights and participating more widely in the monetization of the artist brands we help create. We believe that entering into expanded-rights deals and enhancing our artist services capabilities in areas such as merchandising, VIP ticketing, fan clubs, concert promotion and management has permitted us to diversify revenue streams and capitalize on other revenue opportunities. This provides for improved long-term relationships with our recording artists and allows us to more effectively connect recording artists and fans.

              Recorded Music revenues are derived from four main sources:

               Management's discussion

              Digital: the rightsholder receives revenues with respect to streaming and download services;

              Physical: the rightsholder receives revenues with respect to sales of physical products such as vinyl, CDs and DVDs;

              Artist services and expanded-rights: the rightsholder receives revenues with respect to our artist services businesses and our participation in expanded rights associated with our recording artists, including sponsorship, fan clubs, artist websites, merchandising, touring, concert promotion, ticketing and artist and brand management; and

              Licensing: the rightsholder receives royalties or fees for the right to use sound recordings in combination with visual images such as in films or television programs, television commercials and video games; the rightsholder also receives royalties if sound recordings are performed publicly through broadcast of music on television, radio and cable, and in public spaces such as shops, workplaces, restaurants, bars and clubs.

              The principal costs associated with our Recorded Music business are as follows:

              A&R costs: the costs associated with (i) paying royalties to recording artists, producers, songwriters, other copyright holders and trade unions; (ii) signing and developing recording artists; and (iii) creating master recordings in the studio;

              Product costs: the costs to manufacture, package and distribute products to wholesale and retail distribution outlets, the royalty costs associated with distributing products of independent labels to wholesale and retail distribution outlets, as well as the costs related to our artist services business;

              Selling and marketing expenses: the costs associated with the promotion and marketing of recording artists and music, including costs to produce music videos for promotional purposes and artist tour support; and

              General and administrative expenses: the costs associated with general overhead and other administrative expenses.

              Music Publishing Operations

              While Recorded Music is focused on marketing, promoting, distributing and analysislicensing a particular recording of a musical composition, Music Publishing is an intellectual property business focused on generating revenue from uses of the musical composition itself. In return for promoting, placing, marketing and administering the creative output of a songwriter, or engaging in those activities for other rightsholders, our Music Publishing business garners a share of the revenues generated from use of the musical compositions.

              The operations of our Music Publishing business are conducted principally through Warner Chappell Music, our global music publishing company headquartered in Los Angeles, with operations in over 70 countries through various subsidiaries, affiliates, andnon-affiliated licensees and sub-publishers. We own or control rights to more than 1.4 million musical compositions, including numerous pop hits, American standards, folk songs and motion picture and theatrical compositions. Assembled over decades, our award-winning catalog includes over 80,000 songwriters and composers and a diverse range of genres including pop, rock, jazz, classical, country, R&B,hip-hop, rap, reggae, Latin, folk, blues, symphonic, soul, Broadway, techno, alternative and gospel. Warner Chappell Music also administers the music and soundtracks of several third-party television and film producers and studios. We have an extensive production music catalog collectively branded as Warner Chappell Production Music.

              Music Publishing revenues are derived from five main sources:

              Performance: the rightsholder receives revenues if the musical composition is performed publicly through broadcast of music on television, radio and cable, live performance at a concert or other venue (e.g., arena concerts and nightclubs), and performance of music in staged theatrical productions;

              Digital: the rightsholder receives revenues with respect to musical compositions embodied in recordings distributed in streaming services, download services and other digital music services;

              Mechanical: the rightsholder receives revenues with respect to musical compositions embodied in recordings sold in any physical format or configuration such as vinyl, CDs and DVDs;

              Synchronization: the rightsholder receives revenues for the right to use the musical composition in combination with visual images such as in films or television programs, television commercials and video games as well as from other uses such as in toys or novelty items and merchandise; and

              Other: the rightsholder receives revenues for use in sheet music and other uses.

              The principal costs associated with our Music Publishing business are as follows:

              A&R costs: the costs associated with (i) paying royalties to songwriters,co-publishers and other copyright holders in connection with income generated from the uses of their works and (ii) signing and developing songwriters; and

              Selling and marketing, general overhead and other administrative expenses: the costs associated with selling and marketing, general overhead and other administrative expenses.

              Factors Affecting Results of Operations and Comparability

              COVID-19 Pandemic

              In January 2020, a new strain of coronavirus,COVID-19, was identified in Wuhan, China. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic. The global pandemic and governmental

              responses thereto have disrupted physical and manufacturing supply chains and required the closures of physical retailers, resulting in declines in our physical revenue streams. Additionally, the requirement that people stay in their homes has impacted our business in other ways, such as, making it impossible to hold live concert tours, adversely impacting our concert promotion business and the sale of merchandise, delaying the release of new recordings and disrupting the production and release of motion pictures and television programs, which has negatively affected licensing revenue in our Recorded Music business and synchronization revenue in our Music Publishing business. Our results of operations, cash flows and financial condition ("MD&A") is provided as a supplementat and for the six months ended March 31, 2020 were adversely affected by the global pandemic. In addition to the auditedimpact resulting from the business disruption, the Company recognizedone-time charges of $13 million impacting OIBDA and unaudited interim financial statementsa total of $18 million impacting net income for the six months ended March 31, 2020. On the other hand, we believe the disruption from the COVID-19 pandemic may accelerate growth of other revenue streams such as fitness and footnotes included elsewhere hereininteractive gaming (including augmented reality and virtual reality).

              Senior Management Free Cash Flow Plan

              Our results of operations can be adversely affected by the Plan, which pays annual bonuses to help provide an understandingcertain executives based on our free cash flow and offers participants the opportunity to share in appreciation of the value of our financial condition, changes in financial conditioncommon stock. The extent of the benefits awarded under the Plan is affected by our operating results and the valuation or trading price of our common stock and, as such, to the extent that either or both fluctuates, the value of the award may increase or decrease materially, which could affect our cash flows and results of operations. We incurred charges associated with the Plan of $167 million and $22 million for the six months ended March 31, 2020 and March 31, 2019, respectively, based on the estimated value of the Company at the end of such period.

              Acquisition of EMP

              On October 10, 2018, we acquired E.M.P. Merchandising Handelsgesellschaft mbH, a limited liability company under the laws of Germany, and its subsidiaries, all of the share capital of MIG Merchandising Investment GmbH, a limited liability company under the laws of Germany, and its subsidiaries, and certain shares of Large Popmarchandising BVBA, a limited liability company under the laws of Belgium (together, “EMP”). EMP is a specialty retailer of merchandise for many popular artists along with other forms of entertainment such as movies and television.

              Adoption of New Revenue Recognition Standard

              In May 2014, the FASB issued guidance codified in ASC 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (“ASC 606”), which replaces the guidance in former ASC 605, Revenue Recognition and ASC928-605, Entertainment—Music. The adoption of ASC 606 resulted in a change in the timing of revenue recognition in our operations. MD&A is organized as follows:

              Sale ofNon-Core Assets

              During the fiscal year ended September 30, 2017, we completed the divestiture of certain assets related to the acquisition in July 2013 (the “PLG Acquisition”) of PLG. The cash received for these sales was $73 million. The net gain recognized for these sales was $6 million.

              Other Business Models to Drive Incremental Revenue

              Artist Services and Expanded-Rights Deals

              As the recorded music industry has continued to transition to a business model through which the majority of revenues are generated from streaming, for many years we have signed recording artists to expanded-rights deals. Under our expanded-rights deals, we also participate in the recording artist’s revenue streams, in addition to recorded music sales, such as touring, merchandising and sponsorships. In addition to signing recording artists to expanded-rights deals, we have continued to make strategic investments to expand our Recorded Music business and open up new opportunities for our recording artists. Artist services and expanded-rights recorded music revenue, which includes revenue from expanded-rights deals as well as revenue from our artist services business, represented approximately 13% of our total revenues for the six months ended March 31, 2020 and approximately 14%, 10% and 11% of our total revenues for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2019, September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017, respectively. Artist services and expanded-rights revenue will fluctuate from period to period depending upon recording artists’ touring schedules, among other things. Margins for the various artist services and expanded-rights revenue streams can vary significantly as well. The overall impact on margins will, therefore, depend on the composition of the various revenue streams in any particular period. For instance, participation in revenue from touring under our expanded-rights deals typically flows straight through to operating income with little associated cost. Revenue from some of our artist services businesses such as management and revenue from participation in touring and sponsorships under our expanded-rights deals are all high margin, while revenue under our expanded-rights deals and revenue from some of our artist services businesses such as merchandising tend to be lower margin than our traditional revenue streams in our Recorded Music business.

              Management Agreement

              The Company and Holdings are party to a management agreement with Access (the “Management Agreement”), pursuant to which Access provides the Company and its subsidiaries with financial, investment banking, management, advisory and other services. Pursuant to the Management Agreement, the Company pays to Access an annual fee equal to the greater of (i) a base amount, which is the sum of (x) $6 million and (y) 1.5% of the aggregate amount of Acquired EBITDA (as defined in the Management Agreement) and was approximately $9 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019, and (ii) 1.5% of the EBITDA (as defined in the indenture governing the redeemed WMG Holdings Corp. 13.75% Senior Notes due 2019) of the Company for the applicable fiscal year, plus expenses. The fee is paid quarterly based on the base amount, with a true-up payment in the fourth quarter for any excess of the annual fee above the base amount. The Company and Holdings agreed to indemnify Access and certain of its affiliates against all liabilities arising out of performance of the Management Agreement.

              Such costs incurred by the Company were approximately $11 million, $16 million and $9 million for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2019, September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017, respectively. The fiscal year ended September 30, 2019 included the annual base fee of $9 million and an increase of $2 million calculated pursuant to the Management Agreement. The fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 included the annual base fee of $9 million and an increase of $7 million calculated pursuant to the Management Agreement.

              The Management Agreement will terminate in accordance with its terms upon consummation of this offering, and the Company will pay all fees expenses due and payable thereunder following such termination in accordance with the terms of the Management Agreement, including a termination fee and a fee for transaction services in an estimated aggregate amount of approximately $60 million.

              Key Operating Measures

              In addition to our results presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP, we report on both a consolidated and segment basis OIBDA and revenue on a constant-currency basis, each of which is a measure that we believe are importantis not determined in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Management believes that the use of thesenon-U.S. GAAP financial measures, together with relevant U.S. GAAP measures, provides a better understanding of our results of operations and financial conditionthe underlying profitability drivers and in anticipating future trends.

              Results of operations.    This section provides an analysistrends of our business. These measures should be considered supplementary to our results of operationsthat are presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP and should not be viewed as a substitute for the three months ended December 31, 2004 and 2003,U.S. GAAP measures. Other companies may use similarly titlednon-U.S. GAAP financial measures that are calculated differently from the ten months ended September 30, 2004 and 2003 and the years ended November 30, 2003 and 2002. This analysis is presented on both a consolidated and segmental basis.

              way we calculate such measures. Consequently, ournon-U.S.
              Financial condition and liquidity.    This section provides an analysis of our cash flows for the three months ended December 31, 2004 and 2003 and the ten months ended September 30, 2004 and 2003, as well as a discussion of our GAAP financial condition and liquidity as of December 31, 2004 and September 30, 2004. The discussion of our financial condition and liquidity includes (i) a summary of our outstanding debt and commitments (both firm and contingent) that existed as of September 30, 2004, (ii) our available financial capacity under the revolving credit portion of Acquisition Corp.'s senior secured credit facility and (iii) a summary of our key debt compliance measures consisting of leverage and interest coverage ratios under Acquisition Corp.'s senior secured credit facility.

              Market risk management.    This section discusses how we manage exposuremay not be comparable to potential losses arising from adverse changes in interest rates and foreign currency exchange rates.

              Critical accounting policies.    This section discusses accounting policies considered to be important to our financial condition and results of operations, and which require significant judgment and estimates on the part of management in their application. In addition, all of our significant accounting policies, including our critical accounting policies, are summarized in Notes 3 and 4 to our audited financial statements included elsewhere herein.

              Use of OIBDAsimilar measures used by other companies.

              OIBDA

              We evaluate our operating performance based on several factors, including our primary financial measure of operating income (loss) beforenon-cash depreciation of tangible assets andnon-cash amortization of intangible assets and non-cash impairment charges to reduce the carrying value of



              goodwill and other intangible assets (which we refer to as "OIBDA"(“OIBDA”). We consider OIBDA to be an important indicator of the operational strengths and performance of our businesses, including the ability to provide cash flows to service debt.businesses. However, a limitation of the use of OIBDA as a performance measure is that it does not reflect the periodic costs of certain capitalized tangible and intangible assets used in generating revenues in our businesses.businesses and othernon-operating income (loss). Accordingly, OIBDA should be considered in addition to, not as a substitute for, operating income (loss), net income (loss) attributable to Warner Music Group Corp. and other measures of financial performance reported in accordance with U.S. GAAP. In addition, our definition of OIBDA may differ from similarly titled measures used by other companies. A reconciliation of consolidated OIBDA to operating income (loss) and net income (loss) attributable to Warner Music Group Corp. is provided in “—Results of Operations.”

              ChangeConstant Currency

              As exchange rates are an important factor in Fiscal Yearunderstanding period to period comparisons, we believe the presentation of revenue on a constant-currency basis in addition to reported results helps improve the ability to understand our operating results and Basisevaluate our performance in comparison to prior periods. Constant-currency information compares revenue between periods as if exchange rates had remained constant period over period. We use revenue on a constant-currency basis as one measure to evaluate our performance. We calculate constant currency by calculating prior-year revenue using current-year foreign currency exchange rates. We generally refer to such amounts calculated on a constant-currency basis as “excluding the impact of Presentationforeign currency exchange rates.” This revenue should be considered in addition to, not as a substitute for, revenue reported in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Revenue on a constant-currency basis, as we present it, may not be comparable to similarly titled measures used by other companies and are not a measure of performance presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

              RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

              Six Months Ended March 31, 2020 Compared with Six Months Ended March 31, 2019

              Consolidated Results

              Revenues

              Our revenues were composed of the following amounts (in millions):

               In 2004, in connection with the Acquisition, the Company changed its fiscal year-end

                 For the Six Months Ended
              March 31,
                2020 vs. 2019 
                       2020              2019          $ Change      % Change   

              Revenue by Type

                   

              Digital

                $1,259 $1,160 $99  9

              Physical

                 278  361  (83  -23
                

               

               

                

               

               

                

               

               

                

              Total Digital and Physical

                 1,537  1,521  16  1

              Artist services and expanded-rights

                 303  300  3  1

              Licensing

                 151  153  (2  -1
                

               

               

                

               

               

                

               

               

                

              Total Recorded Music

                 1,991  1,974  17  1

              Performance

                 87  99  (12  -12

              Digital

                 147  130  17  13

              Mechanical

                 30  28  2  7

              Synchronization

                 70  60  10  17

              Other

                 5  6  (1  -17
                

               

               

                

               

               

                

               

               

                

              Total Music Publishing

                 339  323  16  5

              Intersegment eliminations

                 (3  (4  1  -25
                

               

               

                

               

               

                

               

               

                

              Total Revenues

                $2,327 $2,293 $34  1
                

               

               

                

               

               

                

               

               

                

              Revenue by Geographical Location

                   

              U.S. Recorded Music

                $833 $841 $(8  -1

              U.S. Music Publishing

                 168  148  20  14
                

               

               

                

               

               

                

               

               

                

              Total U.S.

                 1,001  989  12  1

              International Recorded Music

                 1,158  1,133  25  2

              International Music Publishing

                 171  175  (4  -2
                

               

               

                

               

               

                

               

               

                

              Total International

                 1,329  1,308  21  2

              Intersegment eliminations

                 (3  (4  1  -25
                

               

               

                

               

               

                

               

               

                

              Total Revenues

                $2,327 $2,293 $34  1
                

               

               

                

               

               

                

               

               

                

              Total Revenues

              Total revenues increased by $34 million, or 1%, to September 30 from November 30. As such, financial information for 2004 is presented$2,327 million for the ten-month transition periodsix months ended September 30, 2004March 31, 2020 from $2,293 million for the six months ended March 31, 2019. The increase includes $28 million of unfavorable currency exchange fluctuations. Prior to intersegment eliminations, Recorded Music and is separated into pre-acquisitionMusic Publishing revenues represented 85% and post-acquisition periods15% of total revenues for the six months ended March 31, 2020, respectively, and 86% and 14% of total revenues for the six months ended March 31, 2019, respectively. Prior to intersegment eliminations, U.S. and international revenues represented 43% and 57% of total revenue for both the six months ended March 31, 2020 and March 31, 2019, respectively.

              Total digital revenues after intersegment eliminations increased by $117 million, or 9%, to $1,405 million for the six months ended March 31, 2020 from $1,288 million for the six months ended March 31, 2019. Total

              digital revenues represented 60% and 56% of consolidated revenues for the six months ended March 31, 2020 and March 31, 2019, respectively. Prior to intersegment eliminations, total digital revenues for the six months ended March 31, 2020 were comprised of U.S. revenues of $731 million and international revenues of $675 million, or 52% and 48% of total digital revenues, respectively. Prior to intersegment eliminations, total digital revenues for the six months ended March 31, 2019 were comprised of U.S. revenues of $685 million and international revenues of $605 million, or 53% and 47% of total digital revenues, respectively.

              Recorded Music revenues increased by $17 million, or 1%, to $1,991 million for the six months ended March 31, 2020 from $1,974 million for the six months ended March 31, 2019. The increase includes $22 million of unfavorable currency exchange fluctuations. U.S. Recorded Music revenues were $833 million and $841 million, or 42% and 43%, of consolidated Recorded Music revenues for the six months ended March 31, 2020 and March 31, 2019, respectively. International Recorded Music revenues were $1,158 million and $1,133 million, or 58% and 57%, of consolidated Recorded Music revenues for the six months ended March 31, 2020 and March 31, 2019, respectively.

              The overall increase in Recorded Music revenue was driven by increases in digital revenue and artist services and expanded-rights revenue, partially offset by decreases in physical revenue and licensing revenue. Digital revenue increased by $99 million as a result of the changecontinued growth in accounting basis that occurred relatingstreaming services and strength of releases, which included new releases from Roddy Ricch and YoungBoy Never Broke Again as well as carryover success from Ed Sheeran, Tones and I, and Lizzo. Revenue from streaming services grew by $136 million to $1,175 million for the Acquisition. That is, we have presented our operating resultssix months ended March 31, 2020 from $1,039 million for the six months ended March 31, 2019. Digital revenue growth was partially offset by digital download and cash flows separatelyother digital declines of $37 million to $84 million for each of the pre-acquisition, three-month periodsix months ended February 29, 2004 andMarch 31, 2020 from $121 million for the post-acquisition, seven-month periodsix months ended September 30, 2004.

                      The split presentation mentioned above is required under GAAP in situations when a change in accounting basis occurs. This is because the new accounting basis requires that the historical carrying value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed be adjusted to fair value, which may yield results that are not strictly comparable on a period-to-period basisMarch 31, 2019 due to the different,continued shift to streaming services. Artist services and sometimesexpanded-rights revenue increased by $3 million primarily due to higher cost basis associated withadvertising revenues and timing of tours in France, partially offset by the allocationimpact ofCOVID-19, which resulted in tour postponements and decreased merchandising revenues. Physical revenue decreased by $83 million primarily due to the purchase price.continued shift from physical revenue to digital revenue, timing of releases and prior-year success of Johnny Hallyday. Licensing revenue decreased by $2 million primarily related to unfavorable foreign exchange rates.

                      We believe that this split presentation may impede the ability of users of our financial informationMusic Publishing revenues increased by $16 million, or 5%, to understand our operating and cash flow performance. Consequently, in order to enhance an analysis of our operating results and cash flows, we have presented our operating results and cash flows on a combined basis$339 million for the full ten-month periodsix months ended September 30, 2004. This combined presentationMarch 31, 2020 from $323 million for the ten-month periodsix months ended September 30, 2004 simply represents the mathematical additionMarch 31, 2019. U.S. Music Publishing revenues were $168 million and $148 million, or 50% and 46%, of the pre-acquisition, three-month period ended February 29, 2004 and the post-acquisition, seven-month period ended September 30, 2004. It is not intended to represent what our operating results would have been had the Acquisition occurred at the beginning of the period. A reconciliation showing the mathematical combination of our operating results for such periods is included herein.

                      Though we believe that the combined presentation is most meaningfulconsolidated Music Publishing revenues for the tensix months ended September 30, 2004, it is not in conformity with GAAP. As such, we have supplemented our historical operating results for that period, as appropriate, with pro forma financial informationMarch 31, 2020 and have further highlighted in our discussions that follow any significant effects from the Acquisition to facilitate an understandingMarch 31, 2019, respectively. International Music Publishing revenues were $171 million and $175 million, or 50% and 54%, of a comparison of our operating results from period-to-period.

                      In order to enhance comparability, the combined financial informationMusic Publishing revenues for the ten-month period ended September 30, 2004 has been supplemented by the presentation of unaudited financial information for the comparative ten-month period ended September 30, 2003. Based on how the Company's closing schedule occurred in 2003, the 2003 period consists of 43 weeks, as compared to 44 weeks contained in the ten-month period ended September 30, 2004.

              OVERVIEW

              Description of Business

                      We are one of the world's major music companies. Effective as of March 1, 2004, substantially all of Time Warner Inc.'s music division was acquired from Time Warner by Acquisition Corp. for approximately $2.6 billion. During the threesix months ended DecemberMarch 31, 20042020 and the ten months ended September 30, 2004, we reported revenuesMarch 31, 2019, respectively.

              The overall increase in Music Publishing revenue was mainly driven by increases in digital revenue of $1.088 billion and $2.548 billion, respectively,



              operating income of $130$17 million and $7 million, respectively, OIBDA of $190 and $219 million, respectively and net income (loss) of $36 million and $(270) million, respectively.

                      We classify our business interests into two fundamental areas: Recorded Music and Music Publishing. A brief description of those operations is presented below.

              Recorded Music Operations

                      Our Recorded Music business consists of the discovery and development of artists and the related marketing, distribution and licensing of recorded music produced by such artists. In the U.S., our operations are conducted principally through our major record labels—Warner Bros. Records Inc. and The Atlantic Records Group. Internationally, our Recorded Music operations are conducted through our Warner Music International division ("WMI") which includes various subsidiaries, affiliates and non-affiliated licensees in more than 50 countries.

                      Our Recorded Music operations also include a catalog division named Warner Strategic Marketing ("WSM"). WSM specializes in marketing our music catalog through compilations and reissuances of previously released music and video titles, as well as in the licensing of recordings to/from third parties for various uses, including film and television soundtracks.

                      Our principal Recorded Music distribution operations include Warner-Elektra-Atlantic Corporation ("WEA Corp."), which primarily markets and sells music products to retailers and wholesale distributors in the U.S.; a 90% interest in Alternative Distribution Alliance, an independent distribution company; various distribution centers and ventures operated internationally; and an 80% interest in Word Entertainment, whose distribution operations specialize in the distribution of music products in the Christian retail marketplace.

                      Our principal recorded musicsynchronization revenue sources are sales of CDs, digital downloads and other recorded music products and license fees received for the ancillary uses of our recorded music catalog.

                      The principal costs associated with our Recorded Music operations are as follows:

                artist and repertoire costs—the costs associated with (i) signing and developing artists, (ii) creating master recordings in the studio, (iii) creating artwork for album covers and liner notes and (iv) paying royalties to artists, producers, songwriters, other copyright holders and trade unions;

                manufacturing, packaging and distribution costs—the costs to manufacture and distribute product to wholesale and retail distribution outlets;

                marketing and promotion costs—the costs associated with the promotion of artists and recorded music products, including costs to produce music videos for promotional purposes and artist tour support; and

                administration costs—the costs associated with general overhead and other administrative costs, as well as costs associated with anti-piracy initiatives.

                      During the three months ended December 31, 2004 and ten months ended September 30, 2004, our Recorded Music segment reported revenues of $940 million and $2.059 billion, respectively, OIBDA of $194 million and $158 million, respectively, and operating income of $152 million and $15 million, respectively.

              Music Publishing Operations

                      Our Music Publishing operations include Warner/Chappell Music, Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiaries, and certain other music publishing affiliates of the Company. We own or control the rights to more than one million musical compositions, including numerous pop music hits, American



              standards, folk songs and motion picture and theatrical compositions. Our Music Publishing operations also include Warner Bros. Publications ("WBP"), which markets printed versions of our music throughout the world. On December 15, 2004, we entered into a definitive agreement to sell WBP to Alfred Publishing. The sale is expected to close in spring 2005 and is subject to customary closing conditions. The sale is not expected to have a material effect on our future operating results and financial condition.

                      Publishing revenues are derived from four main royalty sources:

                Mechanical:    the licensor receives royalties with respect to compositions embodied in recordings sold in any format or configuration, including singles, albums, CDs, digital downloads and mobile phone ring tones.

                Performance:    the licensor receives royalties if the composition is performed publicly (e.g., broadcast radio and television, movie theater, concert, nightclub or Internet and wireless streaming).

                Synchronization:    the licensor receives royalties or fees for the right to use the composition in combination with visual images (e.g., in films, television commercials and programs and videogames).

                Other:    the licensor receives royalties from other uses such as stage productions and printed sheet music.

                      The principal costs associated with our Music Publishing operations are as follows:

                repertoire costs—the costs associated with (i) signing and developing songwriters and (ii) paying royalties to songwriters, co-publishers and other copyright holders in connection with income generated from the exploitation of their copyrighted works;

                manufacturing, packaging and distribution costs—the costs to manufacture and distribute sheet music and songbooks to retail distribution outlets and schools; and

                administration costs—the costs associated with general overhead and other administrative costs.

                      During the three months ended December 31, 2004 and the ten months ended September 30, 2004, our Music Publishing segment reported revenues of $155 million and $505 million, respectively, OIBDA of $24 million and $125 million, respectively, and operating income of $10 million, partially offset by decreases in performance revenue of $12 million. The increase in digital revenue is primarily due to increases in streaming revenue driven by the continued growth in streaming services. The increase in synchronization revenue is attributable to higher TV and $70 million, respectively.

              Factors Affecting Resultscommercial income. The decline in performance revenue is driven by timing of Operations and Financial Condition

              Market Factors

                      Over the past four years, the recorded music industry has been unstable, which has adversely affected our operating results. The industry-wide decline can be attributed primarily to digital piracy. Other drivers of this decline are the overall recessionary economic environment, bankruptcies of record retailers and wholesalers, growing competition for consumer discretionary spending and retail shelf space,distributions and the maturationimpact of the CD format which has slowed the historical growth pattern of recorded music sales. While potential new formats for selling recorded music product have been created, including the legal downloading of digital music using the Internet and DVD-Audio formats, significant revenue streams from these new markets have yet to emerge. Accordingly, although we believe that the recorded music industry should continue to improve as evidenced by the year-over-year growth in U.S. music physical unit sales in 2004, the flat performance in overall (physical and digital) music unit sales globally in 2004 and the best year-on-year trend in global music sales for five years according to IFPI, the industry may relapse into a period of decline, as witnessed from 1999 to 2003, which would continue to negatively affect operating results. For example, as of April 17, 2005, year-to-date U.S.



              recorded music sales (excluding sales of digital tracks) are down approximately 9% year-over-year. In addition, a declining recorded music industry could continue to have an adverse impact on the music publishing business. This is because our music publishing business generates a significant portion of its revenues from mechanical royalties received from the sale of music in recorded music formats such as the CD.

                      Due in part to the development of the new channels mentioned above and ongoing anti-piracy initiatives, we believe that the recorded music industry is positioned to improve over the coming years. However, the industry may relapse into a period of decline. In addition, there can be no assurances as to the timing or the extent of any improvement in the industry. Accordingly, we have executed a number of cost-saving initiatives over the past few years in an attempt to realign our cost structure with the changing economics of the industry. These initiatives have included significant headcount reductions, exiting certain leased facilities in an effort to consolidate locations and the sale of our manufacturing, packaging and physical distribution operations.

                      We have conducted a detailed assessment of our existing cost structure. As a result of this assessment, we have identified substantial cost-reduction opportunities in our business, the majority of which are associated with headcount reductions from the consolidation of operations and the streamlining of corporate and label overhead. By the end of December 2004, we had implemented approximately $250 million of annualized cost savings, of which approximately $144 million has been reflected in our statement of operations through December 31, 2004. We have completed substantially all of our restructuring efforts. We project the one-time costs associated with our restructuring to be $225 million to $250 million, of which approximately $140 million has been paid through December 31, 2004. There are still significant risks associated with the Restructuring Plan. See "Risk Factors."

              Transactions with Time Warner and its AffiliatesCOVID-19.

                      As previously described, priorRevenue by Geographical Location

              U.S. revenue increased by $12 million, or 1%, to March 1, 2004, Old WMG was owned and operated by Time Warner. As such, in the normal course of conducting our business, Old WMG had various commercial and financing arrangements with Time Warner and its affiliates. In particular, Old WMG purchased manufacturing packaging and physical distribution services from affiliates of Time Warner, and Time Warner funded its operating and capital requirements. See Note 21 to our audited financial statements included elsewhere herein for a summary of the principal transactions between us and Time Warner and its affiliates.

                      Time Warner sold its CD and DVD manufacturing, packaging and physical distribution operations to Cinram at the end of October 2003. Prior to the sale, these operations were under the control of Time Warner and our management. As such, pricing for such services was not negotiated on an arm's-length basis and did not reflect market rates. As part of the sale, Time Warner and Old WMG entered into long-term arrangements with Cinram. Under these arrangements, Cinram will provide manufacturing, packaging and physical distribution services for our products in the U.S. and Europe at favorable, market-based rates that were negotiated on an arm's-length basis.

                      With respect to the financing arrangements with Time Warner, all cash received or paid by Old WMG was included in, or funded by, clearing accounts or shared international cash pools within Time Warner's centralized cash management system. Some of those arrangements were interest-bearing and others were not. Accordingly, historical net interest expense is not representative of the amounts incurred by us under our new leveraged capital structure created in connection with the Acquisition.

              Future Charges and Payments Relating to Executive Compensation

                      Primarily in 2004, but also to a limited extent in 2005, we sold shares of restricted stock and granted options to various employees to assist us in recruiting, retaining and motivating key employees. We subsequently determined that certain shares of restricted stock may have been sold at prices below



              fair market value on the applicable date of sale and certain options may have had exercise prices below fair market value on the applicable date of grant.

                      As a result, certain U.S. employee holders of restricted stock who made elections under Section 83(b) of the Internal Revenue Code will be subject to additional ordinary income tax to the extent of the fair market value of the restricted stock received over the purchase price they paid for such stock. In other cases, certain employees who did not make such an election will be subject to higher taxes on their restricted shares at the time of vesting than would have been the case had they purchased the shares for fair market value. In addition, under the provisions of the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004, signed into law October 22, 2004, U.S. employee option holders whose options vest with exercise prices below fair market value on the date of grant are subject to significant penalties under new Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code. IRS Notice 2005-1 provides transitional guidance on the application of Section 409A which, among other things, permits options with exercise prices below the fair market value of the underlying stock on the date of grant to be amended or replaced with new options having an exercise price at least equal to the fair market value on the grant date. Non-U.S. employee holders of restricted stock or options may be subject to similar or other related issues. In order for us to address these issues, including implementing the changes permitted by Notice 2005-1, on April 11, 2005, our compensation committee, based on a re-assessment of fair market values on the applicable dates, approved the actions described below.

              Restricted Stock. The Company is authorized to pay each employee who purchased restricted stock on or after May 1, 2004 at prices that may have been below fair market value on the date of purchase a cash bonus. The cash bonus payable to those employees who made a Section 83(b) election will be an amount equal to the tax liability incurred by the employee as of the date of purchase based on any difference between the re-determined purchase date fair market value and the amount originally paid by the employee, plus an amount necessary to pay the taxes on the bonus. The bonus that would be payable to each of those employees who did not make a Section 83(b) election or the applicable foreign equivalent would be an amount reflecting an estimate of the additional tax which would be payable by the employee at the time the restricted stock is scheduled to vest due to that taxable amount being subject to ordinary income rather than capital gains tax rates, and assuming that the re-determined value of the stock remains constant over the vesting period, adjusted down to reflect a present value discount based on the earliest possible vesting dates. We would also pay these employees an amount necessary to pay the taxes on the bonus.

                      This would result in total cash payments of $10 million, which we would expect to pay and expense in the third fiscal quarter of this year. Of the aggregate amount of bonuses to be paid in connection with the restricted stock, approximately $7 million has been or will be paid to three of our named executive officers, with Michael Fleisher receiving approximately $4.9 million, Paul-René Albertini receiving approximately $1.4 million and Dave Johnson receiving approximately $0.7 million.

              Options. We granted stock options to employees to purchase an aggregate of 4,658 shares (or 5,304,414 shares after the Recapitalization) with a weighted average exercise price of $1,849 (or $1.62 after the Recapitalization). The exercise prices of these options are expected to be adjusted to prices equal to the applicable re-determined fair market values of the common stock on the applicable dates of the respective grants. The new weighted average exercise price of the options would be approximately $4,515 (or $3.97 after the Recapitalization). To compensate the grantees for the loss of value represented by this adjustment to the option exercise prices, we expect to pay each affected employee a cash bonus in an amount equal to the excess of the adjusted aggregate exercise price of the employee's options over the original aggregate exercise price of the employee's options, adjusted down to reflect a present value discount based on the earliest possible exercise dates.

                      This would result in total cash payments of approximately $9 million, which we expect to pay and expense in the third fiscal quarter of this year.


                      Non-cash, Stock-based Compensation Expense.    As a result of the aforementioned changes approved by our compensation committee, we have determined that a modification of the terms of our previously granted stock options has occurred for accounting purposes. Accordingly, we will be required to remeasure the aggregate compensation expense relating to such grants. Based on our preliminary analysis, we expect our aggregate non-cash compensation expense to increase to approximately $34 million for all awards granted as of April 14, 2005, which will be recognized over the vesting period of such awards. Such amount of non-cash compensation expense is expected to be recognized in the following manner: $15 million in fiscal 2005, $10 million in fiscal 2006, $6 million in fiscal 2007 and $3 million in fiscal 2008. This compares to previously recorded non-cash, stock-based compensation expense of $1$1,001 million for the sevensix months ended September 30, 2004 and $2March 31, 2020 from $989 million for the threesix months ended DecemberMarch 31, 2004.2019. U.S. Recorded Music revenue decreased by $8 million, or 1%. The primary driver was the decrease in U.S. Recorded Music physical revenue, which decreased by $35 million driven by general market decline and timing of releases. Partially offsetting this decrease was an increase of U.S. Recorded Music digital revenue for $29 million driven by the continued growth in streaming services. Streaming revenue increased by $49 million, partially offset by $20 million of digital

              Option Adjustments as a Result of Dividend

              download and other digital declines. U.S. Music Publishing revenue increased by $20 million to Investors

                      In connection with the $141.5 million cash dividend we intend to declare to the holders of our Class L Common Stock and Class A Common Stock, we intend to make an adjustment to all options outstanding at the time of declaration of the dividend. The adjustment would generally consist of a cash make-whole payment consisting of an amount equal to the pro rata amount that would have been received per share had all outstanding options been exercised at the time of the declaration of the dividend adjusted down to reflect a present value discount based on the earliest possible exercise dates. We expect that this payment to holders of unvested options will result in additional compensation expense of approximately $5.0 million in the third fiscal quarter of 2005.

              Employee Bonus Plan

                      Our compensation committee has approved a special one-time bonus that will be payable only upon consummation of this offering to all or substantially all of our employees, excluding senior management and any employees that have, or to whom we plan to grant, an equity participation in our company. We expect the amount of the award granted to an employee to be equal to approximately 4% of the employee's annual salary. The aggregate amount of the bonuses shall not exceed $10.0 million.



              RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

              Three Months Ended December 31, 2004 Compared to Three Months Ended December 31, 2003

                      The following table summarizes our historical results of operations:

               
               Successor
               Predecessor
               
               
               Three Months Ended
              December 31, 2004

               Three Months Ended
              December 31, 2003

               
               
               (unaudited)

               (unaudited)

               
               
               (in millions)

               
              Revenues $1,088 $1,178 
              Costs and expenses:       
               Cost of revenues(1)  (581) (648)
               Selling, general and administrative expenses(1)  (331) (391)
               Impairment of goodwill and other intangible assets    (1,019)
               Amortization of intangible assets  (46) (60)
               Restructuring costs    (8)
                
               
               
              Total costs and expenses  (958) (2,126)
                
               
               
              Operating income (loss)  130  (948)
              Interest expense, net  (38) (3)
              Net investment-related losses    (9)
              Equity in the losses of equity-method investees, net  (1) (9)
              Deal-related transaction and other costs    (63)
              Unrealized loss on warrants  (22)  
              Other income (expense), net  4  (7)
              Minority interest expense  (5)  
                
               
               
              Income (loss) before income taxes  68  (1,039)
              Income tax expense  (32) (107)
                
               
               
              Net income (loss) $36 $(1,146)
                
               
               

              (1)
              Includes depreciation expense of: $14 million and $20$168 million for the threesix months ended DecemberMarch 31, 2004 and December 31, 2003, respectively.

              Consolidated Pro Forma Results

                      As previously discussed, the Acquisition occurred effective as of March 1, 2004. Accordingly, our operating results2020 from $148 million for the three-month periodsix months ended DecemberMarch 31, 2003 do not reflect2019. This was primarily driven by the significant effectsincrease in U.S. Music Publishing of $17 million in digital revenue due to the Transactions. Hadcontinued growth in streaming services and the Transactions occurred on October 1, 2003, our pro forma resultsincrease in synchronization revenue of $5 million due to higher TV and commercial income, partially offset by decreases in performance revenue of $1 million.

              International revenue increased by $21 million, or 2%, to $1,329 million for the threesix months ended DecemberMarch 31, 2003 would have been as follows:

               
               Pro Forma
               
               
               Three Months Ended
              December 31, 2003

               
               
               (in millions, unaudited)

               
              Revenue $1,177 
              OIBDA  155 
              Impairment of goodwill and other intangible assets  (1,019)
              Depreciation and Amortization  (64)
              Operating Income (loss)  (928)
              Interest expense, net  (35)
              Net income (loss)  (739)

                      A discussion of our consolidated historical results2020 from $1,308 million for the three-month periods ended December 31, 2004 and 2003 follows:

              Consolidated Historical Results

              Revenues

                      Our revenues decreased to $1.088 billion for the threesix months ended DecemberMarch 31, 2004, compared to $1.178 billion for2019. Excluding the three months ended December 31, 2003. The decrease was largely driven by an $88 million decrease in Recorded Music revenues and a $4 million decrease in Music Publishing revenues.

                      Recorded Music revenues benefited from a $45 million favorableunfavorable impact of foreign currency exchange rates, International revenue increased by $49 million or 4%. International Recorded Music revenue increased by $25 million primarily due to increases in digital revenue of $70 million and an approximate $20artist services and expanded-rights revenue of $12 million, partially offset by decreases in physical revenue of $48 million and licensing revenue of $9 million. The increase in revenues from digital sales ofInternational Recorded Music product relatingdigital revenue was due to the development and increased consumer usage of legal, online distribution channels for the music industry. These benefits werecontinued growth in streaming services internationally, partially offset by a decline in digital downloads. International Recorded Music artist services and expanded-rights revenue increased by $12 million due to higher merchandising revenues and timing of tours in France, partially offset by the impact ofCOVID-19, which resulted in tour postponements. International Recorded Music physical worldwide music sales of $153revenue decreased by $48 million due to the continuing industry-wide impactcontinued shift from physical revenue to digital revenue, timing of piracy, lower sales volume associated with a fewer number of key commercial releases that sold in excess of one million units and the effects from our cost-savings initiativeprior-year physical success of Johnny Hallyday. International Recorded Music licensing revenue decreased by $9 million primarily related to consolidate two of our U.S. record labels. Substantially all of the decline in physical worldwide music sales resulted from lower unit sales volume.

                      Music Publishing revenues benefited from a $5 million favorable impact ofunfavorable foreign currency exchange rates which was offset by a $7 million decrease in mechanical revenues and a $2 million decline in revenues from the sale of print-related products. The decline in mechanical revenues principally related to the industry-wide decline in sales of physical recorded music product and a lower number of top-performing songs in comparison to the comparable periodhigher broadcast fees in the prior year,year. International Music Publishing revenue decreased by $4 million, or 2%, to $171 million for the six months ended March 31, 2020 from $175 million for the six months ended March 31, 2019. This was primarily driven by decreases in performance revenue of $11 million due to timing of distribution and the impact ofCOVID-19, partially offset by increases in part by increased royalties from sales in newer formats, such as music DVDssynchronization revenue of $5 million due to higher TV and mobile phone ring tones. Both performancecommercial income and synchronization revenues were flat.mechanical revenue of $2 million.

                      See "Business Segment Results" presented hereinafter for a discussion of revenues by business segment.

              Cost of revenues

              Our cost of revenues was composed of the following amounts (in millions):

                 For the Six Months Ended
              March 31,
                 2020 vs. 2019 
                       2020               2019           $ Change       % Change   

              Artist and repertoire costs

                $771  $773  $(2   —  

              Product costs

                 429   412   17   4
                

               

               

                 

               

               

                 

               

               

                 

              Total cost of revenues

                $1,200  $1,185  $15   1
                

               

               

                 

               

               

                 

               

               

                 

              Artist and repertoire costs decreased by $2 million, to $581$771 million for the threesix months ended DecemberMarch 31, 2004, compared to $6482020 from $773 million for the threesix months ended DecemberMarch 31, 2003. Expressed2019. Artist and repertoire costs as a percentage of revenues, cost of revenues was approximately 53%revenue decreased to 33% for the threesix months ended DecemberMarch 31, 2004, compared to 55%2020 from 34% for the threesix months ended DecemberMarch 31, 2003. The2019. Decreases in artist and repertoire costs relate to lower artist-related costs, including a decrease in cost of revenues principally relates to approximately $26 million of lower manufacturing costs due, in part, to lower sales volume and lower pricing underspending resulting from the new Cinram agreements that went into effect in late October 2003, approximately $72 million of lower artist and repertoire-related costs associated with our lower sales volume and lower artist advance write-offs, and cost savings associated with the Restructuring Plan that was implemented in 2004 in connection with the Acquisition. These cost reductions were partially offset by an approximate $32 million unfavorable impact of foreign currency exchange rates.COVID-19.

              Product costs increased by $17 million, to $429 million for the six months ended March 31, 2020 from $412 million for the six months ended March 31, 2019. Product costs as a percentage of revenue remained constant at 18% for the six months ended March 31, 2020 and March 31, 2019.

              Selling, general and administrative expenses

              Our selling, general and administrative expenses were $331composed of the following amounts (in millions):

                 For the Six Months Ended
              March 31,
                 2020 vs. 2019 
                       2020           2019           $ Change      % Change   

              General and administrative expense (1)

                $523  $351  $172  49

              Selling and marketing expense

                 339   317   22  7

              Distribution expense

                 55   62   (7  -11
                

               

               

                 

               

               

                 

               

               

                

              Total selling, general and administrative expense

                $917  $730  $187  26
                

               

               

                 

               

               

                 

               

               

                

              (1)

              Includes depreciation expense of $38 million and $28 million for the six months ended March 31, 2020 and March 31, 2019, respectively.

              Total selling, general and administrative expense increased by $187 million, or 26%, to $917 million for the threesix months ended DecemberMarch 31, 2004, compared to $3912020 from $730 million for the threesix months ended DecemberMarch 31, 2003.2019. Expressed as a percentage of revenues,revenue, selling, general and administrative expenses were approximately 30%expense increased to 39% for the threesix months ended DecemberMarch 31, 2004, compared with 33%2020 from 32% for the threesix months ended DecemberMarch 31, 2003. Selling,2019. This is primarily due to the increased expense associated with our Senior Management Free Cash Flow Plan of $145 million and aone-time charge within depreciation expense of $10 million. Excluding the expense associated with our Senior Management Free Cash Flow Plan andone-time charge within depreciation expense, selling, general and administrative expenses increasedexpense as a resultpercentage of an approximate $15revenue increased to 32% for the six months ended March 31, 2020 from 31% for the six months ended March 31, 2019.

              General and administrative expense increased by $172 million, unfavorable impactor 49%, to $523 million for the six months ended March 31, 2020 from $351 million for the six months ended March 31, 2019. The increase in general and administrative expense was mainly due to higher expense associated with our Senior Management Free Cash Flow Plan of foreign currency exchange rates, approximately$145 million, aone-time charge within depreciation expense of $10 million, increases in legal and consulting costs related to the proposed IPO, increases in bad debt provisions of $3 million of managementassociated withCOVID-19 related physical distribution business disruptions and advisory fees paid to the Investors, and $11 million of higher corporate expenses as discussed further below, including higher costs associated with operatingtransformation initiatives of $17 million. Expressed as an independent company. These cost increases were more than offset by lower marketinga percentage of revenue, general and overhead costsadministrative expense increased to 23% for the six months ended March 31, 2020 from 15% for the six months ended March 31, 2019. Excluding the expense associated with our cost-savings initiatives.



              Senior Management Free Cash Flow Plan and theRestructuring costsone-time

                      We recognized $8 million charge within depreciation expense, general and administrative expense as a percentage of restructuring-related costs inrevenue increased to 15% for the threesix months ended DecemberMarch 31, 2003. These2020 from 14% for the six months ended March 31, 2019 due to the factors described above.

              Selling and marketing expense increased by $22 million, or 7%, to $339 million for the six months ended March 31, 2020 from $317 million for the six months ended March 31, 2019. The increase in selling and marketing expense was primarily due to increased variable marketing expense on higher revenue and increased spending on new releases and developing artists. Expressed as a percentage of revenue, selling and marketing expense increased to 15% for the six months ended March 31, 2020 from 14% for the six months ended March 31, 2019 due to the factors described above.

              Distribution expense was $55 million for the six months ended March 31, 2020 and $62 million for the six months ended March 31, 2019. Expressed as a percentage of revenue, distribution expense decreased to 2% for the six months ended March 31, 2020 from 3% for the six months ended March 31, 2019. The decrease in distribution costs principally relatedis due to reductions in worldwide headcount and costs to exit certain leased facilities.revenue mix.

              Reconciliation of Consolidated Historical OIBDANet Income Attributable to Warner Music Group Corp. and Operating Income (Loss) and Net Income (Loss)to Consolidated OIBDA

              As previously described, we use OIBDA as our primary measure of financial performance. The following table reconciles OIBDA to operating income (loss)to OIBDA, and further provides the components from operating income (loss) to net income (loss)attributable to Warner Music Group Corp. to operating income for purposes of the discussion that follows:follows (in millions):

               
               Successor
               Predecessor
               
               
               Three Months Ended
              December 31, 2004

               Three Months Ended
              December 31, 2003

               
               
               (unaudited)

               (unaudited)

               
               
               (in millions)

               
              OIBDA $190 $151 
              Depreciation expense:  (14) (20)
              Amortization expense  (46) (60)
              Impairment of goodwill and other intangible assets    (1,019)
                
               
               
              Operating income (loss)  130  (948)
              Interest expense, net  (38) (3)
              Net investment-related losses    (9)
              Equity in the losses of equity-method investees, net  (1) (9)
              Deal—related transaction and other costs    (63)
              Unrealized loss on warrants  (22)  
              Other income (expense), net  4  (7)
              Minority interest expense  (5)  
                
               
               
              Income (loss) before income taxes  68  (1,039)
              Income tax expense  (32) (107)
                
               
               
              Net income (loss) $36 $(1,146)
                
               
               

                 For the Six Months Ended
              March 31,
                2020 vs. 2019 
                       2020              2019          $ Change      % Change   

              Net income attributable to Warner Music Group Corp.

                $46 $153 $(107  -70

              Income attributable to noncontrolling interest

                 2  —     2  —  
                

               

               

                

               

               

                

               

               

                

              Net income

                 48  153  (105  -69

              Income tax (benefit) expense

                 (7  98  (105  —  
                

               

               

                

               

               

                

               

               

                

              Income before income taxes

                 41  251  (210  -84

              Other expense (income)

                 9  (57  66  —  

              Interest expense, net

                 66  72  (6  -8

              Loss on extinguishment of debt

                 —     3  (3  -100
                

               

               

                

               

               

                

               

               

                

              Operating income

                 116  269  (153  -57

              Amortization expense

                 94  109  (15  -14

              Depreciation expense

                 38  28  10  36
                

               

               

                

               

               

                

               

               

                

              OIBDA

                $248 $406 $(158  -39
                

               

               

                

               

               

                

               

               

                

              OIBDA

                      Our OIBDA increaseddecreased by $158 million, or 39%, to $190$248 million for the threesix months ended DecemberMarch 31, 2004,2020 as compared to $151$406 million for the threesix months ended DecemberMarch 31, 2003.2019 as a result of higher selling, general and administrative expenses. Expressed as a percentage of total revenue, OIBDA margin decreased to 11% for the six months ended March 31, 2020 from 18% for the six months ended March 31, 2019. Excluding the expense associated with our Senior Management Free Cash Flow Plan, as a percentage of total revenue, OIBDA margin decreased to 18% for the six months ended March 31, 2020 from 19% for the six months ended March 31, 2019 due to the factors previously discussed.

              Amortization expense

              Our amortization expense decreased by $15 million, or 14%, to $94 million for the six months ended March 31, 2020 from $109 million for the six months ended March 31, 2019. The increasedecrease is primarily due to certain intangible assets becoming fully amortized.

              Operating income

              Our operating income decreased by $153 million to $116 million for the six months ended March 31, 2020 from $269 million for the six months ended March 31, 2019. The decrease in operating income was due to the factors that led to the decrease in OIBDA.

              Loss on extinguishment of debt

              There was no loss on extinguishment of debt for the six months ended March 31, 2020. We recorded a loss on extinguishment of debt in the amount of $3 million for the six months ended March 31, 2019, which represents the unamortized deferred financing costs related to the partial redemption of the 4.125% Senior Secured Notes and 5.625% Senior Secured Notes, and the open market purchases of the 4.875% Senior Secured Notes.

              Interest expense, net

              Our interest expense, net, decreased to $66 million for the six months ended March 31, 2020 from $72 million for the six months ended March 31, 2019 due to a $53decline in LIBOR rates as well as lower interest rates resulting from the redemption of the 5.625% Senior Secured Notes and issuance of the 3.625% Senior Secured Notes.

              Other expense (income), net

              Other expense (income), net, for the six months ended March 31, 2020 primarily includes unrealized losses of $10 million on themark-to-market of an equity method investment, the loss on our Euro-denominated debt of $6 million and $5 million relating to a loss on investments, partially offset by currency exchange gains on our intercompany loans of $12 million. This compares to an unrealized gain of $30 million on themark-to-market of an equity method investment and $6 million unrealized gains on hedging activity and foreign currency gains on our Euro-denominated debt of $20 million for the six months ended March 31, 2019.

              Income tax (benefit) expense

              Our income tax expense decreased by $105 million to a tax benefit of $7 million for the six months ended March 31, 2020 from $98 million of a tax expense for the six months ended March 31, 2019. The change of $105 million in income tax expense primarily relates to lowerpre-tax income and the release of a valuation allowance on foreign tax credits of $33 million during the six months ended March 31, 2020.

              Net Income

              Net income decreased by $105 million to $48 million for the six months ended March 31, 2020 from net income of $153 million for the six months ended March 31, 2019 as a result of the factors described above.

              Noncontrolling interest

              There was $2 million of income attributable to noncontrolling interest for the six months ended March 31, 2020 and no income attributable to noncontrolling interest for the six months ended March 31, 2019.

              Business Segment Results

              Revenue, operating income (loss) and OIBDA by business segment were as follows (in millions):

                 For the Six Months Ended
              March 31,
                 2020 vs. 2019 
                       2020               2019           $ Change       % Change   

              Recorded Music

                      

              Revenues

                $1,991  $1,974  $17   1

              Operating income

                 227   297   (70   -24

              OIBDA

                 317   391   (74   -19

              Music Publishing

                      

              Revenues

                 339   323   16   5

              Operating income

                 44   49   (5   -10

              OIBDA

                 81   86   (5   -6

              Corporate expenses and eliminations

                      

              Revenue eliminations

                 (3   (4   1   -25

              Operating loss

                 (155   (77   (78   —  

              OIBDA loss

                 (150   (71   (79   —  

              Total

                      

              Revenues

                 2,327   2,293   34   1

              Operating income

                 116   269   (153   -57

              OIBDA

                 248   406   (158   -39

              Recorded Music

              Revenues

              Recorded Music revenue increased by $17 million, or 1%, to $1,991 million for the six months ended March 31, 2020 from $1,974 million for the six months ended March 31, 2019. U.S. Recorded Music revenues were $833 million and $841 million, or 42% and 43%, of consolidated Recorded Music revenues for the six months ended March 31, 2020 and March 31, 2019, respectively. International Recorded Music revenues were $1,158 million and $1,133 million, or 58% and 57%, of consolidated Recorded Music revenues for the six months ended March 31, 2020 and March 31, 2019, respectively.

              The overall increase in Recorded Music OIBDA,revenue was mainly driven by streaming revenue growth, partially offset by decreases in physical revenue as described in the “Total Revenues” and “Revenue by Geographical Location” sections above.

              Cost of revenues

              Recorded Music cost of revenues was composed of the following amounts (in millions)

                 For the Six Months Ended
              March 31,
                 2020 vs. 2019 
                       2020               2019           $ Change       % Change   

              Artist and repertoire costs

                $558  $575  $(17   -3

              Product costs

                 429   412   17   4
                

               

               

                 

               

               

                 

               

               

                 

              Total cost of revenues

                $987  $987  $—      —  
                

               

               

                 

               

               

                 

               

               

                 

              Recorded Music cost of revenues remained flat at $987 million for both the six months ended March 31, 2020 and March 31, 2019. Expressed as a percentage of Recorded Music revenue, Recorded Music artist and repertoire costs decreased to 28% for the six months ended March 31, 2020 from 29% for the six months ended March 31, 2019. The decrease is primarily attributable to lower artist-related costs, including a decrease in spending resulting from the impact ofCOVID-19. Expressed as a percentage of Recorded Music revenue, Recorded Music product costs increased to 22% for the six months ended March 31, 2020 from 21% for the six months ended March 31, 2019. The increase in product costs relates to revenue mix and impact of costs associated with tours in France.

              Selling, general and administrative expense

              Recorded Music selling, general and administrative expenses were composed of the following amounts (in millions):

                 For the Six Months Ended
              March 31,
                 2020 vs. 2019 
                       2020               2019           $ Change      % Change   

              General and administrative expense (1)

                $332  $243  $89  37

              Selling and marketing expense

                 331   310   21  7

              Distribution expense

                 55   62   (7  -11
                

               

               

                 

               

               

                 

               

               

                

              Total selling, general and administrative expense

                $718  $615  $103  17
                

               

               

                 

               

               

                 

               

               

                

              (1)

              Includes depreciation expense of $31 million and $19 million for the six months ended March 31, 2020 and March 31, 2019, respectively.

              Recorded Music selling, general and administrative expense increased by $103 million, or 17%, to $718 million for the six months ended March 31, 2020 from $615 million for the six months ended March 31,

              2019. The increase in general and administrative expense was primarily due to higher expense associated with our Senior Management Free Cash Flow Plan of $88 million and aone-time charge within depreciation expense of $10 million, increases in bad debt provisions of $3 million associated withCOVID-19 related physical distribution business disruptions partially offset by employee-related expenses. The increase in selling and marketing expense was primarily due to increased variable marketing expense on higher revenue in the quarter and increased spending on new releases and developing artists. The decrease in distribution expense was primarily due to revenue mix. Expressed as a percentage of Recorded Music revenue, Recorded Music selling, general and administrative expense increased to 36% for the six months ended March 31, 2020 from 31% for the six months ended March 31, 2019. Excluding the expense associated with our Senior Management Free Cash Flow Plan and theone-time charge within depreciation expense, selling, general and administrative expense as a percentage of Recorded Music revenue remained flat at 30% for both the six months ended March 31, 2020 and March 31, 2019.

              Operating income and OIBDA

              Recorded Music OIBDA included the following amounts (in millions):

                 For the Six Months Ended
              March 31,
                 2020 vs. 2019 
                       2020               2019           $ Change      % Change   

              Operating income

                $227  $297  $(70  -24

              Depreciation and amortization

                 90   94   (4  -4
                

               

               

                 

               

               

                 

               

               

                

              OIBDA

                $317  $391  $(74  -19
                

               

               

                 

               

               

                 

               

               

                

              Recorded Music OIBDA decreased by $74 million, or 19%, to $317 million for the six months ended March 31, 2020 from $391 million for the six months ended March 31, 2019 as a result of higher general and administrative expenses. Expressed as a percentage of Recorded Music revenue, Recorded Music OIBDA margin decreased to 16% for the six months ended March 31, 2020 from 20% for the six months ended March 31, 2019. Excluding the expense associated with our Senior Management Free Cash Flow Plan, OIBDA, as a percentage of Recorded Music revenue, remained constant at 21% for both the six months ended March 31, 2020 and March 31, 2019.

              Recorded Music operating income decreased by $70 million to $227 million for the six months ended March 31, 2020 from $297 million for the six months ended March 31, 2019 due to factors within the Recorded Music OIBDA decrease noted above. Excluding the expense associated with our Senior Management Free Cash Flow Plan and theone-time charge within depreciation expense, Recorded Music operating income increased $28 million due to higher revenues and lower amortization expense within the quarter.

              Music Publishing

              Revenues

              Music Publishing revenues increased by $16 million, or 5%, to $339 million for the six months ended March 31, 2020 from $323 million for the six months ended March 31, 2019. U.S. Music Publishing revenues were $168 million and $148 million, or 50% and 46%, of consolidated Music Publishing revenues for the six months ended March 31, 2020 and March 31, 2019, respectively. International Music Publishing revenues were $171 million and $175 million, or 50% and 54%, of consolidated Music Publishing revenues for the six months ended March 31, 2020 and March 31, 2019, respectively.

              The overall increase in Music Publishing revenue was mainly driven by streaming revenue growth and higher synchronization, partially offset by lower performance revenues as described in the “Total Revenues” and “Revenue by Geographical Location” sections above.

              Cost of revenues

              Music Publishing cost of revenues were composed of the following amounts (in millions):

                 For the Six Months Ended
              March 31,
                 2020 vs. 2019 
                       2020               2019           $ Change       % Change   

              Artist and repertoire costs

                $216  $202  $14   7
                

               

               

                 

               

               

                 

               

               

                 

              Total cost of revenues

                $216  $202  $14   7
                

               

               

                 

               

               

                 

               

               

                 

              Music Publishing cost of revenues increased by $14 million, or 7%, to $216 million for the six months ended March 31, 2020 from $202 million for the six months ended March 31, 2019. Expressed as a percentage of Music Publishing revenue, Music Publishing cost of revenues increased to 64% for the six months ended March 31, 2020 from 63% for the six months ended March 31, 2019, primarily due to revenue mix and timing of artist and repertoire investments.

              Selling, general and administrative expense

              Music Publishing selling, general and administrative expenses were comprised of the following amounts (in millions):

                 For the Six Months Ended
              March 31,
                 2020 vs. 2019 
                       2020                     2019       $ Change       % Change   

              General and administrative expense (1)

                $43  $37  $6   16

              Selling and marketing expense

                 1   1   —      —  
                

               

               

                 

               

               

                 

               

               

                 

              Total selling, general and administrative expense

                $44  $38  $6   16
                

               

               

                 

               

               

                 

               

               

                 

              (1)

              Includes depreciation expense of $2 million and $3 million for the six months ended March 31, 2020 and March 31, 2019, respectively.

              Music Publishing selling, general and administrative expense increased to $44 million for the six months ended March 31, 2020 from $38 million for the six months ended March 31, 2019 due to higher employee-related and restructuring costs. Expressed as a percentage of Music Publishing revenue, Music Publishing selling, general and administrative expense increased to 13% for the six months ended March 31, 2020 from 12% for the six months ended March 31, 2019 due to factors described above.

              Operating income and OIBDA

              Music Publishing OIBDA included the following amounts (in millions):

                 For the Six Months Ended
              March 31,
                 2020 vs. 2019 
                       2020               2019           $ Change      % Change   

              Operating income

                $44  $49  $(5  -10

              Depreciation and amortization

                 37   37   —     —  
                

               

               

                 

               

               

                 

               

               

                

              OIBDA

                $81  $86  $(5  -6
                

               

               

                 

               

               

                 

               

               

                

              Music Publishing OIBDA decreased by $5 million, or 6%, to $81 million for the six months ended March 31, 2020 from $86 million for the six months ended March 31, 2019. Expressed as a percentage of Music Publishing revenue, Music Publishing OIBDA margin decreased to 24% for the six months ended March 31, 2020 from 27% for the six months ended March 31, 2019. The decrease was primarily due to higher artist and repertoire and general and administrative expenses.

              Music Publishing operating income decreased by $5 million to $44 million for the six months ended March 31, 2020 from $49 million operating income for the six months ended March 31, 2019 largely due to the factors that led to the decrease in Music Publishing OIBDA noted above.

              Corporate Expenses and a $11Eliminations

              Our operating loss from corporate expenses and eliminations increased by $78 million to $155 million for the six months ended March 31, 2020 from $77 million for the six months ended March 31, 2019 which primarily relates to an increase of $57 million in corporate expenses.

                      Recorded Music OIBDA benefited principally from lower marketing and overhead costsvariable compensation expense associated with our cost-savingsSenior Management Free Cash Flow Plan as well as higher corporate-related costs and costs related to transformation initiatives approximatelyof $17 million.

              Our OIBDA loss from corporate expenses and eliminations increased by $79 million to $150 million for the six months ended March 31, 2020 from $71 million for the six months ended March 31, 2019 due to the operating loss factors noted above.

              Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2019 Compared with Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2018 and Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2017

              Consolidated Results

              Revenues

              The Company’s revenues were composed of the following amounts (in millions):

                 For the Fiscal Year Ended
              September 30,
                2019 vs. 2018  2018 vs. 2017 
                 2019  2018  2017  $ Change  % Change    $ Change      % Change   

              Revenue by Type

                      

              Digital

                $2,343  $2,019  $1,692  $324   16 $327   19

              Physical

                 559   630   667   (71  -11  (37  -6
                

               

               

                

               

               

                

               

               

                

               

               

                 

               

               

                

              Total Physical and Digital

                 2,902   2,649   2,359   253   10  290   12

              Artist services and expanded-rights

                 629   389   385   240   62  4   1

              Licensing

                 309   322   276   (13  -4  46   17
                

               

               

                

               

               

                

               

               

                

               

               

                 

               

               

                

              Total Recorded Music

                 3,840   3,360   3,020   480   14  340   11

              Performance

                 183   212   197   (29  -14  15   8

              Digital

                 271   237   187   34   14  50   27

              Mechanical

                 55   72   65   (17  -24  7   11

              Synchronization

                 120   119   112   1   1  7   6

              Other

                 14   13   11   1   8  2   18
                

               

               

                

               

               

                

               

               

                

               

               

                 

               

               

                

              Total Music Publishing

                 643   653   572   (10  -2  81   14

              Intersegment eliminations

                 (8  (8  (16  —     —    8   -50
                

               

               

                

               

               

                

               

               

                

               

               

                 

               

               

                

              Total Revenues

                $4,475  $4,005  $3,576  $470   12 $429   12
                

               

               

                

               

               

                

               

               

                

               

               

                 

               

               

                

              Revenue by Geographical Location

                      

              U.S. Recorded Music

                $1,656  $1,460  $1,329  $196   13 $131   10

              U.S. Music Publishing

                 300   294   258   6   2  36   14
                

               

               

                

               

               

                

               

               

                

               

               

                 

               

               

                

              Total U.S.

                 1,956   1,754   1,587   202   12  167   11

              International Recorded Music

                 2,184   1,900   1,691   284   15  209   12

              International Music Publishing

                 343   359   314   (16  -4  45   14
                

               

               

                

               

               

                

               

               

                

               

               

                 

               

               

                

              Total International

                 2,527   2,259   2,005   268   12  254   13

              Intersegment eliminations

                 (8  (8  (16  —     —    8   -50
                

               

               

                

               

               

                

               

               

                

               

               

                 

               

               

                

              Total Revenues

                $4,475  $4,005  $3,576  $470   12 $429   12
                

               

               

                

               

               

                

               

               

                

               

               

                 

               

               

                

              Total Revenues

              2019 vs. 2018

              Total revenues increased by $470 million, or 12%, to $4,475 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019 from $4,005 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018, which includes an increase of $240 million, or 6%, due to the acquisition of EMP and $28 million, of lower manufacturing costsor 1%, due in part, to lower sales volume and lower pricing underthe adoption of the new Cinram agreement that went into effectrevenue recognition standard, ASC 606, in late October 2003,2018. Prior to intersegment eliminations, Recorded Music revenues represented 86% and 84% of total revenues for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2019 and September 30, 2018, respectively. Prior to intersegment eliminations, Music Publishing revenues represented 14% and 16% of total revenues for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2019 and September 30, 2018, respectively. Prior to intersegment eliminations, U.S. and international revenues represented 44% and 56% of total revenues for each of the fiscal years ended September 30, 2019 and September 30, 2018.

              Total digital revenues after intersegment eliminations increased by $358 million, or 16%, to $2,610 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019 from $2,252 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018. Total digital revenues represented 58% and 56% of consolidated revenues for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2019 and September 30, 2018, respectively. Prior to intersegment eliminations, total digital revenues for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019 were comprised of U.S. revenues of $1,382 million and international revenues of $1,232 million, or 53% and 47% of total digital revenues, respectively. Prior to intersegment eliminations, total digital revenues for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 were comprised of U.S. revenues of $1,169 million and international revenues of $1,087 million, or 52% and 48% of total digital revenues, respectively.

              Recorded Music revenues increased by $480 million, or 14%, to $3,840 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019 from $3,360 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018. U.S. Recorded Music revenues were $1,656 million and $1,460 million, or 43% of consolidated Recorded Music revenues for each of the fiscal years ended September 30, 2019 and September 30, 2018. International Recorded Music revenues were $2,184 million and $1,900 million, or 57% of consolidated Recorded Music revenues for each of the fiscal years ended September 30, 2019 and September 30, 2018.

              The overall increase in Recorded Music revenue was driven by increases in digital revenue and artist services and expanded-rights revenue, partially offset by decreases in physical revenue and licensing revenue. Digital revenue increased by $324 million as a $9result of the continued growth in streaming services and a strong release schedule including top seller Meek Mill and carryover success from Ed Sheeran,The Greatest Showman and Cardi B as well as the adoption of ASC 606. Revenue from streaming services grew by $396 million favorableto $2,129 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019 from $1,733 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018. Digital revenue growth was partially offset by a decline in download and other digital revenues of $72 million to $214 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019 from $286 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 due to the continued shift to streaming. Artist services and expanded-rights revenue increased by $240 million primarily due to a $240 million increase related to the acquisition of EMP, higher merchandising and advertising revenues and timing of larger tours in Japan, partially offset by $94 million related to the divestment of a concert promotion business in Italy and the unfavorable impact fromof foreign currency exchange rates and approximately $70of $11 million. Physical revenue decreased by $71 million of lower artist and repertoire-related costs associated with our lower sales volume and lower artist advance write-offs. These benefits more than offsetprimarily due to the lossunfavorable impact of margin contributions related to lower worldwide recorded music sales.

                      Music Publishing OIBDA benefited principally from lower overhead costs associated with our cost-savings initiatives and a $1 million favorable impact from foreign currency exchange rates but was more thanof $15 million, continued shift from physical revenue to digital revenue, partially offset by a lossthe success of margin contributions relatednew releases. Licensing revenue decreased by $13 million primarily due to the aggregate decline in mechanical and print revenues.

                      Corporate expenses increased byunfavorable impact of foreign currency exchange rates of $11 million dueand the impact of ASC 606 of $4 million.

              Music Publishing revenues decreased by $10 million, or 2%, to higher costs associated with operating as an independent company and a change in$643 million for the allocation of corporate-related costs. Certain corporate-related costs were allocated in 2003 to Time Warner's former CD and DVD manufacturing and printing operations because such operations were managed by Old WMG. Such operations were sold by Time



              Warner in October 2003, and accordingly, such costs were no longer allocable. The incrementally higher level of costsfiscal year ended September 30, 2019 from $653 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018, which was partially offset by an increase of $23 million due to the adoption of ASC 606. U.S. Music Publishing revenues were $300 million, or 47% of consolidated Music Publishing revenues for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019,

              and $294 million, or 45% of consolidated Music Publishing revenues for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018. International Music Publishing revenues were $343 million, or 53% of consolidated Music Publishing revenues for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019, and $359 million, or 55% of consolidated Music Publishing revenues for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018.

              The overall decrease in Music Publishing revenue was mainly driven by decreases in performance revenue of $29 million and mechanical revenue of $17 million, partially offset by increases in digital revenue of $34 million, synchronization revenue of $1 million and other revenue of $1 million. The decreases in Music Publishing performance revenue and mechanical revenue are primarily due to lost administration rights and lower overhead costs associated with our cost-savings initiatives.market share, partially offset by $7 million related to the adoption of ASC 606. The increase in digital revenue includes an $14 million increase resulting from the adoption of ASC 606 and increases in streaming revenue driven by the continued growth in streaming services, partially offset by decreases in download revenue.

                      See "Business Segment Results" presented hereinafter for a discussion of OIBDA2018 vs. 2017

              Total revenues increased by business segment.

              Depreciation expense

                      Our depreciation expense decreased$429 million, or 12%, to $14$4,005 million for the three monthsfiscal year ended December 31, 2004, compared to $20September 30, 2018 from $3,576 million for the three monthsfiscal year ended December 31, 2003. The decrease principally relatedSeptember 30, 2017. Prior to lower capital spending requirementsintersegment eliminations, Recorded Music and lower depreciationMusic Publishing revenues represented 84% and 16% of software development costs.revenues for each of the fiscal years ended September 30, 2018 and the fiscal year ended September 30, 2017. Prior to intersegment eliminations, U.S. and international revenues represented 44% and 56% of total revenues for each of the fiscal years ended September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017.

              Amortization expense

                      Our amortization expense decreasedTotal digital revenues after intersegment eliminations increased by $382 million, or 20%, to $46$2,252 million for the three monthsfiscal year ended December 31, 2004, compared to $60September 30, 2018 from $1,870 million for the three monthsfiscal year ended December 31, 2003. The decrease related to the new basisSeptember 30, 2017. Total digital revenues represented 56% and 52% of accounting recorded in connection with the Acquisition, which resulted in a lower revaluation of the historical cost bases of our identifiable intangible assets.

              Impairment of goodwill and other intangible assets

                      We recognized impairment charges of $1.019 billion to reduce the carrying value of goodwill and other intangible assetsconsolidated revenues for the three monthsfiscal year ended December 31, 2003. This reflectedSeptember 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017, respectively. Prior to intersegment eliminations, total digital revenues for the decline infiscal year ended September 30, 2018 were comprised of U.S. revenues of $1,169 million and international revenues of $1,087 million, or 52% and 48% of total digital revenues, respectively. Prior to intersegment eliminations, total digital revenues for the valuationfiscal year ended September 30, 2017 were comprised of music-related businesses due largelyU.S. revenues of $1,005 million and international revenues of $874 million, or 53% and 47% of total digital revenues, respectively.

              Recorded Music revenues increased by $340 million, or 11%, to the industry-wide effects of piracy.

              Operating income (loss)

                      Our operating income increased to $130$3,360 million for the three monthsfiscal year ended December 31 2004, compared to an operating loss of $948September 30, 2018 from $3,020 million for the three monthsfiscal year ended December 31, 2003. September 30, 2017. U.S. Recorded Music revenues were $1,460 million and $1,329 million, or 43% and 44% of consolidated Recorded Music revenues for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017, respectively. International Recorded Music revenues were $1,900 million and $1,691 million, or 57% and 56% of consolidated Recorded Music revenues for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017, respectively.

              The improvement in operating income related to a $39 millionoverall increase in OIBDA,Recorded Music revenue was driven by increases in digital revenue, licensing revenue and artist services and expanded-rights revenue, partially offset by a $6 million decrease in depreciation expense,physical revenue. Digital revenue increased by $327 million as a $14 million decrease in amortization expense, and the absenceresult of the 2003 impairment charge of $1.019 billion, all as previously described above. See "Business Segment Results" presented hereinafter forcontinued growth in streaming services, and a discussion of operating income (loss)strong release schedule. Revenue from streaming services grew by business segment.

              Interest expense, net

                      Our net interest expense increased$391 million to $38 million in the three months ended December 31, 2004, compared to $3$1,733 million for the three monthsfiscal year ended December 31, 2003. The increase primarily related to the approximately $1.8 billion of debt issued in 2004 in connection with the capitalization of the Company.

              Net investment-related losses

                      We did not recognize any investment-related losses for the three months ended December 31, 2004. However, for the three months ended December 31, 2003, we recognized $9 million of net investment-related losses principally related to reductions in the carrying values of certain equity-method investments.

              Equity in the losses of equity-method investees, net

                      Our equity in the losses of equity-method investees was $1September 30, 2018 from $1,342 million for the three monthsfiscal year ended December 31, 2004, compared to $9 million in the three months ended December 31, 2003. The lower losses principally related to the fact that certain of our former loss-generating investees, such as our former interest in MusicNet, were retainedSeptember 30, 2017. Digital revenue growth was partially offset by Time Warner and were not part of the assets acquired.

              Deal-related transactiondownload and other costs

                      We did not recognize any deal-related transaction costs for the three months ended December 31, 2004. However, for the three months ended December 31, 2003, we recognized $63digital declines of $64 million of



              deal-related transaction and other costs. These costs primarily related to transaction costs associated with the prior pursuit of other strategic ventures or dispositions of Old WMG's business in 2003 by Time Warner that did not occur, losses incurred in connection with the probable pension curtailment that ultimately occurred, and losses related to certain executive contractual obligations triggered upon closing of the Acquisition.

              Unrealized loss on warrants

                      We recognized a $22 million unrealized loss on stock warrants issued to Time Warner in connection with the Acquisition for the three months ended December 31, 2004. Because the three-month period ended December 31, 2003 was pre-Acquisition, the stock warrants were not outstanding and no comparable charge was recognized for that period.

              Other income (expense), net

                      We recognized other income, net, of $4$286 million for the three monthsfiscal year ended December 31, 2004, compared to other expense, net, of $7September 30, 2018 from $350 million for the three monthsfiscal year ended December 31, 2003. TheSeptember 30, 2017. Licensing revenue increased by $46 million primarily due to higher broadcast fee income, revenue from recent acquisitions and increased synchronization activity. Artist services and expanded-rights revenue increased by $4 million of income in 2004 relates to favorable foreign currency exchange rates movements associated with intercompany receivables and payables that are not of a long-term investment nature, and as such, are required to be reported in the statement of operations in accordance with GAAP. The $7 million of costs in 2003 primarily related to losses on foreign currency exchange contracts that were used by Time Warner to hedge exposures to changes in foreign currency exchange rates.

              Minority interest expense

                      We recognized minority interest expense of $5 million for the three months ended December 31, 2004. This expense related to dividends on preferred stock of Holdings that was held directly by the Investors and was issued in connection with the initial funding of the purchase price for the Acquisition. Because the three-month period ended December 31, 2003 was pre-Acquisition, the subsidiary preferred stock was not outstanding and no comparable charge was recognized for that period.

              Income tax expense

                      We provided income tax expense of $32 million for the three months ended December 31, 2004, compared to an income tax expense of $107 million for the three months ended December 31, 2003. The income tax provisions are not entirely comparable due to the changes in our tax profile relating to the closing of the Acquisition. In particular, prior to the closing of the Acquisition, we were a member of the Time Warner consolidated tax return and were able to recognize U.S.-based deferred tax benefits on domestic-source net operating losses incurred. However, upon the closing of the Acquisition, our membership in the Time Warner consolidated tax group terminated along with our ability to recognize similar, U.S.-based, deferred tax benefits. Accordingly, the income tax expense in 2004 primarily relates to the tax provisions on foreign-source income. There was no offsetting income tax benefit on domestic-source losses recognized in 2004 due to the uncertainty of realization of those deferred tax assets.

              Net income (loss)

                      We recognized net income of $36 million for the three months ended December 31, 2004, compared to a net loss of $1.146 billion for the three months ended December 31, 2003. As described more fully above, the improvement in 2004 principally related to a $1.078 billion increase in operating income (including $20 million of lower depreciation and amortization expense) primarily relating to the absence of the $1.019 billion impairment charge and $63 million of deal-related transaction and other costs recognized in 2003. These benefits were offset, in part, by $35 million of higher net interest costs recognized in 2004.



              Business Segment Results

                      Revenue, OIBDA and operating income (loss) by business segment are as follows:

               
               Successor
               Predecessor
               
               
               Three Months Ended
              December 31, 2004

               Three Months Ended
              December 31, 2003

               
               
               (unaudited)

               (unaudited)

               
               
               (in millions)

               
              Recorded Music       
               Revenue $940 $1,028 
               OIBDA(1)  194  141 
               Operating income (loss)(1)  152  (933)
              Music Publishing       
               Revenue  155  159 
               OIBDA(1)  24  27 
               Operating income (loss)(1)  10  6 
              Corporate and Revenue Eliminations       
               Revenue eliminations  (7) (9)
               OIBDA(1)  (28) (17)
               Operating income (loss)(1)  (32) (21)
              Total       
               Revenue  1,088  1,178 
               OIBDA(1)  190  151 
               Operating income (loss)(1)  130  (948)

              (1)
              OIBDA and operating income for the three months ended December 31, 2003 have each been reduced by $8 million of restructuring costs. Of such amount, $7 million relates to Recorded Music and $1 million relates to Corporate.

              Recorded Music

                      Recorded Music revenues decreased to $940 million for the three months ended December 31, 2004, compared to $1.028 billion for the three months ended December 31, 2003. Revenues benefited from a $45 million favorable impact of foreign currency exchange rates of $13 million and an approximate $20higher merchandise revenue, partially offset by certain concert promotion business divestitures and the timing of tours. Physical revenue decreased by $37 million primarily due to underlying market decline as consumption shifts from physical to digital products.

              Music Publishing revenues increased by $81 million, or 14%, to $653 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 from $572 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2017. U.S. Music Publishing revenues were $294 million and $258 million, or 45% of consolidated Music Publishing revenues for each of the fiscal years ended September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017. International Music Publishing revenues were $359 million and $314 million, or 55% of consolidated Music Publishing revenues for each of the fiscal years ended September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017.

              The overall increase in revenuesMusic Publishing revenue was mainly driven by increases in digital revenue of $50 million, performance revenue of $15 million, synchronization revenue of $7 million and mechanical revenue of $7 million. The increase in digital revenue was due to an increase in streaming of $60 million, partially offset by download and other digital declines of $10 million. Performance revenue increased due to higher distributions. Synchronization revenue increased due to increased television and commercial income. The increase in mechanical revenue was attributable to the timing of distributions.

              Revenue by Geographical Location

              2019 vs. 2018

              U.S. revenue increased by $202 million, or 12%, to $1,956 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019 from digital sales of$1,754 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018. U.S. Recorded Music product relatingrevenue increased by $196 million or 13%. The primary driver was the increase in U.S. Recorded Music digital revenue, which increased by $191 million due to the developmentcontinued growth in streaming services. Streaming revenue increased by $228 million, partially offset by a $37 million decline in download revenue. U.S. artist services and expanded-rights revenue also increased consumer usage of legal, online distribution channels for the music industry.by $50 million, or 40%, driven by higher advertising and merchandising revenues. These benefitsincreases were partially offset by a decline in U.S. physical worldwide music salesrevenue of $153$38 million due to the continuing industry-wide impactshift from physical to digital formats. U.S. Music Publishing revenue increased by $6 million or 2%. This was primarily driven by the increase in U.S. Music Publishing digital revenue of piracy, lower sales volume associated with a fewer number$22 million due to an increase in streaming revenue and adoption of key commercial releases that soldASC 606, partially offset by decreases in excessmechanical revenue of one$12 million, unitsperformance revenue of $3 million and the effects from our cost-savings initiativeother revenue of $1 million.

              International revenue increased by $268 million, or 12%, to consolidate two of our U.S. record labels. Substantially all of the decline in physical worldwide music sales resulted from lower unit sales volume.

                      Recorded Music OIBDA increased to $194$2,527 million for the three monthsfiscal year ended December 31, 2004, compared to $141September 30, 2019 from $2,259 million for the three monthsfiscal year ended December 31, 2003. The $53September 30, 2018, which includes $240 million related to the acquisition of EMP. Excluding the unfavorable impact of foreign currency exchange rates, International revenue increased by $375 million or 17%. International Recorded Music revenue increased $284 million primarily due to increases in digital revenue of $133 million and artist services and expanded-rights revenue of $190 million, partially offset by a decrease in physical revenue of $33 million and licensing revenue of $6 million. International Recorded Music digital revenue increased due to a $168 million increase in OIBDA benefited principallystreaming services revenue, partially offset by a $35 million decline in download and other digital revenue. The increase in international Recorded Music streaming revenue was due to the continued growth in streaming services internationally and strong release performance. Decline in downloads was due to the continued shift to streaming services. International Recorded Music artist services and expanded-rights revenue increased $240 million due to the acquisition of EMP, higher merchandising revenues and timing of larger tours in Japan in the current fiscal year, partially offset by $94 million related to the divestment of a concert promotion business in Italy and the unfavorable impact of foreign currency exchange rates of $11 million. International Recorded Music physical revenue decreased due to the continued shift from lower marketingphysical to digital formats and overhead costs associated with our cost-savings initiatives, approximately $28the unfavorable impact of foreign currency exchange rates of $15 million, partially offset by the success of lower manufacturing costsnew releases including Johnny Hallyday in France and local artists in Japan. International Recorded Music licensing revenue decreased due to the unfavorable impact of foreign currency exchange rates of $13 million and the impact of ASC 606, partially offset by increased synchronization activity in part,the U.K. and Japan. International Music Publishing revenue decreased $16 million or 4%. This was primarily driven by decreases in international Music Publishing performance revenue of $26 million and mechanical revenue of $5 million both due to lower sales volumelost administration rights and lower pricing undermarket share, partially offset by the new Cinram agreement that went into effectincrease in late October 2003,digital revenue of $12 million primarily due to growth in streaming and a $70the adoption of ASC 606.

              2018 vs. 2017

              U.S. revenue increased by $167 million, reduction in artist and repertoire-related costs associated with our lower sales volume and lower artist advance write-offs. These benefits more than offset the loss of margin contributions relatedor 11%, to lower worldwide recorded music sales.



                      Recorded Music operating income improved to $152$1,754 million for the three monthsfiscal year ended December 31, 2004, compared to a loss of $933September 30, 2018 from $1,587 million for the three monthsfiscal year ended December 31, 2003.September 30, 2017. U.S. Recorded Music operating income (loss) includedrevenue increased by $131 million or 10%. The primary driver was the following components:

               
               Successor
               Predecessor
               
               
               Three Months Ended
              December 31, 2004

               Three Months Ended
              December 31, 2003

               
               
               (unaudited)

               (unaudited)

               
               
               (in millions)

               
              OIBDA $194 $141 
                
               
               
              Depreciation and amortization  (42) (55)
              Impairment of goodwill and other    (1,019)
                
               
               
              Operating income (loss) $152 $(933)
                
               
               

                      The $1.085 billion improvementincrease in operating income primarily relatedU.S. Recorded Music digital revenue, which increased by $144 million due to the absencecontinued growth in streaming services and strong release performance. U.S. licensing revenue increased by $9 million due to higher broadcast fee income and increased synchronization activity. These increases were partially offset by a decline in U.S. physical revenue of $16 million due to the 2003 impairment charge, which reduced the carrying valueshift from physical revenue to digital revenue and a decline in artist services and expanded-rights revenue of our goodwill and other intangible assets by $1.019 billion, and the $53 million improvement in OIBDA discussed above.

              Music Publishing

              $6 million. U.S. Music Publishing revenues decreasedincreased by $36 million or 14%. This was primarily driven by the increase in U.S. Music Publishing digital revenue of $20 million due to $155an increase in streaming revenue of $32 million from the continued growth in streaming services, partially offset by declines in download and other digital revenue of $12 million. U.S. mechanical revenue and U.S. performance revenue increased by $8 million and $3 million, respectively, due to higher distributions. U.S. synchronization revenue increased by $4 million due to increased film and commercial income.

              International revenue increased by $254 million, or 13%, to $2,259 million for the three monthsfiscal year ended December 31, 2004, compared to $159September 30, 2018 from $2,005 million for the three monthsfiscal year ended December 31, 2003. Revenues benefited from a $5 millionSeptember 30, 2017. Excluding the favorable impact of foreign currency exchange rates, which wasinternational revenue increased by $163 million or 8%. International Recorded Music revenue increased $209 million primarily due to increases in digital revenue of $183 million, licensing revenue of $37 million and artist services and expanded-rights revenue of $10 million, partially offset by a $7 million decrease in mechanical revenues andphysical revenue of $21 million. International Recorded Music digital revenue increased due to a $2$211 million increase in streaming services revenue, partially offset by a $28 million decline in revenues from the sale of print-related products.download and other digital revenue. The declineincrease in mechanical revenues principally relatedinternational Recorded Music streaming revenue was due to the industry-wide declinecontinued growth in sales of physical recorded music productstreaming services internationally and a lower number of top-performing songsstrong release performance from WANIMA in comparison to the comparable period in the prior year, offset in part by increased royalties from sales in newer formats, such as music DVDs and mobile phone ring tones. Both performance and synchronization revenues were flat.

              Japan. International Recorded Music Publishing OIBDA decreased to $24 million for the three months ended December 31, 2004, compared to $27 million in the three months ended December 31, 2003. OIBDA benefited principally from lower overhead costs associated with our cost-savings initiatives and a $1 million favorable impact from foreign currency exchange rates, but was more than offset by a loss of margin contributions related to the aggregate decline in mechanical and print revenues.

                      Music Publishing operating income increased to $10 million in the three months ended December 31, 2004, compared to $6 million in the three months ended December 31, 2003. Music Publishing operating income includes the following components:

               
               Successor
               Predecessor
               
               
               Three Months Ended
              December 31, 2004

               Three Months Ended
              December 31, 2003

               
               
               (unaudited)

               (unaudited)

               
               
               (in millions)

               
              OIBDA $24 $27 
              Depreciation and amortization  (14) (21)
                
               
               
              Operating income $10 $6 
                
               
               

                      The $4 million increase in operating income primarily related to a $7 million decrease in depreciation and amortization expense, offset by the $3 million decrease in OIBDA discussed above. The decrease in depreciation and amortization expense principally relates to $7 million of lower amortization expense resulting from a lower revaluation of the historical cost bases of our identifiable intangible assets in connection with the allocation of purchase price as part of the Acquisition.


              Corporate Expenses

                      Corporate expenses before depreciation and amortization expense increased to $28 million for the three months ended December 31, 2004, compared to $17 million for the three months ended December 31, 2003. Corporate expenseslicensing revenue increased due to revenue from recent acquisitions, higher costs associated with operating as an independent company and a change in the allocation of corporate-related costs. Certain corporate-related costs were allocated in 2003 to Time Warner's former CD and DVD manufacturing and printing operations because such operations were managed by Old WMG. Such operations were sold by Time Warner in October 2003, and accordingly, such costs were no longer allocable. The incrementally higher level of costs was partially offset by lower overhead costs associated with our cost-savings initiatives.

                      Corporate depreciation and amortization expense was $4 million for each of the three-month periods ended December 31, 2004 and 2003.

              Ten Months Ended September 30, 2004 Compared to Ten Months Ended September 30, 2003

                      The following table summarizes our historical results of operations. The financial data for the seven months ended September 30, 2004broadcast fee income and the three months ended February 29, 2004 have been derived from our audited financial statements included elsewhere herein. The financial data for the ten months ended September 30, 2003 are unaudited and are derived from the audited financial statements included elsewhere herein. See "Change in Fiscal Year and Basis of Presentation" presented earlier herein for a discussion of the use of financial information for the combined ten-month period ended September 30, 2004.

               
               Successor
               Predecessor
               Combined
               Predecessor
               
               
               Seven Months
              Ended

               Three Months
              Ended

               Ten Months
              Ended

               Ten Months
              Ended

               
               
               September 30,
              2004

               February 29,
              2004

               September 30,
              2004

               September 30,
              2003

               
               
               (audited)

               (audited)

               (unaudited)

               (unaudited)

               
               
               (in millions)

               
              Revenues $1,769 $779 $2,548 $2,487 
              Costs and expenses:             
               Cost of revenues(1)  (944) (415) (1,359) (1,449)
               Selling, general and administrative expenses(1)  (677) (319) (996) (995)
               Amortization of intangible assets  (104) (56) (160) (201)
               Loss on sale of physical distribution assets        (12)
               Restructuring costs  (26)   (26) (27)
                
               
               
               
               
              Total costs and expenses  (1,751) (790) (2,541) (2,684)
                
               
               
               
               
              Operating income (loss)  18  (11) 7  (197)
              Interest expense, net  (80) (2) (82) (5)
              Net investment-related losses        (17)
              Equity in the losses of equity-method investees, net  (2) (2) (4) (32)
              Deal related transaction and other costs        (7)
              Loss on repayment of bridge loan  (6)   (6)  
              Unrealized loss on warrants  (120)   (120)  
              Other expense, net  (4)   (4) (10)
              Minority interest expense  (14)   (14)  
                
               
               
               
               
              Loss before income taxes  (208) (15) (223) (268)
              Income tax benefit (expense)  (30) (17) (47) 29 
                
               
               
               
               
              Net loss $(238)$(32)$(270)$(239)
                
               
               
               
               

              (1)
              Includes depreciation expense of: $36 million for the seven months ended September 30, 2004, $16 million for the three months ended February 29, 2004, $52 million for the ten months ended September 30, 2004 and $71 million for the ten months ended September 30, 2003.

              Consolidated Pro Forma Results

                      As previously discussed, the above table presents our historical operating results separately for each of the pre-acquisition, three-month period ended February 29, 2004 and the post-acquisition, seven-month period ended September 30, 2004. As such, it does not reflect all of the significant effects of the Transactions on our operating results for the entire combined ten-month period ended September 30, 2004. Had the Transactions occurred on December 1, 2003, our pro forma results for the ten months ended September 30, 2004 would have been as follows:

               
               Pro Forma
              Ten Months Ended
              September 30, 2004

               
               
               (in millions, unaudited)

               
              Revenue $2,548 
              OIBDA  217 
              Depreciation and amortization  (201)
              Operating income  16 
              Interest expense, net  (112)
              Net income (loss)  (286)

                      A discussion of our consolidated historical results follows.

              Consolidated Historical Results

              Revenues

                      Our revenues increased to $2.548 billion for the ten months ended September 30, 2004, compared to $2.487 billion for the ten months ended September 30, 2003. The increase was largely driven by a $20 million increase in Recorded Music revenues and a $38 million increase in Music Publishing revenues.

                      Recorded Music revenues benefited principally from a $110 million favorable impact of foreign currency exchange rates and an approximate $30 million increase in revenues from digital sales of $10 million. International Recorded Music product relating to the developmentartist services and expanded-rights revenue increased consumer usage of legal, online distribution channels for the music industry. These benefits more than offset a decline in physical worldwide music sales due to the continuing industry-wide impact of piracy, lower sales volume associated with a fewer number of key commercial releases that sold in excess of one million units and the effects from our cost-savings initiative to consolidate two of our U.S. record labels. Substantially all of the decline in physical worldwide music sales resulted from lower unit sales volume.

                      Music Publishing revenues benefited principally from a $33 million favorable impact of foreign currency exchange rates of $13 million, partially offset by successful tours in France in the prior fiscal year with no comparable tours in the current fiscal year and an aggregate $15 million increasedivestment of certain concert promotion businesses in mechanical, performance and synchronization royalties. These benefits more than offset a $10 million decline in revenues from the sale of print-related products partially relatingprior year. International Recorded Music physical revenue decreased due to the closurecontinued shift from physical to digital revenue, partially offset by the favorable impact of certainforeign currency exchange rates of our smaller print operations$27 million. International Music Publishing revenue increased $45 million primarily due to increases in connection with our cost-savings initiatives.digital revenue of $30 million, in performance revenue of $12 million and in synchronization revenue of $3 million.

                      See "Business Segment Results" presented hereinafter for a discussion of revenues by business segment.

              Cost of revenues

              Our cost of revenues decreasedwas composed of the following amounts (in millions):

                 For the Fiscal Year Ended
              September 30,
                 2019 vs. 2018  2018 vs. 2017 
                 2019   2018   2017   $ Change   % Change  $ Change   % Change 

              Artist and repertoire costs

                $1,574   $1,471   $1,303   $103    7 $168    13

              Product costs

                 827    700    628    127    18  72    12
                

               

               

                 

               

               

                 

               

               

                 

               

               

                  

               

               

                 

              Total cost of revenues

                $2,401   $2,171   $1,931   $230    11 $240    12
                

               

               

                 

               

               

                 

               

               

                 

               

               

                  

               

               

                 

              2019 vs. 2018

              Our cost of revenues increased by $230 million, or 11%, to $1.359 billion$2,401 million for the ten monthsfiscal year ended September 30, 2004, compared to $1.449 billion2019 from $2,171 million for the ten monthsfiscal year ended September 30, 2003.2018. Expressed as a percentage of revenues, cost of revenues was approximately 53%remained constant at 54% for each of the ten monthsfiscal years ended September 30, 2004, compared2019 and September 30, 2018.

              Artist and repertoire costs increased by $103 million, or 7%, to 58%$1,574 million for the ten monthsfiscal year ended September 30, 2003. The decrease in cost2019 from $1,471 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018. Artist and repertoire costs as a percentage of revenues principallydecreased to 35% for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019 from 37% for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 due to the acquisition of EMP, which has no artist and repertoire costs and therefore reduces our total artist and repertoire costs as a percentage of revenue. Excluding EMP revenue, artist and repertoire costs were flat at 37%.

              Product costs increased by $127 million, or 18%, to $827 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019 from $700 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018. Product costs as a percentage of revenues remained flat at 18% for each of the fiscal years ended September 30, 2019 and September 30, 2018. The overall increase in product costs relate to the acquisition of EMP of $116 million as well as revenue mix related to approximately $98 million of lower manufacturing costs due, in part, to lower pricing under the new Cinram agreements that went into effect in October 2003, approximately $88 million of lowerincreasing artist services and repertoire-related costs associated with our lower sales volume and cost



              savings associated with our restructuring plan that was implemented in 2004 in connection with the Acquisition. These cost reductionsexpanded-rights revenues, which were partially offset by an approximate $90$82 million unfavorable impactrelated to the divestment of foreign currency exchange rates.a concert promotion business in Italy.

              2018 vs. 2017

              Our cost of revenues increased by $240 million, or 12%, to $2,171 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 from $1,931 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2017. Expressed as a percentage of revenues, cost of revenues remained flat at 54% for each of the fiscal years ended September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017.

              Artist and repertoire costs increased by $168 million, or 13%, to $1,471 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 from $1,303 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2017. Artist and repertoire costs as a percentage of revenues increased to 37% for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 from 36% for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2017. The increase was primarily driven by the mix of revenue and increased investment in artists and songwriters.

              Product costs increased by $72 million, or 12%, to $700 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 from $628 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2017. Product costs as a percentage of revenues remained flat at 18% for each of the fiscal years ended September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017.

              Selling, general and administrative expenses

              Our selling, general and administrative expenses were $996are composed of the following amounts (in millions):

                For the Fiscal Year Ended
              September 30,
                2019 vs. 2018  2018 vs. 2017 
                2019  2018  2017  $ Change  % Change  $ Change  % Change 

              General and administrative expense (1)

               $764  $814  $684  $(50  -6 $130   19

              Selling and marketing expense

                632   530   472   102   19  58   12

              Distribution expense

                114   67   66   47   70  1   2
               

               

               

                

               

               

                

               

               

                

               

               

                 

               

               

                

              Total selling, general and administrative expense

               $1,510  $1,411  $1,222  $99   7 $189   16
               

               

               

                

               

               

                

               

               

                

               

               

                 

               

               

                

              (1)

              Includes depreciation expense of $61 million, $55 million and $50 million for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2019, September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017, respectively.

              2019 vs. 2018

              Total selling, general and administrative expense increased by $99 million, or 7%, to $1,510 million for the ten monthsfiscal year ended September 30, 2004, compared to $9952019 from $1,411 million for the ten monthsfiscal year ended September 30, 2003.2018. Expressed as a percentage of revenues, selling, general and administrative expenses were approximately 39%decreased to 34% for the ten monthsfiscal year ended September 30, 2004, compared with 40%2019 from 35% for the ten monthsfiscal year ended September 30, 2003. 2018.

              General and administrative expenses decreased by $50 million, or 6%, to $764 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019 from $814 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018. The decrease in general and administrative expense was primarily due to lower expense associated with the Senior Management Free Cash Flow Plan of $37 million and a decrease in severance and restructuring costs of $46 million, partially offset by higher employee-related costs. Expressed as a percentage of revenue, general and administrative expense decreased to 17% for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019 from 20% for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018.

              Selling and marketing expense increased by $102 million, or 19%, to $632 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019 from $530 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018. The increase in selling and marketing expense was primarily due to an increase of $71 million relating to the acquisition of EMP and increased variable marketing expenses on higher revenue during the fiscal year. Expressed as a percentage of revenues, selling and marketing expense increased to 14% for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019 from 13% for the fiscal year September 30, 2018. Excluding the acquisition of EMP, selling and marketing expense was flat at 13%.

              Distribution expense increased by $47 million, or 70%, to $114 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019 from $67 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018. Expressed as a percentage of revenues, distribution expense increased to 3% for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019 from 2% for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 mainly due to $35 million in costs resulting from the acquisition of EMP. Excluding the acquisition of EMP, distribution expense was flat at 2%.

              2018 vs. 2017

              Total selling, general and administrative expense increased by $189 million, or 16%, to $1,411 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 from $1,222 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2017. Expressed as a percentage of revenues, selling, general and administrative expenses increased as a resultto 35% for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 from 34% for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2017.

              General and administrative expenses increased by $130 million, or 19%, to $814 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 from $684 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2017. The increase in general and administrative expense was primarily due to increases in other employee related compensation expense, including severance and restructuring costs, of $78 million, and an approximate $50 million unfavorable impactincrease in facilities cost due to an overlap in terms on the lease of foreign currency exchange rates, approximatelyour new Los Angeles, California headquarters with our existing office leases of $16 million. The increase was also due to an increase in expense associated with the Senior Management Free Cash Flow Plan of $6 million, of management advisory fees paidwhich is primarily related to the Investors and $43 million of higher corporate expenses as discussed further below, including highercompensation costs associated with operating as an independent company. These increases were offset by decreases due to lower marketing and divisional overhead costs associated with our cost-savings initiatives.

              Restructuring costs

                      We recognized $26 million of restructuring-related costshigher dividend payments in the ten months2018 fiscal year. Expressed as a percentage of revenue, general and administrative expense increased to 20% for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2004, compared to $27 million of restructuring-related costs in2018 from 19% for the ten monthsfiscal year ended September 30, 2003. The restructuring costs in 2004 principally related2017.

              Selling and marketing expense increased by $58 million, or 12%, to costs associated with$530 million for the implementationfiscal year ended September 30, 2018 from $472 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2017. Expressed as a percentage of revenues, selling and marketing expense remained flat at 13% for each of the fiscal years ended September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017.

              Distribution expense increased by $1 million, or 2%, to $67 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 from $66 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2017. Expressed as a cost-savings incentive compensation plan designed to incentivize management to reduce operating costs. The restructuring costs in 2003 principally related to reductions in worldwide headcount, costs to exit certain leased facilities,percentage of revenues, distribution expense remained flat at 2% for each of the fiscal years ended September 30, 2018 and costs associated with the restructuring of U.S. and Canadian distribution operations.September 30, 2017.

              Reconciliation of Consolidated Historical OIBDANet Income Attributable to Warner Music Group Corp. and Operating Income (Loss) and Net Lossto Consolidated OIBDA

              As previously described, we use OIBDA as our primary measure of financial performance. The following table reconciles OIBDA to operating income (loss),to OIBDA, and further provides the components from net income attributable to Warner Music Group Corp. to operating income (loss) to net loss for purposes of the discussion that follows (in millions):

               
               Successor
               Predecessor
               Combined
               Predecessor
               
               
               Seven Months
              Ended

               Three Months
              Ended

               Ten Months
              Ended

               Ten Months
              Ended

               
               
               September 30,
              2004

               February 29,
              2004

               September 30,
              2004

               September 30,
              2003

               
               
               (audited)

               (audited)

               (unaudited)

               (unaudited)

               
              OIBDA $158 $61 $219 $75 
              Depreciation expense  (36) (16) (52) (71)
              Amortization expense  (104) (56) (160) (201)
                
               
               
               
               
              Operating (loss) income  18  (11) 7  (197)
              Interest expense, net  (80) (2) (82) (5)
              Net investment-related losses        (17)
              Equity in the losses of equity-method investees, net  (2) (2) (4) (32)
              Deal-related transaction and other costs        (7)
              Loss on repayment of bridge loan  (6)   (6)  
              Unrealized loss on warrants  (120)   (120)  
              Other expense, net  (4)   (4) (10)
              Minority interest expense  (14)   (14)  
                
               
               
               
               
              Loss before income taxes  (208) (15) (223) (268)
              Income tax benefit (expense)  (30) (17) (47) 29 
                
               
               
               
               
              Net loss $(238)$(32)$(270)$(239)
                
               
               
               
               

                 For the Fiscal Year Ended
              September 30,
                2019 vs. 2018  2018 vs. 2017 
                   2019      2018      2017    $ Change  % Change  $ Change  % Change 

              Net income attributable to Warner Music Group Corp.

                $256  $307  $143  $(51  -17 $164   115

              Income attributable to noncontrolling interest

                 2   5   6   (3  -60  (1  -17
                

               

               

                

               

               

                

               

               

                

               

               

                 

               

               

                

              Net income

                 258   312   149   (54  -17  163   109

              Income tax expense (benefit)

                 9   130   (151  (121  -93  281   —  
                

               

               

                

               

               

                

               

               

                

               

               

                 

               

               

                

              Income (loss) before income taxes

                 267   442   (2  (175  -40  444   —  

              Other (income) expense

                 (60  (394  40   334   -85  (434  —  

              Interest expense, net

                 142   138   149   4   3  (11  -7

              Loss on extinguishment of debt

                 7   31   35   (24  -77  (4  -11
                

               

               

                

               

               

                

               

               

                

               

               

                 

               

               

                

              Operating income

                 356   217   222   139   64  (5  -2

              Amortization expense

                 208   206   201   2   1  5   3

              Depreciation expense

                 61   55   50   6   11  5   10
                

               

               

                

               

               

                

               

               

                

               

               

                 

               

               

                

              OIBDA

                $625  $478  $473  $147   31 $5   1
                

               

               

                

               

               

                

               

               

                

               

               

                 

               

               

                

              OIBDA

              2019 vs. 2018

              Our OIBDA increased by $147 million, or 31%, to $219$625 million for the ten monthsfiscal year ended September 30, 2004,2019 as compared to $75$478 million for the ten monthsfiscal year ended September 30, 2003. The increase2018, primarily as a result of higher revenues and lower general and administrative expenses. Expressed as a percentage of total revenues, OIBDA increased to 14% for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019 from 12% for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 largely due to $15 million related to the transition in timing of revenues and related costs resulting from the adoption of ASC 606, $18 million related to the acquisition of EMP, which is a $150lower-margin business, and lower general and administrative expenses.

              2018 vs. 2017

              Our OIBDA increased by $5 million, or 1%, to $478 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 as compared to $473 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2017, primarily as a result of higher revenue, partially offset by higher general and administrative expenses. Expressed as a percentage of total revenues, OIBDA decreased to 12% for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 from 13% for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2017.

              Depreciation expense

              2019 vs. 2018

              Our depreciation expense increased by $6 million, or 11%, to $61 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019 from $55 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018, primarily due to increased assets from the EMP acquisition in October 2018 and our new Los Angeles, California headquarters placed into service in April 2019.

              2018 vs. 2017

              Our depreciation expense increased by $5 million, or 10%, to $55 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 from $50 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2017, primarily due to an increase in Recorded Music OIBDAtechnology and a $37facilities capital spending.

              Amortization expense

              2019 vs. 2018

              Amortization expense increased by $2 million, or 1%, to $208 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019 from $206 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018, primarily due to an increase in Music Publishing OIBDA, offset in part by a $43 million increase in Corporate expenses.

                      Recorded Music OIBDA benefited principally from lower marketing and overhead costs associated with our cost-savings initiatives, approximately $94 millionamortizable intangible assets related to the acquisition of lower manufacturing costs due, in part, to lower pricing under the new Cinram agreements that went into effectEMP in October 2003, a $1 million favorable2018, offset by the impact fromof foreign currency exchange ratesrates.

              2018 vs. 2017

              Amortization expense increased by $5 million, or 3%, to $206 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 from $201 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2017, primarily due to an increase in amortizable intangible assets and the absenceimpact of foreign currency exchange rates.

              Operating income

              2019 vs. 2018

              Our operating income increased by $139 million to $356 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019 from $217 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018. The increase in operating income was due to the factors that led to the increase in OIBDA.

              2018 vs. 2017

              Our operating income decreased by $5 million to $217 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 from $222 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2017. The decrease in operating income was primarily due to higher general and administrative expenses as noted above, partially offset by higher revenue.

              Loss on extinguishment of debt

              2019 vs. 2018

              We recorded a $12loss on extinguishment of debt in the amount of $7 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019, which represents the unamortized deferred financing costs related to the redemption of the 4.125% Secured Notes and 5.625% Secured Notes, in addition to the open market purchase of the 4.875% Secured Notes. We recorded a loss on extinguishment of debt in the amount of $31 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018, which represents the premium paid on early redemption and unamortized deferred financing costs related to the refinancing transactions that occurred during fiscal 2018. Please refer to Note 8 of our audited Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion.

              2018 vs. 2017

              We recorded a loss on extinguishment of debt in the amount of $31 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018, which represents the premium paid on early redemption and unamortized deferred financing costs related to the June 7, 2018 amendment to the Senior Term Loan Credit Agreement, the redemption of the 6.750% Senior Notes and the December 6, 2017 amendment to the Senior Term Loan Credit Agreement. We recorded a loss on extinguishment of debt in the amount of $35 million for the fiscal year ended September 30,

              2017, which represents the premium paid on early redemption and unamortized deferred financing costs related to the refinancing transactions that occurred during fiscal 2017. Please refer to Note 8 of our audited Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion.

              Interest expense, net

              2019 vs. 2018

              Our interest expense, net increased by $4 million, or 3% to $142 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019 from $138 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018. This was primarily driven by the higher debt balance from the issuance of the 3.625% Secured Notes during the current year, offset by lower interest rates as a result of refinancing transactions and redemption activity.

              2018 vs. 2017

              Our interest expense, net, decreased by $11 million, or 7% to $138 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 from $149 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2017. This was primarily due to lower interest rates as a result of refinancing transactions and interest income on higher cash balances during the year.

              Other (income) expense, net

              2019 vs. 2018

              Other (income) expense, net decreased by $334 million to other income of $60 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019 from other income of $394 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018. Other (income) expense, net for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019 primarily includes the unrealized gain of $19 million on themark-to-market of an equity method investment and foreign exchange currency gains on our Euro-denominated debt of $43 million, partially offset by movements in foreign exchange rates.

              Other (income) expense, net for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 includes the gain on the Spotify share sale, net of estimated artist share and other related costs, of $382 million, gain on investments of $7 million and foreign currency gains on our Euro-denominated debt of $4 million.

              2018 vs. 2017

              Other (income) expense, net, increased by $434 million to other income of $394 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 from other expense of $40 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2017. Other (income) expense, net for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018, includes the gain on the Spotify share sale, net of estimated artist share and other related costs of $382 million, gain on investments of $7 million and foreign currency gains on our Euro-denominated debt of $4 million.

              Other (income) expense, net for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2017, includes currency exchange loss on our Euro-denominated debt of $27 million, loss on investments of $21 million, partially offset by foreign currency exchange gains on intercompany loans and derivative liabilities of $5 million.

              Income tax expense (benefit)

              2019 vs. 2018

              Our income tax expense decreased by $121 million to $9 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019 from $130 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018. The net decrease of $121 million in income tax expense primarily relates to the release of $59 million of our U.S. deferred tax valuation allowance and higher tax expense of $77 million in fiscal 2018 as a result of the gain on the sale of physical distribution assets recognized in 2003. These benefits more than offset the loss of margin contributions related to lower worldwide recorded music sales.

                      Music Publishing OIBDA benefited principally from lower overhead costs associated with our cost-savings initiatives, approximately $18 million of lower advance write-offs and a $4 million favorable impact from foreign currency exchange rates.

                      Corporate expenses increased due to higher costs associated with operating as an independent company and a changeSpotify shares in the allocation of corporate-related costs. As discussed in Note 19fiscal year ended September 30, 2018.

              2018 vs. 2017

              Our income tax expense (benefit) increased by $281 million to the audited financial statements, $47 million of corporate-related costs were allocated in 2003 to Time Warner's former CD and DVD manufacturing and printing operations because such operations were managed by Old WMG. Such operations were sold by Time Warner in October 2003, and accordingly, such costs were no longer allocable. The incrementally higher level of costs was partially offset by lower overhead costs associated with our cost-savings initiatives.

                      See "Business Segment Results" presented hereinafter for a discussion of OIBDA by business segment.

              Depreciation expense

                      Our depreciation expense decreased to $52$130 million for the ten monthsfiscal year ended September 30, 2004, compared to $71 million for the ten months ended September 30, 2003. The decrease principally related to lower capital spending requirements and lower depreciation of software development costs.

              Amortization expense

                      Our amortization expense decreased to $160 million for the ten months ended September 30, 2004, compared to $201 million for the ten months ended September 30, 2003. The decrease related to the new basis of accounting recorded in connection with the Acquisition, which resulted in a lower revaluation of the historical cost bases of our identifiable intangible assets.

              Operating income (loss)

                      Our operating income increased to $7 million for the ten months ended September 30, 2004, compared to an operating loss of $197 million for the ten months ended September 30, 2003. The improvement in operating income related to a $144 million increase in OIBDA, a $19 million decrease in depreciation expense, and a $41 million decrease in amortization expense, all as previously described above. See "Business Segment Results" presented hereinafter for a discussion of operating income (loss) by business segment.

              Interest expense, net

                      Our net interest expense increased to $82 million for the ten months ended September 30, 2004, compared to $5 million for the ten months ended September 30, 2003. The increase primarily related to the approximately $1.8 billion of debt issued in 2004 in connection with the capitalization of the Company.



              Net investment-related losses

                      We did not recognize any investment-related losses for the ten months ended September 30, 2004. However, for the ten months ended September 30, 2003, we recognized $17 million of net investment-related losses. These losses principally related to reductions in the carrying values of certain equity-method investments.

              Equity in the losses of equity-method investees, net

                      Our equity in the losses of equity-method investees was $4 million for the ten months ended September 30, 2004, compared to $32 million in the ten months ended September 30, 2003. The lower losses partially related to the fact that certain of our former loss-generating investees, such as our former interest in MusicNet, were retained by Time Warner and were not part of the assets acquired.

              Deal-related transaction costs

                      We did not recognize any deal-related transaction costs for the ten months ended September 30, 2004. However, for the ten months ended September 30, 2003, we recognized $7 million of deal-related transaction costs. These costs primarily related to transaction costs associated with the prior pursuit of other strategic ventures or dispositions of Old WMG's businesses in 2003 by Time Warner that did not occur.

              Loss on repayment of bridge loan

                      We recognized a $6 million loss during the ten months ended September 30, 2004 to write off the carrying value of the unamortized debt issuance costs related to our bridge loan which we repaid in April 2004.

              Unrealized loss on warrants

                      We recognized a $120 million unrealized loss on stock warrants issued to Historic TW in connection with the Acquisition for the ten months ended September 30, 2004. Because the ten-month period ended September 30, 2003 was pre-Acquisition, the stock warrants were not outstanding and no comparable charge was recognized for that period.

              Other expense, net

                      We recognized other expense, net, of $4 million for the ten months ended September 30, 2004, compared to other expense, net, of $10 million for the ten months ended September 30, 2003. The $4 million of costs in 2004 relate to unfavorable foreign currency exchange rate movements associated with intercompany receivables and payables that are not of a long-term investment nature, and as such, are required to be reported in the statement of operations in accordance with GAAP. The $10 million of costs in 2003 primarily related to losses on foreign currency exchange contracts that were used by Time Warner to hedge exposures to changes in foreign currency exchange rates. As discussed in Note 21 to the audited financial statements included elsewhere herein, we are in the process of evaluating our hedging practices and no significant foreign exchange contracts were entered into in 2004.

              Minority interest expense

                      We recognized minority interest expense of $14 million for the ten months ended September 30, 2004. This expense related to dividends on preferred stock of Holdings that was held directly by the Investors and was issued in connection with the initial funding of the purchase price for the Acquisition. Because the ten-month period ended September 30, 2003 was pre-Acquisition, the subsidiary preferred stock was not outstanding and no comparable charge was recognized for that period.



              Income tax benefit (expense)

                      We provided income tax expense of $47 million for the ten months ended September 30, 2004,2018 compared to an income tax benefit of $29$151 million for the ten monthsfiscal year ended September 30, 2003.2017. The net increase of $281 million in income tax provisionsexpense primarily relates to higherpre-tax income as a result of the gain on the Spotify share sale of $77 million and benefits are not entirely comparableU.S. tax expense of $23 million for the reduction of our net U.S. deferred tax assets as a result of the change in the U.S. corporate statutory tax rate, as compared to a U.S. tax benefit of $125 million related to the reversal of a significant portion of our U.S. deferred tax valuation allowance and a $59 million benefit related to foreign currency losses on intra-entity loans.

              Net income

              2019 vs. 2018

              Our net income decreased by $54 million to $258 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019 from $312 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 as a result of the factors described above.

              2018 vs. 2017

              Our net income increased by $163 million, to $312 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 from $149 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2017 as a result of the factors described above. The increase in income was primarily driven by the factors described above.

              Noncontrolling interest

              2019 vs. 2018

              There was $2 million of income attributable to noncontrolling interests for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019 primarily due to the changes in our tax profile relating to the closingadoption of the Acquisition. In particular, prior to the closing of the Acquisition, we were a member of the Time Warner consolidated tax return and were able to recognize U.S.-based deferred tax benefits on domestic-source net operating losses incurred. However, upon the closing of the Acquisition, our membership in the Time Warner consolidated tax group terminated along with our ability to recognize similar, U.S.-based deferred tax benefits. Accordingly, the income tax expense in 2004 primarily related to the tax provisions on foreign-source income.ASC 606. There was no offsetting$5 million of income tax benefit on domestic-source losses recognized in 2004 dueattributable to noncontrolling interests for the uncertainty of realization of those deferred tax assets.fiscal year ended September 30, 2018.

              2018 vs. 2017

              Net loss

                      We recognized a net loss of $270income attributable to noncontrolling interests was $5 million for the ten monthsfiscal year ended September 30, 2004, compared to a net loss of $2392018 and $6 million for the ten monthsfiscal year ended September 30, 2003. As described more fully above, the higher net loss in 2004 principally related to $14 million of higher minority interest charges, $77 million of higher net interest costs, a $76 million higher income tax provision associated with the improvement in pretax losses and $120 million of unrealized losses on the warrants. These losses were offset, in part, by a $204 million increase in2017.

              Business Segment Results

              Revenue, operating income (including $60 million of lower depreciation(loss) and amortization expense) and $45 million of lower investment-related losses.

              Business Segment Results

                      Revenue, OIBDA and operating income (loss) by business segment are as follows (in millions):

               
               Successor
               Predecessor
               Combined
               Predecessor
               
               
               Seven Months
              Ended

               Three Months
              Ended

               Ten Months
              Ended

               Ten Months
              Ended

               
               
               September 30,
              2004

               February 29,
              2004

               September 30,
              2004

               September 30,
              2003

               
               
               (audited)

               (audited)

               (unaudited)

               (unaudited)

               
              Recorded Music             
               Revenue $1,429 $630 $2,059 $2,039 
               OIBDA(1)  120  38  158  8 
               Operating income (loss)(1)  24  (9) 15  (181)
              Music Publishing             
               Revenue  348  157  505  467 
               OIBDA(1)  87  38  125  88 
               Operating income (loss)(1)  53  17  70  19 
              Corporate and Revenue Eliminations             
               Revenue eliminations  (8) (8) (16) (19)
               OIBDA(1)  (49) (15) (64) (21)
               Operating income (loss)(1)  (59) (19) (78) (35)
              Total             
               Revenue  1,769  779  2,548  2,487 
               OIBDA(1)  158  61  219  75 
               Operating income (loss)(1)  18  (11) 7  (197)

              (1)
              OIBDA and operating income for the ten months ended September 30, 2004 have each been reduced by $26 million of restructuring costs. Of such amount, $17 million related to Recorded Music, $1 million related to Music Publishing, and $8 million related to Corporate. For the ten months ended September 30, 2003, OIBDA and operating income (loss) have each been reduced

                 For the Fiscal Year Ended
              September 30,
                2019 vs. 2018  2018 vs. 2017 
                 2019  2018  2017  $ Change  % Change  $ Change  % Change 

              Recorded Music

                      

              Revenue

                $3,840  $3,360  $3,020  $480   14 $340   11

              Operating income

                 439   307   283   132   43  24   9

              OIBDA

                 623   480   451   143   30  29   6

              Music Publishing

                      

              Revenue

                 643   653   572   (10  -2  81   14

              Operating income

                 92   84   81   8   10  3   4

              OIBDA

                 166   159   152   7   4  7   5

              Corporate expenses and eliminations

                      

              Revenue elimination

                 (8  (8  (16  —     —    8   -50

              Operating loss

                 (175  (174  (142  (1  1  (32  23

              OIBDA

                 (164  (161  (130  (3  2  (31  24

              Total

                      

              Revenue

                 4,475   4,005   3,576   470   12  429   12

              Operating income

                 356   217   222   139   64  (5  -2

              OIBDA

                 625   478   473   147   31  5   1


                by $39 million of losses related to restructuring costs and the loss on the sale of physical distribution assets. Of such amount, $36 related to Recorded Music and $3 million related to Music Publishing.

              Recorded Music

              Revenues

              2019 vs. 2018

              Recorded Music revenues increased by $480 million, or 14%, to $2.059 billion$3,840 million for the ten monthsfiscal year ended September 30, 2004, compared to $2.039 billion2019 from $3,360 million for the ten monthsfiscal year ended September 30, 2003. Revenues benefited principally from a $1102018. U.S. Recorded Music revenues were $1,656 million favorable impactand $1,460 million, or 43% of foreign currency exchange rates and an approximate $30 million increase inconsolidated Recorded Music revenues, from digital sales of recorded music product relating to the development and increased consumer usage of legal, online distribution channels for the music industry. These benefits more than offset a decline in physical worldwide music sales due to the continuing industry-wide impact of piracy, lower sales volume associated with a fewer number of key commercial releases that sold in excess of one million units and the effects from our cost-savings initiative to consolidate two of our U.S. record labels. Substantially all of the decline in physical worldwide music sales resulted from lower unit sales volume.

                      Recorded Music OIBDA increased to $158 million for the ten monthsfiscal year ended September 30, 2004, compared to $82019 and September 30, 2018, respectively. International Recorded Music revenues were $2,184 million and $1,900 million, or 57% of consolidated Recorded Music revenues, for each of the ten monthsfiscal years ended September 30, 2003. The $150 million increase in OIBDA principally related to lower marketing2019 and overhead costs associated with our cost-savings initiatives, approximately $94 million of lower manufacturing costs due, in part, to lower pricing under the new Cinram agreements that went into effect in October 2003, a $1 million favorable impact from foreign currency exchange rates and the absence of $12 million loss on the sale of physical distribution assets recognized in 2003. These benefits more than offset the loss of margin contributions related to lower worldwide recorded music sales.

                      Recorded Music operating income improved to $15 million for the ten months ended September 30, 2004, compared to a loss of $181 million for the ten months ended September 30, 2003. Recorded Music operating loss included the following components (in millions):2018, respectively.

               
               Successor
               Predecessor
               Combined
               Predecessor
               
               
               Seven Months
              Ended

               Three Months
              Ended

               Ten Months
              Ended

               Ten Months
              Ended

               
               
               September 30,
              2004

               February 29,
              2004

               September 30,
              2004

               September 30,
              2003

               
               
               (audited)

               (audited)

               (unaudited)

               (unaudited)

               
              OIBDA $120 $38 $158 $8 
              Depreciation and amortization  (96) (47) (143) (189)
                
               
               
               
               
              Operating income (loss) $24 $(9)$15 $(181)
                
               
               
               
               

              The $196 million improvement in operating loss primarily related to the $150 million improvement in OIBDA discussed above and a $46 million decrease in depreciation and amortization expense. The decrease in depreciation and amortization expense principally related to $29 million of lower amortization resulting from a lower revaluation of the historical cost bases of our identifiable intangible assets in connection with the allocation of purchase price as part of the Acquisition. In addition, depreciation expense declined by $17 million principally relating to lower capital spending requirements and lower depreciation of software development costs.

              Music Publishing

                      Music Publishing revenues increased to $505 million for the ten months ended September 30, 2004, compared to $467 million for the ten months ended September 30, 2003. Revenues benefited principally from a $33 million favorable impact of foreign currency exchange rates, and an aggregate $15 million increase in mechanical, performance and synchronization royalties. These benefits more than offset a $10 million decline in revenues from the sale of print-related products partially relating to the closure of certain of our smaller print operations in connection with our cost-savings initiatives.



                      The aggregate $15 million increase in royalties noted above consisted of a $4 million increase in mechanical royalties, a $6 million increase in synchronization royalties and a $5 million increase in performance royalties. Mechanical and synchronization royalties increased as a result of our breadth and number of top-performing songs, as well as an increase in sales in newer formats, such as music DVDs and mobile phone ring tones. Performance revenues increased due in large part to an increase in media channels.

                      Music Publishing OIBDA increased to $125 million for the ten months ended September 30, 2004, compared to $88 million for the ten months ended September 30, 2003. The $37 million increase in OIBDA principally related to lower overhead costs associated with our cost-saving initiatives, approximately $18 million of lower advance write-offs and a $4 million favorable impact from foreign currency exchange rates.

                      Music Publishing operating income increased to $70 million in the ten months ended September 30, 2004, compared to $19 million in the ten months ended September 30, 2003. Music Publishing operating income includes the following components (in millions):

               
               Successor
               Predecessor
               Combined
               Predecessor
               
               
               Seven Months
              Ended

               Three Months
              Ended

               Ten Months
              Ended

               Ten Months
              Ended

               
               
               September 30,
              2004

               February 29,
              2004

               September 30,
              2004

               September 30,
              2003

               
               
               (audited)

               (audited)

               (unaudited)

               (unaudited)

               
              OIBDA $87 $38 $125 $88 
              Depreciation and amortization  (34) (21) (55) (69)
                
               
               
               
               
              Operating income $53 $17 $70 $19 
                
               
               
               
               

                      The $51 million increase in operating income primarily related to a $14 million decrease in depreciation and amortization expense, and the $37 million increase in OIBDA discussed above. The decrease in depreciation and amortization expense principally related to $12 million of lower amortization expense resulting from a lower revaluation of the historical cost bases of our identifiable intangible assets in connection with the allocation of purchase price as part of the Acquisition.

              Corporate expenses

                      Corporate expenses before depreciation and amortization expense increased to $64 million for the ten months ended September 30, 2004, compared to $21 million for the ten months ended September 30, 2003. Corporate expenses increased due to higher costs associated with operating as an independent company and a change in the allocation of corporate-related costs. As discussed in Note 21 to the audited financial statements, $47 million of corporate-related costs were allocated in 2003 to Time Warner's former CD and DVD manufacturing and printing operations because such operations were managed by Old WMG. Such operations were sold by Time Warner in October 2003, and accordingly, such costs were no longer allocable. The incrementally higher level of costs was partially offset by lower overhead costs associated with our cost-savings initiatives.

                      Corporate depreciation and amortization expense was $14 million in each period.



              Year Ended November 30, 2003 Compared to Year Ended November 30, 2002

                      The following table summarizes our historical results of operations for the years ended November 30, 2003 and 2002. The financial data for the above periods have been derived from our financial statements included elsewhere herein.

               
               Years Ended November 30,
               
               
               2003
               2002
               
               
               (in millions)

               
              Revenues $3,376 $3,290 
              Costs and expenses:       
               Cost of revenues(1)  (1,940) (1,873)
               Selling, general and administrative expenses(1)  (1,286) (1,282)
               Impairment of goodwill and other intangible assets  (1,019) (1,500)
               Amortization of intangible assets  (242) (182)
               Loss on sale of physical distribution assets  (12)  
               Restructuring (costs) income, net  (35) 5 
                
               
               
              Total costs and expenses  (4,534) (4,832)
                
               
               
              Operating loss  (1,158) (1,542)
              Interest expense, net  (5) (23)
              Net investment-related gains (losses)  (26) 42 
              Equity in the losses of equity-method investees, net  (41) (42)
              Deal-related transaction and other costs  (70)  
              Other expense, net  (17) (5)
                
               
               
              Loss before income taxes and cumulative effect of accounting change  (1,317) (1,570)
              Income tax benefit (expense)  (36) 340 
                
               
               
              Loss before cumulative effect of accounting change  (1,353) (1,230)
              Cumulative effect of accounting change    (4,796)
                
               
               
              Net loss $(1,353)$(6,026)
                
               
               

              (1)
              Includes depreciation expense of: $86 million and $67 million for the years ended 2003 and 2002.

              Combined Historical Results

              Revenues

                      Our revenues increased to $3.376 billion for the year ended November 30, 2003, compared to $3.290 billion for the year ended November 30, 2002. The increase was driven by an $87 millionoverall increase in Recorded Music revenues, whereas our Music Publishing revenues were flat.revenue was driven by increases in digital revenue and artist services and expanded-rights revenue, partially offset by a decrease in physical revenue and licensing revenue as described in the “—Results of Operations—Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2019 Compared with Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2018 and Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2017—Consolidated Results—Total Revenue” and “—Results of Operations—Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2019 Compared with Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2018 and Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2017—Consolidated Results—Revenue by Geographical Location” sections above.

              2018 vs. 2017

              Recorded Music revenues benefited principallyincreased by $340 million, or 11%, to $3,360 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 from a $178$3,020 million favorable impactfor the fiscal year ended September 30, 2017. U.S. Recorded Music revenues were $1,460 million and $1,329 million, or 43% and 44% of foreign currency exchange rates. This benefit more than offset a decline in physical worldwide music sales largely due toconsolidated Recorded Music revenues for the industry-wide impactfiscal year ended September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017, respectively. International Recorded Music revenues were $1,900 million and $1,691 million, or 57% and 56% of piracy. Substantially allconsolidated Recorded Music revenues for each of the decline in physical worldwide music sales resulted from lower unit sales volume.fiscal years ended September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017, respectively.

                      Music Publishing revenues also benefited principally from a $62 million favorable impact of foreign currency exchange rates, an $11 millionThe overall increase in performance royaltiesRecorded Music revenue was mainly driven by streaming revenue growth as described in the “—Results of Operations—Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2019 Compared with Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2018 and a $7 million increase in synchronization royalties, which offset a $66 million decline in mechanical revenues relating largely to lower mechanical royalties received from the decline in industry-wide recorded music product sales. See "Business Segment Results" presented hereinafter for a discussionFiscal Year Ended September 30, 2017—Consolidated Results—Total Revenue” and “—Results of revenuesOperations—Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2019 Compared with Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2018 and Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2017—Consolidated Results—Revenue by business segment.Geographical Location” sections above.

              Cost of revenues

              Recorded Music cost of revenues was composed of the following amounts (in millions):

               Our

                 For the Fiscal Year Ended
              September 30,
                 2019 vs. 2018  2018 vs. 2017 
                 2019   2018   2017   $ Change   % Change  $ Change   % Change 

              Artist and repertoire costs

                $1,178   $1,054   $964   $124    12 $90    9

              Product costs

                 827    700    628    127    18  72    12
                

               

               

                 

               

               

                 

               

               

                 

               

               

                  

               

               

                 

              Total cost of revenues

                $2,005   $1,754   $1,592   $251    14 $162    10
                

               

               

                 

               

               

                 

               

               

                 

               

               

                  

               

               

                 

              2019 vs. 2018

              Recorded Music cost of revenues increased by $251 million, or 14%, to $1.940 billion$2,005 million for the fiscal year ended NovemberSeptember 30, 2003, compared to $1.873 billion2019 from $1,754 million for the fiscal year ended NovemberSeptember 30, 2002.2018. Expressed as a percentage of Recorded Music revenues, cost of revenues were approximately 57%remained flat at 52% for each of the fiscal years ended September 30, 2019 and September 30, 2018.

              Artist and repertoire costs as a percentage of revenue remained constant at 31% for each of the fiscal years ended September 30, 2019 and September 30, 2018. Excluding EMP revenue, artist and repertoire costs as a percentage of revenue increased to 33% primarily driven by the mix of revenue, increased investments in both years.artists and songwriters and the prior year benefit for advance recoveries of $10 million.

              Product costs as a percentage of revenue increased to 22% for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019 from 21% for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018. The increase in product costs is primarily due to the acquisition of EMP, partially offset by a concert promotion business divestment in Italy.

              2018 vs. 2017

              Recorded Music cost of revenues related principallyincreased by $162 million, or 10%, to an $88$1,754 million increase in manufacturing costs, offset by an approximate $20 million decrease in licensing and artist and repertoire-related costs.

              Selling, general and administrative expenses

                      Our selling, general and administrative expenses increased marginally to $1.286 billion for the fiscal year ended NovemberSeptember 30, 2003, compared to $1.282 billion2018 from $1,592 million for the fiscal year ended NovemberSeptember 30, 2002.2017. Artist and repertoire costs as a percentage of revenue decreased to 31% for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 from 32% for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2017 primarily due to a shift in revenue mix toward higher-margin digital revenues from lower-margin physical revenues internationally and a benefit for advance recoveries of $10 million. Product costs as a percentage of revenue remained flat at 21% for each of the fiscal years ended September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017. Expressed as a percentage of Recorded Music revenues, cost of revenues decreased to 52% for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 from 53% for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2017.

              Selling, general and administrative expense

              Recorded Music selling, general and administrative expenses were approximately 38%composed of the following amounts (in millions):

                For the Fiscal Year Ended
              September 30,
                2019 vs. 2018  2018 vs. 2017 
                2019  2018  2017  $ Change  % Change  $ Change  % Change 

              General and administrative expense (1)

               $522  $573  $478  $(51  -9 $95   20

              Selling and marketing expense

                621   521   465   100   19  56   12

              Distribution expense

                114   67   66   47   70  1   2
               

               

               

                

               

               

                

               

               

                

               

               

                 

               

               

                

              Total selling, general and administrative expense

               $1,257  $1,161  $1,009  $96   8 $152   15
               

               

               

                

               

               

                

               

               

                

               

               

                 

               

               

                

              (1)

              Includes depreciation expense of $45 million, $35 million, and $32 million for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2019, September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017, respectively.

              2019 vs. 2018

              Recorded Music selling, general and administrative expense increased by $96 million, or 8%, to $1,257 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019 from $1,161 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018. The decrease in 2003, comparedRecorded Music general and administrative expense was primarily due to 39%lower expense associated with the Senior Management Free Cash Flow Plan of $21 million and decreases in 2002.severance and restructuring costs of $44 million, partially offset by higher employee related costs. The marginal increase in selling and marketing expense was primarily due to $71 million resulting from the acquisition of EMP and increased variable marketing expense on higher revenue in the fiscal year. The increase in distribution expense was primarily due to $35 million in costs resulting from the acquisition of EMP during the year. Expressed as a percentage of Recorded Music revenue, Recorded Music selling, general and administrative expense decreased to 33% for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019 from 35% for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018.

              2018 vs. 2017

              Recorded Music selling, general and administrative expense increased by $152 million, or 15%, to $1,161 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 from $1,009 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2017. The increase in Recorded Music general and administrative expense was primarily due to increases in other employee related compensation including severance and restructuring costs of $63 million and an increase in facilities cost due to an overlap in terms on the lease of our new Los Angeles, California headquarters with our existing office leases of $15 million. The increase was also due to an increase in expense of $1 million associated with the Senior Management Free Cash Flow Plan, which is primarily related to compensation costs associated with higher dividend payments in the 2018 fiscal year. Selling and marketing expense increased in line with the increase in revenue. Expressed as a percentage of Recorded Music revenue, Recorded Music selling, general and administrative expense increased to 35% for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 from 33% for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2017.

              Operating income and OIBDA

              Recorded Music OIBDA included the following amounts (in millions):

                 For the Fiscal Year Ended
              September 30,
                 2019 vs. 2018  2018 vs. 2017 
                   2019       2018       2017     $ Change   % Change  $ Change   % Change 

              Operating income

                $439   $307   $283   $132    43 $24    9

              Depreciation and amortization

                 184    173    168    11    6  5    3
                

               

               

                 

               

               

                 

               

               

                 

               

               

                  

               

               

                 

              OIBDA

                $623   $480   $451   $143    30 $29    6
                

               

               

                 

               

               

                 

               

               

                 

               

               

                  

               

               

                 

              2019 vs. 2018

              Recorded Music OIBDA increased by $143 million, or 30%, to $623 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019 from $480 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 primarily as a result of higher Recorded Music revenues, $18 million related to the acquisition of EMP which is a lower-margin business and lower general and administrative expenses. Expressed as a percentage of Recorded Music revenues, Recorded Music OIBDA increased to 16% for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019 from 14% for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018.

              Recorded Music operating income increased by $132 million to $439 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019 from $307 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 due to the factors that led to the increase in Recorded Music OIBDA noted above.

              2018 vs. 2017

              Recorded Music OIBDA increased by $29 million, or 6%, to $480 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 from $451 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2017 primarily as a result of higher Recorded Music revenues, partially offset by higher general and administrative expenses. Expressed as a percentage of Recorded Music revenues, Recorded Music OIBDA decreased to 14% for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 from 15% for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2017.

              Recorded Music operating income increased by $24 million to $307 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 from $283 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2017 due to the increase in revenue, partially offset by higher general and administrative expenses as noted above.

              Music Publishing

              Revenues

              2019 vs. 2018

              Music Publishing revenues decreased by $10 million, or 2%, to $643 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019 from $653 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018. U.S. Music Publishing revenues were $300 million and $294 million, or 47% and 45%, of Music Publishing revenues for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2019 and September 30, 2018, respectively. International Music Publishing revenues were $343 million and $359 million, or 53% and 55%, of Music Publishing revenues for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2019 and September 30, 2018, respectively.

              The overall decrease in Music Publishing revenue was mainly driven by a decrease in revenues associated with lost administrative rights and lower market share, partially offset by the increase in digital revenue and the impact of the adoption of ASC 606, as described in the “Total Revenues” and “Revenue by Geographical Location” sections above.

              2018 vs. 2017

              Music Publishing revenues increased by $81 million, or 14%, to $653 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 from $572 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2017. U.S. Music Publishing revenues were $294 million and $258 million, or 45% of Music Publishing revenues for each of the fiscal years ended September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017. International Music Publishing revenues were $359 million and $314 million, or 55% of Music Publishing revenues for each of the fiscal years ended September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017.

              The overall increase in Music Publishing revenue was mainly driven by the increase in digital revenue as described in the “Total Revenues” and “Revenue by Geographical Location” sections above.

              Cost of revenues

              Music Publishing cost of revenues was composed of the following amounts (in millions):

                 For the Fiscal Year Ended
              September 30,
                 2019 vs. 2018  2018 vs. 2017 
                   2019       2018       2017     $ Change  % Change  $ Change   % Change 

              Artist and repertoire costs

                $404   $425   $355   $(21  -5 $70    20
                

               

               

                 

               

               

                 

               

               

                 

               

               

                 

               

               

                 

              Total cost of revenues

                $404   $425   $355   $(21  -5 $70    20
                

               

               

                 

               

               

                 

               

               

                 

               

               

                 

               

               

                 

              2019 vs. 2018

              Music Publishing cost of revenues decreased by $21 million, or 5%, to $404 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019 from $425 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018. Expressed as a percentage of Music Publishing revenue, Music Publishing cost of revenues decreased to 63% for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019 from 65% for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018, primarily due to the adoption of ASC 606, which resulted in a shift in the timing of recognition of revenues and certain related costs from a cash to an accrual basis.

              2018 vs. 2017

              Music Publishing cost of revenues increased by $70 million, or 20%, to $425 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 from $355 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2017 due to revenue mix

              and increased A&R investment costs. Expressed as a percentage of Music Publishing revenue, Music Publishing cost of revenues increased to 65% for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 from 62% for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2017.

              Selling, general and administrative expense

              Music Publishing selling, general and administrative expenses related principallywere comprised of the following amounts (in millions):

                 For the Fiscal Year Ended
              September 30,
                 2019 vs. 2018  2018 vs. 2017 
                   2019       2018       2017     $ Change   % Change  $ Change   % Change 

              General and administrative expense (1)

                $76   $74   $69   $2    3 $5    7

              Selling and marketing expense

                 2    2    2    —      —    —      —  
                

               

               

                 

               

               

                 

               

               

                 

               

               

                  

               

               

                 

              Total selling, general and administrative expense

                $78   $76   $71   $2    3 $5    7
                

               

               

                 

               

               

                 

               

               

                 

               

               

                  

               

               

                 

              (1)

              Includes depreciation expense of $5 million, $7 million and $6 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019, September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017, respectively.

              2019 vs. 2018

              Music Publishing selling, general and administrative expense increased by $2 million, or 3%, to a $23$78 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019 as compared to $76 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018. The increase in distribution costs, which offset lower marketinggeneral and overhead costs associated with our cost-savings initiatives.administrative expense was primarily due to an increase in facilities costs. Expressed as a percentage of Music Publishing revenues, Music Publishing selling, general and administrative expense remained flat at 12% for each of the fiscal years ended September 30, 2019 and September 30, 2018.

              Restructuring (costs) income, net2018 vs. 2017

                      We recognized $35Music Publishing selling, general and administrative expense increased by $5 million, of restructuring-related costsor 7%, to $76 million for the fiscal year ended NovemberSeptember 30, 2003,2018 as compared to $5$71 million of income for the fiscal year ended NovemberSeptember 30, 2002.2017. The restructuringincrease in general and administrative expense was due to an increase in compensation expense of $3 million and facilities costs in 2003 principally relatedof $2 million. Expressed as a percentage of Music Publishing revenues, Music Publishing selling, general and administrative expense remained flat at 12% for each of the fiscal years ended September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017.

              Operating income and OIBDA

              Music Publishing OIBDA includes the following amounts (in millions):

                 For the Fiscal Year Ended
              September 30,
                 2019 vs. 2018  2018 vs. 2017 
                   2019       2018       2017     $ Change  % Change  $ Change   % Change 

              Operating income

                $92   $84   $81   $8   10 $3    4

              Depreciation and amortization

                 74    75    71    (1  -1  4    6
                

               

               

                 

               

               

                 

               

               

                 

               

               

                 

               

               

                 

              OIBDA

                $166   $159   $152   $7   4 $7    5
                

               

               

                 

               

               

                 

               

               

                 

               

               

                 

               

               

                 

              2019 vs. 2018

              Music Publishing OIBDA increased by $7 million, or 4%, to reductions in worldwide headcount, costs$166 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019 from $159 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018. Expressed as a percentage

              of Music Publishing revenues, Music Publishing OIBDA margin increased to exit certain leased facilities and costs associated with26% for the restructuring of our U.S. and Canadian distribution operations.fiscal year ended September 30, 2019 from 24% for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018. The income recognized in 2002 relatedincrease was primarily due to the reversal of a $12 million restructuring liability recognizedfrom the adoption of ASC 606, which resulted in a prior period due primarilyshift in the timing of recognition of revenues and certain related costs from a cash to the planned action not ultimately occurring. This amount wasan accrual basis, partially offset by approximately $7lower revenue and higher general and administrative expenses.

              Music Publishing operating income increased by $8 million of restructuring charges recognized in 2002 relating principally to reductions in worldwide headcount and other restructuring initiatives.



              Reconciliation of Combined Historical OIBDA to Operating Loss and Net Loss

                      As previously described, we use OIBDA as our primary measure of financial performance. The following table reconciles OIBDA to operating loss and further provides the components from operating loss to net loss for purposes of the discussion that follows:

               
               Years Ended November 30,
               
               
               2003
               2002
               
               
               (in millions)

               
              OIBDA $189 $207 
              Depreciation expense  (86) (67)
              Amortization expense  (242) (182)
              Impairment of goodwill and other intangible assets  (1,019) (1,500)
                
               
               
              Operating loss  (1,158) (1,542)
              Interest expense, net  (5) (23)
              Net investment-related gains (losses)  (26) 42 
              Equity in the losses of equity-method investees, net  (41) (42)
              Deal-related transaction and other costs  (70)  
              Other expense, net  (17) (5)
                
               
               
              Loss before income taxes and cumulative effect of accounting change  (1,317) (1,570)
              Income tax benefit (expense)  (36) 340 
                
               
               
              Loss before cumulative effect of accounting change  (1,353) (1,230)
              Cumulative effect of accounting change    (4,796)
                
               
               
              Net loss $(1,353)$(6,026)
                
               
               

              OIBDA

                      Our OIBDA decreased to $189$92 million for the fiscal year ended NovemberSeptember 30, 2003, compared to $2072019 from $84 million for the fiscal year ended NovemberSeptember 30, 2002. The decrease related2018 due to a $57 million decline in Recorded Music OIBDA, which more than offset a $19 millionthe factors that led to the increase in Music Publishing OIBDA and $20noted above.

              2018 vs. 2017

              Music Publishing OIBDA increased by $7 million, of lower corporate expenses. The decline in Recorded Music OIBDA substantially relatedor 5%, to $48$159 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 from $152 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2017 as a result of higher Music Publishing revenue, partially offset by higher artist and repertoire costs recognized in 2003 relatingand higher general and administrative costs, as noted above. Expressed as a percentage of Music Publishing revenues, Music Publishing OIBDA margin decreased to restructuring initiatives and24% for the one-time loss onfiscal year ended September 30, 2018 from 27% for the sale of physical distribution assets. Thefiscal year ended September 30, 2017.

              Music Publishing operating income increased by $3 million to $84 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 from $81 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2017 due to the factors that led to the increase in Music Publishing OIBDA principally related to approximately $25 million of lower advance write-offs, which more than offsetnoted above.

              Corporate Expenses and Eliminations

              2019 vs. 2018

              Our OIBDA loss from corporate expenses and eliminations increased by $3 million of restructuring charges recognized in 2003. The improvement in corporate expenses principally related to our cost-savings initiatives. See "Business Segment Results" presented hereinafter for a discussion of OIBDA by business segment.

              Depreciation expense

                      Our depreciation expense increased to $86$164 million for the fiscal year ended NovemberSeptember 30, 2003, compared to $672019 from $161 million for the fiscal year ended NovemberSeptember 30, 2002. The increase principally2018, which includes higher corporate related costs, partially offset by a decrease of $15 million in variable compensation associated with the Senior Management Free Cash Flow Plan.

              Our operating loss from corporate expenses and eliminations increased by $1 million to $175 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019 from $174 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018.

              2018 vs. 2017

              Our OIBDA loss from corporate expenses and eliminations increased by $31 million to $161 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 from $130 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2017 due to costs associated with our U.S. shared services and other transformation initiatives of $16 million, an increase in depreciationour annual Access management fee of leasehold improvements associated with the consolidation of certain office space into a new location and higher depreciation of software development costs.

              Amortization expense

                      Our amortization expense increased to $242$7 million, for the year ended November 30, 2003, compared to $182 million for the year ended November 30, 2002. The increase related to a reduction in the amortization periods for both our recorded music catalog and music publishing copyrights from 20 years to 15 years. This change was implemented at the beginning of 2003 when we determined that the estimated useful lives of such intangible assets were shorter than originally anticipated due to the industry-wide effects of music piracy.



              Impairment of goodwill and other intangible assets

                      We recognized impairment charges to reduce the carrying value of goodwill and other intangible assets of $1.019 billion for the year ended November 30, 2003 and $1.500 billion for the year ended November 30, 2002. Such amounts primarily reflected declines in the valuation of music-related businesses due largely to the industry-wide effects of piracy.

              Operating loss

                      Our operating loss decreased to $1.158 billion for the year ended November 30, 2003, compared to $1.542 billion for the year ended November 30, 2002. The improvement principally related to a $481 million lower impairment charge recognized in 2003 to reduce the carrying value of our goodwill and other intangible assets. This improvement was partially offset by an $18 million decrease in OIBDA, a $19 million increase in depreciation expense and a $60 million increase in amortization expense, as previously described above. See "Business Segment Results" presented hereinafter for a discussion of operating income (loss) by business segment.

              Interest expense, net

                      Our net interest expense decreased to $5 million for the year ended November 30, 2003, compared to $23 million for the year ended November 30, 2002. The decrease principally related to the repayment of approximately $100 million of third-party debt in early 2003 and a $15 million decline in net interest expense payable to Time Warner in 2003.

              Net investment-related gains (losses)

                      We recognized investment-related losses of $26 million for the year ended November 30, 2003, compared to $42 million of gains for the year ended November 30, 2002. The 2003 losses principally related to reductions in the carrying values of certain equity-method investments. In 2002, we recognized a $60 million gain on the sale of 85% of our equity-method investment in Columbia House, which more than offset $18 million of impairment losses to reduce the carrying values of certain equity-method investments.

              Equity in the losses of equity-method investees, net

                      Our equity in the losses of equity-method investees was $41 million for the year ended November 30, 2003, compared to $42 million for the year ended November 30, 2002. Although the mix of equity-method investees changed from period to period, there was no significant fluctuation in the aggregate amount of equity losses.

              Deal-related transaction and other costs

                      During the year ended November 30, 2003, in connection with the Acquisition and Time Warner's prior pursuit of other strategic ventures or dispositions, including our businesses, that did not occur, we incurred $70 million of costs. These costs consisted of (i) $30 million of transaction costs, primarily relating to legal, accounting and investment-banking fees, (ii) a $15 million loss in connection with the probable pension curtailment for employees covered under Time Warner's U.S. pension plans that ultimately occurred upon the closing of the Acquisition and (iii) a $25 million loss relating to certain executive contractual obligations that were probable to occur and ultimately triggered upon the closing of the Acquisition.

              Other expense, net

                      We recognized other expense, net, of $17 million for the year ended November 30, 2003, compared tovariable compensation expense of $5 million forassociated with the year ended November 30, 2002. These amounts primarily related to lossesSenior Management Free Cash Flow Plan, which is associated with higher compensation costs on foreign currency exchange contracts allocated to us by Time Warner in each period. Foreign currency exchange contracts were used by Time Warner and us to hedge the exposure to changes in foreign currency rates. The increased loss in 2003 relates, in part, to the early termination of foreign



              currency exchange contractsdividend payments in the fourth quarter of 2003 in anticipation of the closing of the Acquisition.2018 fiscal year.

              Income tax benefit (expense)

                      We provided income tax expense of $36Our operating loss from corporate expenses and eliminations increased by $32 million to $174 million for the fiscal year ended NovemberSeptember 30, 2003, compared to an income tax benefit of $3402018 from $142 million for the fiscal year ended NovemberSeptember 30, 2002. The increase in income tax expense primarily related2017 due to the write-off in 2003 of a $423 million deferred tax asset for net operating losses incurred by us while we were a member offactors that led to the Time Warner consolidated tax return. These net operating losses were only available to us while we remained within the tax consolidation of Time Warner. Consequently, in anticipation of the closing of the Acquisition, which terminated our membership in the Time Warner consolidated tax group, we wrote off the deferred tax asset in November 2003.

              Loss before cumulative effect of accounting change

                      We recognized a loss before the cumulative affect of an accounting change of $1.353 billion for the year ended November 30, 2003, compared to $1.230 billion for the year ended November 30, 2002. As described more fully above, the higher loss in 2003 principally related to $67 million of higher investment-related losses, $70 million of deal-related transaction and other costs recognized in 2003 and $376 million of higher income tax expense, which more than offset the $384 million improvementincrease in operating loss relating, in part, to the lower impairment charge to reduce the carrying valuenoted above.

              FINANCIAL CONDITION AND LIQUIDITY

              Financial Condition at March 31, 2020

              At March 31, 2020, we had $2.983 billion of goodwill and other intangible assets.

              Cumulative effectdebt (which is net of accounting change

                      We recognized a non-cash charge of $4.796 billion for the year ended November 30, 2002 to reduce the carrying value of goodwill in connection with the initial adoption of Financial Accounting Standards Board Statement No. 142, "Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets" ("FAS 142"). The amount of the impairment charge primarily reflected the decline in Time Warner stock price since the AOL—Time Warner merger was announced and valued for accounting purposes in January 2000, as well as declines in the valuation of music-related businesses due largely to the negative industry-wide effects of piracy.

              Net loss

                      We recognized a net loss of $1.353 billion for the year ended November 30, 2003, compared to a net loss of $6.026 billion for the year ended November 30, 2002. As described more fully above, the lower loss in 2003 principally related to the absence of a $4.796 billion impairment charge recognized in 2002 and reflected as a cumulative effect of an accounting change in connection with the initial adoption of FAS 142.


              Business Segment Results

                      Revenue, OIBDA and operating income (loss) by business segment are as follows:

               
               Years Ended November 30,
               
               
               Revenues
               OIBDA (1)
               Operating
              Income
              (Loss) (1)(2)

               
               
               2003
               2002
               2003
               2002
               2003
               2002
               
               
               (in millions)

               
              Recorded Music $2,839 $2,752 $116 $173 $(1,130)$(1,206)

              Music Publishing

               

               

              563

               

               

              563

               

               

              107

               

               

              88

               

               

              23

               

               

              (273

              )
              Corporate expenses      (34) (54) (51) (63)
              Intersegment elimination  (26) (25)        
                
               
               
               
               
               
               
              Total $3,376 $3,290 $189 $207 $(1,158)$(1,542)
                
               
               
               
               
               
               

              (1)
              OIBDA and operating income (loss) for 2003 have been reduced by $47 million of losses relating to restructuring costs and the loss on the sale of physical distribution assets. Of such amount, $43 million is reflected as a reduction of Recorded Music OIBDA and operating income, $3 million is reflected as a reduction of Music Publishing OIBDA and operating income, and $1 million is reflected as an increase in corporate expenses. For 2002, both Recorded Music and total OIBDA and operating income have been increased by $5 million of restructuring-related income.

              (2)
              Operating income (loss) for 2003 and 2002 have been reduced by significant impairment charges for goodwill and other intangible assets. For 2003, both Recorded Music and total operating income (loss) have been reduced by a $1.019 billion impairment charge. For 2002, a $1.5 billion impairment charge has been reflected as a $1.203 billion reduction in Recorded Music operating income (loss) and a $297 million reduction in Music Publishing operating income (loss).

              Recorded Music

                      Recorded Music revenues increased to $2.839 billion for the year ended November 30, 2003, compared to $2.752 billion for the year ended November 30, 2002. Revenues benefited principally from a $178 million favorable impact of foreign currency exchange rates, which more than offset a decline in physical worldwide music sales due to the industry-wide impact of piracy. Substantially all of the decline in physical worldwide music sales resulted from lower unit sales volume.

                      Recorded Music OIBDA decreased to $116 million for the year ended November 30, 2003, compared to $173 million in 2002. The $57 million decrease in OIBDA was essentially due to the inclusion of $48 million of additional costs in 2003 relating to restructuring initiatives and the loss on the sale of physical distribution assets. Excluding such items, OIBDA would have been $159 million for the year ended November 30, 2003, compared to $168 million for the year ended November 30, 2002. The marginal decline in OIBDA, excluding restructuring costs and the loss on the sale of physical distribution assets, was due to the loss of margin on lower worldwide music sales, offset in part by a $29 million favorable impact of foreign currency exchange rates and cost savings relating to our restructuring initiatives.

                      Recorded Music operating loss improved to $1.130 billion for the year ended November 30, 2003, compared to $1.206 billion for the year ended November 30, 2002. Recorded Music operating loss included the following components:

               
               Years Ended November 30,
               
               
               2003
               2002
               
               
               (in millions)

               
              OIBDA $116 $173 
              Depreciation and amortization  (227) (176)
              Impairment of goodwill and other intangible assets  (1,019) (1,203)
                
               
               
              Operating loss $(1,130)$(1,206)
                
               
               

                      The $76 million improvement in operating loss primarily related to a $184 million lower impairment charge to reduce the carrying value of goodwill and intangible assets, offset in part by the $57 million reduction in OIBDA discussed above and a $51 million increase in depreciation and amortization expense. The increase in depreciation and amortization expense principally related to an increase in amortization expense associated with a reduction in the amortization period for recorded music catalog from 20 years to 15 years, which was implemented at the beginning of 2003.

              Music Publishing

                      Music Publishing revenues were flat at $563 million for each of the years ended November 30, 2003 and 2002. Revenues benefited principally from a $62 million favorable impact of foreign currency exchange rates, an $11 million increase to performance royalties and a $7 million increase in synchronization royalties, which offset a $9 million decline in print revenues relating largely to both the sale of the international print operations and lower domestic print sales and $66 million less in mechanical royalties received from the sale of recorded music product.

                      Mechanical royalties decreased as a result of the industry-wide decline in physical recorded music product. Synchronization royalties increased as a result of improvements in the overall advertising market and the related placement of our copyrights in advertising campaigns. Performance revenues increased due in large part to an increase in media channels.

                      Music Publishing OIBDA increased to $107 million for the year ended November 30, 2003, compared to $88 million for the year ended November 30, 2002. The $19 million increase in OIBDA principally related to approximately $25 million of lower advance write-offs and a $10 million favorable impact of foreign currency exchange rates, which more than offset $3 million of restructuring charges recognized in 2003 and the loss of margin on lower mechanical royalties received.

                      Music Publishing operating income decreased to $23 million for the year ended November 30, 2003, compared to a loss of $273 million for the year ended November 30, 2002. Music Publishing operating income includes the following components:

               
               Years Ended November 30,
               
               
               2003
               2002
               
               
               (in millions)

               
              OIBDA $107 $88 
              Depreciation and amortization  (84) (64)
              Impairment of goodwill and other intangible assets    (297)
                
               
               
              Operating income (loss) $23 $(273)
                
               
               

                      The $296 million increase in operating income primarily related to a $20 million increase in depreciation and amortization expense, which was more than offset by the $19 million increase in OIBDA discussed above and the absence of a $297 million impairment of goodwill charge recognized in 2002. The increase in depreciation and amortization expense principally related to an increase in amortization expense associated with a reduction in the amortization period for Music Publishing copyrights from 20 years to 15 years, which was implemented at the beginning of 2003.

              Corporate expenses

                      Corporate expenses before depreciation and amortization expense improved to $34 million for the year ended November 30, 2003, compared to $54 million for the year ended November 30, 2002. The improvement principally related to cost savings associated with the our restructuring initiatives, which more than offset a $1 million restructuring charge recognized in 2003.

                      Corporate depreciation and amortization expense was $17 million for the year ended November 30, 2003, compared to $9 million for the year ended November 30, 2002. These amounts increased corporate expenses to $51 million in 2003, compared to $63 million in 2002. The increase in depreciation and amortization expense related to higher depreciation charges on leasehold improvements associated with the consolidation of certain office space into a new location.


              FINANCIAL CONDITION AND LIQUIDITY

              Financial Condition at December 31, 2004

                      At December 31, 2004, we had $2.546 billion of debt, $306deferred financing costs), $484 million of cash and equivalents (net debt of $2.240$2.499 billion, defined as total debt, less cash and equivalents) equivalents

              and $125deferred financing costs) and $306 million of shareholders'Warner Music Group Corp. deficit. This compares to $1.840$2.974 billion of debt (which is net of $29 million of debt, $555deferred financing costs), $619 million of cash and equivalents (net debt of $1.285$2.355 billion), a note payable to shareholders of $342 million, minority interest in the preferred stock of Holdings of $204 million and $280$289 million of shareholders' equityWarner Music Group Corp. deficit at September 30, 2004. The increase in net debt and the related reduction in minority interest in the preferred stock of Holdings was due to the Holdings Refinancing that occurred in December 2004. As part of the Holdings Refinancing, our debt increased by $696 million and a portion of the proceeds raised was used to redeem the cumulative preferred stock of Holdings at its liquidation value of $209 million. The remaining portion of the proceeds raised in connection with the Holdings Refinancing was primarily used to pay a $422 million return of capital to the holders of our Class L Common Stock, which was the principal factor for the reduction in shareholders' equity that occurred during the three months ended December 31, 2004. We also repaid our $342 million note payable to our shareholders in October 2004, which was issued in September 2004 as part of a Return of Capital to the holders of our Class L Common Stock.2019.

              Financial Condition at September 30, 2004

                      At September 30, 2004, we had $1.840 billion of debt, $555 million of cash and equivalents (net debt of $1.285 billion), a note payable to shareholders of $342 million, minority interest in the preferred stock of Holdings of $204 million, and $280 million of shareholders' equity. This compares to $120 million of debt, $144 million of cash and equivalents (net cash of $24 million) and $1.587 billion of group equity at November 30, 2003. The increase in net debt and minority interest in the preferred stock of Holdings from 2003 compared to 2004 primarily reflects the portion of our purchase price paid to Time Warner that was funded by debt and the issuance of subsidiary preferred stock to the Investors. The increase in the note payable to our shareholders relates to the $342 million Return of Capital to the holders of our Class L Common Stock that was declared in September 2004 and paid in October 2004.

              Cash Flows

              The following table summarizes our historical cash flows.flows (in millions). The financial data for the sevensix months ended September 30, 2004, the three months ended February 29, 2004,March 31, 2020 and the years ended November 30, 2003 and 2002 have been derived from our audited financial statements included elsewhere herein. The financial data for the three months ended DecemberMarch 31, 2004 and 20032019 are unaudited and arehave been derived from our interim financial statements included elsewhere herein. The financial data for the ten monthsfiscal years ended September 30, 2003 are unaudited2019, September 30, 2018 and are alsoSeptember 30, 2017 have been derived from theour audited financial statements included elsewhere herein. See "Change in Fiscal Year and Basis of Presentation" presented earlier herein for a discussion of the use of financial information for the combined ten-month period ended September 30, 2004.

               
               Successor
               Successor
               Predecessor
               Combined
               Predecessor
               
               
               Three
              Months
              Ended
              December 31,
              2004

               Seven
              Months
              Ended
              September 30,
              2004

               Three
              Months
              Ended
              February 29,
              2004

               Ten
              Months Ended
              September 30,
              2004

               Three
              Months
              Ended
              December 31,
              2003

               Ten
              Months Ended
              September 30,
              2003

               Year
              Ended
              November 30,
              2003

               Year
              Ended
              November 30,
              2002

               
               
               (unaudited)

               (audited)

               (audited)

               (unaudited)

               (unaudited)

               (unaudited)

               (audited)

               (audited)

               
                          (in millions)             
              Cash provided by (used in):                      
              Operating activities $63 $86 $321 $407 $31 $257 $278 $(13)
              Investing activities  (25) (2,663) 14  (2,649) (7) (73) (65) (365)
              Financing activities  (296) 2,661  (10) 2,651  16  (151) (121) 385 

                 For the Six Months Ended March 31,  For the Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 
                         2020                  2019              2019          2018          2017     

              Cash provided by (used in):

                    

              Operating activities

                $164  $99  $400  $425  $535 

              Investing activities

                 (51  (293  (376  405   (126

              Financing activities

                 (245  151   88   (955  (128

              Operating Activities

              Three Months Ended December 31, 2004 Compared to Three Months Ended December 31, 2003

              Cash provided by operationsoperating activities was $63$164 million for the threesix months ended DecemberMarch 31, 2004,2020 as compared towith cash provided by operationsoperating activities of $31$99 million for the threesix months ended DecemberMarch 31, 2003.2019. The $32$65 million increase in cash provided by operations resulted from higher business segment OIBDAoperating activities was primarily due to timing of $39 million, an aggregate $18 million decrease in working capital requirements and other balance sheet changes, $3 million of lower tax payments (net) and $8 million of lower restructuring payments incurred in connection with our cost-savings initiatives. However, those amounts werepartially offset by $36 million of higher interest payments associated with our leveraged capital structure.cash taxes.

              Ten Months Ended September 30, 2004 Compared to Ten Months Ended September 30, 2003

              Cash provided by operationsoperating activities was $407$400 million for the ten monthsfiscal year ended September 30, 2004,2019 compared to cash provided by operations of $257$425 million for the ten monthsfiscal year ended September 30, 2003.2018 and $535 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2017. The $150primary driver of the $25 million increasedecrease in cash provided by operations resulted from higher business segmentoperating activities during the current year was due to an increase in royalty advances and royalty payments, partially offset by an OIBDA increase of $144 million and an aggregate $117 million$147 million.

              The decrease in working capital requirements and other balance sheet changes. However, those amounts wereresults from operating activities for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 compared to the fiscal year ended September 30, 2017 reflected timing of royalty payments, partially offset by $51 million of higher interest payments associated with our leveraged capital structure, $7 million of higher tax payments (net) and $53 million of higher restructuring payments incurred in connection with our cost-savings initiatives.improved operating performance.

              Year Ended November 30, 2003 Compared to Year Ended November 30, 2002

                      Cash provided by operations was $278 million in the year ended November 30, 2003, compared to cash used in operations of $13 million in the year ended November 30, 2002. Cash provided by operations in 2003 benefited from $189 million of business segment OIBDA and a $207 million aggregate decrease in working capital requirements and other balance sheet changes. However, these amounts were offset by $72 million of tax payments (net), $10 million of interest payments and $36 million of payments for restructuring liabilities related to the merger of AOL and Time Warner. The use of cash in 2002 related to $33 million of tax payments (net), $8 million of interest payments, approximately $175 million of merger-related restructuring and other one-time payments and an $11 million aggregate increase in working capital requirements and other balance sheet changes. These uses of cash more than offset the $207 million of OIBDA generated by our business segments.

              Investing Activities

              Three Months Ended December 31, 2004 Compared to Three Months Ended December 31, 2003

              Cash used in investing activities was $25$51 million for the threesix months ended DecemberMarch 31, 2004,2020 as compared to $7 million for the three months ended December 31, 2003. The increase inwith cash used in investing activities primarily related to lower cash proceeds received on the sale of investments. In addition, capital expenditures for the three months ended December 31, 2004 were $6 million compared to $27$293 million for the threesix months ended DecemberMarch 31, 2003.2019. The $51 million of cash used in investing activities in the six months ended March 31, 2020 consisted of $5 million relating to investments, $28 million relating to capital expenditures and $18 million to acquire music publishing rights and recorded music catalogs. The $293 million of cash used in investing activities in the six months ended March 31, 2019 consisted of $183 million relating to the acquisition of EMP, net of cash and equivalents acquired, $35 million relating to the acquisition of equity investments, $59 million relating to capital expenditure and $16 million to acquire music publishing rights.

              Ten Months Ended September 30, 2004 Compared to Ten Months Ended September 30, 2003

              Cash used in investing activities was $2.649 billion$376 million for the ten monthsfiscal year ended September 30, 2004,2019, compared to $73cash provided by investing activities of $405 million for the ten monthsfiscal year ended September 30, 2003. The increase in2018 and cash used in investing activities primarily related to the cash purchase price of $2.638 billion, including transaction costs, paid in connection with the Acquisition. In addition, capital expenditures$126 million for the ten monthsfiscal year ended September 30, 2004 were $18 million, compared to the $30 million for the ten months ended September 30, 2003.2017.

              Year Ended November 30, 2003 Compared to Year Ended November 30, 2002

              Cash used in investing activities was $65of $376 million infor the fiscal year ended NovemberSeptember 30, 2003, compared2019 consisted of $183 million related to $365the acquisition of EMP, net of cash and equivalents acquired, $48 million inrelating to the

              acquisition of investments, $104 million relating to capital expenditures and $41 million to acquire music publishing rights and music catalogs.

              Cash provided by investing activities of $405 million for the fiscal year ended NovemberSeptember 30, 2002. The $3002018 consisted of $516 million decrease principally related to



              lower investment spending and lower spending onof proceeds from sale of investments which includes the Spotify share sale of $504 million, partially offset by $74 million of capital expenditures, offset in part bywhich has increased due to costs incurred related to the receipt of less investment proceeds.

                      The comparability of the components of investing activities was affected by our sale of 85%build-out of our interest in Columbia House that occurred in the year ended November 30, 2002. As more fully described in Note 8 to the audited financial statements included elsewhere herein, prior to the closingnew Los Angeles, California headquarters of the Columbia House transaction, we recapitalized certain obligations$28 million, $23 million of Columbia House owed to us. In particular, we made capital contributions to Columbia House of approximately $930 million (which is reflected as an investing activity under investments and acquisitions)acquisitions and received approximately $700$14 million back in satisfaction of certain note receivables (which is reflected as an investing activity under investment proceeds). Although we have presented the cash flows associated with the recapitalization of Columbia House on a gross basis in our combined statement of cash flows in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, we believe that only the $230 million net cash outflow relating to the Columbia House transaction should be considered in order to better understand the changes in cashacquire music publishing rights.

              Cash used in investing activities from 2003 to 2002.

                      Accordingly,of $126 million for the $300 million decrease in cash used in investing activities principally related to (i) a $350 million decrease in investment spending, largely related to the use of cash in thefiscal year ended NovemberSeptember 30, 20022017 consisted of $139 million of business investments and acquisitions, including the Spinnin’ Records acquisition in September 2017, $16 million to fund the $230acquire music publishing rights and $44 million Columbia House recapitalization and the $85of capital expenditures, partially offset by $73 million acquisition of Word Entertainment and (ii) a $37 million decrease in capital expenditures. Such amounts were offset, in part, by an $87 million decrease in investment proceeds received. Investment proceeds were $38 million in the year ended November 30, 2003 relating to the sale of our physical distribution assets and $125 million in the year ended November 30, 2002 relating to the sale of 85% of our interest in Columbia House.from divestitures.

              Financing Activities

              Three Months Ended December 31, 2004 Compared to Three Months Ended December 31, 2003

              Cash used in financing activities was $296$245 million for the threesix months ended DecemberMarch 31, 2004,2020 as compared to $16with cash provided by financing activities of $151 million for the six months ended March 31, 2019. The $245 million of cash provided for the three months ended December 31, 2003. Cash flows from financing activities are not comparable from period to period. In 2004, we began operating as an independent company. However, in 2003, we were owned by Time Warner. As such, all of our cash requirements were funded by Time Warner and Time Warner received most of the cash generated by us through a centralized cash management system or use of shared international cash pooling arrangements. Consequently, except for principal payments on capital leases and certain net borrowings of third-party debt, which were not significant, all financing activities for the historical 2003 period related to movement of cash between Time Warner and us. Cash used in financing activities for the threesix months ended DecemberMarch 31, 2004 primarily relates to the returns2020 consisted of capitaldividends paid to the Investors of $764$244 million and the $209 million redemptiondistributions to noncontrolling interest holders of subsidiary preferred stock as part of the Holdings Refinancing, offset principally by $679 million of net proceeds after debt-issuance costs from the issuance of debt as part of the Holdings Refinancing.

              Ten Months Ended September 30, 2004 Compared to Ten Months Ended September 30, 2003

                      Cash provided from financing activities was $2.651 billion for the ten months ended September 30, 2004, compared to$1 million. The $151 million for the ten months ended September 30, 2003.

                      Cash flows from financing activities are not comparable from period to period. In 2004, we began operating as an independent company. However, in 2003, we were owned by Time Warner. As such, all of our cash requirements were funded by Time Warner and Time Warner received most of the cash generated by us through a centralized cash management system or the use of shared international cash pooling arrangements. Consequently, except for principal payments on capital leases and certain net borrowings of third-party debt, which were not significant, all financing activities for the historical 2003 period related to the movement of cash between Time Warner and us.



                      Cash provided by financing activities for 2004 principally reflected activities to fund the purchase price paid in connection with the Acquisition, settle intercompany receivables and payables for the period preceding the Acquisition, and modify our initial capital structure by returning a portion of the initial capital contributed by the Investors. In particular, we borrowed $2.348 billion which was used primarily to (i) fund a portion of the purchase price paid in connection with the Acquisition (including transaction costs), (ii) pay $99 million of financing-related debt issuance costs, (iii) refinance approximately $625 million of our initial, variable-rate borrowings used to fund the Acquisition on a fixed-rate basis and (iv) repay $6 million of borrowings under the term loan portion of our senior secured credit facility. We also received capital contributions of $1.250 billion from the Investors to fund a portion of the purchase price paid in connection with the Acquisition, of which $210 million was subsequently repaid to the Investors through September 30, 2004 as a return of capital. Finally, with respect to the pre-acquisition, three-month period ended February 29, 2004, $114 million of net funding was received by Time Warner and used, in part, to repay $124 million of third-party indebtedness.

              Year Ended November 30, 2003 Compared to Year Ended November 30, 2002

                      Cash used in financing activities was $121 million in 2003, compared to $385 million of cash provided by financing activities for the six months ended March 31, 2019 consisted of proceeds of $287 million from the issuance of Acquisition Corp.’s 3.625% Senior Secured Notes due 2026 partially offset by deferred financing costs paid of $4 million, the partial repayment of Acquisition Corp.’s 4.125% Senior Secured Notes due 2024, 4.875% Senior Secured Notes due 2024 and 5.625% Senior Secured Notes due 2022, including call premiums paid, in 2002. As previously described, on a historical basis, allan aggregate amount of our$99 million, dividends paid of $31 million and distributions to noncontrolling interest holders of $2 million.

              Cash provided by financing activities was $88 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019 compared to cash requirements were fundedused in financing activities of $955 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 and $128 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2017.

              The $88 million of cash provided by Time Warnerfinancing activities for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019 consisted of proceeds of $514 million from the issuance of Acquisition Corp.’s 3.625% Secured Notes due 2026, partially offset by deferred financing costs paid of $7 million, the repayment of Acquisition Corp.’s 5.625% Secured Notes due 2022 of $247 million including call premiums paid of $5 million, partial repayment of Acquisition Corp.’s 4.125% Secured Notes due 2024 of $40 million and Time Warner received most4.875% Secured Notes due 2024 of $30 million, for an aggregate $185 million, cash dividends paid of $94 million and distributions to noncontrolling interest holders of $3 million.

              The $955 million of cash used in financing activities for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 consisted of the repayment of and deposit for Acquisition Corp.’s 6.750% Senior Notes of $635 million, cash generateddividends paid of $925 million, call premiums paid on and redemption deposit for early redemption of $23 million, deferred financing costs paid of $12 million and a distribution to ournon-controlling interest holders of $5 million, partially offset by us through a centralizedproceeds from issuance of Acquisition Corp.’s Senior Notes (as defined below) of $325 million and proceeds from the issuance of Acquisition Corp.’s Senior Term Loan Facility of $320 million.

              The $128 million of cash management system or the use of shared international cash pools. Accordingly, except for principal payments on capital leases which were not significant and certain borrowings and repayments of third-party debt obligations discussed below, allused in financing activities related tofor the movement of cash between Time Warner and us.

                      During 2003, we repaid $101 million of debt relating to our 1998 acquisitionfiscal year ended September 30, 2017 consisted of the 50%repayment of Acquisition Corp.’s 6.000% Senior Secured Notes due 2021 of $450 million, repayment of Acquisition Corp.’s 6.250% Senior Secured Notes due 2021 of $173 million, repayment of Acquisition Corp.’s 5.625% Secured Notes of $28 million, call premiums paid on early redemption of $27 million, deferred financing costs paid of $13 million, cash dividends paid of $84 million and a distribution to ournon-controlling interest in Rhino Entertainment that we did not already own at that time. In addition, during 2003, we borrowed $114holders of $5 million, in connection with a recapitalizationpartially offset by proceeds from issuance of certain wholly owned international subsidiaries. Acquisition Corp.’s 4.125% Secured Notes of

              €345 million, proceeds from issuance of Acquisition Corp.’s 4.875% Secured Notes of $250 million and proceeds from the amendment of Acquisition Corp.’s Senior Term Loan Facility of $22 million.

              There were no borrowings or repayments of debt in 2002.drawdowns on the Revolving Credit Facility during the fiscal years ended September 30, 2019, September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017.

                      As described above, our operating, investing and financing requirements were funded by Time Warner and any cash generated by such activities was similarly remitted to Time Warner. In 2003, we paid Time Warner $131 million on a net basis, consisting of dividend payments of $68 million, payments of certain intercompany balances of $195 million and the receipt of $132 million of capital contributions. In 2002, we received $385 million of net funding from Time Warner, largely to fund our investing needs with respect to Columbia House and Word Entertainment. The $385 million of net funding from Time Warner consisted of $416 million of intercompany funding, which was offset in part by the payment of $31 million of dividends.Liquidity

              Liquidity

              Our primary sources of liquidity are the cash flowflows generated from our subsidiaries'subsidiaries’ operations, availability under the $250 million (including $4 million of letters of credit) revolving credit portion of Acquisition Corp.'s senior secured credit facility and available cash and equivalents.equivalents and funds available for drawing under our Revolving Credit Facility. These sources of liquidity are needed to fund our new debt service requirements, working capital requirements, capital expenditure requirements, strategic acquisitions and investments, and any dividends, prepayments of debt or repurchases or retirement of our outstanding debt or notes in open market purchases, privately negotiated purchases or otherwise, we may elect to pay or make in the future. Certain of our executive officers participate in the Plan, which permits those executive officers to defer all or a portion of their free cash flow bonuses and receive grants of indirect equity interests in the Company. Payments under the Plan, which could be material, are influenced by the Company’s valuation and other market factors, including valuations of similar companies. In connection with preparing for the this offering, we amended the Plan to provide that, following completion of the offering, Plan participants would no longer have the option to settle deferred accounts in cash or to be paid in cash for redemption of their vested interests in Management LLC. Instead, following the offering, all deferred interests under the Plan would be settled in or redeemed with shares of our common stock.

              We believe that our existing sources of cash will be sufficient to support our existing operations over the next twelve months.

              In August 2019, we announced that we were beginning a financial transformation initiative to upgrade our information technology and finance infrastructure over the next two years, including related systems and processes, for which we currently expect upfront costs to be approximately $120 million, which includes capital expenditures of approximately $40 million to $50 million (approximately half of which is expected to be incurred in the 2020 fiscal year and the remaining one-time costs associated withremainder of which is expected to be incurred in the execution2021 fiscal year). There has been a slight delay in the timing of the Restructuring Plan to generate cost savings. However as further described below, our ability to obtain funds from our subsidiaries is restricted by the terms of Acquisition Corp.'s senior secured credit facility, and the indentures for the Acquisition Corp. and Holdings Notes.

                      As of December 31, 2004, our long-term debt consisted of $1.179 billion of borrowings (excluding $12 million of debt that is classifiedtransformation initiative as a current obligation) underresult of COVID-19 but it is still expected to be completed over the term loan portionnext two years. Annualized run-rate savings from the financial transformation initiative are expected to be between approximately $35 million and $40 million once fully implemented. We expect that our primary sources of Acquisition Corp.'s senior securedliquidity will be sufficient to fund these expenditures.

              Debt Financing

              Since Access acquired us in 2011, we have sought to extend the maturity dates on our outstanding indebtedness, reduce interest expense and improve our debt ratings. For example, our S&P corporate credit facility, $658 million of Acquisition Corp. Notesrating has improved from B in 2017 toBB- in 2019. On February 20, 2020, S&P upgraded the outlook on our corporate credit rating from stable to positive. Our Moody’s corporate family rating has improved from B1 in 2016 to Ba3 in 2020. In addition, our weighted-average interest rate on our outstanding indebtedness has decreased from 10.5% in 2011 to 4.3% in 2019. Our nearest-term maturity date is in 2023. Subject to market conditions, we expect to continue to take opportunistic steps to extend our maturity dates and $697 of Holdings Notes. There have been no borrowings under the revolving portion of our senior secured credit facility as of either December 31, 2004 or September 30, 2004.



              Senior secured credit facility

                      The senior secured credit facility consists of a $1.191 billion outstanding term loan portion and a $250 million ($4 million of which has been drawn in the form of letters of credit) revolving credit portion. As part of the Concurrent Transactions, Acquisition Corp. intendsreduce related interest expense. From time to amend its senior credit facility to providetime, we may incur additional indebtedness for, among other things, a $1.441 billion term loan, a reduction in the interest rates payable on the term loan, more flexibility under certain restrictive covenants, the ability to use our proceeds from this offering as described hereinworking capital, repurchasing, redeeming or tendering for existing indebtedness and to consummate certain of the Concurrent Transactions. The term loan portion of the facility matures in seven years in February 2011. We are required to prepay outstanding term loans, subject to certain exceptions and conditions, with excess cash flowacquisitions or in the event of certain asset sales and casualty and condemnation events and incurrence of debt. See "Description of Indebtedness." We are currently required to make minimum repayments requirements under the term loan portion ofother strategic transactions.

              Revolving Credit Facility

              On January 31, 2018, Acquisition Corp.'s entered into the Revolving Credit Agreement for a senior secured revolving credit facility in quarterly principal amounts of $3 million forwith Credit Suisse AG, as administrative agent, and the first six yearsother financial institutions and nine months, with a remaining balloon payment in February 2011. We expect thatlenders from time to time party thereto (as amended by the proposedamendment dated October 9, 2019 and as further

              amended, amended and restated or otherwise modified from time to time, the “Revolving Credit Facility”). On April 3, 2020, Acquisition Corp. entered into an amendment to the senior secured credit agreement will provide for higher quarterly principal amount payments. We expect that allRevolving Credit Agreement (the “Second Amendment”) which, among other termsthings, extended the final maturity of the senior securedRevolving Credit Facility from January 31, 2023 to April 3, 2025. For a more detailed description of the changes effected by the Second Amendment, see Note 14 to our unaudited interim consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus.

              Acquisition Corp. is the borrower (the “Revolving Borrower”) under the Revolving Credit Agreement which provides for a revolving credit facility will remain substantially similarin the amount of up to $300 million (the “Commitments”) and includes a $90 million letter of creditsub-facility. Amounts are available under the existing senior secured credit facility. See "—Firm Commitments."

              Revolving Credit Facility in U.S. dollars, euros or pounds sterling. The revolving credit portionRevolving Credit Agreement permits loans for general corporate purposes and may also be utilized to issue letters of the senior secured credit facility matures in six years in February 2010. There are no mandatory reductions in borrowing availability for the revolving credit portion of the facility through its term.

              credit. Borrowings under both the term loan and revolving credit portion of the senior secured credit facility currentlyRevolving Credit Agreement bear interest at the Revolving Borrower’s election at a rate equal to an applicable margin plus, at our option, either (a) a base(i) the rate determined by reference to the higher of (1) the prime rate of Bank of America, N.A. and (2) the federal funds rate plus1/2 of 1% or (b) a LIBOR rate determined by reference to the costs of funds for deposits in the borrowing currency of such borrowingin the London interbank market (adjusted for maximum reserves) for the applicable interest period relevant(“Revolving LIBOR”) plus 1.875% per annum, or (ii) the base rate, which is the highest of (x) the corporate base rate established by the administrative agent from time to such borrowing adjustedtime, (y) the overnight federal funds rate plus 0.5% and (z) theone-month Revolving LIBOR plus 1.00% per annum, plus, in each case, 0.875% per annum;provided that, for certain additional costs. The initialeach of clauses (i) and (ii), the applicable margin for borrowings under the revolving credit facility and the term loan facility is 1.75% with respect to base rate borrowings and 2.75% with respectsuch loans is subject to LIBOR borrowings. Asadjustment upon achievement of Decembercertain leverage ratios as set forth in a leverage-based pricing grid in the Revolving Credit Agreement. Based on the Senior Secured Indebtedness to EBITDA Ratio of 3.22x at March 31, 2004,2020, the applicable margin for Eurodollar loans would be 1.625% instead of 1.875% and the applicable margin for ABR loans would be 0.625% instead of 0.875% in the case of 2020 Revolving Loans.

              Prepayments

              If, at any time, the aggregate amount of outstanding loans (including letters of credit outstanding thereunder) exceeds the commitments under the Revolving Credit Facility, prepayments of the loans (and after giving effect to such prepayment the cash collateralization of letters of credit) will be required in an amount equal to such excess. The application of proceeds from mandatory prepayments shall not reduce the aggregate amount of then effective commitments under the Revolving Credit Facility and amounts prepaid may be reborrowed, subject to then effective commitments under the Revolving Credit Facility.

              Voluntary reductions of the unutilized portion of the Commitments under the Revolving Credit Facility are permitted at any time in certain minimum principal amounts, without premium or penalty. Voluntary prepayments of borrowings under the revolvingRevolving Credit Facility are permitted at any time in certain minimum principal amounts, subject to reimbursement of the lenders’ redeployment costs actually incurred in the case of a prepayment of LIBOR-based borrowings other than on the last day of the relevant interest period.

              Senior Term Loan Facility

              Acquisition Corp. is party to a $1.326 billion senior secured term loan credit facility, pursuant to the Senior Term Loan Credit Agreement with Credit Suisse AG, as administrative agent and collateral agent, and the other financial institutions and lenders from time to time party thereto (as described below, the “Senior Term Loan Facility”).

              General

              Acquisition Corp. is the borrower under the Senior Term Loan Facility (the “Term Loan Borrower”). The loans outstanding under the Senior Term Loan Facility mature on November 1, 2023.

              In addition, the Senior Term Loan Credit Agreement provides the right for individual lenders to extend the maturity date of their loans upon the request of the Term Loan Borrower and without the consent of any other lender.

              Subject to certain conditions, without the consent of the then existing lenders (but subject to the receipt of commitments), the Senior Term Loan Facility may be expanded (or a new term loan facility with respectentered into) by up to base rate borrowingsthe greater of (i) $300 million and LIBOR borrowings were 1.75%(ii) such additional amount as would not cause the net senior secured leverage ratio, after giving effect to the incurrence of such additional amount and 2.75%, respectively. Subsequentany use of proceeds thereof, to December 31, 2004, the applicable margins with respect to base rate borrowingsexceed 4.50:1.00.

              Interest Rates and LIBOR borrowings were reduced to 1.00% and 2.00%, respectively, forFees

              Term loan borrowings under the revolving credit facility, and 1.50% and 2.50%, respectively, for borrowings under the term loan facility. The applicable margin for borrowings under both the revolving credit facility and the term loan facility are variable subject to changes in certain of our leverage ratios. We expect that the proposed amendment to the senior secured credit agreement will lower the base rate and LIBOR margins for borrowings under the term loan facility to 0.75% and 1.75%, respectively, if the senior secured debt of Acquisition Corp. is rated at least BB- by S&P and Ba3 by Moody's (or if the ratings are lower, 1.00% and 2.00%, respectively).

                      In addition to paying interest on outstanding principal under the senior secured credit facility, we are required to pay a commitment fee to the lenders under the revolving credit facility in respect of the unutilized commitments. The initial commitment fee rate is 0.50%. As of December 31, 2004, the commitment fee rate was 0.50%. The rate was subsequently reduced to 0.375%, as the commitment fee rate is variable subject to changes in certain of our leverage ratios. We also are required to pay customary letter of credit fees, as necessary.

                      The senior secured credit facility contains a number of covenants that, among other things, restrict, subject to certain exceptions, our ability and the ability of our subsidiaries to sell assets, incur additional indebtedness or issue preferred stock, repay other indebtedness, pay dividends and distributions or repurchase capital stock, create liens on assets, make investments, loans or advances, make certain acquisitions, engage in mergers or consolidations, engage in certain transactions with



              affiliates, amend certain material agreements, change the business conducted by us, Holdings, Acquisition Corp. and our other subsidiaries and enter into agreements that restrict dividends from subsidiaries. In addition, the senior secured credit facility requires us to maintain the following financial covenants: a maximum total leverage ratio, a minimum interest coverage ratio and a maximum capital expenditures limitation.

              Acquisition Corp. Notes

                      We have outstanding two tranches of senior subordinated notes due 2014: $465 million principal amount of U.S. dollar-denominated notes and £100 million principal amount of Sterling-denominated notes. The Acquisition Corp. Notes mature on April 15, 2014.

                      The Acquisition Corp. NotesSenior Term Loan Credit Agreement bear interest at a fixedfloating rate of 73/8%measured by reference to, at Acquisition Corp.’s option, either (i) an adjusted London inter-bank offered rate, LIBOR, not less than 0.00% per annum plus a borrowing margin of 2.125% per annum or (ii) an alternative base rate plus a borrowing margin of 1.125% per annum.

              Prepayments

              The Senior Term Loan Facility is subject to mandatory prepayment and reduction in an amount equal to (a) 50% of excess cash flow (as defined in the Senior Term Loan Credit Agreement), with reductions to 25% and zero based upon achievement of a net senior secured leverage ratio of less than or equal to 4.50:1.00 or 4.00:1.00, respectively, (b) 100% of the net cash proceeds received from the incurrence of indebtedness by the Term Loan Borrower or any of its restricted subsidiaries (other than indebtedness permitted under the Senior Term Loan Facility) and (c) 100% of the net cash proceeds of allnon-ordinary course asset sales or other dispositions of property by the Term Loan Borrower and its restricted subsidiaries (including certain insurance and condemnation proceeds) in excess of $75 million and subject to the right of the Term Loan Borrower and its restricted subsidiaries to reinvest such proceeds within a specified period of time, and other exceptions. Voluntary prepayments of borrowings under the Senior Term Loan Facility are permitted at any time, in minimum principal amounts of $1 million or a whole multiple of $500,000 in excess thereof, subject to reimbursement of the lenders’ redeployment costs actually incurred in the case of a prepayment of adjusted LIBOR borrowings other than on the $465last day of the relevant interest period.

              Secured Notes

              General

              On July 27, 2016, Acquisition Corp. issued $300 million dollar notesin aggregate principal amount of its 5.000% Secured Notes under the Senior Secured Base Indenture, as supplemented by the 5.000% Supplemental Indenture. On October 18, 2016, Acquisition Corp. issued $250 million in aggregate principal amount of its 4.875% Secured Notes and 8€345 million in aggregate principal amount of its 4.125% Secured Notes under the Senior Secured Base Indenture, as supplemented by (i) in the case of the 4.875% Secured Notes, the 4.875% Supplemental Indenture and (ii) in the case of the 4.125% Notes, the 4.125% Supplemental Indenture”. On October 9, 2018, Acquisition Corp. issued €250 million in aggregate principal amount of its 3.625% Secured Notes under the Senior Secured Base Indenture, as supplemented by the 3.625% Supplemental Indenture. On April 30, 2019, Acquisition Corp. issued €195 million in aggregate principal amount of additional 3.625% Secured Notes under the Senior Secured Base Indenture, as supplemented by the Additional 3.625% Supplemental Indenture.

              Optional Redemption

              5.000% Secured Notes

              On or after August 1,/8% per annum 2019, Acquisition Corp. may redeem all or a portion of the 5.000% Secured Notes, at its option, at the redemption prices (expressed as percentages of principal amount) set forth below plus accrued

              and unpaid interest thereon, if any, on the £100 million sterling notes.5.000% Secured Notes to be redeemed to the applicable redemption date, if redeemed during the twelve-month period beginning on August 1 of the years indicated below:

               The indenture governing the

              Year

                Percentage 

              2019

                 102.500

              2020

                 101.250

              2021 and thereafter

                 100.000

              4.875% Secured Notes

              On or after November 1, 2019, Acquisition Corp. may redeem all or a portion of the 4.875% Secured Notes, limitsat its option, at the redemption prices (expressed as percentages of principal amount) set forth below plus accrued and unpaid interest thereon, if any, on the 4.875% Secured Notes to be redeemed to the applicable redemption date, if redeemed during the twelve-month period beginning on November 1 of the years indicated below:

              Year

                Percentage 

              2019

                 103.656

              2020

                 102.438

              2021

                 101.219

              2022 and thereafter

                 100.000

              4.125% Secured Notes

              On or after November 1, 2019, Acquisition Corp.'s ability may redeem all or a portion of the 4.125% Secured Notes, at its option, at the redemption prices (expressed as percentages of principal amount) set forth below plus accrued and unpaid interest thereon, if any, on the 4.125% Secured Notes to be redeemed to the applicable redemption date, if redeemed during the twelve-month period beginning on November 1 of the years indicated below:

              Year

                Percentage 

              2019

                 103.094

              2020

                 102.063

              2021

                 101.031

              2022 and thereafter

                 100.000

              3.625% Secured Notes

              At any time prior to October 15, 2021, Acquisition Corp. may on any one or more occasions redeem up to 40% of the aggregate principal amount of the 3.625% Secured Notes (including the aggregate principal amount of any additional securities constituting 3.625% Secured Notes) issued under the Secured Notes Indenture, at its option, at a redemption price equal to 103.625% of the principal amount of the 3.625% Secured Notes redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest thereon, if any, to the date of redemption (subject to the rights of holders of Notes on the relevant record date to receive interest on the relevant interest payment date), with funds in an aggregate amount not exceeding the net cash proceeds of one or more equity offerings by Acquisition Corp. or any contribution to Acquisition Corp.’s common equity capital made with the net cash proceeds of one or more equity offerings by Acquisition Corp.’s direct or indirect parent;provided that:

              (1) at least 50% of the aggregate principal amount of the 3.625% Secured Notes originally issued under the Secured Notes Indenture (including the aggregate principal amount of any additional securities constituting 3.625% Secured Notes issued under the Secured Notes Indenture) remains outstanding immediately after the occurrence of such redemption; and

              (2) the redemption occurs within 180 days of the date of, and may be conditioned upon, the closing of such equity offering.

              The 3.625% Secured Notes may be redeemed, in whole or in part, at any time prior to October 15, 2021, at the option of Acquisition Corp., at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the 3.625% Secured Notes redeemed plus the applicable make-whole premium as of, and accrued and unpaid interest thereon, if any, to the applicable redemption date (subject to the right of holders of record on the relevant record date to receive interest due on the relevant interest payment date).

              On or after October 15, 2021, Acquisition Corp. may redeem all or a portion of the 3.625% Secured Notes, at its option, at the redemption prices (expressed as percentages of principal amount) set forth below plus accrued and unpaid interest thereon, if any, on the 3.625% Secured Notes to be redeemed to the applicable redemption date, if redeemed during the twelve-month period beginning on October 15 of the years indicated below:

              Year

                Percentage 

              2021

                 101.813

              2022

                 100.906

              2023 and thereafter

                 100.000

              In addition, during any twelve-month period prior to October 15, 2021, Acquisition Corp. will be entitled to redeem up to 10% of the original aggregate principal amount of the 3.625% Secured Notes (including the principal amount of any additional securities of the same series) at a redemption price equal to 103.000% of the aggregate principal amount thereof, plus accrued and unpaid interest thereon, if any, to the redemption date (subject to the right of holders of record on the relevant record date to receive interest due on the relevant interest payment date).

              Senior Notes

              General

              On March 14, 2018, Acquisition Corp. issued $325 million in aggregate principal amount of 5.500% Senior Notes due 2026 under the Senior Notes Base Indenture, as supplemented by the Senior Notes Supplemental Indenture.

              Optional Redemption

              At any time prior to April 15, 2021, Acquisition Corp. may on any one or more occasions redeem up to 40% of the aggregate principal amount of the Senior Notes (including the aggregate principal amount of any additional securities constituting the same series) issued under the Senior Notes Indenture, at its option, at a redemption price equal to 105.500% of the principal amount of the Senior Notes redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest thereon, if any, to the date of redemption (subject to the rights of holders of the Senior Notes on the relevant record date to receive interest on the relevant interest payment date), with funds in an aggregate amount not exceeding the net cash proceeds of one or more equity offerings by Acquisition Corp. or any contribution to Acquisition Corp.’s common equity capital made with the net cash proceeds of one or more equity offerings by Acquisition Corp.’s direct or indirect parent;provided that: (1) at least 50% of the aggregate principal amount of the Senior Notes originally issued under the Senior Notes Indenture (including the aggregate principal amount of any additional securities constituting the Senior Notes issued under the Senior Notes Indenture) remains outstanding immediately after the occurrence of such redemption; and (2) the redemption occurs within 180 days of the date of, and may be conditioned upon, the closing of such equity offering.

              The Senior Notes may be redeemed, in whole or in part, at any time prior to April 15, 2021, at the option of Acquisition Corp., at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the Senior Notes redeemed plus the applicable make-whole premium as of, and accrued and unpaid interest thereon, if any, to the applicable redemption date (subject to the right of holders of record on the relevant record date to receive interest due on the relevant interest payment date).

              On or after April 15, 2021, Acquisition Corp. may redeem all or a portion of the Senior Notes, at its option, at the redemption prices (expressed as percentages of principal amount) set forth below plus accrued and unpaid interest thereon, if any, on the Senior Notes to be redeemed to the applicable redemption date, if redeemed during the twelve-month period beginning on April 15 of the years indicated below:

              Year

                Percentage 

              2021

                 102.750

              2022

                 101.375

              2023 and thereafter

                 100.000

              General Terms of Our Indebtedness

              Certain terms of the Senior Credit Facilities and certain terms of each series of notes under our Secured Notes Indenture and Senior Notes Indenture are described below.

              Ranking

              The indebtedness incurred pursuant to the Revolving Credit Facility and the Senior Term Loan Facility and the Secured Notes are Acquisition Corp.’s senior secured obligations and are secured on an equal and ratable basis with all existing and future indebtedness secured with the same security arrangements. The Secured Notes rank senior in right of payment to Acquisition Corp.’s subordinated indebtedness; rank equally in right of payment with all of Acquisition Corp.’s existing and future senior indebtedness and any future senior secured credit facility; are effectively senior to Acquisition Corp.’s unsecured senior indebtedness, including the Senior Notes, to the extent of the value of the collateral securing the senior secured obligations; and are structurally subordinated in right of payment to all existing and future indebtedness and other liabilities of any of Acquisition Corp.’snon-guarantor subsidiaries (other than indebtedness and liabilities owed to Acquisition Corp. or one of its subsidiary guarantors (as such term is defined below)).

              The Senior Notes are Acquisition Corp.’s senior unsecured obligations. The Senior Notes rank senior in right of payment to Acquisition Corp.’s subordinated indebtedness; rank equally in right of payment with all of Acquisition Corp.’s existing and future senior indebtedness; are effectively subordinated to Acquisition Corp.’s secured senior indebtedness, to the extent of the value of the collateral securing such indebtedness; and are structurally subordinated in right of payment to all existing and future indebtedness and other liabilities of any of Acquisition Corp.’snon-guarantor subsidiaries (other than indebtedness and liabilities owed to Acquisition Corp. or one of its subsidiary guarantors).

              Guarantees and Security

              The obligations under each of the Revolving Credit Facility, the Senior Term Loan Facility, the Secured Notes Indenture and the Senior Notes Indenture are guaranteed by each direct and indirect U.S. restricted subsidiary of Acquisition Corp., other than certain excluded subsidiaries. All obligations of Acquisition Corp. and each guarantor under the Revolving Credit Facility, the Senior Term Loan Facility and the Secured Notes Indenture are secured by substantially all the assets of Acquisition Corp and each subsidiary guarantor. In addition, each series of notes issued pursuant to the Secured Notes Indenture and the Senior Notes Indenture have been fully and unconditionally guaranteed by the Company.

              Covenants, Representations and Warranties

              The Revolving Credit Facility, the Senior Term Loan Facility, the Secured Notes and the Senior Notes contain customary representations and warranties and customary affirmative and negative covenants. The negative covenants are incurrence-based high yield covenants and limit the ability of Acquisition Corp. and its restricted subsidiaries to incur additional indebtedness or issue certain preferred shares; to pay dividends, on or make other distributions in respect of its capital redeem

              stock or make other distributions; repurchase, prepay or redeem subordinated indebtedness; make investments; create restrictions on the ability of its restricted payments;subsidiaries to pay dividends to it or make certain investments; toother intercompany transfers; create liens; transfer or sell certain assets; to create liens on certain debt without securing the Acquisition Corp. Notes; to consolidate, merge, sell or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of its assets; to enter into certain transactions with its affiliates; and to designate its subsidiaries as unrestricted subsidiaries. Subject

              The negative covenants are subject to customary exceptions. There are no financial covenants included in the Revolving Credit Agreement, other than a springing leverage ratio of 4.75:1.00 (with no step-down), which is not tested unless at the end of a fiscal quarter the outstanding amount of loans and drawings under letters of credit which have not been reimbursed exceeds $54,000,000. There are no financial covenants included in the Senior Term Loan Credit Agreement, the Secured Notes Indenture or the Senior Notes Indenture.

              Events of Default

              Events of default under the Revolving Credit Facility, the Senior Term Loan Facility and the Secured Notes Indenture include nonpayment of principal when due, nonpayment of interest or other amounts, inaccuracy of representations or warranties in any material respect, violation of covenants, cross default and cross acceleration to other material debt, certain exceptions,bankruptcy or insolvency events, certain ERISA events, certain material judgments, actual or asserted invalidity of security interests in excess of $50 million, in each case subject to customary thresholds, notice and grace period provisions.

              Change of Control

              Upon the indenture governingoccurrence of a change of control, which is defined in the Secured Notes Base Indenture and the Senior Notes Base Indenture, each holder of the Secured Notes and the Senior Notes has the right to require Acquisition Corp. to repurchase some or all of such holder’s Secured Notes permits it and its restricted subsidiariesSenior Notes at a purchase price in cash equal to incur additional indebtedness, including secured indebtedness, and to make certain restricted payments and investments.

              Holdings Notes

                      Holdings recently incurred $397 million101% of the principal amount at maturitythereof, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to the repurchase date.

              Existing Debt as of indebtedness under its Discount Notes ($250 millionMarch 31, 2020

              As of gross proceeds)March 31, 2020, our long-term debt, all of which was issued by Acquisition Corp., $250 million principal amount of indebtedness under the Holdings Floating Rate Notes and $200 million principal amount of indebtedness under the Holdings PIK Notes. The Discount Notes will accrete to $397 million aggregate principal amount by 2009.was as follows (in millions):

               Cash interest payments on the Discount Notes will be due and payable commencing on June 15, 2010, and cash interest on the Holdings Floating Rate Notes will be due and payable beginning in 2005. Holdings is not required to pay interest on the Holdings PIK Notes in cash. Holdings' primary source of liquidity for such payments will be cash flow generated from the operation of its subsidiaries, including

              Revolving Credit Facility (a)

                $—   

              Senior Term Loan Facility due 2023 (b)

                 1,315 

              5.000% Senior Secured Notes due 2023 (c)

                 298 

              4.125% Senior Secured Notes due 2024 (d)

                 339 

              4.875% Senior Secured Notes due 2024 (e)

                 218 

              3.625% Senior Secured Notes due 2026 (f)

                 492 

              5.500% Senior Notes due 2026 (g)

                 321 

              Total long-term debt, including the current portion (h)

                $2,983 

              (a)

              Reflects $180 million of commitments under the Revolving Credit Facility available at March 31, 2020, less letters of credit outstanding of approximately $13 million at March 31, 2020. There were no loans outstanding under the Revolving Credit Facility at March 31, 2020. On April 3, 2020, Acquisition Corp. entered into an amendment to the Revolving Credit Facility which, among other things, increased the commitments under the Revolving Credit Facility from an aggregate principal amount of $180 million to an aggregate principal amount of $300 million. For a more detailed description of the changes effected by the amendment, see Note 14 to our unaudited interim consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus.

              (b)

              Principal amount of $1.326 billion less unamortized discount of $3 million and unamortized deferred financing costs of $8 million at March 31, 2020.

              (c)

              Principal amount of $300 million less unamortized deferred financing costs of $2 million at March 31, 2020.

              (d)

              Face amount of €311 million. Above amount represents the dollar equivalent of such note at March 31, 2020. Principal amount of $342 million less unamortized deferred financing costs of $3 million at March 31, 2020.

              (e)

              Principal amount of $220 million less unamortized deferred financing costs of $2 million at March 31, 2020.

              (f)

              Face amount of €445 million at March 31, 2020. Above amount represents the dollar equivalent of such note at March 31, 2020. Principal amount of $491 million, an additional issuance premium of $7 million, less unamortized deferred financing costs of $6 million at March 31, 2020.

              (g)

              Principal amount of $325 million less unamortized deferred financing costs of $4 million at March 31, 2020.

              (h)

              Principal amount of debt of $3.004 billion, an additional issuance premium of $7 million, less unamortized discount of $3 million and unamortized deferred financing costs of $25 million at March 31, 2020.

              Dividends

              The indenture governing the Holdings Notes limits Holdings'Company’s ability and the ability of its restricted subsidiaries to incur additional indebtedness or issue certain preferred shares; to pay dividends on or make other distributions in respect of its capital stock or make otheris restricted payments; to make certain investments; to sell certain assets; to create liens on certain debt without securing the Holdings Notes; to consolidate, merge, sell or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of its assets; to enter into certain transactions with affiliates; and to designate its subsidiaries as unrestricted subsidiaries. Subject to certain exceptions, the indenture governing the Holdings Notes permits Holdings and its restricted subsidiaries to incur additional indebtedness, including secured indebtedness.

                      The terms of the indentures governing the Acquisition Corp. Notes and Holdings Notes significantly restrict Acquisition Corp., Holdings and other subsidiaries from paying dividends and otherwise transferring assets to us. For example, the ability of Acquisition Corp. and Holdings to make such payments is governed by a formula based on 50% of each of their consolidated net income (which, as definedcovenants in the indentures governing suchits notes excludes goodwill impairment charges and any after-tax extraordinary, unusual or nonrecurring gainsin the credit agreements for the Senior Term Loan Facility and losses) accruing from June 1, 2004the Revolving Credit Facility.

              On March 25, 2020, the Company’s board of directors declared a cash dividend of $37.5 million which was paid to stockholders on April 17, 2020 and July 1, 2004, respectively. In addition,recorded as an accrual as of March 31, 2020. On December 16, 2019, the Company’s board of directors declared a conditioncash dividend of $37.5 million which was paid to making such paymentsstockholders on January 17, 2020. On September 23, 2019, the Company’s board of directors declared a cash dividend of $206.25 million which was paid to us basedstockholders on such formula, Acquisition Corp. and Holdings must each have an adjusted EBITDA to interest expense ratio



              of at least 2.0 to 1 after giving effect to any such payments. Acquisition Corp. may also make a restricted payment prior to April 15, 2009 if, immediately after giving pro forma effect to such restricted payment and any indebtedness incurred to finance such restricted payment, its net indebtedness to adjusted EBITDA ratio would not exceed 3.75 to 1 and its net senior indebtedness to adjusted EBITDA ratio would not exceed 2.50 to 1. In addition, Holdings may make a restricted payment if, immediately after giving pro forma effect to such restricted payment and any indebtedness incurred to finance such restricted payment, its net indebtedness to adjusted EBITDA ratio would not exceed 4.25 to 1.0. Notwithstanding such restrictions,October 4, 2019. For fiscal year 2019, the indentures permitCompany paid an aggregate of $45.0$93.75 million in cash dividends to stockholders. For fiscal year 2018, the Company paid an aggregate of $925 million in cash dividends to stockholders, which reflected proceeds from the sale of Spotify shares acquired in the ordinary course of business. For fiscal year 2017, the Company paid an aggregate of $84 million in cash dividends to stockholders. See “Dividend Policy.”

              Covenant Compliance

              The Company was in compliance with its covenants under its outstanding notes, the Revolving Credit Facility and $75.0 millionthe Senior Term Loan Facility as of such paymentsMarch 31, 2020. With respect to be made by Acquisition Corp. and Holdings, respectively, whether or not there is availabilitythe Revolving Credit Facility, the discussion below reflects the covenants in effect under the formula or the conditions to its use are met. Acquisition Corp.'s senior secured credit agreement permits Acquisition Corp. to make additional restricted payments to Holdings, the proceeds of which may be utilized by Holdings to make additional restricted payments, in an aggregate amount not to exceed $10.0 million (such amount subject to increase to $35.0 million if the leverage ratioSecond Amendment, dated as of April 3, 2020.

              On January 18, 2019, we delivered a notice to the last dayadministrative agent under the Senior Term Loan Facility and the trustee under the indentures governing each of the immediately preceding four fiscal quarters was less than 4.0 to 1 and to $50.0 million if the leverage ratio as of the last day of the immediately preceding four fiscal quarters was less than 3.5 to 1), and subject to further increase in an amount equal to 50% of cumulative excess cash flow that is not otherwise applied pursuant to Acquisition Corp.'s senior secured credit agreement. Furthermore, Holdings' subsidiaries will be permitted under the terms of Acquisition Corp.'s existing senior secured credit agreement, as it may be amended, and under other indebtedness, to incur additional indebtedness that may restrict or prohibit the making of distributions, the payment of dividends or the making of loans by such subsidiaries to Holdings.

                      In connection with this offering, we intend to redeem all outstanding Holdings Floating Rate Notes, all outstanding Holdings PIK Notes and 35% of the outstanding aggregate principal amount at maturity of Holdings Discount Notes.

              Covenant Compliance

                      Our borrowing arrangements, including the senior secured credit facility, the HoldingsSenior Notes and the Acquisition Corp.Secured Notes contain certain financial covenantschanging the Fixed GAAP Date, as defined under each such facility and the indentures, to October 1, 2018. Under the Revolving Credit Facility, the Fixed GAAP Date is set for April 3, 2020, other than in respect of capital leases, which are frozen at November 1, 2012.

              The Revolving Credit Facility contains a springing leverage ratio that is tied to ratiosa ratio based on Adjusted EBITDA, which is defined under the Revolving Credit Agreement. Our ability to borrow funds under the Revolving Credit Facility may depend upon our ability to meet the leverage ratio test at the end of a fiscal quarter to the extent we have drawn a certain amount of revolving loans. The indentures governing our notes and the notesSenior Term Loan Facility use financial measures called “Consolidated EBITDA” or “EBITDA,” respectively, that are substantially similar (but not identical) to EBITDA as "EBITDA."defined under the Revolving Credit Agreement. Adjusted EBITDA, (asa key measure used by our management to understand and evaluate our operating performance, generate future operating plans and make strategic decisions regarding allocation of capital, is equivalent to “EBITDA” as defined in the indentures) differs from the term "EBITDA" as it is commonly used. In additionour Revolving Credit Facility, and we refer to adjusting net income to exclude interest expense, income taxes, and depreciation and amortization, Adjusted EBITDA (as defined in indentures) also adjusts net income by excluding items or expenses not typically excluded“Adjusted EBITDA” in the calculation of "EBITDA" such as, among other items, (1) any reasonable expenses or charges related to any issuance of securities, investments permitted, permitted acquisitions, recapitalizations, asset sales permitted or indebtedness permitted to be incurred; (2) the amount of any restructuring charges or reserves, subject to certain limitations; (3) any non-cash charges (including any impairment charges); (4) any gain or loss resulting from hedging currency exchange risks, (5) the amount of management, monitoring, consulting and advisory fees paid to the Investors, and (6) any net after-tax income or loss from discontinued operations.disclosure below. See “Summary Historical Consolidated Financial Data.”

              Adjusted EBITDA is presented herein because it is a material component of the covenantsleverage ratio contained withinin the aforementioned agreements. Revolving Credit Agreement.Non-compliance with those covenantsthe leverage ratio could result in the requirementinability to immediately repay all amounts outstanding under those agreementsuse the Revolving Credit Facility, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial position and cash flow. Adjusted EBITDA does not represent net income or cash flow from operations as those terms are defined by GAAP and does not necessarily indicate whether cash flows will be sufficient to fund cash needs. While Adjusted EBITDA and similar measures are frequently used as measures of operations and the ability to meet debt service requirements, these terms are not necessarily comparable to other similarly titled captions of other companies due to the potential inconsistencies in the method of calculation. Adjusted EBITDA does not reflect the impact of earnings or charges resulting from matters that we may consider not to be indicative



              of our ongoing operations. In particular, the definition of Adjusted EBITDA in the indentures allows us to add back certain non-cash, extraordinary, unusual or non-recurring charges that are deducted in calculating net income. However, these are expenses that may recur, vary greatly and are difficult to predict.

              Adjusted pro forma EBITDA as presented below is not a measure of the performance of our business and should not be used by investors as an indicator of performance for any future period. Further, our debt instruments require that it be calculated for the most recent four fiscal quarters. As a result, the measure can be disproportionately affected by a particularly strong or weak quarter. Further, it may not be comparable to the measure for any subsequentfour-quarter period or any complete fiscal year.

                      The following is a reconciliation of net income (loss), which is a U.S. GAAP measure of our operating results, to Adjusted EBITDA as defined, and the calculation of fixed charge coverage and Net Indebtedness to Adjusted EBITDA ratios under the indentures governing the notes of Acquisition Corp. and Holdings for the most recently ended four fiscal quarters ended December 31, 2004. The terms and related calculations are defined in the indentures (in millions, except ratios).

               
               PRO FORMA
               
               
               Twelve Months Ended
              December 31, 2004

               Twelve Months Ended
              December 31, 2004(a)

               
              Net loss of Warner Music Group $(202)   
              Minority interest expense  19    
              Warrant mark-to-market—Warner Music Group  138    
              Interest expense—Warner Music Group  1    
                
                  
              Net loss of Holdings Corp.  (44)   
              Warrant mark-to-market—Holdings Corp  4    
              Interest expense—Holdings Corp  1    
                
                  
              Net loss of Acquisition Corp.  (39)   
              Interest expense, net  115    
              Income tax expense  37    
              Depreciation and amortization  248    
              Management fees(b)  9    
              Restructuring costs(c)  26    
              Equity in losses of equity method investees(d)  5    
              Loss on repayment of bridge loan(e)  6    
              Non-cash compensation expense(f)  3    
                
                  
              Adjusted EBITDA  410    
              Cost savings from Acquisition-related restructuring(g)  106    
                
                  
              Adjusted pro forma EBITDA $516 $516 
                
               
               

              Fixed Charges—Acquisition Corp.(h)

               

              $

              106

               

              $

              105

               
                
               
               
              Fixed Charges—Holdings(i) $143 $125 
                
               
               

              Net Indebtedness—Acquisition Corp.

               

              $

              1,543

               

              $

              2,003

               
                
               
               
              Net Indebtedness—Holdings Corp. $2,240 $2,166 
                
               
               

              Fixed charges coverage ratio—Acquisition Corp.(j)

               

               

              4.87

              x

               

              4.91

              x
                
               
               
              Fixed charges coverage ratio—Holdings(j)  3.62x 4.14x
                
               
               

              Net Indebtedness to Adjusted pro forma EBITDA ratio—Acquisition Corp.(k)

               

               

              2.99

              x

               

              3.88

              x
                
               
               
              Net Senior Indebtedness to Adjusted pro forma EBITDA ratio—Acquisition Corp.(k)  1.72x 2.61x
                
               
               

              Net Indebtedness to Adjusted pro forma EBITDA ratio—Holdings(k)

               

               

              4.34

              x

               

              4.20

              x
                
               
               

              (a)
              Reflects fixed charges, long-term debt and cash and cash equivalents after giving effect to this offering of common stock, the use of proceeds therefrom and the Concurrent Transactions. These items have no impact on Adjusted pro forma EBITDA.

              (b)
              Reflects management fees paid to the Investors for management advisory services.

              (c)
              Reflects costs associated with the Restructuring Plan and pre-Acquisition restructurings.

              (d)
              Represents our share of the net income of investments in companies accounted for using the equity method.

              (e)
              Reflects loss incurred on the repayment of the bridge loan used to fund the Acquisition.

              (f)
              Reflects costs of stock-based compensation accounted for under FAS 123 and representative costs of services provided by employees of the Investors who have filled in management roles on an interim basis.

              (g)
              Reflects reduction in operating expenses from restructurings already implemented for which the cost savings have not been fully reflected in our Statement of Operations.

              (h)
              Fixed charges is defined in the indenture as consolidated interest expense excluding certain noncash interest expense. Pro forma effect has been given to fixed charges for the (i) the Acquisition and the Original Financing and (ii) the Acquisition Corp. Refinancing as if they had occurred as of January 1, 2004.

              (i)
              Fixed charges is defined in the indenture as consolidated interest expense excluding certain noncash interest expense. Pro forma effect has been given to fixed charges for the Holdings Notes as if they had been issued as of January 1, 2004.

              (j)
              In order to be in compliance withaddition, our debt covenants,instruments require that the Fixed Charge coverageleverage ratio needs to exceed a 2.0x ratio.

              (k)
              In order for Acquisition Corp. to make certain restricted payments, including payments to Holdingsbe calculated on a pro forma basis after giving effectfor certain transactions including acquisitions as if such transactions had occurred on the first date of the measurement period and may include expected cost savings and synergies resulting from or related to any such payments, its Net Indebtedness to Adjusted EBITDA ratio needs totransaction. There can be lower than 3.75x, and its Net Senior Indebtedness to Adjusted EBITDA ratio needs tono assurances that any such cost savings or synergies will be lower than 2.5x. In order for Holdings to make certain restricted payments, including payments to Warner Music Group Corp., its Net Indebtedness to Adjusted EBITDA ratio needs to be lower than 4.25x. Acquisition Corp. and Holdings may make additional restricted payments using certain other exceptions provided forachieved in the indenture governing the Acquisition Corp. Notes and Holdings Notes, respectively.

                      The indentures governing the notes, subject to certain exceptions, also require the applicable issuer to have a Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio of at least 2.0 to 1.0 in order to incur additional debt.

              Summaryfull.

               

                 Twelve Months Ended
              March 31, 2020
               
                 (in millions, except ratio) 

              Adjusted EBITDA

                $755 
                

               

               

               

              Senior Secured Indebtedness (a)

                $2,428 
                

               

               

               

              Leverage Ratio (b)

                 3.22x 

              (a)

              Reflects the principal balance of senior secured debt at Acquisition Corp. of approximately $2.678 billion less cash of $250 million.

              (b)

              Reflects the ratio of Senior Secured Indebtedness, including Revolving Credit Agreement Indebtedness, to Adjusted EBITDA as of the twelve months ended March 31, 2020. This is calculated net of cash and equivalents of the Company as of March 31, 2020 not exceeding $250 million. If the outstanding aggregate principal amount of borrowings and drawings under letters of credit which have not been reimbursed under the Revolving Credit Facility is greater than $105 million at the end of a fiscal quarter, the maximum leverage ratio permitted under the Revolving Credit Facility is 5.00:1.00. The Company’s Revolving Credit Facility does not impose any “leverage ratio” restrictions on the Company when the aggregate principal amount of borrowings and drawings under letters of credit, which have not been reimbursed under the Revolving Credit Facility, is less than or equal to $105 million at the end of a fiscal quarter.

              Summary

              Management believes that future funds generated from our operations and borrowings under the Revolving Credit Facility and available borrowing capacitycash and equivalents will be sufficient to fund our debt service requirements, working capital requirements and capital expenditure requirements and the remaining one-time costs associated with the execution of the Restructuring Plan to generate cost savings for the foreseeable future. We also have additional borrowing capacity under our indentures and the Senior Term Loan Facility. However, our ability to continue to fund these items and to reduce debt may be affected by general economic, financial, competitive, legislative and regulatory factors, as well as other industry-specific factors such as the ability to control music piracy.piracy and the continued transition from physical to digital formats in the recorded music and music publishing industries. It could also be affected by the severity and duration of natural or man-made disasters, including pandemics such as COVID-19. We and our affiliates continue to evaluate opportunities to, from time to time, depending on market conditions and prices, contractual restrictions, our financial liquidity and other factors, seek to pay dividends or prepay outstanding debt or repurchase or retire Acquisition Corp.’s outstanding debt or debt securities in open market purchases, privately negotiated purchases or otherwise. The amounts involved in any such transactions, individually or in the aggregate, may be material and may be funded from available cash or from additional borrowings. In addition, from time to time, depending on market conditions and prices, contractual restrictions, our financial liquidity and other factors, we may seek to refinance the Senior Credit Facilities or our outstanding debt or debt securities with existing cash and/or with funds provided from additional borrowings. Certain of our executive officers participate in the Plan, which permits those executive officers to defer all or a portion of their free cash flow bonuses and receive grants of indirect equity interests in the Company. Payments under the Plan, which could be material, are influenced by the Company’s valuation and other market factors, including the price of our common stock.

              Contractual and Other Obligations

              Firm Commitments

              The following table summarizes the Company'sCompany’s aggregate contractual obligations at September 30, 2004,2019, and the estimated timing and effect that such obligations are expected to have on the Company'sCompany’s liquidity and cash flow in future periods. We expect to fund the firm commitments with operating cash flow generated in the normal course of business and availability under the $250 million (including $4 million of letters of credit) revolving credit portion of the senior secured credit facility.


              Firm Commitments and Outstanding Debt

               2005
               2006-2008
               2009 and
              thereafter

               Total
               
               (in millions)

              Term loan facility(a) $12 $36 $1,146 $1,194
              Acquisition Corp. Notes      646  646
              Operating leases  49  131  201  381
              Artist, songwriter and co-publisher commitments  68  208  69  345
              Minimum funding commitments to investees and other obligations  28  24  13  65
                
               
               
               
              Total firm commitments and outstanding debt(b) $157 $399 $2,075 $2,631
                
               
               
               

              (a)
              Does not include $250 million of new borrowings in connection with Acquisition Corp.'s proposed amendment to its senior secured credit facility. Amortization under such new term loan is expected to be $2.5 million, $7.5 million and $240 million for 2005, 2006-2008 and 2009 and thereafter, for a total of $250 million.

              (b)
              Excludes $696 million of Holdings Notes issued in December 2004, which together with $151 million of initial issuance discount as of December 31, 2004, is repayable beginning in 2011. We intend to repay $534 million of the total $696 million of Holding Notes with the proceeds of this offering.

               

              Firm Commitments and Outstanding Debt

                Less than
              1 year
                 1-3
              years
                 3-5
              years
                 After 5
              years
                 Total 
                 (in millions) 

              Senior Secured Notes (1)

                $—     $—     $300   $1,047   $1,347 

              Interest on Senior Secured Notes (1)

                 57    115    100    56    328 

              Senior Notes (1)

                 —      —      —      325    325 

              Interest on Senior Notes (1)

                 18    36    36    36    126 

              Senior Term Loan Facility (1)

                 —      —      1,326    —      1,326 

              Interest on Senior Term Loan Facility (1)

                 52    100    55    —      207 

              Operating leases (2)

                 52    97    92    207    448 

              Artist, songwriter andco-publisher commitments (3)

                 428    *    *    *    428 

              Management Fees (4)

                 11    18    18    **    47 

              Minimum funding commitments to investees and other obligations (5)

                 7    3    —      —      10 
                

               

               

                 

               

               

                 

               

               

                 

               

               

                 

               

               

               

              Total firm commitments and outstanding debt

                $625   $369   $1,927   $1,671   $4,592 
                

               

               

                 

               

               

                 

               

               

                 

               

               

                 

               

               

               

              The following is a description of our firmly committed contractual obligations at September 30, 2004:

                Operating lease obligations primarily relate to the minimum lease rental obligations for our real estate and operating equipment in various locations around the world. These obligations have been presented without the benefit of $21 million of sublease income expected to be received under non-cancelable agreements.

                We enter into long-term commitments with artists, songwriters and co-publishers for the future delivery of music product. Aggregate firm commitments to such talent approximated $345 million across hundreds of artists, songwriters, publishers, songs and albums at September 30, 2004. Such commitments, which are unpaid advances across multiple albums and songs, are payable principally over a ten-year period, generally upon delivery of albums from the artists or future musical compositions by songwriters and co-publishers. Because the timing of payment, and even whether payment occurs, is dependent upon the timing of delivery of albums and musical compositions from talent, the timing and amount of payment of these commitments as presented in the above summary can vary significantly.

                We have minimum funding commitments and other related obligations to support the operations of various investments.

              MARKET RISK MANAGEMENT2019:

               We are exposed to market risk arising from changes in market rates and prices, including movements in foreign currency exchange rates and interest rates.

              (1)

              Outstanding debt obligations consist of the Senior Term Loan Facility, the Senior Secured Notes and the Senior Notes. These obligations have been presented based on the principal amounts due, current and long term as of September 30, 2019. Amounts do not include any fair value adjustments, bond premiums, discounts or unamortized deferred financing costs.

              (2)

              Operating lease obligations primarily relate to the minimum lease rental obligations for our real estate and operating equipment in various locations around the world. These obligations have been presented without the benefit of $1 million of total sublease income expected to be received undernon-cancelable agreements.

              (3)

              The Company routinely enters into long-term commitments with recording artists, songwriters and publishers for the future delivery of music. Such commitments generally become due only upon delivery and Company acceptance of albums from the artists or future musical compositions by songwriters and publishers. Additionally, such commitments are typically cancelable at the Company’s discretion, generally without penalty. Based on contractual obligations, aggregate firm commitments to such talent approximate $428 million at September 30, 2019. The aggregate firm commitments expected for the next twelve-month period based on contractual obligations and the Company’s expected release schedule approximates $229 million at September 30, 2019.

              (4)

              Pursuant to the Management Agreement, the Company is required to pay Access an annual fee equal to the greater of (i) a base amount, which is the sum of (x) $6 million and (y) 1.5% of the aggregate amount of Acquired EBITDA (as defined in the Management Agreement) and was approximately $9 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019, and (ii) 1.5% of the EBITDA (as defined in the indenture governing the redeemed WMG Holdings Corp. 13.75% Senior Notes due 2019) of the Company for the applicable fiscal year, plus expenses, as well as certain other fees specified in the Management Agreement. The future balances disclosed are representative of the base amount of the annual fee only. The Management Agreement will terminate in accordance with its terms upon consummation of this offering, and the Company will pay all fees and expenses due and payable thereunder following such termination in accordance with the terms of the Management Agreement, including a termination fee and a fee for transaction services in an estimated aggregate amount of approximately $60 million. See “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Transactions with Access Affiliates—Management Agreement.”

              Foreign Currency Risk

              (5)

              We have minimum funding commitments and other related obligations to support the operations of various investments, which are reflected in the table above. Other long-term liabilities include $12 million and $15 million of liabilities for uncertain tax positions as of September 30, 2019 and September 30, 2018, respectively. We are unable to accurately predict when these amounts will be realized or released.

              *

              Because the timing of payment, and even whether payment occurs, is dependent upon the timing of delivery of albums and musical compositions, the timing and amount of payment of these commitments as presented in the above summary can vary significantly.

              **

              Per the above explanation, the minimum annual fee would have been approximately $9 million per year. As disclosed in note (4) above, the Management Agreement will terminate in accordance with its terms upon consummation of this offering.

                      The Company has significant transactional exposure to changes in foreign currency exchange rates relative to the U.S. dollar due to the global scope of our operations. For the ten months ended September 30, 2004, approximately $1.4 billion, or 54%, of our revenues were generated outside of the U.S. The top five revenue-producing international countries are the U.K., Germany, Japan, France and



              Italy, which use the British pound, euro and Japanese yen as currencies, respectively. See Note 24 to our audited financial statements included elsewhere herein for information on our operations in different geographical areas.

                      Historically, Time Warner and we used foreign exchange contracts primarily to hedge the risk that unremitted or future royalties and license fees owed to our domestic companies for the sale, or anticipated sale, of U.S.-copyrighted products abroad may be adversely affected by changes in foreign currency exchange rates. However, in connection with the Acquisition, we are in the process of evaluating our hedging practices and alternatives and no significant foreign exchange contracts have been entered into as of December 31, 2004. See Note 23 to our audited financial statements included elsewhere herein for additional information.

                      The Company also is exposed to foreign currency exchange rate risk with respect to its 100 million principal amount of sterling-denominated notes that were issued in April 2004. These sterling notes mature on April 15, 2014. As of September 30, 2004, these sterling notes had a fair value of approximately $187 million, compared to a carrying value of $181 million. Based on the principal amount of sterling-denominated notes outstanding as of September 30, 2004 and assuming that all other market variables are held constant (including the level of interest rates), a 10% weakening of the U.S. dollar compared to the UK sterling would increase the fair value of these sterling notes to approximately $205 million. Conversely, a 10% strengthening of the U.S. dollar compared to the UK sterling would decrease the fair value of these sterling notes to approximately $169 million.

              Interest Rate Risk

                      We had $1.840 billion of total debt outstanding as of September 30, 2004, of which $1.194 billion was variable rate debt. As such, we are exposed to changes in interest rates. In order to manage this exposure, and consistent with the requirement under our senior secured credit facility to maintain a fixed-to-floating debt ratio of at least 50% of our actual funded debt though at least April 2007, we entered into interest rate swap agreements with a notional face amount of $300 million in 2004. Under these interest rate swap agreements, we agreed to receive floating-rate payments (based on three-month LIBOR rates) in exchange for fixed-rate payments for a fixed term of three years through May 2007.

                      Based on the amount of our floating-rate debt and our interest rate swap agreements outstanding as of September 30, 2004, each 25 basis point increase or decrease in interest rates would increase or decrease our annual interest expense and cash outlay by approximately $2 million. This potential increase or decrease is based on the simplified assumption that the level of floating-rate debt remains constant with an immediate across the board increase or decrease as of September 30, 2004 with no subsequent change in rates for the remainder of the period. This increase or decrease in rates would partially be mitigated by an increase or decrease in interest income earned on the Company's cash balances, almost all of which are invested in short-term variable interest rate earning assets. In addition, in connection with the Holdings Refinancing in December 2004, we issued approximately $450 million of variable rate debt. As such, our exposure to each 25 basis point change in interest rates as outlined above would increase or decrease our annual interest expense and cash outlay by an additional $1 million.

                      In addition to our $1.194 billion of variable-rate debt, we had approximately $646 million of fixed-rate debt outstanding at September 30, 2004. Based on the level of interest rates prevailing at September 30, 2004, the fair value of this fixed-rate debt was approximately $666 million. Further, based on the amount of our fixed-rate debt and our related $300 million of interest rate swap agreements noted above that were outstanding at September 30, 2004, a 25 basis point increase or decrease in the level of interest rates would increase or decrease the fair value of the fixed-rate debt by



              approximately $10 million. This potential increase or decrease is based on the simplified assumption that the level of fixed-rate debt remains constant with an immediate across the board increase or decrease in the level of interest rates with no subsequent changes in rates for the remainder of the period.

                      As of December 31, 2004, on a pro forma basis after giving effect to (i) the use of $574 million of our net proceeds from the issuance of common stock to repay all outstanding Holdings Floating Rate Notes, all outstanding Holdings PIK Notes and 35% of outstanding Holdings Discount Notes including interest obligations through the anticipated redemption date; and (ii) the Concurrent Transactions, including the $250 million of new term loan borrowings under Acquisition Corp.'s proposed amendment to its senior secured credit facility, Warner Music Group would have had $1.041 billion of funded variable-rate indebtedness, net of the effect of $400 million notional amount of interest-rate swaps that effectively convert a portion of our variable-rate indebtedness to fixed-rate indebtedness. As such, we are sensitive to changes in interest rates. For each 0.125% increase or decrease in interest rates, our interest expense and net loss each would increase or decrease, respectively, by approximately $1 million.

                      We monitor our positions with, and the credit quality of, the financial institutions that are party to any of our financial transactions. Credit risk relating to the interest rate swaps is considered low because the swaps are entered into with strong, credit-worthy counterparties, and the credit risk is confined to the net settlement of the interest over the remaining life of the swaps.

              CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES

              The SEC'sSEC’s Financial Reporting Release No. 60, "Cautionary“Cautionary Advice Regarding Disclosure About Critical Accounting Policies" ("Policies” (“FRR 60"60”), suggests companies provide additional disclosure and commentary on those accounting policies considered most critical. FRR 60 considers an accounting policy to be critical if it is important to our financial condition and results, and requires significant judgment and estimates on the part of management in our application. We believe the following list represents the critical accounting policies of us as contemplated by FRR 60. For a summary of all of our significant accounting policies, see Note 3 and Note 42 to our audited financial statementsConsolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere herein.

              Purchase AccountingBusiness Combinations

              We account for our business acquisitions under the purchase method of accounting.FASB ASC Topic 805,Business Combinations (“ASC 805”) guidance for business combinations. The total cost of acquisitions is allocated to the underlying identifiable net assets based on their respective estimated fair values. The excess of the purchase price over the estimated fair values of the net assets acquired is recorded as goodwill. Determining the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed requires management'smanagement’s judgment and often involves the use of significant estimates and assumptions, including assumptions with respect to future cash inflows and outflows, discount rates, asset lives and market multiples, among other items. In addition, reserves have been established onIf our balance sheet related toassumptions or estimates in the fair value calculation change, the fair value of our acquired liabilities and qualifying restructuring costs based on assumptions made atintangible assets could change; this would also change the timevalue of acquisition. We evaluate these reserves on a regular basis to determine the adequacy or accuracy of the amounts estimated.our goodwill.


              Accounting for Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets

                      As discussed in Note 11 toWe account for our audited combined financial statements included elsewhere herein, effectivegoodwill and other indefinite-lived intangible assets as of December 1, 2001,required by FASB ASC Topic 350,Intangibles—Goodwill and Other (“ASC 350”). Under ASC 350, we adopted FAS 142. FAS 142 which requires thatdo not amortize goodwill, including the goodwill included in the carrying value of investments accounted for using the equity method of accounting, and certain other intangible assets deemed to have an indefinite useful life, cease amortization. FAS 142life. ASC 350 requires that goodwill and certain intangible assets be assessed for impairment using fair value measurement techniques. Specifically, goodwilltechniques on an annual basis and when events occur that may suggest that the fair value of such assets cannot support the carrying value. ASC 350 gives an entity the option to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount. If an entity determines it is not more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, then performing thetwo-step impairment test is determined using a unnecessary. However, if an entity concludes otherwise, then it is required to perform the step one of thetwo-step process. The first step of the goodwill impairment test is used to identify potential impairment by comparing the fair value of a reporting unit with its net book value (or carrying amount), including goodwill.

              In performing the first step, management determines the fair value of its reporting units using a discounted cash flow (“DCF”) analysis. Determining fair value requires significant judgment concerning the assumptions used in the valuation model, including discount rates, the amount and timing of expected future cash flows, and growth

              rates. The cash flows employed in the DCF analysis are based on management’s most recent budgets and business plans and when applicable, various growth rates have been assumed for years beyond the current business plan periods. Any forecast contains a degree of uncertainty and modifications to these cash flows could significantly increase or decrease the fair value of a reporting unit. For example, if revenue from sales of physical formats continues to decline and the revenue from sales of digital formats does not continue to grow as expected and we are unable to adjust costs accordingly, it could have a negative impact on future impairment tests.

              If the fair value of a reporting unit exceeds its carrying amount, goodwill of the reporting unit is considered not impaired and the second step of the impairment test is unnecessary. If the carrying amount of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value, the second step of the goodwill impairment test is performed to measure the amount of impairment loss, if any. The second step of the goodwill impairment test compares the implied fair value of the reporting unit'sunit’s goodwill with the carrying amount of that goodwill. If the carrying amount of the reporting unit'sunit’s goodwill exceeds the implied fair value of that goodwill, an impairment loss is recognized in an amount equal to that excess. The implied fair value of goodwill is determined in the same manner as the amount of goodwill recognized in a business combination. That is, the fair value of the reporting unit is allocated to all of the assets and liabilities of that unit (including any unrecognized intangible assets) as if the reporting unit had been acquired in a business combination and the fair value of the reporting unit was the purchase price paid to acquire the reporting unit.

              As of March 31, 2020, we had recorded goodwill in the amount of $1.761 billion, including $1.297 billion and $464 million for our Recorded Music and Music Publishing businesses, respectively, primarily related to the Merger and PLG Acquisition. We test our goodwill and other indefinite-lived intangible assets for impairment on an annual basis in the fourth quarter of each fiscal year as of July 1. The performance of our fiscal 2019 impairment analysis did not result in an impairment of the Company’s goodwill and other indefinite-lived intangible assets and no indicators of impairment were identified during the six months ended March 31, 2020 that required the Company to perform an interim assessment or recoverability test.

              The impairment test for other intangible assets consists ofnot subject to amortization involves a comparison of the estimated fair value of the intangible asset with its carrying value. If the carrying value of the intangible asset exceeds its fair value, an impairment loss is recognized in an amount equal to that excess.

                      Determining The estimates of fair value of intangible assets not subject to amortization are determined using a DCF analysis. Common among such approaches is the “relief from royalty” methodology, which is used in estimating the fair value of a reporting unit under the first stepCompany’s trademarks. Discount rate assumptions are based on an assessment of the goodwill impairment test and determining the fair value of individual assets and liabilities of a reporting unit (including unrecognized intangible assets) under the second step of the goodwill impairment test is judgmental in nature and often involves the use of significant estimates and assumptions. Similarly, estimates and assumptions are used in determining the fair value of other intangible assets. These estimates and assumptions could have a significant impact on whether or not an impairment charge is recognized and also the magnitude of any such charge. To assistrisk inherent in the process of determining goodwill impairment, Warner Music Group obtains appraisals from independent valuation firms. In addition to the use of independent valuation firms, Warner Music Group performs internal valuation analyses and considers other market information that is publicly available. Estimates of fair value are primarily determined using discounted cash flows and market comparisons and recent transactions. These approaches use significant estimates and assumptions including projected future cash flows (including timing), discount rate reflectinggenerated by the risk inherent in future cash flows, perpetual growth rate, determination of appropriate market comparables and the determination of whether a premium or discount should be appliedrespective intangible assets. Also subject to comparables.

                      Upon the adoption of FAS 142 in the first quarter of fiscal 2002, we recorded a non-cash charge of approximately $4.8 billion to reduce the carrying value of goodwill arising from the AOL-Time Warner Merger. Such charge is non-operational in nature and is reflected as a cumulative effect of a change in accounting principle in the accompanying combined statement of operations. The amount of the impairment primarily reflects the decline in Time Warner's stock price subsequent to when the AOL Time Warner Merger was announced and valued for accounting purposes in January 2000, as well as declines in the valuation of music-related businesses since January 2001 due, largely, to the industry-wide effects of piracy.

                      FAS 142 also required that goodwill deemed to be related to an entity as a whole be assigned to all of Time Warner's reporting units instead of only to the businesses of the company acquired, as was



              the case under existing practice. As a result, approximately $5.9 billion of goodwill generated in the AOL Time Warner Merger that had been previously allocated to the combined financial statements was reallocated to other segments of Time Warner.

                      During the fourth quarter of 2002, we performed our annual impairment review for goodwill and other intangible assets and recorded an additional charge of approximately $1.5 billion,judgment are assumptions about royalty rates, which is recorded as a component of operating loss in our combined statement of operations. The charge consisted of a reduction in the carrying value of goodwill by approximately $646 million and a reduction in the carrying value of brands and trademarks by approximately $854 million. The amount of the impairment primarily reflects the decline in the valuation of music-related businesses due, largely, to the industry-wide effects of piracy.

                      The impairment charges recognized in connection with the initial adoption of FAS 142 and during the fourth quarter were non-cash in nature and did not affect our liquidity.

                      During the fourth quarter of 2003, in connection with Time Warner's agreement to sell us, we recorded an additional $1.019 billion impairment charge. The charge was necessary to reduce the carrying value of our intangible assets to fair valueare based on the consideration agreed to be exchangedestimated rates at which similar trademarks are being licensed in the transaction. The impairment charge is classified as a component of operating loss in our combined statement of operations. The charge consisted of a reduction in the carrying value of goodwill by $5 million, brands and trademarks by $766 million, recorded music catalog by $208 million and other intangible assets by $40 million.marketplace.

                      The impairment charges recognized prior to 2003 were based on our estimates of fair value at the time the charges were recognized. As such, there were significant judgments made at the time. However, because the 2003 impairment charge was based principally on the difference between the negotiated purchase price of Warner Music Group and the historical book value of the net assets acquired, the amount of the charge was readily determinable.

                      As of September 30, 2004, Warner Music Group has recorded goodwill in the amount of $978 million, primarily relatedSee Note 7 to the Acquisition. See Note 5 and Note 11 to our audited financial statementsConsolidated Financial Statements included hereinelsewhere in this prospectus for a further discussion of Warner Music Group's goodwill.our goodwill and intangible assets.

              Equity Method and Cost Method Investments

                      For non-publicly traded investments, management's assessment of fair value is based on valuation methodologies including discounted cash flows, estimates of sales proceeds and external appraisals, as appropriate. The ability to accurately predict future cash flows, especially in developing and unstable markets, may impact the determination of fair value.

                      In the event a decline in fair value of an investment occurs, management may be required to determine if the decline in market value is other than temporary. Management's assessments as to the nature of a decline in fair value are based on the valuation methodologies discussed above and our ability and intent to hold the investment. We consider our equity method investees to be strategic long-term investments; therefore, we generally complete our assessments with a long-term viewpoint. If the fair value is less than the carrying value and the decline in value is considered to be other than temporary, an appropriate write-down is recorded. Management's assessments of fair value in accordance with these valuation methodologies represent our best estimates as of the time of the impairment review and are consistent with our internal planning. If different fair values were estimated, this could have a material impact on the financial statements.



              Revenue and Cost Recognition

              Sales ReturnsRevenues

              Recorded Music

              As required by FASB ASC Topic 606,Revenue from Contracts with Customers(“ASC 606”), the Company recognizes revenue when, or as, control of the promised services or goods is transferred to our customers and Uncollectible Accountsin an amount that reflects the consideration the Company is contractually due in exchange for those services or goods.

              Revenues from the licenses of Recorded Music products through digital distribution channels are typically recognized when usage occurs based on usage reports received from the customer. These licenses typically contain a single performance obligation, which is ongoing access to all intellectual property in an evolving

              content library, predicated on: (1) the business practice and contractual ability to remove specific content without a requirement to replace the content and without impact to minimum royalty guarantees; and (2) the contracts not containing a specific listing of content subject to the license.

              For certain licenses where the consideration is fixed and the intellectual property being licensed is static, revenue is recognized at the point in time when control of the licensed content is transferred to the customer.

              Revenues from the sale of physical Recorded Music products are recognized upon delivery, which occurs once the product has been shipped and control has been transferred. In accordance with industry practice in the recorded music industry and as is customary in many territories, certain products, (suchsuch as compact discsCDs and cassettes)DVDs, are sold to customers with the right to return unsold items. Revenues from such sales are generally recognized when the products are shippedupon shipment based on gross sales less a provision for future estimated returns.

              Music Publishing

              Music Publishing revenues are earned from the receipt of royalties relating to the licensing of rights in musical compositions and the sale of published sheet music and songbooks. The receipt of royalties principally relates to amounts earned from the public performance of musical compositions, the mechanical reproduction of musical compositions on recorded media including digital formats and the use of musical compositions in synchronization with visual images. Music publishing royalties, except for synchronization royalties, generally are recognized when the sale or usage occurs.

              The most common form of consideration for publishing contracts is sales- and usage-based royalties. The collecting societies submit usage reports, typically with payment for royalties due, often on a quarterly or biannual reporting period, in arrears. Royalties are recognized as the sale or usage occurs based upon usage reports and, when these reports are not available, royalties are estimated based on historical data, such as recent royalties reported, company-specific information with respect to changes in repertoire, industry information and other relevant trends. Synchronization revenue is typically recognized as revenue when control of the license is transferred to the customer in accordance with ASC 606.

              Refund Liabilities and Allowance for Doubtful Accounts

              Management’s estimate of Recorded Music physical products that will be returned, and the amount of receivables that will ultimately be collected is an area of judgment affecting reported revenues and operating income. In determining the estimate of physical product sales that will be returned, management analyzes vendor sales of product, historical returns,return trends, current economic trends andconditions, changes in customer demand and commercial acceptance of ourthe Company’s products. Based on this information, management reserves a percentage of each dollar of physical product sales that provide the customer with the right of return. The provision for such sales returns is reflected as a reduction in the revenues from the related sale.

              Similarly, the Company monitors customer credit risk related to provide for the estimated customer returns.

                      Similarly, management evaluates accounts receivables to determine if they will ultimately be collected. In performing this evaluation, significantreceivable. Significant judgments and estimates are involved includingin evaluating if such amounts will ultimately be fully collected. On an analysisongoing basis, the Company tracks customer exposure based on news reports, ratings agency information, reviews of customer financial data and direct dialogue with customers. Counterparties that are determined to be of a higher risk are evaluated to assess whether the payment terms previously granted to them should be modified. The Company also monitors payment levels from customers, and a provision for estimated uncollectible amounts is maintained based on such payment levels, historical experience, management’s views on trends in the overall receivable agings and, for larger accounts, analyses of specific risks on a customer-by-customer basis for larger accounts and customers, and a receivables aging analysis that determines the percent that has historically been uncollected by aged category. customer-specific basis.

              Based on this information, management provides a reserve for the estimated amounts believed to be uncollectible.

                      Based on management'smanagement’s analysis of sales returns, refund liabilities of $23 million and $23 million were established at March 31, 2020 and September 30, 2019, respectively. Based on management’s analysis of uncollectible accounts, reserves totaling $222of $21 million and $291$17 million have beenwere established at March 31, 2020 and September 30, 2004 and November 30, 2003,2019, respectively. This compares to total gross receivables of $793 million and $1.027 billion at September 30, 2004 and November 30, 2003, respectively.

              The comparability of the gross dollar value of such reserves has been affected by the inherent seasonality in the music business. That is, the recorded music business historically has generated approximately 35% of its sales in the last three months of the calendar year due to increased consumer demand associated with the holiday season. As such, both gross receivables and related allowances would be at a naturally lower level at September 30, the end of our new fiscal year, in comparison to their level at November 30, the end of our old fiscal year. The ratiosratio of our receivable allowances and refund liabilities to gross accounts receivables were approximately 28%was 6% at the end of bothMarch 31, 2020 and 5% at September 30, 20042019.

              Accounting for Royalty Advances

              We regularly commit to and November 30, 2003.

              Gross Versus Net Revenue Classification

                      Inpay royalty advances to our recording artists and songwriters in respect of future sales. We account for these advances under the normal course of business,related guidance in FASB ASC Topic 928,Entertainment—Music(“ASC 928”). Under ASC 928, we actcapitalize as an intermediaryassets certain advances that we believe are recoverable from future royalties to be earned by the recording artist or agent with respect to certain payments received from third parties. For example, we distribute music product on behalf of third-party record labels.

                      The accounting issue encounteredsongwriter. Advances vary in these arrangements is whether we should report revenueboth amount and expected life based on the "gross" amount billedunderlying recording artist or songwriter. Advances to recording artists or songwriters with a history of successful commercial acceptability will typically be larger than advances to a newer or unproven recording artist or songwriter. In addition, in certain cases these advances represent a multi-album release or multi-musical composition obligation and the number of album releases and musical compositions will vary by recording artist or songwriter.

              Management’s decision to capitalize an advance to a recording artist or songwriter as an asset requires significant judgment as to the ultimate customer or onrecoverability of the "net" amount received fromadvance. The recoverability is assessed upon initial commitment of the customer after participation and other royalties paid to third parties. To the extent revenues are recorded gross, any participations and royalties paid to third parties are recorded as expenses so that the net amount (gross revenues, less expenses) flows through operating income. Accordingly, the impact on operating income is the same, whether we record the revenue on a gross or net basis. For example, if we distribute a CD to a wholesaler for $15 and pass $10 to the third-party record label, the question is whether we should record grossadvance based upon management’s forecast of anticipated revenue from the wholesaler of $15sale and $10 of expenses, or should we record the net revenues we keep of $5. In either case, the impact on operating income is $5.

                      Determining whether revenue should be reported gross or net is based on an assessment of whether we are acting as the "principal" in a transaction or acting as an "agent" in the transaction. To the extent we are acting as a principal in a transaction, we report as revenue the payments received on a gross basis. To the extent we are acting as an agent in a transaction, we report as revenue the



              payments received less participations and royalties paid to third parties, i.e., on a net basis. The determination of whether we are serving as principal or agent in a transaction is judgmental in nature and based on an evaluation of the terms of an arrangement.

                      In determining whether we serve as principal or agent in these arrangements, we follow the guidance in EITF 99-19, "Reporting Revenue Gross as a Principal versus Net as an Agent" ("EITF 99-19"). Pursuant to such guidance, we serve as the principal in transactions in which it has substantial risks and rewards of ownership. The indicators that we have substantial risks and rewards of ownership are as follows:

                we are the supplier of the products or services to the customer;

                we have general inventory risk for a product before it is sold;

                we have latitude in establishing prices;

                we have the contractual relationship with the ultimate customer;

                we modify and service the product purchased to meet the ultimate customer specifications;

                we have discretion in supplier selection; and

                we have credit risk.

                      Conversely, pursuant to EITF 99-19, we serve as agent in arrangements where we do not have substantial risks and rewards of ownership. The indicators that we do not have substantial risks and rewards of ownership are as follows:

                the supplier (not Warner Music Group) is responsible for providing the product or service to the customer;

                the supplier (not Warner Music Group) has latitude in establishing prices;

                the amount we earn is fixed; and

                the supplier (not Warner Music Group) has credit risk.

                      Based on the above criteria and for the more significant transactions that we have evaluated, we record the distribution of product on behalf of third-party record labels on a gross basis, subject to the terms of the contract. However, recorded music compilations distributed by other record companies where we have a right to participate in the profits are recorded on a net basis.

              Accounting for Royalty Advances

                      Another area of judgment affecting reported net income is management's estimate of the recoverability of artist advances and publisher advances. The recoverability of those assets is based on management's forecast of anticipated revenues from the salelicensing of future and existing music and publishing-related products.albums or musical compositions. In determining whether those amounts arethe advance is recoverable, management evaluates the current and past popularity of the artistsrecording artist or publishers,songwriter, the sales history of the recording artist or songwriter, the initial or expected commercial acceptabilityacceptance of the product,music, the current and past popularity of the genre of music that the productmusic is designed to appeal to, and other relevant factors. Based onupon this information, management expenses the portion of such advancesany advance that it believes is not recoverable. In most cases, advances to recording artists or songwriters without a history of success and evidence of current or past popularity will be expensed immediately. Advances are individually assessed for recoverability continuously and at minimum on a quarterly basis. As part of September 30, 2004 and November 30, 2003,the ongoing assessment of recoverability, we monitor the projection of future sales based on the current environment, the recording artist’s or songwriter’s ability to meet their contractual obligations as well as our intent to support future album releases or musical compositions from the recording artist or songwriter. To the extent that a portion of an outstanding advance is no longer deemed recoverable, that amount will be expensed in the period the determination is made.

              We had $446$421 million and $511$378 million of advances onin our balance sheet that weat March 31, 2020 and September 30, 2019, respectively. We believe such advances are recoverable respectively.through future royalties to be earned by the applicable recording artists and songwriters.

              Stock-Based Compensation

                      The Company accounts for stock-based compensation issued to employees in accordance with SFAS 148, "Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation Transition and Disclosure" which amends FASB



              Statement No. 123. This statement provides alternative methods of transition for a voluntary change to the fair value-based method of accounting for stock-based employee compensation. The Company adopted the expense recognition provision of SFAS 123 as of March 1, 2004 and will provide stock-based compensation expense for grants on and after that date on a modified prospective basis as provided by SFAS 148, and will continue to provide pro forma information for all previous periods in the notes to financial statements to provide results as if SFAS 123 had been adopted in those years. As disclosed in the notes to financial statements, the Company estimated the fair value of options issued at the date of grant using a Black-Scholes option-pricing model, which includes assumptions related to volatility, expected life, dividend yield and risk-free interest rate. The Company also issues restricted stock units. For restricted stock units issued, the accounting charge is measured at the grant date and amortized ratably as non-cash compensation over the vesting term.

              Accounting for Income Taxes

              As part of the process of preparing itsthe consolidated financial statements, the Company iswe are required to estimate income taxes payable in each of the jurisdictions in which it operates.we operate. This process involves estimating the actual current tax expense together with assessing temporary differences resulting from differing treatment of items for tax and accounting purposes. These differences result in deferred tax assets and liabilities, which are included within the Company'sour consolidated and combined balance sheets. SFAS 109FASB ASC Topic 740,Income Taxes (“ASC 740”), requires a valuation allowance be established when it is more likely than not that all or a portion of deferred tax assets will not be realized. In circumstances where there is sufficient negative evidence, establishment of a valuation allowance must be considered. The Company believesWe believe that cumulative losses in the most recent three-year period generally represent sufficient negative evidence to consider a valuation allowance under the provisions of SFAS 109.ASC 740. As a result, the Companywe determined that certain of itsour deferred tax assets required the establishment of a valuation allowance.

              The realization of the remaining deferred tax assets is primarily dependent on forecasted future taxable income. Any reduction in estimated forecasted future taxable income may require that we record additional valuation allowances against our deferred tax assets on which a valuation allowance has not previously been established. The valuation allowance that has been established will be maintained until there is sufficient positive evidence to conclude that it is more likely than not that such assets will be realized. An ongoing pattern of profitability will generally be considered as sufficient positive evidence. Our income tax expense recorded in the future willmay be reduced to the extent of offsetting decreases in our valuation allowance. The establishment and reversal of valuation allowances could have a significant negative or positive impact on our future earnings.

                      Tax assessments

              From time to time, the Company engages in transactions in which the tax consequences may arise several years afterbe subject to uncertainty. Significant judgment is required in assessing and estimating the tax consequences of these transactions. The Company prepares and files tax returns based on its interpretation of tax laws and regulations. In the normal course of business, the Company’s tax returns are subject to examination by various taxing authorities. Such examinations may result in future tax and interest assessments by these taxing authorities. In determining the Company’s tax provision for financial reporting purposes, the Company establishes a reserve for uncertain tax positions unless such positions are determined to be more likely than not of being sustained upon examination based on their technical merits. There is considerable judgment involved in determining whether positions taken on the Company’s tax returns are more likely than not of being sustained.

              Accounting for Share-Based Compensation

              Share-based compensation represents compensation payment for which the amounts are based on the fair market value of the Company’s common stock. The Plan is classified as a liability rather than equity under

              FASB ASC Topic 718,Compensation—Stock Compensation (“ASC 718”). Liability classified share-based compensation costs are measured at fair value each reporting date until settlement.

              Determining fair value requires significant judgment concerning the assumptions used in the valuation model, including discount rates, the amount and timing of expected future cash flows and growth rates. Determining fair value requires significant judgment concerning the assumptions used in the valuation model, including discount rates, the amount and timing of expected future cash flows and growth rates. There are two general valuation approaches that are used in estimating fair value of a business that is considered to be a going concern: the income approach and market approach. As of September 30, 2019, the Company derived its fair value through the application of the income approach using a discounted cash flow model, which is then adjusted for non-operating assets and the estimated fair value of the Company’s debt. The Company’s valuation approach did not include the application of the market approach due to no directly comparable market transactions.

              Since inception of the Plan, the Company had made a policy election that whenever share-based payment awards are required to be measured as a liability, the Company would use the intrinsic value method to measure the costs. Under the intrinsic value method, the Company obtained the valuation of the presumed stock price and re-measures the related awards using this new price, recognizing compensation costs for the difference between the existing price and new price.

              In February 2020, the Company was required a change this accounting policy during the quarter from the intrinsic value method to fair value method in determining the basis of measurement of its share-based compensation liability. In determining fair value of the liability under this new basis, the Company utilized an option pricing model for those awards with an option-like pay-off, which includes various inputs for volatility, term to exit, discount for lack of marketability, expected dividend yield and risk-free rates. For awards with an equity-like pay-off, inputs for discount of lack of marketability and non-performance risk were considered. The Company continued to use an income approach using a discounted cash flow model to determine its per-share value input within the model. As a result of this change in accounting policy, the Company recorded a decrease to its share-based compensation liability of $38 million, which resulted in a decrease of $33 million, net of tax, to accumulated deficit as of March 31, 2020.

              Under the income approach, the cash flows employed in the discounted cash flows analysis are based on management’s most recent budget and business plans and when applicable, various growth rates have been filed. Predictingassumed for years beyond the outcomecurrent business plan periods. Any forecast contains a degree of uncertainty and modifications to these cash flows could significantly increase or decrease the fair value of the presumed share price. For example, if revenue from sales of physical formats continues to decline and the revenue from sales of digital formats does not continue to grow as expected and we are unable to adjust costs accordingly, it could have a negative impact on future pricing. In determining which discount rate to utilize, management determines the appropriate weighted average cost of capital (“WACC”) for the Company. Management considers many factors

              in selecting a WACC, including the market view of risk, the appropriate capital structure and the appropriate borrowing rates for the Company. The selection of a WACC is subjective and modification to this rate could significantly increase or decrease the fair value of our presumed stock price.

              We currently expect to incur an accounting-related non-cash charge for the quarterly reporting period ending June 30, 2020, which is the next reporting date on which we are required to measure our share-based compensation costs under the Plan, and we currently estimate such tax assessments involves uncertainty; however, we believe that recorded tax liabilities adequately account for our analysischarge to be approximately $388 million (assuming the midpoint of probable outcomes.the price range set forth on the cover of this prospectus). Our estimate of this Plan-related charge is preliminary and is subject to change due to numerous factors, including the price at which shares are ultimately sold in this offering. We may also incur non-cash charges in subsequent quarters during which the Plan is in effect.

              New Accounting Principles

              In additionMay 2014, the FASB issued guidance codified in ASC 606, which replaces the guidance in former ASC 605, Revenue Recognition and ASC 928-605, Entertainment—Music. The amendment was the result of a joint effort by the FASB and the International Accounting Standards Board to improve financial reporting by creating common revenue recognition guidance for U.S. GAAP and international financial reporting standards (“IFRS”). The joint project clarifies the principles for recognizing revenue and develops a common revenue standard for U.S. GAAP and IFRS.

              The Company adopted ASC 606 on October 1, 2018, using the modified retrospective method to all contracts not completed as of the date of adoption. The reported results as of and for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019 reflect the application of the new standard, while the reported results for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 have not been adjusted to reflect the new standard and were prepared under prior revenue recognition accounting guidance.

              The adoption of ASC 606 resulted in a change in the timing of revenue recognition in the Company’s Music Publishing segment as well as international broadcast rights within the Company’s Recorded Music segment. Under the new revenue recognition rules, revenue is recorded based on best estimates available in the period of sale or usage whereas revenue was previously recorded when cash was received for both the licensing of publishing rights and international Recorded Music broadcast fees. Additionally, for certain licenses where the consideration is fixed and the intellectual property being licensed is static, revenue is recognized at the point in time when control of the licensed content is transferred to the critical accounting policies discussed above, wecustomer. As a result of adopting ASC 606, the Company recorded a decrease to the opening accumulated deficit of approximately $139 million, net of tax, as of October 1, 2018. The Company also reclassified $28 million from accounts receivable to other current liabilities related to estimated refund liabilities for its physical sales.

              We adopted several new accounting policies duringASC 842,Leases, on October 1, 2019, which results in most of our operating leases being recognized as right of use assets and operating lease liabilities on our consolidated balance sheet. None of the past two years. Other than the changes in accounting for goodwill and other intangible assets under FAS 142 and the adoption of expense recognition for stock options under FAS 123, as previously described, none of theseremaining new accounting principles had a material affecteffect on our audited financial statements. See Notes 3 and 4Note 2 to our audited financial statementsConsolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere herein for a more complete summary.summary of all our significant accounting policies.



              INDUSTRY OVERVIEW

              QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

              Recorded MusicWe are exposed to market risk arising from changes in market rates and prices, including movements in foreign currency exchange rates and interest rates.

              BackgroundForeign Currency Risk

                      RecordedWithin our global business operations, we have transactional exposures that may be adversely affected by changes in foreign currency exchange rates relative to the U.S. dollar. We may at times choose to use foreign exchange currency derivatives, primarily forward contracts, to manage the risk associated with the volatility of future cash flows denominated in foreign currencies, such as unremitted or future royalties and license fees owed to our U.S. companies for the sale or licensing of U.S.-based music companies play an integral roleand merchandise abroad that may be adversely affected by changes in virtually all aspectsforeign currency exchange rates. We focus on managing the level of exposure to the risk of foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations on major currencies, which can include the Euro, British pound sterling, Japanese yen, Canadian dollar, Swedish krona, Australian dollar, Brazilian real, Korean won and Norwegian krone, and in many cases we have natural hedges where we have expenses associated with local operations that offset the revenue in local currency and our Euro-denominated debt, which can offset declines in the Euro. As of March 31, 2020, the Company had outstanding hedge contracts for the sale of $243 million and the purchase of $142 million of foreign currencies at fixed rates. Subsequent to March 31, 2020, certain of our foreign exchange contracts expired. As of September 30, 2019, September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017, the Company had no outstanding hedge contracts.

              The fair value of foreign exchange contracts is subject to changes in foreign currency exchange rates. For the purpose of assessing the specific risks, we use a sensitivity analysis to determine the effects that market risk exposures may have on the fair value of our financial instruments. For foreign exchange forward contracts outstanding at March 31, 2020, we typically perform a sensitivity analysis assuming a hypothetical 10% depreciation of the musicU.S. dollar against foreign currencies from prevailing foreign currency exchange rates and assuming no change in interest rates. The fair value chain, from discoveringof the foreign exchange forward contracts would have decreased by $10 million based on this analysis. Hypothetically, even if there was a decrease in the fair value of the forward contracts, because our foreign exchange contracts are entered into for hedging purposes, these losses would be largely offset by gains on the underlying transactions.

              Interest Rate Risk

              We had $3.004 billion of principal debt outstanding at March 31, 2020, of which $1.326 billion was variable-rate debt and developing talent$1.678 billion was fixed-rate debt. As of September 30, 2019, September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017, we had $2.998 billion, $2.851 billion and $2.846 billion of principal debt outstanding, respectively, of which $1.326 billion, $1.326 billion and $1.006 billion was variable-rate debt, respectively, and $1.672 billion, $1.525 billion and $1.840 billion was fixed-rate debt, respectively. As such, we are exposed to producing albumschanges in interest rates. At March 31, 2020, September 30, 2019, September 30, 2018 and promoting artistsSeptember 30, 2017, 56%, 56%, 53% and their product. After an artist65% of the Company’s debt, respectively, was at a fixed rate. In addition, at March 31, 2020, we have the option under all of our floating rate debt under the Senior Term Loan Facility to select a one, two, three or six month LIBOR rate. To manage interest rate risk on $820 million of U.S. dollar-denominated variable-rate debt, the Company has entered into interest rate swaps to effectively convert the floating interest rates to a contractfixed interest rate on a portion of its variable-rate debt.

              Based on the level of interest rates prevailing at March 31, 2020, September 30, 2019, September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017, the fair value of the Company’s fixed-rate and variable-rate debt was approximately $2.890 billion, $3.080 billion, $2.862 billion and $2.936 billion, respectively. Further, as of March 31, 2020, based on the amount of the Company’s fixed-rate debt, a 25 basis point increase or decrease in the level of interest rates would decrease the fair value of the fixed-rate debt by approximately $5 million or increase the fair value of the fixed-rate debt by approximately $20 million. This potential fluctuation is based on the simplified

              assumption that the level of fixed-rate debt remains constant with an immediate across the board increase or decrease in the level of interest rates with no subsequent changes in rates for the remainder of the period.

              Inflation Risk

              Inflationary factors such as increases in overhead costs may adversely affect our results of operations. We do not believe that inflation has had a material effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations to date. If our costs were to become subject to significant inflationary pressures, we may not be able to fully offset such higher costs through price increases for services. Our inability or failure to do so could harm our business, financial condition or results of operations.

              BUSINESS

              Our Company

              We are one of the world’s leading music entertainment companies. Our renowned family of iconic record labels, including Atlantic Records, Warner Records, Elektra Records and Parlophone Records, is home to many of the world’s most popular and influential recording artists. In addition, Warner Chappell Music, our global music publishing business, boasts an extraordinary catalog that includes timeless standards and contemporary hits, representing works by over 80,000 songwriters and composers, with a record label, a masterglobal collection of more than 1.4 million musical compositions. Our entrepreneurial spirit and passion for music has driven our recording of the artist's music is created. Theartist and songwriter focused innovation for decades.

              Our Recorded Music business, home to superstar recording is then replicated for sale to consumers primarily in the CD format, and now, in digital formats. The recorded music company in collaboration with its distributor then markets, sells and delivers the product, either directly or through sub-distributors and wholesalers, to thousands of record stores, mass merchants and other retailers throughout the world. Recorded music products are also sold in physical form to Internet physical retailersartists such as Amazon.comEd Sheeran, Bruno Mars and barnesandnoble.comCardi B, generated $3.840 billion of revenue in fiscal 2019, representing 86% of total revenues. Our Music Publishing business, which includes esteemed songwriters such as Twenty One Pilots, Lizzo and Katy Perry, generated $643 million of revenue in fiscal 2019, representing 14% of total revenues. We benefit from the scale of our global platform and our local focus.

              Today, global music entertainment companies such as ours are more important and relevant than ever. The traditional barriers to widespread distribution of music have been erased. The tools to make and distribute music are at every musician’s fingertips, and today’s technology makes it possible for music to travel around the world in an instant. This has resulted in music being ubiquitous and accessible at all times. Against this industry backdrop, the volume of music being released on digital form to Internet digital retailers like Apple's iTunes and musicmatch.com.

                      Recorded music companies generate revenues through the marketing, sale and licensing of their recordings in various physical and digital formats. The major recorded music companies have built significant recorded music catalogs, which are long-lived assets that are exploited year after year.

                      In 2004, 36% of all U.S. unit sales were from recordings more than 18-months old, and 25% were from recordings more than 36-months old; this distribution has been largely stableplatforms is making it harder for the past seven years. The sale of catalog material is typically more profitable than that of new releases, given lower development costs and more limited marketing costs.

                      The recorded music business is the business of discovering and developing recording artists and promotingsongwriters to get noticed. We cut through the noise by identifying, signing, developing and selling their works. Recorded music is one of the primary mediums of entertainmentmarketing extraordinary talent. Our global A&R experience and marketing strategies are critical ingredients for consumers worldwide and in 2004, generated $32.1 billion in retail sales. In 2003, the five largest players were Universal, Sony, EMI, WMG and BMG, which accounted for approximately 75% of worldwide recorded music sales in 2003. In addition, there are many mid-sized and smaller players in the industry that accounted for the remaining 25%. Universal was the market leader with a 24%recording artists or songwriters who want to build long-term global market share in 2003, followed by EMI and Sony, each with a 13% share. WMG ranked fourth with close to 13% of global music sales, followed by BMG with 12%. While market shares change moderately year-to-year, none of these players have gained or lost more than 3% in the last 5 years. In August 2004, Sony and BMG were combined to form Sony BMG.

                      The top five territories (U.S., Japan, U.K., France and Germany) accounted for 75% of the 2003 recorded music market. The U.S., which is the most significant exporter of music, is also the largest end-market, constituting 37% of total 2003 recorded music sales. In addition the U.S. and Japan are largely local music markets, with 93% and 72% of their 2003 sales consisting of domestic repertoire, respectively. In contrast, the French, U.K. and German markets are made up of a higher percentage of international sales, with domestic repertoire constituting only 60%, 47% and 48% of these markets, respectively.

                      There has been a major shift in distribution of recorded music from specialty shops towards mass-market and online retailers. Record stores' share of U.S. music sales has declined from 56% in 1993 to 33% in 2003. Over the course of the last decade, mass-market and other stores' share grew from 26% to 53%. Online digital distribution currently represents a small portion of overall sales, but is expected to experience significant growth. In terms of genre, rock remains the most popular style of music, representing 25% of 2003 U.S. unit sales, although genres such as rap and hip-hop and Latin music are becoming increasingly popular.

                      From 1990 to 1999, the U.S. recorded music industry grew at a compound annual growth rate of 7.6%, twice the rate of total entertainment spending. This growth was driven by demand for music, the replacement of LPs and cassettes with CDs, price increases and strong economic growth and was



              largely paralleled around the world. The industry began experiencing negative growth rates in 1999, on a global basis, primarily driven by an increase in digital piracy. Other drivers of this decline are the overall recessionary economic environment, bankruptcies of record retailers and wholesalers, growing competition for consumer discretionary spending and retail shelf space, and the maturation of the CD format, which has slowed the historical growth pattern of recorded music sales. Since that time, annual dollar sales in the U.S. are estimated to have declined at a CAGR of 5%, including an estimated decline of 6% in 2003. Similar declines have occurred in international markets, with the extent of declines driven primarily by differing penetration levels of piracy-enabling technologies, such as broadband Internet access and CD-R technology, and economic conditions.

                      Notwithstanding these factors, wecareers. We believe that the music, not the technology, delights fans and drives the business forward.

              Our commercial innovation is crucial to maintaining our momentum. We have championed new business models and empowered established players, while protecting and enhancing the value of music. We were the first major music entertainment company to strike landmark deals with important companies such as Apple, YouTube and Tencent Music Entertainment Group, as well as with pure-play music technology companies such as MixCloud, SoundCloud and Audiomack. We adapted to streaming faster than other major music entertainment companies and, in 2016, were the first such company to report that streaming was the largest source of our recorded music revenue. Looking into the future, we believe the universe of opportunities will continue to expand, including through the proliferation of new devices such as smart speakers and the monetization of music on social media and other platforms. We believe advancements in technology will continue to drive consumer engagement and shape a growing and vibrant music entertainment ecosystem.

              We have achieved growth and profitability at scale. For the fiscal years ended September 30, 2019, September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017, we generated $4.5 billion, $4.0 billion and $3.6 billion in revenue, respectively, representing year-over-year growth of 12% and 12%, respectively. For the fiscal years ended September 30, 2019, September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017, we reported net income of $258 million, $312 million and $149 million, respectively. For the fiscal years ended September 30, 2019, September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017, our Adjusted EBITDA was $737 million, $1,033 million (which includes a pre-tax net gain of $389 million related to the sale of Spotify shares acquired in the ordinary course of business) and $604 million, respectively. Adjusted EBITDA is anon-U.S. GAAP measure. For a discussion of Adjusted EBITDA and a reconciliation to the most closely comparable U.S. GAAP measure, see “Summary Historical Consolidated Financial Data.”

              Our History

              The Company today consists of individual companies that are among the most respected and iconic in the music industry, could improvewith a history that dates back to the establishment of Chappell & Co. in 1811 and Parlophone in 1896.

              The Company began to take shape in 1967 when Warner-Seven Arts, the parent company of Warner Records (formerly known as Warner Bros. Records) acquired Atlantic Records, which discovered artists such as Led Zeppelin and Aretha Franklin. In 1969, Kinney National Company acquired Warner-Seven Arts, and in 1970, Kinney Services (which was later spun off into Warner Communications) acquired Elektra Records, which was renowned for artists such as The Doors and Judy Collins. In order to harness their collective strength and capabilities, in 1971, Warner Bros., Elektra and Atlantic Records formed a groundbreaking U.S. distribution network commonly known as WEA Corp., or simply WEA, which now stretches across the world.

              Throughout this time, the Company’s music publishing division, Warner Bros. Music, built a strong presence. In 1987, the purchase of Chappell & Co. created Warner Chappell Music, one of the industry’s major music publishing forces with a storied history that today connects Ludwig van Beethoven, George Gershwin, Madonna and Lizzo.

              The parent company that had grown to become Time Warner completed the sale of the Company to a consortium of private equity investors in 2004, in the process creating the world’s largest independent music company. The Company was taken public the following year, and in 2011, Access acquired the Company.

              Since acquiring the Company, Access has focused on revenue growth and increasing operating margins and cash flow combined with financial discipline. Looking past more than a decade of music entertainment industry transitions, Access and the Company foresaw the opportunities that streaming presented for music. Over the last eight years, Access has consistently backed the Company’s bold expansion strategies through organic A&R as well as acquisitions. These strategies include investing more heavily in recording artists and songwriters, growing the Company’s global reach, augmenting its streaming expertise, overhauling its systems and technological infrastructure, and diversifying into other music-based revenue streams.

              The purchase of PLG in 2013 strengthened the Company’s presence in core European territories, with recording artists as diverse as Coldplay, David Bowie, David Guetta and Tinie Tempah. That acquisition was followed by other investments that further strengthened the Company’s footprint in established and emerging markets. Other milestones include the Company’s acquisitions ofdirect-to-audience businesses such as entertainment specialtye-tailer EMP, live music application Songkick and youth culture platform UPROXX.

              Our Industry and Market Opportunity

              The music entertainment industry is large, global and vibrant. The recorded music and music publishing industries are growing, driven by consumer and demographic trends in the digital consumption of music.

              Consumer Trends and Demographics

              Consumers today engage with music in more ways than ever. According to IFPI, global consumers spent 18 hours listening to music each week in 2019. Demographic trends and smartphone penetration have been key factors in driving growth in consumer engagement. Younger consumers typically are early adopters of new technologies, including music-enabled devices. According to Nielsen, in 2019, 58% of teens in the United States between the ages of 13 and 17 and 45% of millennials in the United States between the ages of 18 and 34 used their smartphones to listen to music on a weekly basis, as compared to a 40% average for all U.S. consumers. Furthermore, in 2019, U.S. teens and millennials listened to an average of 32.6 and 29.7 hours of music each week, respectively, above the 26.9 hours for all U.S. consumers.

              Members of older demographic groups are also increasing their music engagement. According to an IFPI survey of 19 leading geographic markets in 2019, 54% of35- to64-year-olds used a streaming service to listen to music in the past month, representing an increase from 46% in 2018, which was the highest rate of growth for use of streaming services across all age groups.

              Music permeates our culture across age groups, as evidenced by the footprint that music has across social media. According to RIAA, as of September 2019, 7 out of the top 10 most followed accounts on Twitter belong to musicians, and according to YouTube, the majority of videos that have achieved more than one billion lifetime views as well as the top 10 most watched videos of all time, belong to musicians.

              Recorded Music

              The recorded music industry generated $20.2 billion in global revenue in 2019 and has consistently grown since 2015, according to IFPI. IFPI measures the recorded music industry based on four revenue categories: digital (including streaming), physical, synchronization and performance rights. Digital is the recent mobilizationlargest, generating $12.9 billion of revenue in 2019, representing 64% of global recorded music revenue. Within digital, streaming generated approximately 88% of revenue, or $11.4 billion, with the industryremainder of digital revenue coming from other formats such as downloads. Overall, digital grew by 18% in 2019, with streaming increasing by 24%.

              Physical represented approximately 22% of global recorded music revenue in 2019, with growth in formats such as vinyl partially offsetting declines in CD sales. Performance rights revenue represents the use of recorded music by broadcasters and public venues, and represented approximately 13% of global recorded music revenue in 2019. Synchronization revenue is generated from the use of recorded music in advertising, film, video games and television content, and represented 2% of global recorded music revenue in 2019. According to IFPI, global recorded music revenue has grown at a whole against piracy and9% CAGR since 2015.

              Global Recorded Music Industry Revenues 2015 to 2019 ($ in billions)

              LOGO

              We believe the development of legitimate online music distribution channels. In addition, continued recovery of the world economy and improved consumer expenditures canfollowing secular trends will continue to drive growth in the recorded music industry.industry:

              PiracyStreaming Still in Early Stages of Global Adoption and Penetration

                      OneAccording to IFPI, global paid music streaming subscribers totaled 341 million at the end of 2019. While this represents an increase of 34% from 255 million in 2018, it still represents less than 11% of the industry's biggest challenges is combating piracy. Music piracy exists in3.2 billion smartphone users globally, according to Statista. It also represents a small fraction of the user bases for large, globally scaled digital services such as Facebook, which reported 2.6 billion monthly users across its services as of April 2020, and YouTube, which reported over two primary forms: digital (which includes illegal downloadingbillion unique monthly users as of May 2020.On-demand streaming (both audio and CD-R piracy) and industrial:

              and this growth is expected to continue. According to Statista, as of March 16, 2020, 12% of adults (calculated across four demographic cohorts—Generation Z, Millennials, Generation X and Baby Boomers) reported that they are likely to spend more on music streaming due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

              The potential of global paid streaming subscriber growth is demonstrated by the increasingpenetration rates in early adopter markets. Approximately 30% of the population in Sweden, where Spotify was founded, was estimated to be paid music subscribers in 2018, according to MIDiA. This compares to approximately 25% and 16% for established markets such as the United States and Germany, respectively. Moreover, paid digital music subscribers in Japan, the world’s second-largest recorded music market in 2018 according to IFPI, still only represented approximately 7% of the population, according to MIDiA. There also remains substantial opportunity in emerging markets, such as Brazil and India, where smartphone penetration is low compared to developed markets. For example, according to Statista, smartphone penetration for Brazil and India as of September 2019 was 46% and 25%, respectively, compared to 79% in the United States.

              China, in particular, represents a substantial growth market for the recorded music industry. Digital music monetization models, including paid streaming and virtual gifting (which refers to the purchase of a digital, non-durable, non-physical item (e.g., an emoji) that is delivered to another person often during a live karaoke performance), created the foundation for the recorded music industry to overcome piracy and generate revenue in China. According to IFPI, paid streaming models are at an early stage in China, with an estimated 33 million paid subscribers in 2018, representing only 2% of China’s population of over 1.4 billion. Despite its substantial population, China was the world’s seventh-largest music market in 2019, having only broken into the top 10 in 2017.

              Opportunities for Improved Streaming Pricing

              In addition to paid subscriber growth, we believe that, over time, streaming revenues will increase due to pricing increases as the broader market further develops. Streaming services are already at the early stages of experimenting with price increases. For example, in 2018, Spotify increased monthly prices for its service in Norway. In addition, in 2019, Amazon launched Amazon Music HD, a high-quality audio streaming offering that is available to customers at a premium price in the United States. We believe the value proposition that streaming provides to consumers supports premium product initiatives.

              Technology Enables Innovation and Presents Additional Opportunities

              Technological innovation has helped facilitate the penetration of broadband Internet accessmusic listening across locations, including homes, offices and the ubiquitycars, as well as across devices, including smartphones, tablets, wearables, digital dashboards, gaming consoles and smart speakers. These technologies represent advancements that are deepening listener engagement and driving further growth in music consumption.

              Device Innovation.According to Nielsen, as of powerful microprocessors, fast optical drives (particularly with writable media, such as CD-R) and large inexpensive disk storage in personal computers. The combinationAugust 2019, U.S. consumers listened to music across an average of these technologies has allowed consumers to easily, flawlessly and almost instantaneously make high-quality copies of music using a home computer by "ripping" or converting musical content from CDs into digital files, stored on local disks. These digital files can then be distributed for free over the Internet through anonymous peer-to-peer file sharing networks such as KaZaA, Morpheus and Limewire ("illegal downloading"). Alternatively, these files can be burned onto multiple CDs for physical distribution ("CD-R piracy").

              Industrial piracy (also called counterfeiting or physical piracy) involves mass-production of illegal CDs and cassettes in factories. This form of piracy is largely concentrated in developing regions, and has existed for more than a decade. The sale of legitimate recorded music in these developing territories is limited by the dominance of pirated products, which are sold at substantially lower prices than legitimate products. IFPI states that industrial counterfeit CDs totaled 1.7 billion units in 2003. IFPI also believes that industrial piracy is most prevalent in Brazil, China, Mexico, Paraguay, Pakistan, Russia, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand and Ukraine.

                      In 2003, the industry launched an intensive campaign to limit piracy that focused on four key initiatives:


                  August 2003, that number had risen to 61% and during the latter part of 2004, awareness among Americans 13 years of age and older was measured at 68%.

                Legal:    In conjunction with its educational efforts, the industry has also begun to take aggressive legal action against file-sharers and is continuing to fight industrial pirates. These actions include civil lawsuits in the U.S. and Europe against individual pirates, arrests of pirates in Japan and raids against file-sharing services in Australia. U.S. lawsuits have largely targeted individuals who share large quantities of illegal music content. RIAA has announced its plans to continue these lawsuits in the U.S. IFPI has brought similar actions in Austria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands and the U.K. and has announced that it may pursue similar actions in other countries.

                Development of online alternatives:4.1 devices per week. We believe that the developmentuse of multiple devices is expanding listening hours by bringing music into more moments of consumers’ lives, and successthe different uses these devices enable are also broadening the base of legitimate online music channels will be an important driver of recorded music sales going forward, as digital sales represent both an incremental revenue stream and a potential inhibitor of piracy.to which consumers are exposed. The music industrythat consumers listen to during a commute may be different than the music they listen to while they exercise, and different still than the music they play through a smart speaker while cooking a meal. Smart speakers enable consumers to access music more readily by using their voices. According to PwC, smart speaker ownership is expected to increase at a 38% CAGR from 2018 through 2023, to 440 million devices globally in 2023. The adoption of smart speakers in the United States has been encouragedstrong, and according to Nielsen, 31% of music listeners today own smart speakers. Smart speakers are fueling further growth in streaming, by converting more casual listeners into paid subscribers, drawn in by music as a critical application for these devices. According to Nielsen, 61% of U.S. consumers who use a smart speaker weekly to listen to music currently pay for a subscription as well.

              Format and Monetization Model Innovation.Short-form music and music-based video content has grown rapidly, driven by the recent proliferationgrowth of global social video applications such as TikTok, which features15-second videos often set to music. TikTok has reportedly been downloaded more than one billion times since its launch in 2017 and early successhas a global reach of legitimate online500 million users, according to Nielsen. Such applications have the potential for mass adoption, illustrating the opportunity for additional platforms of scale to be created to the benefit of the music distribution options. We believe thatentertainment industry. These platforms enable incremental consumption of music appealing to varied, and often younger, audiences. From a recording artist’s perspective, these legitimate online distribution channels offer several advantagesplatforms have the potential to illegal peer-to-peer sites, including greater ease of use, higher quality and more consistent music product, faster downloading, better search capabilities, and seamless integration with portable digital music players.rewrite the path to stardom. For example, legitimate online operationsour recording artist, Fitz & the Tantrums, an American band, rose to international fame in 2018 as their song “HandClap” went viral in Asia on TikTok. Fitz & the Tantrums quickly topped the international music charts in South Korea and surpassed one billion streams in China. Short-form music and music-based video content have also become increasingly popular on social media platforms such as Apple's iTunes, MusicNet, musicmatchFacebook and Rhapsody have been launched sinceInstagram, further illustrating the beginninggrowing number of 2003 and offer a variety of models, including per-track pricing, per-album pricing and monthly subscriptions.potential pathways through which recording artists may gain consumer exposure.

                      These efforts are incrementalMusic Publishing

              According to the longstanding push by organizations such as IFPI to curb industrial piracy around the world. In addition to these actions,Music & Copyright, the music publishing industry is increasingly coordinating with other similarly impacted industries (such as software and filmed entertainment)generated $5.6 billion in global revenue in 2019, representing an approximate 2% increase from $5.5 billion in 2018 (following an increase in global music publishing revenues of 11% from 2017 to combat piracy.

                      We believe these actions are beginning to have a positive effect. A recent survey conducted by The NPD Group, a market research firm, shows that about one-third of Americans aged 13 or older who had ever downloaded music from a file-sharing service stopped using such file-sharing services over the past year, and an additional 27% reduced their downloading activity.

                      In addition, music sales data for the past year have improved over the prior year. For the year ended January 2, 2005, U.S. music physical unit sales grew by approximately 1% relative to the comparable year ended December 28, 2003 as reported by SoundScan. This positive growth trend is consistent across new releases and catalog product. However, as of April 17, 2005, year-to-date U.S. recorded music sales (excluding sales of digital tracks) are down approximately 9% year-over-year.

              Music Publishing

              Background

              2018). Music publishing involves the acquisition of rights to, and the licensing of, musical compositions (as opposed to sound recordings) from songwriters, composers or other rightsholders. Music publishing revenues are derived from four main royalty sources: mechanical, performance, synchronization and digital. In 2019, digital, which accounted for approximately 42% of global revenue, represented the largest and fastest-growing component of industry revenues, while performance, which accounted for approximately 30%, represented the second-largest component of industry revenues. Synchronization accounted for approximately 19% of global revenue in 2019. Mechanical revenues from traditional physical music formats (e.g., CDs, DVDs, downloads), which accounted for approximately 8% of global revenue in 2019, have continued to fall while digital revenues have grown to offset this decline.


                  Synchronization:    The licensor receives royalties or feeslead to increased revenues for the rightmusic entertainment industry in the coming years.

                  Music Modernization Act. In 2018, the enactment of the MMA in the United States resulted in major reforms to usemusic licensing. The MMA improves the composition in combination with visual images (e.g., in films, television commercials and programs and videogames).

                  Other:    The licensor receivesway digital music services obtain mechanical licenses for

                musical compositions, requires the payment of royalties from other usesto recording artists forpre-1972 sound recordings streamed on digital radio services such as stage productionsSiriusXM and printed sheet music.Pandora, and provides for direct payments of royalties owed to producers, mixers and engineers when their original works are streamed onnon-interactive webcasting services.

                Copyright Royalty Board. In 2018, the U.S.,CRB issued its determination of royalty rates and terms, significantly increasing the mechanical royaltiesroyalty rates paid for musical compositions in the United States from 2018 through 2022. That decision is currently being appealed by some digital music services. In 2018, the CRB issued its determination of royalty rates and terms, significantly increasing the royalty rates paid for sound recordings in the United States by SiriusXM from 2018 through 2022, and the MMA extended that increase through 2027.

                European UnionCopyright Directive. In 2019, the E.U. passed legislation which will reign in safe harbors from liability for copyright infringement and rebalance the online marketplace to ensure that rightsholders and recording artists are collected directlyremunerated fairly when their music is shared online by user-uploaded content services such as YouTube.

                Our Competitive Strengths

                Well-Positioned to Benefit from Growth in the Global Music Market Driven by Streaming. The music publishersentertainment industry has undergone a transformation in the consumption and monetization of content towards streaming over the last five years. According to IFPI, from 2015 through 2019, global recorded music companies or via The Harry Fox Agency, a non-exclusive licensing agent affiliated with NMPA, while outside the U.S., performing rights organizations and collection societies perform this function. Once mechanical royalties reach the publisher (either directly from record companies or from collection societies), percentages of those royalties are paid to any co-owners of the copyright in the composition and to the writer(s) and composer(s) of the composition. Mechanical royalties are paidrevenue grew at a penny rateCAGR of 8.5 cents per song per unit in the U.S. (although recording agreements sometimes contain "controlled composition" provisions pursuant to which artist/songwriters license their rights to their record companies9%, with streaming revenue growing at as little as 75%a CAGR of this rate)42% and increasing as a percentage of wholesale price in most other territories. Inglobal recorded music revenue from 19% to 56% over the U.S., these rates are set pursuantsame period. By comparison, from fiscal year 2015 to industry negotiations contemplated by the U.S. Copyright Actfiscal year 2019, our recorded music streaming revenue grew at a CAGR of 37% and are currently increased at two-year intervals. For example, on January 1, 2004, this rate went from 8 cents per song to 8.5 cents per song. On January 1, 2006, this rate will increase again to 9.1 cents per song. Recordings in excess of 5 minutes attract a higher rate. In international markets, these rates are determined by multi-year collective bargaining agreements.

                        Throughout the world, performance royalties are typically collected on behalf of publishers and songwriters by performance rights organizations and collection societies. Key performing rights organizations and collection societies include: The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers ("ASCAP"), SESAC and Broadcast Music, Inc. ("BMI") in the U.S.; Mechanical-Copyright Protection Society and The Performing Right Society ("MCPS-PRS Alliance") in the U.K.; The German Copyright Society ("GEMA") in Germany and the Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers ("JASRAC") in Japan. The societies payas a percentage (which is set in each country) of our total recorded music revenues from 24% to 55%. We believe our innovation-focused operating strategy with an emphasis on genres that over-index on streaming platforms (e.g.,hip-hop and pop) has consistently allowed our digital revenue growth to outpace the performance royaltiesmarket, highlighted by our becoming the first major music entertainment company to the copyright owner(s) or administrators (i.e., the publisher(s)), and a percentage directly to the songwriter(s), of the composition. Thus, the publisher generally retains the performance royalties it receives other than any amounts attributable to co-publishers.

                        The worldwide music publishing marketreport that our streaming revenue was estimated in a report published by Enders Analysis in April 2004 to have generated approximately $3.7 billion in revenues in 2003. We estimate that mechanical royalties are approximately 30% of 2002 industry revenues; performance royalties, 33%; synchronization, 13%; and other, 23%. Geographically, North America is the largest market representing approximately 40% of the global publishing market.

                        The top five music publishers collectively account for over 60% of the market. Based on Enders Analysis estimates, EMI Music Publishing ("EMI Publishing") is the market leading music publisher, with a 18% market share in 2003, followed by WMG (Warner/Chappell) at 14%, BMG at 11%, Universal at 11% and Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC ("Sony/ATV") at 6%. Independent music publishers, which represent the balance of the market, include Chrysalis, edel, Carlin, Peermusic, Music Sales, Famous, MPL Communications and Windswept, among others, as well as many individual songwriters who publish their own works.

                Key trends

                        The music publishing market has proven to be more resilient than the recorded music market in recent years as performance, synchronization and other revenue streams are largely unaffected by



                piracy, and are benefitting from additional sources of income from digital exploitation of music in downloads and mobile phone ringtones. Trends in music publishing vary by royalty source:

                  Mechanical:    Although the decline in the recorded music market has begun to have an impact on mechanical royalties, this decline has been partly offset by the regular and predictable statutory increases in the mechanical royalty rate in the U.S. (including an increase from 8 cents to 8.5 cents per song in January 2004, and a further increase from 8.5 cents to 9.1 cents per song to occur in January 2006), the increasing efficiency of local collection societies worldwide and the growth of new revenue sources such as mobile phone ring tones and legitimate Internet and wireless downloads.

                  Performance:    According to Enders Analysis, performance royalties experienced steady growth from 1999 to 2001. Continued growth is expected, largely driven by television, live performance and online radio streaming and advertising royalties.

                  Synchronization:    We believe synchronization revenues have experienced strong growth in recent years and will continue to do so, benefiting from the proliferation of media channels, a recovery in advertising, robust videogames sales and growing DVD film sales/rentals.

                  Other:    According to Enders Analysis, print revenues grew steadily from 1999 to 2001. Continued growth in this category is expected as well, as more people can afford musical instruments and lessons and online sheet music sales drive incremental revenues.

                        In addition, major publishers have the opportunity to generate significant value by the acquisition of small publishers by extracting cost savings (as acquired libraries can be administered with little or no incremental cost) and by increasing revenues through more aggressive marketing efforts.



                BUSINESS

                Our Company

                        We are one of the world's major music companies. Our company is composed of two businesses: Recorded Music and Music Publishing. We believe we are the world's fourth-largest recorded music company (third-largest in the U.S.) and the world's second-largest music publishing company. We are a global company, generating over half of our revenues in more than 50 countries outside of the U.S. We generated revenues of $3.4 billion during the twelve months ended September 30, 2004 and $2.5 billion during our ten month fiscal year ended September 30, 2004.

                        Our Recorded Music business produces revenue through the marketing, sale and licensingsource of recorded music revenue in various physical formats (such as CDs, cassettes, LPs2016.

                The growth of streaming services has not only improved the discoverability and DVDs)personalization of music, but has also increased consumer willingness to pay for seamless convenience and digital formats.access. We have onebelieve consumer adoption of the world's largest and most diverse recorded music catalogs, including 27 of the top 100 U.S. best-selling albums of all time—more than any other recorded music company, includingThe Eagles, Their Greatest Hits, 1971-1975 (the best-selling album of all time),Led Zeppelin IV andRumours by Fleetwood Mac. We also lead all recorded music companiespaid streaming services still has significant potential for growth. For example, according to MIDiA, in albums certified as "Diamond" by RIAA, which are those albums that have more than 10 million net shipped units in the U.S., with2018, approximately 30% of the total.population in Sweden, an early adopter market, was paid music subscribers. This illustrates the opportunity to drive long-term growth by increasing penetration of paid subscriptions throughout the world, including important markets such as the United States, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom and France, where paid subscriber levels are lower. Our catalog and roster of recording artists and songwriters, including our strengths inhip-hop and pop music, position us to benefit as streaming continues to grow. We also believe our diversified catalog of evergreen music amassed over 38,000 artists spans all musical genresmany decades will prove advantageous as demographics evolve from younger early adopters to a wider demographic mix and includes Led Zeppelin, The Eagles, Madonna, Green Day, Metallica and Fleetwood Mac. Our more recent album successes include artists such as Linkin Park, Simple Plan, Jet, Michelle Branch, Alanis Morissette, Michael Bublé, Josh Groban, Sean Paul and Big & Rich.digital music services target broader audiences.

                Established Presence in Growing International Markets, Including China. We operatebelieve we will benefit from the growth in the U.S. principally throughinternational markets due to our major record labels—Warner Bros. Records Inc. and The Atlantic Records Group. Internationally, our Recorded Music business operates through various subsidiaries, affiliates and non-affiliated licensees. Our Recorded Music business generated revenues of $2.771 billion during the twelve months ended December 31, 2004 and $2.059 billion during our ten month fiscal year ended September 30, 2004.

                        Our Music Publishing business owns and acquires rights to musical compositions, exploits and markets these compositions and receives royalties or fees for their use. We publish music across a broad range of musical styles. We hold rights in over one million copyrights from over 65,000 songwriters and composers. Our library includes titles such as "Summertime" by George and Ira Gershwin and DuBose Heyward, "Happy Birthday to You" by Mildred and Patty Hill, "Night and Day" by Cole Porter, "Layla" by Eric Clapton and Jim Gordon, "When a Man Loves a Woman" by Calvin Lewis and Andrew Wright, "Winter Wonderland" by Felix Bernard and Dick Smith, "Star Wars Theme" by John Williams, "The Wind Beneath My Wings" by Jeff Silbar and Larry Henley and "Frosty the Snowman" by Steve Nelson and Jack Rollinslocal A&R focus, as well as our local and global marketing and distribution infrastructure that includes a network of subsidiaries, affiliates, andnon-affiliated licensees and sub-publishers in more recent popular titles such as "Cry Me A River"than 70 countries. We are developing local talent to achieve regional, national and international success. We have expanded our global footprint over time by Justin Timberlake, Tim Mosley and Scott Storch, "Smooth" by Itaal Shur and Rob Thomas, "Crazy in Love" by Eugene Record, Beyoncé Knowles, Richard Harrison and Shawn Carter, "Hero" by Nickelback's Chad Kroeger, "Burn" by Usher, Bryan-Michael Cox and Jermaine Dupri, "It's Been Awhile" by Staind, "Pieces of Me" by Ashlee Simpson, Kara DioGuardia and John Shanks and "Thank You" by Dido Armstrong and Paul Herman. Our Music Publishing business generated revenues of $576 million during the twelve months ended December 31, 2004 and $505 million during our ten month fiscal year ended September 30, 2004.

                Our Business Strengths

                        While we have recorded net losses on a historical and pro forma basis, primarily due to the decline since 1999 of recorded music sales, increased operating costs, increased competition, and such items as currency fluctuations and impairment charges we believe the following competitive strengths will enable



                us to continue to generate recurring and stable free cash flow through our diverse base ofacquiring independent recorded music and music publishing assets:

                        Industry Leading Recording Artistsbusinesses, catalogs and Songwriters.recording artist and songwriter rosters in China, Indonesia, Poland, Russia and South Africa, among other markets. In addition, we have increased organic investment in heavily populated emerging markets by, for example, launching Warner Music Middle East, our recorded music affiliate covering 17 markets across the Middle East and North Africa with a total population of 380 million people. We have been ablealso strengthened our Warner Music Asia executive team with new appointments and

                promotions. According to consistently attract, developIFPI in 2018, recorded music industry revenues in Asia and retain successfulAustralasia grew 12% year-over-year. Over the same period and on a constant-currency basis, we grew revenues in Asia and Australasia by 21%, again outpacing the industry.

                With every region around the world at different stages in transitioning to digital formats, we believe establishing creative hubs by opening new regional offices and partnering with local players will achieve our objective of building local expertise while delivering maximum global impact for our recording artists and songwriters. Our talented local artistFor example, we recently invested in one of Nigeria’s leading music entertainment companies, Chocolate City, and repertoire teams are focused on finding and nurturing future successfulmusic from this influential independent company’s recording artists and songwriters as evidencedwill join our repertoire and receive the support of our wide-ranging global expertise, including distribution and artist services.

                Differentiated Platform of Scale with Top Industry Position. With over $4 billion in annual revenues, over half of which are generated outside of the United States, we believe our platform is differentiated by the scale, reach and broad appeal of our recentmusic. Our collection of owned and controlled recordings and musical compositions, spanning a large variety of genres and geographies over many decades, cannot be replicated. As one of three major music entertainment companies, our industry position remains strong and poised for continued growth. As reported in Music & Copyright, our global recorded music albummarket share has increased approximately 6% from 2011 to 2019, growing from 15.1% to 16.0%. In addition, according to Nielsen, Atlantic Records was the No. 1 record label on the Billboard 200 in the United States in 2017, 2018 and music publishing successes. This2019.

                Star-Making, Culture-Defining Core Capabilities. For decades, our A&R strategy of identifying and nurturing recording artists and songwriters with the talents to be successful has enabled us to develop a large and varied portfolio of recorded music and music publishing assets that generate stable and recurring cash flows. We believe these assets demonstrate our historical success in developing talent and will help to attract future talent in order to enable our continued success.

                        Stable, Highly Diversified Revenue Base.    Our revenue base is derived primarily from relatively stable and recurring sources such as our music publishing library, ouryielded an extensive catalog of recordediconic music and new releases from our existing base of established artists. In any given year, we believe that less than 10% of our total revenues depend on artists without established track records, with each of these artists typically representing less than 1% of our revenues. We have built a large and diverse catalog of recordings and compositions that coversacross a wide breadth of musical styles including pop, rock, jazz, country, R&B, hip-hop, rap, reggae, Latin, alternative, folk, blues, gospelgenres and other Christian musicmarquee brands all over the world. Our marketing and promotion departments provide a comprehensive suite of solutions that are a significant player inspecifically tailored to each of our major geographic regions.

                        High Cash Flow Business Model.    We have a highly variable cost structure, with substantial discretionary spendingrecording artists and minimal capital requirements. In October 2003, Time Warner's CDcarefully coordinated to create the greatest sales momentum for new and DVD manufacturing, packaging and physical distribution operations were sold to Cinram, resulting in a significant reductioncatalog releases alike. The development of our fixed cost base. As partvibrant roster of the sale, we entered into the Cinram Agreements. This outsourcing arrangement significantly reducesrecording artists has been informed by our exposuresignificant experience in being able to fixed costsadapt to changes in consumer trends and is expected to reduce our future capital expenditure requirements. We spent an average of $22 million annually in capital expendituressentiment over time. Our creative instincts yield custom strategies for the ten months ended September 30, 2004each and for our twelve month fiscal years ended November 30, 2002 and 2003 (excluding $94 million spent to upgrade information technology systems and consolidate mostevery one of our West Coast businesses intorecording artists, including, for example:

                Cardi B, whose first Atlantic Records single “Bodak Yellow” was a single location). This represented less than 1%break-out hit that has been certified nine times Platinum in the United States by the RIAA;

                Twenty One Pilots, whose rise to stardom accelerated with the release of their second Fueled by Ramen studio album,Blurryface; and

                Portugal. The Man, which celebrated its first entry on theBillboard Hot 100 chart after the release of their eighth studio album,Woodstock, featuring the track “Feel It Still.”

                In addition, Warner Chappell Music boasts a diversified catalog of revenuestimeless classics together with an ever-growing group of contemporary songwriters who are actively contributing to today’s top hits. We believe our longstanding reputation and relationships in those years. We are always looking for sensible opportunitiesthe creative community, as well as our historical success in talent development and management, will continue to convert fixed costs to variable costs. For example, we recently formed a joint venture with Universal Music Group, Exigen Group and Lightspeed Venture Partners called Royalty Services, L.P. to build and operate systems to process our royalty transactions. Finally, in addition to our variable cost base and relatively low capital requirements, we have contractual flexibility with regard to the timing and amounts of advances paid to existingattract new recording artists and songwriters with staying power and market potential through the strength and scale of our proprietary capabilities.

                Strong Financial Profile with Robust Growth, Operating Leverage and Free Cash Flow Generation. For fiscal year 2017 through fiscal year 2019, we have grownas-reported revenues at a CAGR of 12%, and on a constant-currency basis, at a CAGR of 10%, driven by secular tailwinds, organic reinvestment in A&R and strategic acquisitions. For our fiscal year 2019, our business generated net income and Adjusted EBITDA of $258 million and $737 million, respectively, implying an Adjusted EBITDA margin of approximately 16%. We have an efficient business model as well as discretion regarding future investmentdemonstrated by our high Free Cash Flow conversion of Adjusted EBITDA. In fiscal year 2019, we generated $24 million of Free Cash Flow (after taking into account $183 million related to the acquisition of EMP). We believe our financial profile provides a strong foundation for our continued growth.

                Experienced Leadership Team and Committed Strategic Investor. Our management team has successfully designed and implemented our business strategy, delivering strong financial results, releasing an increasing flow of new music and establishing a dynamic culture of innovation. At the same time, our management team has driven an increase in newoperating margins and cash flow through an improved revenue mix to higher-margin digital platforms and overhead cost management, while maintaining financial flexibility to both organically invest in the business and pursue strategic acquisitions to diversify our revenue mix. Our Recorded Music and Music Publishing businesses are led by entrepreneurial and creative individuals with extensive experience in discovering and developing recording artists and songwriters which further allows us to respond to changing industry conditions.

                        Well Positioned For Growth In Digital Distribution And Emerging Technologies.    For the year ended January 2, 2005, our market share of digital recorded music track sales in the U.S. as measured by SoundScan was higher than our overall recorded music album market share in the U.S., which we believe reflects the relative strength of our content and in particular our catalog content. In addition, we are highly focusedmanaging their creative output on several new media initiatives: supporting existing and new online services in the U.S. and abroad, working with legitimate P2P providers, influencing the evolution of new mobile phone services and formats and simplifying the clearance of all of our content for digital distribution.

                        Proven and Committed Management Team.    We are led by an experienced senior management team with an average of approximately 20 years of entertainment industry experience. Edgar Bronfman, Jr. joined the Company as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer on March 1, 2004. Mr. Bronfman has extensive and directly relevant experience in the music industry. In 1998, Mr. Bronfman, while President and CEO of Seagram, oversaw the merger of Universal and PolyGram and successfully managed the combined business, the world's largest recorded music company.a global scale. In addition, we have hired Lyor Cohen asbenefited, and expect to continue to benefit, from our acquisition by Access in July 2011, which has provided us with strategic direction, M&A and capital markets expertise and planning support to help us take full advantage of the Chairman and CEO of our U.S. Recorded Music



                operations. Mr. Cohen was formerly the Chairman and CEO of Universal's Island Def Jam Music Group. Mr. Cohen has nearly two decades of experienceongoing transition in the music industryentertainment industry.

                Expertise in Strategic Acquisitions and has previously worked with Mr. Bronfman. Paul-René Albertini, the ChairmanInvestments That Extend Our Capabilities. Since 2011 when Access became our controlling shareholder, we have completed more than 15 strategic acquisitions. The acquisition of PLG in 2013 significantly strengthened our worldwide roster, global footprint and CEO of Warner Music International, is also a music industry veteran with over 20 years of experience. Our senior management team is very committed to our success. For example, Music Capital, an investment vehicle controlled by Edgar Bronfman, Jr., owns approximately 13% of our equity.executive talent, particularly in Europe. In addition, we expect thathave made several smaller strategic acquisitions aimed at expanding our senior management team will ownartist services capabilities in our Recorded Music business, including EMP, one of Europe’s leading specialty music and entertainment merchandisee-tailers; Sodatone, a meaningful sharepremier A&R insight tool; UPROXX, the youth culture and video production powerhouse; Spinnin’ Records, one of the world’s leading independent electronic music companies; and Songkick’s concert discovery application. These transactions showcase the growing breadth of our equity through service and performance-based equity plans.

                        Strong Equity Sponsorship.    THL, Bain Capital, and Providence Equity are each leading private equity firms with extensive experience in managing investments in entertainment and media assets and a long history of working successfully together. These equity sponsors currently manage entertainment and media companies including Houghton Mifflin Company, ProSiebenSAT.1 Media, American Media and Mountain States Cable. The addition of Edgar Bronfman, Jr., through Music Capital, brings substantial and directly relevant management experience inplatform across the music industry.entertainment ecosystem and have increased our direct access to fans of our recording artists and songwriters. In addition to our commercial arrangements with digital music services, we opportunistically invest in some of those services as well as other companies in our industry, including minority equity stakes in Deezer, a French digital music service in which Access owns a controlling equity interest, and Tencent Music Entertainment Group, the leading online music entertainment platform in China. Acquiring and investing in businesses that are highly complementary to our existing portfolio further enables us to potentially derive incremental and new revenue streams from different business models in new markets.

                Our StrategyGrowth Strategies

                        We intend to increase revenues and cash flow through the following business strategies:

                Attract, Develop and Retain Established and Emerging Recording Artists and Songwriters. A critical elementcomponent of our global strategy is to find, developproduce an increasing flow of new music by finding, developing and retainretaining recording artists and songwriters who achieve long-term success. Our local artist and repertoire teams seek to sign talented recording artists with strong potential, whoseSince 2011, our annual new releases will generate a meaningful level of sales and increase the enduring value of our catalog by continuing to generate sales on an ongoing basis, with little additional marketing expenditure. We also work to identify promising songwriters who will write musical compositions that will augment the lasting value and stability of our music publishing library. We believe our relative size, the strength of our management team, our ability to respond to industry and consumer trends and challenges, our diverse array of genres, our large catalog of hit releaseshave grown significantly and our valuable music publishing library will help us continue to successfully build our roster of artists and songwriters.

                        Maximize the Value of our Music Assets.    Our relationships with our recording artists and songwriters, our recorded music catalog and our music publishing library are our most valuable assets. We intend to continue to exploit the value of these assets through a variety of distribution channels to generate significant cash flow.

                  Our Recorded Music business focuses on marketing our artists and catalog in new ways to retain existing fans of established artists and to generate new demand for our proven hits. For example, in 2004, we released a number of successful repurposed catalog compilations, includingRay!: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, Van Halen's Best of Both Worlds andBest of Keith Sweat: Make You Sweat. In addition, the growing number of legitimate digital distribution outlets allows us to generate incremental catalog sales. From the launch of Apple's iTunes Music Store in April 2003 through February 27, 2005, catalog sales have represented 51% of our top 200 digital track sales sold on iTunes versus 40% of our physical sales over the same period.

                  Our Music Publishing business seeks to capitalize on the growing demand for the use of musical compositions in media products such as videogames, commercials, other musical works (such as authorized sampling), films, DVDs, mobile phone ring tones and Internet and wireless streaming and downloads by marketing and promoting our librarieshas increased to producers of these media in new and innovative ways.

                over 1.4 million. We intendexpect to enhance the value of our assets by continuing to attract and develop new recording artists and songwriters with staying power and market potential. Additionally,Our A&R teams seek to sign talented recording artists and songwriters who will generate meaningful revenues and increase the enduring value of our catalog. We have also made meaningful investments in technology to further expand our A&R capabilities in a rapidly changing music environment. In 2018, we intendacquired Sodatone, an advanced A&R tool that uses streaming, social and touring data to continuallyhelp track early predictors of success. When combined with the strength of our current ability to identify creative talent, we expect this to further enhance our ability to scout and sign breakthrough recording artists and songwriters. In addition, we anticipate that investment in or commercial relationships with technology companies will enable us to tailor our marketing efforts for established recording artists and songwriters by gaining valuable insight into consumer reactions to new releases. We regularly evaluate



                our recording artist and songwriter rosterrosters to ensure that we remain focused on developing only the most promising and profitable talent.talent and are committed to maintaining financial discipline in the negotiation of our agreements with recording artists and songwriters.

                Focus on Continued ManagementGrowth Markets to Position Us to Realize Upside from Incremental Penetration of Our Cost Structure.Streaming.    We intend toWhile the rapid growth of streaming has already transformed the music entertainment industry, streaming is still in relatively early stages, as significant opportunity remains in both developed markets and markets largely untapped by the adoption of paid streaming subscriptions. Some of our largest markets, such as the United States, Germany, United Kingdom and France, still lag Nordic countries in penetration of paid subscriptions and have room for future

                growth. In these markets, we will continue to maintain a disciplined approachincrease our output of new releases and use data to cost management inmore effectively target our business,marketing efforts. Less mature markets, such as China and to pursue additional cost savings. The majority of cost savings in our Restructuring Plan are associatedBrazil, have large populations with headcount reductions from the consolidation of operationsrelatively high smartphone penetration, and the streamlining of corporate and label overhead, most of which were implemented in March and April 2004. Specific elements of the plan included consolidation of select business divisions of our Elektra Entertainment Group and Atlantic Group labels, including the legal and business affairs, finance and label sales units, rationalization of our global network, pruning of approximately 30% of our artist roster and an approximately 20% reduction in our global workforce. By the end of December 2004, we had implemented approximately $250 million of annualized cost savings. We have completed substantially all of our restructuring efforts. We project the one-time costs associated with our restructuring to be between $225 million to $250 million, substantially less than the $310 million original estimate of such restructuring charges. We expect to pay a majority of the remaining costs in 2005 and 2006. There are still significant risks associated with the Restructuring Plan. See "Risk Factors."

                        Invest in Accordance with an Improved Asset Allocation Strategy.    Our new management has undertaken a rigorous company-wide initiative in conjunction with outside consultants in order to enhance our financial performance through developing a more targeted approach to investments. Implementing the results of this study, we will primarily seek to invest in lines of business, geographic locations and individual projects where we believe we can optimize our return on capital. We will also consider the strategic importance of alternative investments in addition to their financial metrics. We believe that as a result of our management processes, analytic techniques and investment discipline, we are well positionedplaced to efficiently deploybenefit from streaming tailwinds over the next several years with our capital.local presence and extensive catalog.

                        DevelopExpand Global Presence with Investment in Local Music in Nascent Markets. We recognize that music is inherently local in nature, shaped by people and Optimize Our Physical Distribution Channel Strategies.culture. According to IFPI, in 2018, at least seven of the top-selling singles in Brazil, India, Italy and South Korea were performed by or featured local artists. Similarly, in 2018, at least seven of the top-selling albums in France, Germany, Spain and Turkey were performed by or featured local artists. One of our vital business functions is to help our recording artists and songwriters solve the complexities associated with a fragmented, global market of mixed musical tastes. We have found that investment in local music provides the best opportunity to understand these nuances, and we have made it a strategic priority to seek out investment opportunities in emerging markets. For example, we opened an office in the Middle East and North Africa region to prepare for the forecasted rise in smartphone penetration and projected uptake in digital music. These investments are made with the purpose of increasing our understanding of local market dynamics and popularizing our current roster of recording artists and songwriters around the world. The impact of this local focus is demonstrated by increased revenues. For example, in fiscal year 2019, on a constant-currency basis, our revenues grew by 11% in the United States and Canada, 17% in Latin America, 25% in Asia and Australasia, 26% in Europe and the rest of the world.

                Embrace Commercial Innovation with New Digital Distributors and Partners. We believe the growth of digital formats will continue to develop innovative programscreate new and powerful ways to distribute and monetize our music. We were the first major music company to strike landmark deals with our physical distribution partners to achieve greater sales volume. The physical distribution channels for records are evolving as new outlets develop, the mix of channels and retailers change, new formats for our content are created and pricing models multiply to meet a wide range of needs. Our Recorded Music business will continue to cooperate with its physical distribution channel partners in order to implement forward-looking strategies for our mutual benefit. We will also invest to meet the needs of our channel partners to create more efficient collaboration,important companies such as direct-to-retail distribution strategiesApple, YouTube, Peloton and vendor managed inventory.

                        Capitalize on Digital DistributionTencent Music Entertainment Group, as well as with pure-play music technology companies such as MixCloud, SoundCloud and Emerging Technologies.    Digital formats should represent a new and exciting avenue for the distribution and exploitation of our recorded music and music publishing assets.Audiomack. We believe that the continued development of legitimate Internet and wirelessnew digital channels for the purchaseconsumption of music holdsand increasing access to digital music services present significant promise and opportunity for the music entertainment industry. In particular,We are also focused on investing in emerging music technologies, demonstrated by our launch of WMG Boost, a seed-stage investment fund forstart-ups in the music entertainment industry and through partnerships with entrepreneurial incubators such as TechStars. We intend to continue to extend our technological reach by executing deals with new partners and developing optimal business models that will enable us to monetize our music across various platforms, services and devices. We also intend to continue to support and invest in emerging third-party digital distribution outlets aretechnologies, including artificial intelligence, artificial reality, virtual reality, high-resolution audio, mobile messaging and other technologies to continue to build new revenue streams and position ourselves for long-term growth.

                Pursue Acquisitions to Enhance Asset Portfolio and Long-Term Growth. We have successfully completed a number of strategic acquisitions, particularly in our Recorded Music business. Strengthening and expanding our global footprint provides us with insights on markets in which we can immediately capitalize on favorable industry trends, as evidenced by our acquisition of PLG in 2013. We also build upon our core competencies with additive and ancillary capabilities. For example, our acquisition of UPROXX, one of the most influential media brands for youth culture, not only reasonably priced,provides a platform for short-form music and music-based video content production to market and promote our recording artists, but also offer a superior customer experience relativeincludes sales capabilities to illegal alternatives,monetize advertising inventory on digital audio and video platforms. We plan to continue selectively pursuing acquisition opportunities while maintaining financial discipline to further improve our growth trajectory and drive operating efficiencies with increased free cash flow generation. With respect to our Music Publishing business, we have the opportunity to generate significant value by acquiring other music publishers and extracting cost savings (as acquired catalogs can be administered with little incremental cost), as they are easywell as by increasing revenues through more aggressive monetization efforts. We will also continue to use, offer uncorrupted song files and integrate seamlessly with increasingly popular portable music players such as the Apple iPod, the Dell Digital Jukebox and the iRiver iHP. In addition,evaluate opportunities to add to our catalog or acquire or make investments in companies engaged in businesses that we believe digital distribution will stimulate incremental catalog sales given the ability to offer enhanced presentation and searchability of our catalog. In addition, as networks and phone handsets become more sophisticated, our music is increasingly becoming available on mobile phone platforms through wireless service providers via ring tones, ringback tones and music video downloads. In 2003, sales of ring tones in the U.S. exceeded that of CD singles. We believe the wireless market offers a more secure environment than does the Internet, with built-in digital rights management features operating inside privately controlled networks, and thereby reduces our exposure to piracy.



                        Contain Digital Piracy.    Containing piracy is a major focus of the music industry and we, along with the rest of the industry, are taking multiple measures through technological innovation, litigation, education and the promotion of legislation to combat piracy. We believe new technologies such as spoofing, automated web crawlers and watermarking are geared towards degrading the illegal file-sharing process and tracking the source of pirated music and offer a means to reduce piracy. Furthermore, recent legal actions by our industry, both in and outside the U.S., have been designed to educate consumers and deter illegal downloads. The industry has also been working with educational institutions to implement controls to prohibit students from illegally downloading copyrighted material. We believe that consumer awareness of the illegality of piracy has increased as a result of these initiatives. We believe these actions, in addition to the expansive growth of legitimate online music offerings, will help to limit the revenues lost to digital piracy.advance our strategies.

                Company History

                Recorded Music

                Our history dates back to 1929, when Jack Warner, president of Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc., foundedRecorded Music Publishers Holding Company ("MPHC") to acquire music copyrights as a means of providing inexpensive music for films. MPHC was constructed through the acquisition of M. Witmark & Sons, Remick Music Corp., Harms, Inc. and Advanced Music Corporation. Along with these companies came the beginning of our valuable library of publishing assets, including the works of Cole Porter, Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart. Collectively, these assets, as well as numerous others were acquired over the last 75 years, including Chappell & Intersong Music Group acquired in 1987.

                        Encouraged by the success of MPHC, Warner Bros. extended its presence in the music industry with the founding of Warner Bros. Records in 1958 as a means of distributing movie soundtracks and further exploiting actors' contracts. For 45 years, Warner Bros. Records has pushed the boundsbusiness primarily consists of the industry both creatively and financially with the discovery of artists such as Neil Young, Grateful Dead and the acquisition of Frank Sinatra's Reprise Records in 1963. Today, Warner Bros. Records is home to such artists as Faith Hill, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Linkin Park, Josh Groban and Madonna.

                        Atlantic Records was launched in 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson as a small New York-based label focused on jazz and R&B. Led by Ertegun, Atlantic had early hits by such artists as Ray Charles, John Coltrane and Aretha Franklin, but quickly broadened its reach and found increasing success with artists such as Bobby Darin, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Buffalo Springfield, Sonny and Cher and Led Zeppelin. Elektra Records was founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman as a folk music label. With an eye to emerging music, Elektra Records signed such artists as Joni Mitchell, The Eagles, The Doors and Jackson Browne. The Atlantic Records Group is home to Elektra Records, Atlantic Records and Lava Records and boasts a roster of acclaimed artists such as matchbox twenty, Phil Collins, Jewel, Kid Rock, Tracy Chapman, Metallica and Lil' Kim.

                        In addition, since 1970, we have operated internationally through WMI. WMI is responsible for the sale and marketing of our U.S. artists abroad as well as the acquisition and development of internationalrecording artists and the related marketing, promotion, distribution, sale and licensing of music created by such as Alejandro Sanz, Maná, MC Solaar and Laura Pausini.

                        In 2002, we acquired Word Entertainment to expand our presence in the Christian music genre. Word Entertainment boasts a deep roster of Christian artists, including Jaci Velasquez and Randy Travis.

                Recorded Music

                recording artists. We play an integral role in virtually all aspects of the recorded music value chain from discovering and developing talent to producing, albumsdistributing and selling music to marketing and promoting recording artists and their product. After an artist has entered into a contract with one ofmusic.

                In the United States, our Recorded Music business is conducted principally through our major record labels, a master recording of the artist's music is created. The recording is then replicated for sale to consumers primarilylabels—Atlantic Records and Warner Records. In October 2018, we launched Elektra Music Group in the CD format,United States as a standalone label group, which comprises the Elektra, Fueled by Ramen and now,Roadrunner labels. Our Recorded Music business also includes Rhino Entertainment, a division that specializes in digital formats. In the U.S., WEA Corp. and ADA market, sell and deliver product, either directly or through sub-distributors and wholesalers, to thousands of record stores, mass merchants and other



                retailers throughout the country. Our recorded music products are also sold in physical form to Internet physical retailers such as Amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com and in digital form to Internet digital retailers like Apple's iTunes and musicmatch.com.

                        In markets outside the U.S.,marketing our recorded music activities arecatalog through compilations, reissuances of previously released music and video titles and releasing previously unreleased material from our vault. We also conduct our Recorded Music business through a collection of additional record labels including Asylum, Big Beat, Canvasback, East West, Erato, FFRR, Nonesuch, Parlophone, Reprise, Sire, Spinnin’ Records, Warner Classics and Warner Music Nashville.

                Outside the United States, our Recorded Music business is conducted through our WMI division and its various subsidiaries, affiliates andnon-affiliated licensees. WMI produces revenues in more than 50 countries outside the U.S. and engagesInternationally, we engage in the same activities as our U.S. labels:in the United States: discovering and signing artists and distributing, selling, marketing and sellingpromoting their recorded music.

                In most cases, WMIwe also marketsmarket, promote, distribute and distributessell the recordsmusic of those recording artists for whom our domestic record labels have international rights. In certain countries, WMI licenses to unaffiliated third-party record labelssmaller markets, we license the right to distribute its records.and sell our music tonon-affiliated third-party record labels.

                ArtistsOur Recorded Music business’ distribution operations include WEA Corp., which markets, distributes and Repertoire ("A&R")sells music and video products to retailers and wholesale distributors; ADA, which markets, distributes and sells the products of independent labels to retail and wholesale distributors; and various distribution centers and ventures operated internationally.

                In addition to our music being sold in physical retail outlets, our music is also sold in physical form to online physical retailers, such as amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com and bestbuy.com, and distributed in digital form to an expanded universe of digital partners, including streaming services such as those of Amazon, Apple, Deezer, SoundCloud, Spotify, Tencent Music Entertainment Group and YouTube, radio services such as iHeart Radio and SiriusXM and download services.

                We have diversified our revenues beyond our traditional businesses by entering into expanded-rights deals with recording artists in order to partner with such artists in other aspects of their careers. Under these agreements, we provide services to and participate in recording artists’ activities outside the traditional recorded music business such as touring, merchandising and sponsorships. We have built and acquired artist services capabilities and platforms for marketing and distributing this broader set of music-related rights and participating more widely in the monetization of the artist brands we help create. We believe that entering into expanded-rights deals and enhancing our artist services capabilities in areas such as merchandising, VIP ticketing, fan clubs, concert promotion and management has permitted us to diversify revenue streams and capitalize on other revenue opportunities. This provides for improved long-term relationships with our recording artists and allows us to more effectively connect recording artists and fans.

                For each of the fiscal years ended September 30, 2019, September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017, Recorded Music represented 86%, 84% and 84%, respectively, of consolidated revenues, before intersegment eliminations.

                A&R

                We have a decades-long history of identifying and contracting with recording artists who become commercially successful. Our ability to select recording artists who are likely to be successful is a key element of

                our Recorded Music business strategy. Our ability to select artistsstrategy and spans all music genres and all major geographies and includes recording artists who achieve national, regional and international success. We believe that this success is directly attributable to our experienced global team of A&R executives, to the longstanding reputation and relationships that we have nurtureddeveloped in the artistic community and to our effective management of this vital business function.

                In the U.S.,United States, our major record labels identify potentially successful recording artists, sign them to recording agreements,contracts, collaborate with them to develop recordings of their work and market and sell or license these finished recordings to legitimate digital channels and retail storesstores. Increasingly, we are also expanding our participation in image and legitimate online channels.brand rights associated with artists, including merchandising and sponsorships. Our labels scout and sign talent across all major music genres, including pop, rock, jazz, classical, country, R&B,hip-hop, rap, reggae, Latin, alternative, folk, blues, gospel and other Christian music. WMI marketsInternationally, we market and sellssell U.S. and local repertoire from its ownthrough our network of 37subsidiaries, affiliates and numerous licensees in more than 50 countries.non-affiliated licensees. With a roster of over 500 local recording artists performing in 25various local languages WMI hasthroughout the world, we have an ongoing commitment to developing local talent aimed at achieving national, regional or international success.

                        We continue to realize significant success in the acquisition of new artists and the development of new content. In 2003, we owned or distributed the top albums in the rock, classical and Christian genres with Linkin Park'sMeteora, Josh Groban'sCloser and Mercy Me'sAlmost There.Meteora was certified "Triple Platinum" by RIAA and IFPI in both the U.S. and Europe. In addition to these releases, we issued 15 other "Platinum" albums in the U.S. in 2003 and nine more in Europe, across a variety of genres ranging from R&B and hip-hop to rock and country. We also debuted several top-selling artists in 2003 including Sean Paul, Simple Plan, Trapt and Jason Mraz. We also released top-selling albums from new artists such as Big & Rich, Twista and Ryan Cabrera in 2004.

                        A significant numberMany of our recording artists have continuedcontinue to appeal to audiences long after we cease to release their new recordings. Our catalog includes the U.S. best-selling album of all time,Eagles, Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975, which has sold 28 million units to date.music. We have an efficient process for generating continuedsustaining sales across our catalog releases, as evidenced by the fact that catalog albums generate approximately 40% of our recorded music sales.releases. Relative to our new releases, we spend comparatively smalllesser amounts on marketing for catalog sales.our catalog.

                We maximize the value of our catalog of recorded music through our WSMRhino Entertainment business unit and through activities of each of our record labels. We use our catalog as a source of material forre-releases, compilations, box sets and special package releases, which provide consumers with incremental exposure to familiar songsmusic and recording artists. Recent examples include packages such as "No Thanks!—The 70's Punk Rebellion," greatest hits collectionsRhino Entertainment also releases new music from legacy recording artists such as The Eagles, Crosby, Stills & Nash and Joni Mitchell, box sets by ZZ Top, Talking Heads, Jerry Garcia, Faces, Black Sabbathmarkets and The Grateful Dead,promotes the name and DVDslikeness of Live Aid, Led Zeppelin's"How the West Was Won", Ray



                Charles' "O—Genio: Ray Charles Live in Brazil, 1963", the George Harrison tribute, "The Concert for George"certain artist estates and The Ramones documentary, "End of the Century: The Story of The Ramones" and the multi-artist box set of 80's songs, "Left of the Dial: Dispatches from the 80's Underground".brands.


                Representative Worldwide Recorded Music Artists

                Big & RichDamien RiceGreen DayManáRed Hot Chili Peppers
                BjorkThe DarknessDavid Graymatchbox twentyR.E.M.
                Michelle BranchDisturbedJosh GrobanMC SolaarAlejandro Sanz
                Michael BubléThe EaglesJetMetallicaSeal
                Tracy ChapmanEnyaJewelLuis MiguelSimple Plan
                CherFabolousKid RockAlanis MorissetteStaind
                Eric ClaptonFaith HillLed ZeppelinSean PaulSugar Ray
                Phil CollinsFleetwood MacLinkin ParkLaura PausiniUncle Kracker
                The CorrsGoo Goo DollsMadonnaP.O.D.Westernhagen

                Artists'Recording Artists’ Contracts

                Our artists'recording artists’ contracts define the commercial relationship between our recording artists and our record labels. We negotiate recording agreementscontracts with recording artists that define our rightrights to use the artists' copyrighted recordings in sales and licenses of our recorded music products worldwide.recording artists’ music. In accordance with the terms of the contract, the recording artists receive royalties based on sales and other formsuses of exploitation of the artists' recorded works.such recording artists’ music. We customarily provideup-front payments to recording artists called advances, which are recoupable by us from future royalties otherwise payable to such recording artists. We also typically pay costs associated with the recording and production of albums,music, which are treated in certain countries are treated as advances recoupable by us from future royalties. Our typical contract for a new recording artist covers a sufficient number of master recordings to constitute a single initial extended-play record (known as an EP) or an album and provides us with a series of exclusive options to acquire subsequent albums from the artist. Royalty rates and advances are often increased for optional albums.subsequent albums for which we have exercised our options. Many of our contracts contain a commitment from the record label to fund video production costs, at least a portion of which in certain countries is generally an advancetreated as advances recoupable by us from future royalties.

                Our recording contracts with established artists' contractsartists generally provide for greater advances and higher royalty rates. Typically, established artists'such contracts entitle us to fewer albums, and, of those, fewer are optional albums. In contrast to new artists'artists’ contracts, which typicallycustomarily give us ownership in the artist'sartist’s work for the full term of copyright, some established artists'artists’ contracts provide us with an exclusive license for some fixed period of time. It is not unusual for us to renegotiate contract terms with a successful artist during athe term of antheir existing agreement,contracts, sometimes in return for an increase in the number of albums that the artist is required to deliver.

                With certain territorial or other exceptions, our recording contracts typically grant us ownership for the duration of copyright. See “Intellectual Property—Copyrights.” United States copyright law permits authors or their estates to terminate an assignment or license of copyright (for the United States only) after a set period of time in certain circumstances. See “Risk Factors—We face a potential loss of catalog to the extent that our recording artists have a right to recapture rights in their recordings under the U.S. Copyright Act.”

                We are also continuing to transition to other forms of business models with recording artists to adapt to changing industry conditions. Many of the recording contracts we currently enter into are expanded-rights deals, in which we share in the touring, merchandising, sponsorship, fan club or other ancillary music revenues associated with those artists.

                Marketing and Promotion

                        WEA Corp. and ADA market and sell our recorded music product in the U.S. Our approach to marketing and promoting our recording artists and their recordingsmusic is comprehensive. Our goal is to maximize the likelihood of success for new releases as well as to stimulate the success of previouscatalog releases. We seek to maximizeincrease the value of each artistmusic and release, and to help our recording artists develop an image that maximizes appeal to consumers.connect with their fans.

                        We work to raise the profile of our artists, through an integrated marketing approach that covers all aspects of their interactions with music consumers. These activities include helping the artist develop creatively in each release, strategically scheduling album releases and selecting singles for release, creating concepts for videos that are complementary to the artists' work, and coordinating promotion of albums to radio and television outlets. When possible, we seek to add an additional personal component to our promotional efforts by facilitating television and radio coverage or live appearances



                for our key artists. Our corporate and label websites provide additional marketing venues for our artists.

                        In further preparation for and subsequent to the release of an album, we coordinate and execute a marketing plan that addresses specific retail strategies to promote the album. Aspects of these promotions include in-store appearances, advertising, displays, and placement in album listening stations. These activities are overseen by our marketing staffs to ensure that maximum visibility is achieved for the artist and the release.

                        Our approach to theThe marketing and promotion of recorded music is carefully coordinated to create the greatest sales momentum, while maintaining strict fiscalfinancial discipline. We have significant experience in our marketing and promotion departments, which we believe allows us to achieve an optimal balance between our marketing expenditure and the eventual sales of our artists'artists’ recordings. We use a budget-based approach to plan marketing and promotions, and we monitor all expenditures related to each release to ensure compliance with the agreed-upon budget. These planning processes are informed byregularly evaluated based on updated sales reports, on an artists' retail salesstreaming service data and radio play,airplay data, so that a promotion plan can be quickly refined in the event of a commercial success or failure.adjusted if necessary.

                        Our marketing efforts extend to our catalog albums, though most of the expenditure is directed toward new releases. Our WSM division (which includes Warner Special Products, Warner Television Marketing, Warner Music Group Soundtracks and Rhino Entertainment Company) specializes in marketing our catalog through compilations and reissues of previously released music and video titles, licensing tracks to third parties for various uses and coordinating film and television soundtrack opportunities with third-party film and television producers and studios.

                Manufacturing, Packaging and Physical Distribution

                        On October 24, 2003, Time Warner sold its CDWe have arrangements with various suppliers and DVDdistributors as part of our manufacturing, packaging and physical distribution operations ("TW Manufacturing")services throughout the world. In 2019, we switched to Cinram for approximately $1.1 billion in cash consideration. The transaction included the sale of the following businesses: WEA Manufacturing Inc., Warner Music Manufacturing Europe GmbH, Ivy Hill Corporation, Giant Merchandising and thea new U.S. physical distribution operations of WEA Corp. The salessupplier, which increased the supplier’s volume and marketing operations of WEA Corp. remain a part ofhas led to delays and other inventory issues. We believe that our business.

                        At the time of the sale of TW Manufacturing to Cinram, we entered into long-term manufacturing, packaging and physical distribution arrangements with Cinram forare sufficient to meet our CDsbusiness needs.

                Sales and DVDs in the U.S. and Europe. We believe that the terms of the Cinram Agreements reflect market rates and are more favorable than our previous arrangements.Digital Distribution

                Sales

                        Most of our sales represent purchases by the wholesale or retail distributor. Our return policies are in accordance with wholesale and retailer requirements, applicable laws and regulations, territory- and customer-specific negotiations, and industry practice. We will generally attempt to minimize the return of unsold product.

                We generate salesrevenues from both our rosterthe new releases of current artists and our catalog of recordings. In addition, we actively repackage and remarket music from our catalog to form new compilations. Most of our salesOur revenues are generated through thein digital formats including streaming and downloads, CD format, although we also sell our musicas well as through both historical formats, such as cassettesvinyl albums.

                In connection with the digital distribution of our music, we currently partner with a broad range of digital music services, such as Amazon, Apple, Deezer, KKBox, Spotify, Telefonica, Tencent Music Entertainment Group, YouTube and vinyl albums,Google, and newer emergingare actively seeking to develop and grow our digital formats andbusiness. We also sell traditional physical formats including DVD-Audiothrough both the online distribution arms of traditional retailers such as fye.com and DualDisc.

                        Ourwalmart.com and traditional online physical retailers such as amazon.com, bestbuy.com and barnesandnoble.com. Streaming services stream our music on anad-supported or paid subscription basis. In addition, downloading services download our music on aper-album orper-track basis. In digital formats,per-unit costs related directly to physical products such as manufacturing, distribution, inventory and return costs do not apply. While there are some digital-specific variable costs and infrastructure investments needed to produce, market and license digital products, it is reasonable to expect that we will generally derive a higher contribution margin from streaming and downloads than from physical sales. We sell our physical recorded music sales areproducts through a variety of different retail and wholesale outlets including music specialty stores, general entertainment specialty stores, supermarkets, mass merchants and discounters, independent retailers and other traditional retailers. Although some of our retailers are


                specialized, many of our customers offer a substantial range of products other than music.

                Most of our physical sales represent purchases by a wholesale or retail distributor. Our sale and return policies are in accordance with wholesaler and retailer requirements, applicable laws and regulations, territory and customer-specific negotiations and industry practice. We workattempt to minimize the return of unsold product by working with retailers to manage inventory and SKU counts as well as by monitoring shipments and sell-through data.

                We enter into license agreements with digital music services to make our music available for access in digital formats (e.g., streaming and downloads). We then provide digital assets for our music to these services in an accessible form. Our license agreements with these services establish our fees for the distribution of our music, which vary based on the service. We typically receive accounting from these services on a monthly basis, detailing the distribution activity, with payments rendered on a monthly basis. Our license agreements with digital music services generally last one to three years. In fiscal year 2019, Recorded Music revenue earned under license agreements with our customers to ensure optimal product placement and promotion.

                        We believe that the Internet will become an increasingly important sales channel. Sales through the Internet include sales of traditional physical formats through both the Internet distribution arms of traditional retailers such as walmart.com or hmv.com and online physical retailers such as Amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com. In addition, there has been a proliferation of legitimate online sites which selltop two digital music on a per album or per track basis. We currently partner with a broad rangeaccounts, Apple and Spotify, accounted for approximately 30% of onlineour total revenues.

                Since the emergence of digital players, such as iTunes, MusicNet, musicmatchformats, our business has become less seasonal in nature and Rhapsody, and are actively seeking to develop and grow this business.driven more by the timing of our releases.

                Music Publishing

                        Where recorded musicWhile Recorded Music is focused on exploitingmarketing, promoting, distributing and licensing a particular recording of a song, music publishingmusical composition, Music Publishing is an intellectual property business focused on the exploitationgenerating revenue from uses of the songmusical composition itself. In return for promoting, placing, marketing and administering the creative output of a songwriter, or engaging in those activities for other rightsholders, our Music Publishing business garners a share of the revenues generated.generated from use of the musical compositions.

                        Warner/The operations of our Music Publishing business are conducted principally through Warner Chappell is aMusic, our global music publishing company headquartered in Los Angeles, with operations in over 50 countriesand through various subsidiaries, affiliates, andnon-affiliated licensees. licensees and sub-publishers. We own or control rights to more than one1.4 million musical compositions, including numerous pop hits, American standards, folk songs and motion picture and theatrical compositions. Assembled over decades, our award-winning catalog includes over 65,00080,000 songwriters and composers and a diverse range of genres including pop, rock, jazz, classical, country, R&B,hip-hop, rap, reggae, Latin, folk, blues, symphonic, soul, Broadway, techno, alternative gospel and other Christian music. Our best-selling songwriter or song owner and song accounted for less than 2.5% and 1% of our music publishing revenues for the twelve months ended November 30, 2004, respectively. Moreover, our music publishing library includes many standard titles that span multiple music genres and has demonstrated the ability to generate consistent revenues over extended periods of time. For example, over the last ten years, our top ten earning songs, which include such titles as "Happy Birthday to You" and "Winter Wonderland" have generally generated average annual revenues of between $0.5 million and $1.5 million per song. Warner/gospel. Warner Chappell Music also administers the music and soundtracks of several third-party television and film producers and studios, including Lucasfilm, Ltd. and Hallmark Entertainment.studios. We have an extensive production music catalog collectively branded as Warner Chappell Production Music.

                        Warner/Chappell also owns Warner Bros. Publications ("WBP"), which prints and distributes a broad selection of sheet music, books and educational materials, orchestrations, folios, personality books, and arrangements from the catalogs of Warner/Chappell and other music publishers. On December 15, 2004, we entered into a definitive agreement to sell WBP to Alfred Publishing. CompletionFor each of the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions.


                fiscal years ended September 30, 2019, September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017, Music Publishing Portfolio

                Representative Songwriters

                Michelle BranchGreen DayThe Ramones
                Andreas CarlssonDon HenleyRockwilder
                Eric ClaptonMichael JacksonJohn Shanks
                Bryan-Michael CoxLed ZeppelinStaind
                Sheryl CrowMadonnaTimbaland
                DidoMobyVan Morrison
                The EaglesNickelbackJorge Villamizar
                Fat JoePanteraBarry White
                George and Ira GershwinCole PorterWilco
                John Williams

                Representative Songs

                1950s and
                Prior

                1960s
                1970s
                SummertimePeopleBehind Closed Doors
                Happy Birthday to YouI Only Want to be With YouAin't No Stopping Us Now
                Night and DayWhen a Man Loves a WomanFor the Love of Money
                The Lady is a TrampI Got a WomanA Horse With No Name
                Too Marvelous for WordsPeople Get ReadyMoondance
                Dancing in the DarkLove is BluePeaceful Easy Feeling
                Winter WonderlandHey Big SpenderLayla
                Ain't She SweetFor What It's WorthStaying Alive
                Frosty the SnowmanSunnyStar Wars Theme
                When I Fall In LoveThe Look of Love
                Misty
                The Party's Over
                On the Street Where You Live
                Blueberry Hill
                1980s
                1990s
                2000 and
                After

                Eye of the TigerUnbelievableIt's Been Awhile
                Slow HandCreepThis Is How You Remind Me
                The Wind Beneath My WingsMacarenaComplicated
                Endless LoveSunny Came HomeYou Got It Bad
                Morning TrainAmazedCrazy in Love
                What You NeedThis KissCry Me a River
                Beat ItBelieveWhite Flag
                JumpSmoothDilemma
                We Are the WorldLivin' La Vida LocaWork It
                Miss You
                Burn
                Pieces of Me

                        Our Music Publishingrepresented 14%, 16% and 16%, respectively, of consolidated revenues, are derived from four main sources:before intersegment eliminations.

                  Mechanical:    the licensor receives royalties with respect to compositions embodied in recordings sold in any format or configuration, including singles, albums, CDs, digital downloads and mobile phone ring tones.

                  Performance:    the licensor receives royalties when the composition is performed publicly (e.g., broadcast radio and television, movie theater, concert, nightclub or Internet and wireless streaming).

                  Synchronization:    the licensor receives royalties or fees for the right to use the composition in combination with visual images (e.g., in films, television commercials and programs and videogames).

                  Other:    the licensor receives royalties from other uses such as stage productions and printed sheet music.

                Music Publishing Royalties

                        Warner/Warner Chappell Music, as a copyright owner orand administrator of copyrighted musical compositions, is entitled to receive royalties for the exploitationuse of thosemusical compositions. We continually add new musical compositions as identified below.



                Often, a copyright ownerto our catalog and seek to acquire rights in musical compositions that will transfer "administration rights" to a third party. Administration rights are tantamount togenerate substantial revenue over the right to license uses of the composition and collect monies derived therefrom.long term.

                Music publishers generally receive royalties pursuant to synchronization,public performance, digital, mechanical, public performancesynchronization and other licenses. Throughout the world, each synchronization license is subject to negotiation with a prospective licensee. By contract, music publishers pay a contractually required percentage of synchronization income to the songwriter(s) (or their heirs) and to any co-publishers. In the U.S.,United States, music publishers collect and administer mechanical royalties. Statutory ceilingsroyalties, and statutory rates are established bypursuant to the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, as amended, for the royalty rates applicable to musical compositions for salessale and licensing of recordings embodying those musical compositions. In the U.S., the current maximum statutory mechanical license rate is 8.5 cents per song under 5 minutes of playing time. The statutory rates are sometimes reduced by contract between the licensor and licensee. Music publishers pay a contractually required percentage of mechanical royalty income to the songwriter(s) (or their heirs) and to any co-publishers. In the U.S.,United States, public performance royalties are typicallyincome is administered and collected by music publishers and their performing rights organizations. Those organizations include ASCAP and BMI, which typically pay 50% of the collected performance royalty income to the songwriter(s) and 50% to the music publisher(s). Inin most countries outside the U.S.,United States, collection, administration and allocation of both mechanical and performance income are undertaken and regulated by governmental or quasi-governmental authorities. Those authorities include MCPS-PRS Alliance inThroughout the U.K.world, each synchronization license is generally subject to negotiation with a prospective licensee and, GEMA in Germany.by contract, music publishers pay a contractually required percentage of synchronization income to the songwriters or their heirs and to anyco-publishers.

                        Warner/

                Warner Chappell Music acquires copyrights (oror portions of copyrights)copyrights and administration rights from songwriters or other third-party holders of rights in musical compositions. Typically, in either case, the grantor of rights retains a right to receive a percentage of revenues collected by Warner/Chappell.Warner Chappell Music. As an owner and/orand administrator of musical compositions, we promote the use of those musical compositions by others. For example, we encourage recording artists to record and include our songsmusical compositions on their albums,recordings, offer opportunities to include our musical compositions in filmed entertainment, advertisements and wirelessdigital media and advocate for the use of our musical compositions in live stage productions. Examples of music uses that generate music publishing revenues include:

                        Mechanical: sale of recorded music in various formats

                Performance: performance of the song to the general public

                Live performance at a concert or other venue (e.g.(e.g., arena concerts, nightclubs)

                Broadcast of musicmusical compositions at sporting events, restaurants or bars

                Internet and wireless streaming

                Performance of musicmusical compositions in staged theatrical productions

                Digital: licensing of recorded music in various digital formats and digital performance of musical compositions to the general public

                 

                Streaming and download services

                Mechanical: sale of recorded music in various physical formats

                Vinyl, CDs and DVDs

                Synchronization: use of the songmusical composition in combination with visual images

                 Other:


                via The Harry Fox Agency, anon-exclusiveComposers' licensing agent affiliated with the Society of European Stage Authors and Lyricists'Composers (“SESAC”), while outside the United States, mechanical royalties are collected directly by music publishers or from collecting societies. Once mechanical royalties reach the publisher, percentages of those royalties are paid or credited to the writer or other rightsholder of the copyright in accordance with the underlying rights agreement. Mechanical royalties are paid at a rate of 9.1 cents per song per unit in the United States for physical formats (e.g., CDs and vinyl albums) and permanent digital downloads (recordings in excess of five minutes attract a higher rate). There are also rates set for interactive streaming andnon-permanent downloads based on a formula that takes into account revenues paid by consumers or advertisers with certain minimum royalties that may apply depending on the type of service. “Controlled composition” provisions contained in some recording contracts may apply to the rates mentioned above pursuant to which artist/songwriters license their rights to their record companies for as little as 75% of the statutory rates. The current U.S. statutory mechanical rates will remain in effect through December 31, 2022. In most other territories, mechanical royalties are based on a percentage of wholesale prices for physical formats and based on a percentage of consumer prices for digital formats. In international markets, these rates are determined by multi-year collective bargaining agreements and rate tribunals.

                Throughout the world, performance royalties are collected by publishers directly or on behalf of music publishers and songwriters by performance rights organizations and collecting societies. Key performing rights organizations and collecting societies include: The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (“ASCAP”), SESAC and Broadcast Music, Inc. (“BMI”) in the United States; Mechanical-Copyright Protection Society and The Performing Right Society in the United Kingdom; The German Copyright Society in Germany and the Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers in Japan. The societies pay a percentage (which is set in each country) of the performance royalties to the copyright owner(s) or administrators (i.e., the publisher(s)), and a percentage directly to the songwriter(s), of the composition. Thus, the publisher generally retains the performance royalties it receives other than any amounts attributable toco-publishers.

                Composers’ and Lyricists’ Contracts

                        Warner/Warner Chappell Music derives its rights through contracts with composers, and lyricists (songwriters) or their heirs and with third-party music publishers. In some instances, those contracts grant either 100% or some lesser percentage of copyright ownership in musical compositions andand/or administration rights. In other instances, those contracts only convey to Warner/Warner Chappell Music rights to administer and exploit musical compositions for a period of time without retaining anconveying a copyright ownership interest. Our contracts grant us exclusive exploitationuse rights in the territories concerned (exceptingexcepting anypre-existing arrangements). arrangements. Many of our contracts grant us rights on a worldwideglobal basis. Contracts cover the entire work product of the writer or composer for the duration of the contract. As a result, Warner/Warner Chappell typicallyMusic customarily possesses the administration rights for every musical composition created by the writer or composer during the durationexclusive acquisition term of the contract.

                While the duration of the contractadministration rights under contracts may vary, manysome of our contracts grant us ownership and/or administration rights for the duration of copyright. See “—Intellectual Property—Copyrights.” U.S. copyright law permits authors or their estates to terminate an assignment or license of copyright (for the U.S.United States only) after a set period of time. For U.S. works created before January 1, 1978 that are not "works made for hire", this period is 56 years. For U.S. works created after January 1, 1978 that are not "works made for hire", this period is 35 years. In the U.K., rights transferred by an authorSee “Risk Factors—We face a potential loss of certain works created before June 1, 1957 automatically revertcatalog to the author's heirs 25 years afterextent that our recording artists have a right to recapture rights in their recordings under the author's death.U.S. Copyright Act.”

                Marketing and PromotionCompetition

                        We actively seek, develop and maintain relationships with songwriters.

                        We actively market our catalog to end users such as recorded music companies (includingIn our Recorded Music business), filmed entertainment, television and other media companies, advertising and media agencies, event planners and organizers, computer and video game companies and other multimedia producers. We also market our musical compositions for use in live stage productions and merchandising. In addition, we actively seek new and emerging outlets for the exploitation of songs such as ring tones for cellular phones, new wireless and online uses, digital sheet music and Internet webcasting.

                        We continually add new musical compositions to our catalog, and seek to acquire rights in songs that will generate substantial revenue over long periods of time.

                Competition

                        The industry in which we operate is highly competitive, is based on consumer preferences, and is rapidly changing.

                        At its core, the recorded music business relies on the exploitation of artistic talent. As such, much of our competitive strength is predicated upon our ability to continually develop and market new artists whose work gains commercial acceptance. In 2003, Recorded Music, our Recorded Music competitors included EMI, Universal, Sony and BMG. We also competed and continue to compete with numerous small and mid-sized independent music companies such as Madacy, Matador, Musicrama, Balboa, Koch, Sugar Hill, Beggars Banquet, TVT Records, V2 and edel. In August 2004, Sony and BMG merged their recorded music businesses to form Sony BMG. See "Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business—We may be materially and adversely affected by the formation of Sony BMG Music Entertainment". We believe we remain in competition for new and emerging talent.

                        In Music Publishing businesses, we compete with other music publishing companies in the acquisition and exploitation of musical compositions. Our competitors include EMI Publishing, Sony/ATV, Universal, and BMG. We also compete with numerous smaller and mid-sized music companies such as Chrysalis, edel, Carlin America, peermusic, Music Sales, Famous, MPL Communications and Windswept and



                many individual songwriters who publish their own works. We believe we remain in competition for musical compositions.

                        In both recorded music and music publishing we also compete based on price (to retailers in recorded music and to various end users in music publishing), on marketing and promotion (including both how we allocate our marketing and promotion resources as well as how much we spend on a dollar basis) and on recording artist and songwriter signings. We believe we currently compete favorably in these areas. However, there is a threat that the change to the competitive landscape caused by the new Universal and Sony BMG duopoly could drive up the costs of artist signings and the costs of marketing and promoting records to our detriment.

                Our recorded musicRecorded Music business is also dependent on technological development, including access to, and selection and viability of new technologies, and is subject to potential pressure from competitors as a result of their technological developments. In recent years, due to the growth in piracy, we have been forced to compete with illegal channels such as unauthorized Internet peer-to-peer file-sharing and downloading and industrial duplication. See "Industry Overview—Piracy". Additionally, we compete, to a lesser extent, for disposable consumer income with alternative forms of entertainment, content and leisure activities, such as cable and satellite television, motion pictures and video games in physical and digital formats.

                The recorded music industry is highly competitive based on home devices (e.g., VHSconsumer preferences and DVD) or atis rapidly changing. At its core, the box officerecorded music business relies on artistic talent. As such, competitive strength is predicated upon the ability to continually develop and with videogamesmarket new recording artists whose work gains commercial acceptance. According to Music and Copyright, in 2019, the three largest recorded music companies were Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment and us, which collectively accounted for disposable consumer income. See also "Risk Factors—We may be unable to compete successfullyapproximately 68% of global recorded music revenues. There are manymid-sized and smaller players in the industry that accounted for the remaining approximately 32%, including independent recorded music companies. Universal Music Group was the market leader with an approximately 32% global market share in 2019 after absorbing the bulk of the recorded music assets of the former EMI in late 2012, followed by Sony Music Entertainment with an approximately 20% share. We held an approximately 16% share of global recorded music revenues in 2019.

                The music publishing industry is also highly competitive marketscompetitive. The three largest music publishing companies collectively accounted for approximately 58% of the global market in which we operate2019 according to Music & Copyright. According to Music & Copyright, Sony/ATV was the market leader in music publishing in 2019 with an

                approximately 25% share (reflecting its ownership of the EMI music publishing assets). Universal Music Publishing was the second-largest music publisher with an approximately 21% share, followed by us at approximately 12%. There are manymid-sized and we may suffer reduced profits as a result."smaller players in the industry that account for the remaining approximately 42%, including many individual songwriters who publish their own works.

                Intellectual Property

                CopyrightCopyrights

                Our business, like that of other companies involved in the music publishing and recorded music,entertainment industry, rests on our ability to maintain rights in sound recordings and musical works and recordingscompositions through copyright protection. In the U.S.,United States, copyright protection for works created as "works“works made for hire"hire” (e.g., works of employees or specially-commissionedcertain specially commissioned works) on or after January 1, 1978 generally lasts for 95 years from first publication or 120 years from creation, whichever expires first. The period of copyright protection for musical compositions and sound recordingsworks created on or after January 1, 1978 that are not "works“works made for hire"hire” lasts for the life of the author plus 70 years for worksyears. Works created onand published or after January 1, 1978. U.S. works createdregistered in the United States prior to January 1, 1978 generally enjoy a total copyright life ofprotection for 95 years, subject to compliance with certain statutory provisions including notice and renewal. InAdditionally, the MMA extended federal copyright protection in the U.S., to sound recordings created prior to February 15, 1972 are not subject to1972. The duration of copyright protection but are protected by common law rights or state statutes, where applicable. Copyrightfor such sound recordings varies based on the year of publication, with all such sound recordings receiving copyright protection for at least 95 years, and sound recordings published between January 1, 1957 and February 15, 1972 receiving copyright protection until February 15, 2067. The term of copyright in the European Union has recently been harmonized such that the period of copyright protectionE.U. for musical compositions in all Member Statesmember states lasts for the life of the author plus 70 years. In certain European Union countries, such as the U.K., the period of protection for musical compositions was recently extended from 50 years to 70 years, which has restored copyright protection in certain compositions in which our rights lapsed.

                In the European Union,E.U., the term of copyright for sound recordings lasts for 5070 years from the date of release.release in respect of sound recordings that were still in copyright on November 1, 2013 and for 50 years from date of release in respect of sound recordings the copyright in which had expired by that date. The E.U. also harmonized the copyright term for joint musical works. In the case of a musical composition with words that is protected by copyright on or after November 1, 2013, E.U. member states are required to calculate the life of the author plus 70 years term from the date of death of the last surviving author of the lyrics and the composer of the musical composition, provided that both contributions were specifically created for the musical composition.

                We are largely dependent on legislation in each territory in which we operate to protect our rights against unauthorized reproduction, distribution, public performance or rental. In all territories where we operate, our products receiveintellectual property receives some degree of copyright protection, although the periodextent of effective protection varies widely. In a number of developing countries, the protection of copyright remains inadequate. The U.S. enacted the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998, creating a powerful framework for the protection of copyrights covering musical compositions and recordings in the digital world.

                        The potential growth of new delivery technologies, such as digital broadcasting, the Internet and entertainment-on-demand hasTechnological changes have focused attention on the need for new legislation that will adequately protect the rights of producers. We actively lobby in favor of industry efforts to increase copyright protection and support the efforts of organizations such as RIAA, IFPI, National Music Publishers’ Association, International Confederation of Music Publishers and the World Intellectual Property Organization ("WIPO").



                        In December 1996, two global copyright treaties, the WIPO Copyright Treaty and the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty, were signed securing the basic legal framework for the international music industry to trade and invest in online music businesses. The WIPO treaties have been ratified by the requisite number of countries, including the U.S.Organization.

                        The European Union has implemented these treaties through the European Copyright Directive, which was adopted by the EU in 2001. Legislation implementing the Directive in each of the member states is underway. The Directive harmonizes copyright laws across Europe and extends substantial protection for copyrights online. The European Union has also put forward legislation aimed at assuring cross border coordination of the enforcement of laws related to counterfeit goods, including musical recordings.

                Trademarks

                        An important part ofWe consider our business istrademarks to be valuable assets to our trademarks. Ourbusiness. Although we cannot assure you that our trademark applications, even for major trademarks, are registeredwill be approved, we endeavor to register our major trademarks in every country where we believe the protection of these trademarks is important for our business. Our major trademarks include Asylum, Atlantic, Elektra, EMP, Parlophone, Reprise, Rhino, Sire, RepriseSPINNIN’ RECORDS, Warner Chappell and Warner/Chappell.WEA, and their respective logos. We also use certain trademarks pursuant to a royalty-free license agreements.agreement. The duration of the license relating to the WARNER, WARNER MUSIC and WARNER MUSIC marksRECORDS trademarks and a "W"“W” logo is perpetual. The duration of the license relating to the WARNER BROS. RECORDS and WARNER BROS. PUBLICATIONS marks and WB & Shield designs is fifteen years from February 29, 2004. Each of the licensesperpetual, but may be terminated under certain limited circumstances, which includeincluding our material breachesbreach of the license agreement and certain events of insolvency, and certain change of control events if we were to become controlled by a major filmed entertainment company.insolvency. We

                actively monitor and protect against activities that might infringe, dilute or otherwise harm our trademarks.

                Combating Piracy

                        We continue However, the actions we take to focus on combatingprotect our trademarks may not be adequate to prevent third parties from infringing, diluting, or otherwise harming our trademarks, and containing piracythe laws of foreign countries may not protect our trademark rights to the same extent as a top priority. We have continued to take a leadership role indo the music industry's war against piracy. For example, in 2003, we championed the industry-wide developmentlaws of the new DualDisc (CD/DVD) physical format, we partnered with Apple on its security model for its Macintosh and PC launches of iTunes, and we encouraged Microsoft to retool its Digital Rights Management digital media copyright protection technology and include playlist burn limits. In addition, we continue to support the aggressive measures taken by RIAA, IFPI and NMPA, including civil lawsuits, education programs, political lobbying for tougher restrictions on use, and international efforts to preserve music copyrights. See "Industry Overview—Recorded Music—Piracy" for additional detail on these efforts.United States.

                Joint Ventures

                We have entered into joint venture arrangements pursuant to which we or our various subsidiary companies manufacture, distribute, market, promote, license and marketsell (in most cases, domestically and internationally) recordings and other rights owned by the joint ventures, such as Maverick Recording Company,ventures. An example of this arrangement is Frank Sinatra Enterprises, a joint venture between Warner Bros. Recordsestablished to administer licenses for use of Frank Sinatra’s name and Guy Osearylikeness and Bad Boy Records, a joint venture between usmanage all aspects of his music, film and Sean "P. Diddy" Combs.stage content.

                Employees

                As of December 31, 2004,September 30, 2019, we employed approximately 4,0005,400 persons worldwide. Noneworldwide, including temporary and part-time employees as well as employees that were added with the acquisition of EMP. As of such date, none of our employees in the U.S. areUnited States were subject to a collective bargaining agreements,agreement, although certain employees in ournon-domestic companies arewere covered by national labor agreements. We believe that our relationship with our employees is good.



                Properties and Facilities

                We own distribution, studio and office facilities and also lease certain facilities in the ordinary course of business. Our principal executive offices and worldwide headquarters are currently located at 75 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10019. In addition, we have a ten-year lease for our headquarters at 75 Rockefeller Plaza,1633 Broadway, New York, New York 10019.10019, under a long-term lease ending July 31, 2029. The lease also includes a single option for us to extend the term for either five years or ten years. In addition, under certain conditions, we have the ability to lease additional space in the building and have a right of first refusal with regard to certain additional space. On October 7, 2016, we entered into a lease agreement for new office space located in the Ford Factory Building at 777 S. Santa Fe Avenue, Los Angeles, California 90021 beginning on August 1, 2017 for an initial term of 12 years and 9 months with a single option to extend the term of the lease for 10 years. This office space is currently used as our Los Angeles, California headquarters. We also have a seventeen-yearown other property and lease for office space in a building located at 3400 West Olive Avenue, Burbank, California 91505 and an approximately eight-year lease for office space at 1290 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10104.

                Environmental Matters

                        Our wholly and partially owned pick, pack and ship facilities elsewhere throughout the world as necessary to operate our businesses. We consider our properties adequate for our current needs.

                Legal Proceedings

                SiriusXM

                On September 11, 2013, the Company joined with Capitol Records, LLC, Sony Music Entertainment, UMG Recordings, Inc. and ABKCO Music & Records, Inc. in a lawsuit brought in California Superior Court against SiriusXM Radio Inc., alleging copyright infringement for SiriusXM’s use ofpre-1972 sound recordings under California law. A nation-wide settlement was reached on June 17, 2015 pursuant to which SiriusXM paid the plaintiffs, in the aggregate, $210 million on July 29, 2015 and the plaintiffs dismissed their lawsuit with prejudice. The settlement resolved all past claims as to SiriusXM’s use ofpre-1972 recordings owned or controlled by the plaintiffs and enabled SiriusXM, without any additional payment, to reproduce, perform and broadcast such recordings in the United States through December 31, 2017. The allocation of the settlement proceeds among the plaintiffs was determined and the settlement proceeds were distributed accordingly. This resulted in a cash distribution to the Company of $33 million of which $28 million was recognized in revenue during the 2016 fiscal year and $4 million was recognized in revenue during the 2017 fiscal year. The balance of $1 million was recognized in the first quarter of the 2018 fiscal year. The Company is sharing its allocation of the settlement proceeds with its artists on the same basis as statutory revenue from SiriusXM is shared, i.e., the artist share of our leased printed sheet music manufacturing facility in Florida, which are not a significantallocation will be paid to artists by SoundExchange.

                As part of our business, are subjectthe settlement, plaintiffs agreed to laws and regulations and international agreements governingnegotiate in good faith to grant SiriusXM a license to publicly perform the protectionplaintiffs’pre-1972 sound recordings for the five-year period running from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2022. Pursuant to the settlement, if the parties were unable to reach an agreement on license terms, the royalty rate for each license would be determined by binding arbitration on a willing buyer/willing seller standard. On December 21, 2017, SiriusXM commenced a single arbitration against all of the environment, natural resources, human healthplaintiffs in California through JAMS to determine the rate for the five-year period. On May 1, 2018, the Company filed a lawsuit against SiriusXM in New York state court to stay the California arbitration and safetyto compel a separate arbitration in New York solely between SiriusXM and the use, managementCompany. On August 23, 2018, the Company filed a Stipulation of Discontinuance without Prejudice as to the New York state court action after SiriusXM agreed to participate in a separate arbitration with the Company in New York if the parties were unable to reach an agreement onpre-1972 license terms. On March 28, 2019, the Company and disposal of hazardous substances. In particular, our operations are subjectSiriusXM entered into an agreement granting SiriusXM a license to stringent requirements for packaging content and recycling, air and water emissions, and waste management. We believe that we comply substantially with all applicable environmental requirements. Althoughpublicly perform the costs of maintaining such compliance have not materially affected us to date, we cannot predict the costs of complying with requirements that may be imposed in the future. In connection with some of our existing facilities, we also have been, and may become again, responsibleCompany’spre-1972 sound recordings for the costs of investigating or cleaning up contaminated properties. Such costs or related third-party personal injury or property damage claims could have a material adverse affect on our business, results of operations or financial condition.five-year period running from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2022.

                Legal ProceedingsOther Matters

                        On September 7, 2004, November 22, 2004 and March 31, 2005, Eliot Spitzer, the Attorney General of the State of New York served Warner Music Group, with requests for information in the form of subpoenas duces tecum in connection with an industry-wide investigation of the relationship between music companies and radio stations, including the use of independent promoters and accounting for any such payments. In responseaddition to the Attorney General's inquiry, we have been producing documents and expect to complete our production in May or June. We also understand that this investigation has been expanded to include companies that own radio stations.

                        We arematter discussed above, the Company is involved in various litigation and regulatory proceedings arising in the normal course of our business. Management doesWhere it is determined, in consultation with counsel based on litigation and settlement risks, that a loss is probable and estimable in a given matter, the Company establishes an accrual. In the currently pending proceedings, the amount of accrual is not believe that anymaterial. An estimate of the reasonably possible loss or range of loss in excess of the amounts already accrued cannot be made at this time due to various factors typical in contested proceedings, including (1) the results of ongoing discovery; (2) uncertain damage theories and demands; (3) a less than complete factual record; (4) uncertainty concerning legal proceedings pending against us will have, individually,theories and their resolution by courts or inregulators; and (5) the aggregate, a material adverse effect on our business.unpredictable nature of the opposing party and its demands. However, wethe Company cannot predict with certainty the outcome of any litigation or the potential for future litigation. As such, the Company continuously monitors these proceedings as they develop and adjusts any accrual or disclosure as needed. Regardless of the outcome, litigation cancould have an adverse impact on us,the Company, including ourthe Company’s brand value, because of defense costs, diversion of management resources and other factors.factors, and it could have a material effect on the Company’s results of operations for a given reporting period.


                MANAGEMENT


                MANAGEMENT

                The directors andfollowing table sets forth certain information concerning our executive officers and directors. The respective age of Warner Music Group Corp.each individual in the table below is as of April 21, 2005 are as follows:May 1, 2020.

                Name

                Age
                Position

                Executive Officers




                Edgar Bronfman, Jr.

                Name


                49

                Age


                Chairman of the Board and CEO

                Position


                Lyor Cohen

                Stephen Cooper


                45

                 

                Chairman and CEO, U.S. Recorded Music73
                Chief Executive Officer; Director

                Paul-René Albertini

                Max Lousada


                45

                 

                Chairman and CEO, Warner Music International46
                Chief Executive Officer, Recorded Music; Director

                Les Bider

                Eric Levin


                54

                 

                Chairman and CEO, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc. (on February 17, 2005, announced his retirement from us)*

                Michael D. Fleisher57

                40

                 

                Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

                David H. Johnson

                Carianne Marshall


                58

                 

                42
                Co-Chair and Chief Operating Officer, Warner Chappell Music

                Guy Moot

                54Co-Chair and Chief Executive Officer, Warner Chappell Music

                Maria Osherova

                54Executive Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer

                Paul M. Robinson

                61Executive Vice President and General Counsel and Secretary

                Non-Employee Directors

                Oana Ruxandra


                 

                 

                38
                Executive Vice President of Business Development and Chief Digital Officer

                James Steven

                43Executive Vice President, Chief Communications Officer

                Michael Lynton

                60Chairman of the Board

                Len Blavatnik


                47

                 

                62
                Vice Chairman of the Board

                Lincoln Benet

                56Director

                Richard J. Bressler

                Alex Blavatnik


                46

                 

                Director Nominee**

                Charles A. Brizius55

                36

                 

                Director

                John P. Connaughton

                Mathias Döpfner


                39

                 

                57
                Director

                Scott L. Jaeckel

                Noreena Hertz


                34

                 

                52
                Director

                Seth W. Lawry

                Ynon Kreiz


                40

                 

                55
                Director

                Thomas H. Lee


                61

                 

                76
                Director

                Ian Loring

                Donald A. Wagner


                38

                 

                Director

                Jonathan M. Nelson56

                48

                 

                Director

                Mark Nunnelly

                46


                Director

                Scott M. Sperling

                47


                Director

                        * On April 11, 2005, Acquisition Corp. announced that Mr. Blackstone has been hired toExecutive Officers

                Our executive officers are appointed by, and serve as Chairman and CEOat the discretion of, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc. as Mr. Bider's successor starting no later than January 1, 2006.

                        ** Mr. Bressler has agreed to serve as a director asour board of directors. Each executive officer is an employee of the dateCompany or one of this offering and has consented to be named as such herein.

                its subsidiaries. The following information provides a brief description of the business experience of each directorof our executive officers and directors. The current executive officer.officers are as follows:

                Edgar Bronfman, Jr.Stephen Cooper, Chief Executive Officer

                Mr. Cooper has served as a director since July 20, 2011 and as our CEO since August 18, 2011. Previously, Mr. Cooper was our Chairman of the Board from July 20, 2011 to August 18, 2011. Mr. Cooper is a member of the Board of Directors of LyondellBasell, one of the world’s largest olefins, polyolefins, chemicals and refining companies. He has more than 30 years of experience as a financial advisor, and has served as Chief Executive Officer of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc.; Chief Executive Officer of Hawaiian Telcom; Executive Chairman of Blue Bird Corporation; Executive Chairman of the Board of Collins & Aikman Corporation; Chief Executive Officer of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts; and Chief Executive Officer and Chief Restructuring Officer of Enron Corporation. Mr. Cooper also serves on the Board of Directors of LyondellBasell Industries N.V. Mr. Cooper is also the Managing Partner of Cooper Investment Partners, a private equity firm.

                Mr. Cooper brings beneficial experience and attributes to our board of directors, including more than 30 years of experience as a financial advisor, and his experience having served as chairman or chief executive officer of various businesses, including Chief Executive Officer of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc. and Chief Executive Officer of Hawaiian Telcom.

                Max Lousada, Chief Executive Officer, Recorded Music

                Mr. Lousada has served as a director since October 1, 2017 and as our CEO, Recorded Music, since MarchOctober 1, 2004. Before joining2017. He oversees the Company’s worldwide Recorded Music business, including Atlantic, Warner Records, Elektra,

                Parlophone, Warner Music Group,Nashville, Global Catalog/Rhino and Warner Classics, as well as the Company’s international Recorded Music affiliates and WMG’s Artist & Label Services divisions, WEA Corp. and ADA. Before taking his latest role, Mr. BronfmanLousada was the Chairman & CEO of Warner Music UK, where he was responsible for overseeing the Company’s U.K. family of labels during a four-year run of record-breaking success. In addition, he served as Chairman of the BRITs Committee from 2014 to 2016. Mr. Lousada previously headed up Atlantic Records UK for nine years, where he built an award-winning team and CEOroster of Lexa Partners LLC, a management venture capital group based in New York City.artists. Prior to Lexa Partners,



                Mr. Bronfman was appointed Executive Vice Chairman of Vivendi Universal in December 2000. He resigned from his position as an officer and executive of Vivendi Universal on March 31, 2002, and resigned as Vice Chairman of Vivendi Universal's Board of Directors on December 2, 2003. Prior to the December 2000 formation of Vivendi Universal, Mr. Bronfman was President and CEO of The Seagram Company Ltd., a post he held since June 1994. During his tenure asat Atlantic Records UK, Mr. Lousada led A&R at Mushroom Records.

                Mr. Lousada brings beneficial experience and attributes to our board of directors, including his experience managing the CEORecorded Music business on aday-to-day basis, which provides him with intimate knowledge of Seagram, he consummated $85 billion in transactionsour operations, and transformed the company into one of the world's leading media and communications companies. From 1989 until June 1994, Mr. Bronfman served as President and COO of Seagram. Between 1982 and 1989, he held a series of senior executive positions for The Seagram Company Ltd.his significant experiences in the U.S.entertainment industry, advising and in Europe.managing companies.

                Lyor Cohen has served as the Chairman and CEO of our U.S. Recorded Music operations since March 1, 2004. From 2002 to 2004, Mr. Cohen was the Chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group's Island Def Jam Music Group. Mr. Cohen served as President of Def Jam from 1988 to 2002. Previously, Mr. Cohen served in various capacities at Rush Management, a hip-hop management company, which he founded with partner Russell Simmons. Mr. Cohen is widely credited with expanding Island Def Jam beyond its hip-hop roots to include a wider range of musical genres.

                Paul-René Albertini has served as President of Warner Music International since 2002 and currently leads Warner Music International, our international division, as Chairman and CEO. From December 2000 until 2002, Mr. Albertini served as President of Warner Music Europe. He joined Warner Music International from Sony Music Entertainment Europe where he held the post ofEric Levin, Executive Vice President from 1999. Prior to that he served as President and CEO Sony Music France between 1994 and 1999. In 1991 he became CEO of PolyGram Disques France. In 1983, Chief Financial Officer

                Mr. Albertini joined PolyGram as International Label Manager before becoming Marketing Director for Barclay Records. He was named Director of Marketing and Promotion for Phonogram in 1989, and was appointed Managing Director Phonogram France.

                Les Bider has served as Chairman and CEO of Warner/Chappell Music, Inc. since 1988, and leads our publishing division. On February 17, 2005, Mr. Bider announced that he had decided to step down from such position following the appointment of a successor and a transition period. Mr. Bider served as CFO of Warner Bros. Music, Warner/Chappell's predecessor entity, from 1981 to 1983. In 1983, he became CFO and COO of Warner/Chappell Music. Mr. Bider holds an M.B.A. from the Wharton School of Business and a B.S. from University of Southern California.

                Michael D. FleisherLevin has served as our Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer since October 13, 2014. From October 2012 to June 2014, he served as the financial director of Ecolab (China) Investment Co. Ltd, a multinational technology and manufacturing group in China. From May 1988 to December 2001, he worked in various financial functions at Home Box Office, Inc., a subsidiary of Time Warner, and was promoted to CFO from January 1, 2005.2000 to December 2001. Thereafter and until 2011, he served in various operational and financial roles in companies in the media and publishing industry. From 2004 to 2007, he was theCo-Founder and CEO of City on Demand, LLC, a television production company. From 2009 to 2011, Mr. Levin was CFO at SCMP Group Limited, a company listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, which is a leading Asia media holding company, and joined the board of The Post Publishing Public Company Limited, a company listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand, which publishes newspapers and magazines. Mr. Levin obtained a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania in May 1984 and an M.B.A. in finance and economics from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business in March 1988.

                Carianne Marshall,Co-Chair and Chief Operating Officer, Warner Chappell Music

                Ms. Marshall has served asCo-Chair and Chief Operating Officer of Warner Chappell Music since January 2019. Ms. Marshall joined Warner Chappell in June 2018 as Chief Operating Officer of Warner Chappell. Prior to joining Warner Chappell in June 2018, she was Partner, Head of Creative Services, and Head of Creative Licensing at SONGS, the noted independent music publisher, which she joined in 2006. Ms. Marshall served as SONGS’ executive leader on the West Coast, helping to build a roster of over 300 songwriters and overseeing a creative licensing staff responsible for placing compositions by SONGS’ writers in all forms of visual media and overseeing thenon-top 40 roster. From 2003 to 2006, Ms. Marshall was Director of Motion Picture and Television Music for Universal Music Publishing Group, and, from 2000 to 2003, she worked at DreamWorks Music Publishing, where she was an A&R coordinator and subsequently the company’s synchronization executive. Ms. Marshall also held previous roles at Elektra Records and Universal Music Publishing. Ms. Marshall began her career in the music entertainment industry at Los Angeles-based VOX Productions, where she worked in live music production, while helping manage and book local bands. Ms. Marshall obtained a B.A. degree in Communications from the University of Southern California.

                Guy Moot,Co-Chair and Chief Executive Officer, Warner Chappell Music

                Mr. Fleisher was ChairmanMoot has served asCo-Chair and Chief Executive Officer of Gartner, Inc.Warner Chappell Music since April 1, 2019. From 2017 until 2019, Mr. Fleisher joined GartnerMoot served as President of Worldwide Creative at Sony/ATV, where he led the company’s efforts to seek out the best songwriting talent, regardless of their country of origin. From 2005 to 2017, Mr. Moot was Managing Director of EMI Music Publishing UK and President of European Creative where his leadership played a key role in 1993ensuring that EMI was named Music Week Publisher of the Year for fourteen years running. During that time, Mr. Moot led the Sony/ATV and servedEMI Music Publishing merger across Europe in several roles including Chief Financial Officer prior2012, and, from 2016 to being named CEO in 1999. Previous2017, he led the company to Gartner, he was at Bain Capital. Mr. Fleisher servesa record-breaking, year-long hold on the BoardUK Number 1

                Singles spot. From 2003 to 2005, Mr. Moot was EMI Music Publishing’s Executive Vice President of AmeritradeA&R for the U.K. and NYC2012.Europe.

                David H. JohnsonMaria Osherova, Executive Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer

                Ms. Osherova has served as our Executive Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer since July 29, 2014. Ms. Osherova joined the Company in 2006 as Vice President, Human Resources for Warner Music International, based in London. Advancing to Senior Vice President of Warner Music International, she played a pivotal role in the successful integration of Parlophone Label Group within the Company. Prior to joining the Company, Ms. Osherova was Global HR Manager for a division of Shell International Petroleum, where she headed a department responsible for employees in over 120 countries. She previously held several posts at The Coca-Cola Company, based variously in Copenhagen, Oslo, and St. Petersburg. Osherova studied at St. Petersburg State Technical University, where she was awarded a Master of Sciences degree.

                Paul M. Robinson, Executive Vice President and General Counsel and Secretary

                Mr. Robinson has served as our Executive Vice President and General Counsel and Secretary since December 2006. He is responsible for our worldwide legal and business affairs and public policy functions. Mr. Robinson joined the Company’s legal department in 1995. From 1995 to December 2006, Mr. Robinson held various positions with the Company, including Acting General Counsel and Senior Vice President, Deputy General Counsel. Before joining the Company, Mr. Robinson was a partner in the New York City law firm Mayer, Katz, Baker, Leibowitz & Roberts. Mr. Robinson has a B.A. in English from Williams College and a J.D. from Fordham University School of Law.

                Oana Ruxandra, Executive Vice President of Business Development and Chief Digital Officer

                Ms. Ruxandra has served as Executive Vice President of Business Development and General CounselChief Digital Officer since 1999. PriorApril 2020. In such capacity, Ms. Ruxandra oversees global business development and digital strategy for the Company, with a focus on exploring new forms of commercial innovation and creating new digital revenue opportunities. From December 2018 to joining WarnerApril 2020, Ms. Ruxandra served as Executive Vice President, New Business Channels—Chief Acquisition Officer, a role that required her to attractnon-traditional partners and identify unconventional M&A opportunities and from June 2019 to April 2020, she served as interim head of business development for our Recorded Music Inc., Mr. Johnson spent nine yearsbusiness. From 2016 until December 2018, she served as Senior Vice President of Digital Strategy and General CounselPartnerships at Universal Music Group, prior to which she spent four years at the Company, advancing to Vice President of Digital Strategy and Business Development. Ms. Ruxandra previously spent seven years in the financial industry at firms such as BlackRock and Constellation Capital Management. Ms. Ruxandra received her B.A. in Economics and Political Science from Columbia University and her M.B.A. from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

                James Steven, Executive Vice President, Chief Communications Officer

                Mr. Steven has served as Executive Vice President, Chief Communications Officer since January 1, 2015. He is responsible for Sony Music Entertainment.our worldwide communications and corporate marketing functions, including external and internal communications, investor relations, social responsibility and special events. He also oversees the interaction and coordination of the communications functions of our operating companies. Mr. Steven joined the Company in 2007 as part of the Company’s international communications team based in London. He relocated to New York in 2012, becoming Senior Vice President, Communications and Marketing. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Steven held several postsvarious roles at CBSpublic relations and was an associatemarketing agencies, including Cow PR and Consolidated PR, working with clients in the law firm Mayer, Nussbaum, Katz & Baker.film, TV, technology, retail, beverages and automobile industries. Mr. Johnson received a B.A. in political science from Yale University, a J.D.Steven holds an M.A. (Honors) degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law SchoolEdinburgh.

                Directors

                Michael Lynton

                Mr. Lynton has served as Chairman of the Board of the Company since February 7, 2019. Mr. Lynton also currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Snap, Inc., a position he has held since 2016 after joining Snap Inc.’s board in 2013. Mr. Lynton also currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Schrödinger, Inc., a position he has held since October 2018 after joining the board of directors of Schrödinger, Inc. in January 2018, and an L.L.M.is a member of the board of directors of Pearson plc. and Ares Management, L.P. Previously, Mr. Lynton served as the CEO of Sony Entertainment from New York University SchoolApril 2012 until February 2017, overseeing Sony’s global entertainment businesses, including Sony Music Entertainment, Sony/ATV Music Publishing and Sony Pictures Entertainment. Mr. Lynton also served as Chairman and CEO of Law.Sony Pictures Entertainment since January 2004. Prior to joining Sony Pictures, Mr. Lynton worked for Time Warner, and from 2000 to 2004, he served as CEO of AOL Europe, President of AOL International and President of Time Warner International. From 1996 to 2000, Mr. Lynton served as Chairman and CEO of Pearson plc’s Penguin Group where he oversaw the acquisition of Putnam, Inc. and extended the Penguin brand to music and the Internet. Mr. Lynton joined the Walt Disney Company in 1987, and from 1992 to 1996, he served as President of Disney’s Hollywood Pictures. Mr. Lynton is also a member of the Harvard Board of Overseers and serves on the boards of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Tate, and the Rand Corporation. Mr. Lynton holds a B.A. in History and Literature from Harvard College and received his M.B.A. from Harvard University.

                Mr. Lynton brings beneficial experience and attributes to our board of directors, including his various experiences in the entertainment industry, advising and managing companies.

                Len Blavatnik

                Mr. Blavatnik has served as oura director and as Vice Chairman of the Board of the Company since July 20, 2011. Mr. Blavatnik is the founder and Chairman of Access, a privately held, U.S. industrial group with global strategic investments. He previously served as a member of the Company’s board of directors from March 4, 2004.2004 to January 2008. Mr. Blavatnik provides financial support to, and remains engaged in, many educational pursuits. Mr. Blavatnik is a member of boards at Oxford University and Tel Aviv University, and is a member of Harvard University’s Committee on University Resources, Global Advisory Council and the Task Force on Science and Engineering. In 2010, the Blavatnik Family Foundation committed £75 million to establish the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford. Mr. Blavatnik and the Blavatnik Family Foundation have also been generous supporters of other leading educational, scientific, cultural and charitable institutions throughout the world. Mr. Blavatnik is a member of the board of directors of the 92nd Street Y in New York, The Mariinsky Foundation of America, The Carnegie Hall Society, Inc. and The Center for Jewish History in New York. He is Chairman, Founder and principal shareholderalso a Trustee of Access Industries, a global private investment firm with a diversified portfoliothe State Hermitage Museum in energy, minerals and mining, telecommunications, real estate, and financial services.St. Petersburg, Russia. Mr. Blavatnik serves asemigrated to the U.S. in 1978 and became a Director of TNK-BP, the Siberian-Urals Aluminum Company (SUAL), and B2 Bredband AB and for numerous academic and philanthropic organizations.U.S. citizen in 1984. He received a mastershis Master’s degree in Computer Science from Columbia University in 1981 and anhis M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.School in 1989. Mr. Blavatnik is the brother of Alex Blavatnik.

                Mr. Blavatnik brings beneficial experience and attributes to our Board, among which is his extensive experience advising companies, particularly as founder and Chairman of Access and in his role as a former director of UC Rusal plc andTNK-BP



                        Richard J. Bressler Limited. In addition, Mr. Blavatnik possesses experience in advising and managing publicly traded and privately held enterprises and has agreedsignificant expertise with the corporate finance and strategic business planning activities that are unique to serveleveraged companies.

                Lincoln Benet

                Mr. Benet has served as onea director since July 20, 2011. Mr. Benet is the Chief Executive Officer of our directorsAccess. Prior to joining Access in 2006, Mr. Benet spent 17 years at Morgan Stanley, most recently as a Managing Director. His experience spans corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, fixed income and capital markets. Mr. Benet is a member of the dateSupervisory Board of this offeringDirectors for LyondellBasell Industries N.V. and a member

                of the boards of DAZN Group Limited and, until 2019, Clal Industries Ltd. Mr. Benet graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Economics from Yale University and received his M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

                Mr. Benet brings beneficial experience and attributes to our board of directors, among which is his extensive experience advising companies, in particular as the Chief Executive Officer of Access, in his role as a director of LyondellBasell Industries N.V. and in his former role as director of Clal Industries Ltd. In addition, Mr. Benet possesses experience in advising and managing publicly traded and privately held enterprises and has consentedsignificant expertise with the corporate finance and strategic business planning activities that are unique to be namedleveraged companies.

                Alex Blavatnik

                Mr. Blavatnik has served as such herein. Since May 2001,a director since July 20, 2011. Mr. Bressler has been the SeniorBlavatnik is an Executive Vice President and Chief Financial OfficerVice Chairman of Viacom Inc. Before joining Viacom Inc., Mr. Bressler was Executive Vice PresidentAccess. A 1993 graduate of AOL Time Warner Inc. and Chief Executive Officer of AOL Time Warner Investments. Prior to that, Mr. Bressler served in various capacities with Time Warner Inc., including as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Time Warner Digital Media. He also served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Time Warner Inc. from March 1995 to June 1999. Before joining Time Inc. in 1988, Mr. Bressler was a partner with the accounting firm of Ernst & Young since 1979. Mr. Bressler serves on the Center for Communication Board, the Duke University Fuqua School of Business's Board of Visitors, New School University's Board of Trustees, the J.P. Morgan Chase National Advisory Board and the Columbia University, SchoolMr. Blavatnik joined Access in 1996 to manage the Company’s growing activities in Russia. Currently, he oversees Access’s operations out of the Arts Deans' Council. Mr Bressler holds a B.B.A. from Adelphi University.

                Charles A. Brizius has served as our director since March 4, 2004. He is a Managing Director at Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P. Mr. Brizius worked at Thomas H. Lee Company from 1993 to 1995, rejoining in 1997. From 1991 to 1993, Mr. Brizius worked at Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated in the Corporate Finance Department. He is also a director of Houghton Mifflin Company, TransWestern Holdings, L.P.its New York-based headquarters and Rayovac Corporation. He holds a B.B.A. in Finance and Accounting from Southern Methodist University and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

                John P. Connaughton has served as our director since March 4, 2004. He has been a Managing Director of Bain Capital Partners, LLC since 1997 and a member of the firm since 1989. Prior to joining Bain Capital, Mr. Connaughton was a consultant at Bain & Company, Inc., where he worked in the consumer products and business services industries. He serves as a director of ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG, Stericyclevarious companies in the Access global portfolio. In addition, Mr. Blavatnik is engaged in numerous philanthropic pursuits and sits on the boards of several educational and charitable institutions. Mr. Blavatnik is the brother of Len Blavatnik.

                Mr. Blavatnik brings beneficial experience and attributes to our board of directors, among which is his extensive experience advising companies, particularly as Vice Chairman of Access, as a director of Clal Industries Ltd. and, previously, as a director of OGIP Ventures, Ltd. In addition, Mr. Blavatnik possesses experience in advising and managing publicly traded and privately held enterprises and has significant expertise with the corporate finance and strategic business planning activities that are unique to leveraged companies.

                Mathias Döpfner

                Mr. Döpfner has served as a director since May 1, 2014. Mr. Döpfner is Chairman and CEO of German media group Axel Springer SE in Berlin. Holding a stake of about 3%, Mr. Döpfner is also one of the company’s largest shareholders. Axel Springer is the leading digital publisher in Europe and is active in more than 40 countries. Publishing brands include BILD, WELT and BUSINESS INSIDER. Since Mr. Döpfner became CEO in 2002, Axel Springer revenues from digital activities increased from €117 million to €2.3 billion and worldwide digital audience expanded to more than 300 million users. Mr. Döpfner is also a member of the Board of Directors of Netflix Inc.

                Mr. Döpfner brings beneficial experience and attributes to our board of directors, including his extensive experience in the media industry. In addition, through his positions as Chairman and CEO of Axel Springer, he has a profound understanding of the challenges and developments of today’s business, such as content creation and monetization or distribution and digital platforms.

                Noreena Hertz

                Professor Hertz has served as a director since September 15, 2017 and previously served as a director from May 1, 2014 through May 22, 2016. Professor Hertz advises some of the biggest organizations and most senior figures in the world on strategy, decision-making, corporate social responsibility and global economic andgeo-political trends. Her best-selling books, Eyes Wide Open, the Silent Takeover and IOU: The Debt Threat, have been published in 22 countries. Professor Hertz served as a member of Citigroup’s Politics and Economics Global Advisory Board between 2007 and 2008 and as a member of the Advisory Group steering McKinsey CEO Dominic Barton’s Inclusive Capitalism Taskforce between 2012 and 2013. A much sought-after commentator on television and radio Hertz contributes to a wide range of publications and networks including The BBC, CNN, CNBC, CBS, ITV, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Daily Beast, the Financial Times, the Guardian, The Washington Post, The Times of London, Wired, and Nature. She has given

                Keynote Speeches at TED and The World Economic Forum, as well as for leading global corporations, and has shared platforms with such luminaries as President Bill Clinton and James Wolfensohn. An influential economist on the international stage, Professor Hertz also played a pivotal role in the development of (RED), an innovative commercial model to raise money for people with AIDS in Africa, having inspired Bono(co-founder of the Boston Celtics, Epoch Senior Living, MC Communications, Warner Chilcott Holdings Company, Limitedproject) with her writings. Professor Hertz has been described by the Observer as “one of the world’s leading young thinkers,” Vogue as “one of the world’s most inspiring women” and Loews Cineplex Entertainment Corp. Fund. Mr. Connaughton receivedwas featured on the cover of Newsweek’s September 30, 2013 issue in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. She has an M.B.A. from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a B.S. in commercePh.D. from the University of VirginiaCambridge. Having spent 10 years at the University of Cambridge as Associate Director of the Centre for International Business and Management, in 2014 she moved to University College London where she is a M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.Visiting Professor at the Institute for Global Prosperity.

                Professor Hertz brings beneficial experience and attributes to our board of directors, including over 25 years of experience in advising companies in a variety of sectors and geographies on strategic and policy decisions, intelligence gathering and analysis, millennials and post-millennials and stakeholder management and corporate social responsibility. In addition, Ms. Hertz has also held senior academic positions where her research has focused on decision-making, risk assessment and management, globalization, innovation and corporate social responsibility.

                Scott L. JaeckelYnon Kreiz

                Mr. Kreiz has served as oura director since May 9, 2016. Since April 26, 2018, Mr. Kreiz has been the Chairman and CEO of Mattel, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAT), one of the world’s largest toy companies. From March 4, 2004. He is2012 to January 2016, Mr. Kreiz served as the Chairman and CEO of Maker Studios, a Managing Directorglobal leader in online short-form video and one of the largest content networks on YouTube. From June 2008 to June 2011, Mr. Kreiz was Chairman and CEO of Endemol Group, one of the world’s largest independent television production companies. From 2005 to 2007, Mr. Kreiz was a General Partner at Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P.Balderton Capital (formerly Benchmark Capital Europe). From 1996 to 2002, Mr. Jaeckel worked at Thomas H. Lee Company from 1994 to 1996, rejoiningKreiz wasco-founder, Chairman and CEO of Fox Kids Europe N.V., a leadingpay-TV channel in 1998. From 1992 to 1994,Europe and the Middle East, broadcasting in 56 countries. FKE was listed on the Euronext Stock Exchange in Amsterdam in 1999. Mr. Jaeckel worked at Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated in the Corporate Finance Department. He currently serves as a director of Paramax Capital Group and Refco Group Ltd., LLC. HeKreiz holds a B.A. in Economics and MathematicsManagement from TheTel Aviv University of Virginia and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.UCLA’s Anderson School of Management, where he currently serves on the Board of Advisors.

                Mr. Kreiz brings beneficial experience and attributes to our board of directors, including his extensive experience advising and managing companies, having served as Chairman and CEO of Maker Studios and the Endemol Group and also as a general partner at Balderton Capital (formerly Benchmark Capital Europe).

                Seth W. LawryThomas H. Lee

                Mr. Lee has served as a director since August 17, 2011. Mr. Lee had previously served as our director sincefrom March 4, 2004.2004 to July 20, 2011. He is a Managing Director atChairman and CEO of Thomas H. Lee Capital, LLC, Chairman of Lee Equity Partners, L.P. He is also a directorLLC and Chairman of ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG, Houghton Mifflin Company and Fidelity Information Services, Inc.AGL Credit Management LP. In 1974, Mr. Lawry worked at Thomas H. Lee Company from 1989 to 1990, rejoining in 1994. From 1987 to 1989 and 1992 to 1994, Mr. Lawry worked at Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated in the Mergers & Acquisitions, Corporate Finance and Equity Capital Markets departments. Mr. Lawry holds a B.A. in Economics and German Studies from Williams College and an M.B.A. from Stanford Graduate School of Business.

                Thomas H. Lee has served as our director since March 4, 2004. He founded the Thomas H. Lee Company, the predecessor of Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P., in 1974 and sincefrom that time hasuntil March 2006 served as its Chairman and CEO. From 1966 through 1974, Mr. Lee was with First National Bank of Boston where he directed the bank'sbank’s high technology lending group from 1968 to 1974 and became a Vice President in 1973. Prior to 1966, Mr. Lee was a securities analyst in the institutional research department of L.F. Rothschild in New York. Mr. Lee serves or has served, including during the past five years, as a director of numerous public and private companies in which THLhe and itshis affiliates have invested, including FinlayMidCap Financial LLC, Papa Murphy’s International, LLC, Edelman Financial Services, LLC, Aimbridge Hospitality Holdings LLC and KMAC Enterprises Inc., The Smith & Wollensky Restaurant Group, Inc., Metris Companies, Inc., Vertis Holdings, Inc., Refco Group Ltd., LLC, Wyndham International, Inc. and Miller Import Corporation.



                In addition, Mr. Lee is a Member of the JP Morgan National Advisory Board. Mr. Lee is currently a Trustee of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, The Museum of Modern Art, NYU Langone Medical Center The Rockefeller University, and Whitney Museum of American Artthe New York City Police Foundation among other civic and charitable organizations. He also serves on the Executive Committee for Harvard University'sUniversity’s Committee on University Resources. Mr. Lee is a 1965 graduate of Harvard College.

                Mr. Lee brings beneficial experience and attributes to our board of directors, including his extensive experience advising and managing companies, serving as the Chairman and CEO of Thomas H. Lee Capital, LLC, Thomas H. Lee Capital Management, LLC and Lee Equity Partners, LLC and serving as or having served as a director of numerous public and private companies. In addition, Mr. Lee was also part of the investor group that acquired the Company from Time Warner in the 2004 acquisition and was a director of our company from March 2004 until July 2011, before subsequently rejoining our board of directors in August 2011, and has a detailed understanding of our company.

                Ian LoringDonald A. Wagner

                Mr. Wagner has served as oura director since March 4, 2004. HeJuly 20, 2011. Mr. Wagner is a Managing Director of Bain Capital Partners, LLC. PriorAccess, having been with Access since 2010. He oversees Access’s North America direct investing activities. From 2000 to joining Bain Capital in 1996,2009, Mr. LoringWagner was a Vice President at Berkshire Partners where he workedSenior Managing Director of Ripplewood Holdings L.L.C., responsible for investments in several areas and heading the specialty manufacturing, technology and retailindustry group focused on investments in basic industries. Previously, Mr. Loring workedWagner was a Managing Director of Lazard Freres & Co. LLC and had a15-year career at that firm and its affiliates in New York and London. He is a board member of Calpine Corporation, BMC Software and EP Energy and was on the Corporate Finance department at Drexel Burnham Lambert. He servesboard of NYSE-listed RSC Holdings from November 2006 until August 2009. Mr. Wagner graduated summa cum laude with an A.B. in physics from Harvard College.

                Mr. Wagner brings beneficial experience and attributes to our board of directors, among which is his experience serving as a director of Eschelon Telecomvarious companies, including public companies, and SMTC Corporation.over 25 years of experience in investing, banking and private equity. In addition, Mr. Loring receivedWagner possesses experience in advising and managing publicly traded and privately held enterprises and has significant expertise with the corporate finance and strategic business planning activities that are unique to leveraged companies.

                Corporate Governance

                Board Composition and Director Independence

                Our board of directors is currently composed of 11 directors. Our directors will be elected annually to serve until the next annual meeting of stockholders or until their successors are duly elected and qualified.

                The Stockholder Agreement with Access will provide Access with certain rights relating to the composition of our board of directors. See “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Relationship with Access Following this Offering—Stockholder Agreement.”

                Subject to the provisions of the Stockholder Agreement, the number of members on our board of directors may be fixed by majority vote of the members of our board of directors. Any vacancy in the Board that results from (x) the death, disability, resignation or disqualification of any director shall be filled by an affirmative vote of at least a B.A.majority of the directors then in office, even if less than a quorum, or by a sole remaining director and (y) an increase in the number of directors or the removal of any director shall be filled (a) until the first date on which Access ceases to beneficially own more than 50% of the total combined voting power of our common stock, solely by an affirmative vote of the holders of at least a majority of the total combined voting power of our outstanding common stock entitled to vote in an election of directors and (b) from Trinity College and after the first date on which Access ceases to beneficially own more than 50% of the total combined voting power of our common stock, by an M.B.A.affirmative vote of at least a majority of the directors then in office, even if less than a quorum, or by a sole remaining director. Each director shall hold office until his or her successor has been duly elected and qualified, or until his or her earlier death, resignation or removal.

                Our board of directors has determined that Messrs. Lynton, Döpfner, Kreiz and Lee and Ms. Hertz are “independent” as defined under Nasdaq rules and the Exchange Act rules and regulations.

                Controlled Company

                After the consummation of this offering, Access and its affiliates will hold approximately 99.2% of the total combined voting power of our outstanding common stock (or approximately 99.1% if the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional shares from Harvard Business School.

                Jonathan M. Nelson has served as our director since March 4, 2004. Hethe selling stockholders) through their ownership of all of the Class B common stock. Accordingly, we will be a “controlled company” within the meaning of Nasdaq corporate governance standards. Under Nasdaq rules, a company of which more than 50% of the voting power is the Chief Executive Officer of Providence Equity. Mr. Nelsonheld by an individual, group or another company is a director of Bresnan Broadband Holdings, LLC (also known as Mountain States Cable Television), Western Wireless Corp., Narragansett Capital Inc.“controlled company” and Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network, Inc., and was, during the period of Providence's investment, a director of VoiceStream Wireless Corp. (now Deutsche Telekom A.G.), MetroNet Communications Corp./AT&T Canada, Inc. (now Allstream), Brooks Fiber Properties, Inc. (now MCI), Wireless One Network (now AT&T Wireless), InfoNet Media, Inc., Powerfone Holdings (now Nextel), and numerous other portfolio companies. Priormay elect not to founding Providence Equity Partners in 1990, Mr. Nelson was a founder and Managing Director of Narragansett Capital Inc. where he specialized in broadcasting, publishing and cable television. Mr. Nelson is currently a director of Trinity Repertory Company in Providence, Rhode Island and a Trustee of Brown University. Mr. Nelson received a B.A. from Brown University and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.comply with certain Nasdaq corporate governance standards, including:

                 Mark Nunnelly has served as our director since March 4, 2004. He joined Bain Capital Partners, LLC in 1990 as

                the requirement that a Managing Director. Prior to joining Bain Capital, Mr. Nunnelly was a Vice President of Bain & Company, with experience in its domestic, Asian and European strategy practices. Previously, Mr. Nunnelly worked at Procter & Gamble in product management. He serves as a director of Domino's Pizza, DoubleClick, Eschelon Telecom, Houghton Mifflin Company, Advertising Directory Solutions and UGS PLM Solutions. Mr. Nunnelly received an A.B. from Centre College and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

                Scott M. Sperling has served as our director since March 4, 2004. He is a Managing Director at Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P. Mr. Sperling is also President of THLee Putnam Capital, a joint venture with Putnam Investments, onemajority of the largest global investment management firms. Mr. Sperlingmembers of our board of directors be independent directors;

                the requirement that we have a compensation committee that is currently a directorcomposed entirely of Houghton Mifflin Company, Fisher Scientific International, Inc., Vertis, Inc., Wyndham Internationalindependent directors;

                the requirement that our nominating and several private companies. Prior to joining Thomas H. Lee Partners, Mr. Sperling wascorporate governance committee be composed entirely of independent directors; and

                the requirement for over ten years Managing Partner of The Aeneas Group, Inc., the private capital affiliate of Harvard Management Company. Before that, he was a senior consultant with the Boston Consulting Group. He received a B.S. from Purdue University and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

                Compositionannual performance evaluation of the Board of Directors after this Offeringnominating and corporate governance and compensation committees.

                Following this offering, we will use these exemptions. Accordingly, you may not have the same protections afforded to stockholders of companies that are subject to all of Nasdaq corporate governance rules and requirements. The “controlled company” exception does not modify audit committee independence requirements of Rule10A-3 under the Exchange Act and Nasdaq rules.

                Board Committees

                Upon the listing of our Class A common stock our board of directors will consist of 12 directors, including one independent director, Mr. Bressler. We expect to addmaintain an Audit Committee, a second independent director within three months after the registration statement is effectiveCompensation Committee, a Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, an Executive Committee and a thirdFinance Committee. Until the date Access ceases to beneficially own at least 50% of the total combined voting power of our common stock, Access will have the right to designate Access-designated directors for appointment to each of the foregoing committees, subject to applicable law. Following such date, Access will be entitled to representation on each committee equal to the number of Access-designated director(s) that is as close as possible to Access’s proportional voting power in the Company (with any fractional amounts to be rounded up). Under Nasdaq rules, our Audit Committee will be required to be composed entirely of independent directordirectors within twelve months afterone year from the registrationdate of this prospectus. As a controlled company, we are not required to have independent Compensation or Nominating and Corporate Governance Committees. The following is a brief description of our committees.

                Audit Committee

                The primary purposes of the Audit Committee will be to: (i) to assist our board of directors in overseeing (a) the quality and integrity of our financial statements; (b) the qualifications, independence and performance of our independent auditor; (c) the evaluation and management of the Company’s financial risks; (d) our accounting, financial and external reporting policies and practices; (e) the performance of our internal audit function; and (f) our compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, including without limitation any requirements promulgated by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board and the Financial Accounting Standards Board; and (ii) to prepare the report of the Audit Committee required to be included in our annual proxy statement. The charter of our Audit Committee will be available without charge on the investor relations portion of our website upon the listing of our Class A common stock.

                Upon consummation of this offering, we expect the members of our Audit Committee to be Donald A. Wagner (chair), Ynon Kreiz and Thomas H. Lee. Our board of directors has designated

                Messrs. Wagner, Kreiz and Lee as “audit committee financial experts,” and Messrs. Wagner, Kreiz and Lee has been determined to be “financially literate” under Nasdaq rules. Each member of the Audit Committee is able to read and understand fundamental financial statements, including a balance sheet, income statement and cash flow statement, as such qualification is effective.interpreted by our board of directors in its business judgment. Our board of directors has also determined that Messrs. Kreiz and Lee are “independent” as defined under Nasdaq and Exchange Act rules and regulations.

                Compensation Committee

                The primary purpose of the Compensation Committee will be to: (i) be responsible for general oversight of compensation and compensation related matters; (ii) prepare any report on executive compensation required by the rules and regulations of the SEC for inclusion in our annual proxy statement; and (iii) take such other actions relating to our compensation and benefits structure as the Compensation Committee deems necessary or appropriate. The charter of our Compensation Committee will be available without charge on the investor relations portion of our website upon the listing of our Class A common stock.

                Upon consummation of this offering, we expect the members of our Compensation Committee to be Lincoln Benet (chair), Alex Blavatnik, Len Blavatnik, Mathias Döpfner and Thomas H. Lee. Our board of directors has also determined that Messrs. Lee and Döpfner are “independent” as defined under Nasdaq and Exchange Act rules and regulations. In light of our status as a “controlled company” within the meaning of the corporate governance standards of Nasdaq following this offering, we are exempt from the requirement that our Compensation Committee be composed entirely of independent directors under listing standards applicable to membership on the Compensation Committee. We intend to avail ourselvesestablish asub-committee of our Compensation Committee consisting of Messrs. Lee and Döpfner for purposes of approving any equity-based compensation that we may wish to qualify for the "controlled company" exceptionexemption provided under Rule16b-3 under the New York Stock Exchange rules which eliminates the requirements that we have a majorityAct.

                Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee

                Our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee will be responsible, among its other duties and responsibilities, for: (i) identifying individuals qualified and suitable to become members of independent directors on



                our board of directors and recommending to our board of directors the director nominees for each annual meeting of stockholders; (ii) developing and recommending to our board of directors a set of corporate governance principles applicable to us; and (iii) otherwise taking a leadership role in shaping our corporate governance policies. The charter of our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee will be available without charge on the investor relations portion of our website upon the completion of this offering.

                Upon consummation of this offering, we expect the members of our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee to be Lincoln Benet (chair), Len Blavatnik, Noreena Hertz and Donald A. Wagner. Our board of directors has also determined that Ms. Hertz is “independent” as defined under Nasdaq and Exchange Act rules and regulations. In light of our status as a “controlled company” within the meaning of the corporate governance standards of Nasdaq following this offering, we are exempt from the requirement that our compensationNominating and nominating and corporate governance and executive committeesCorporate Governance Committee be composed entirely of independent directors.

                CommitteesExecutive Committee

                Until Access no longer holds more than 50% of the Boardtotal combined voting power of Directorsour common stock, our Executive Committee, as the Company’s governing body, will be vested with all of Warner Music Group

                        Warner Music Group'sthe powers of our board of directors currently has an audit(under applicable law) in the management of our business and affairs and will act in lieu of our board of directors to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law.

                Upon consummation of this offering, we expect the members of our Executive Committee to be Michael Lynton (chair), Len Blavatnik, Lincoln Benet and Donald A. Wagner.

                Actions taken by the Executive Committee remain subject to a director’s or officer’s, as applicable, fiduciary duties under Delaware law and the requirement to act in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders. Once Access no longer holds more than 50% of the total combined voting power of our common stock, the Executive Committee will be dissolved.

                Finance Committee

                The primary purpose of the Finance Committee is to assist our board of directors in fulfilling its oversight of management’s responsibilities with respect to financial matters and the Company’s capital structure, including declaration of dividends and strategies that bear upon our long-term financial sustainability.

                Upon consummation of this offering, we expect the members of our Finance Committee to be Donald A. Wagner (chair), Alex Blavatnik, Lincoln Benet and Stephen Cooper.

                Code of Ethics

                We have a Code of Conduct that applies to all of our directors, officers and employees and financial professionals. Upon the completion of this offering, we expect to have a Code of Financial Ethics that applies to our chief executive officer, chief financial officer or persons performing similar functions, and other designated officers and associates. The Code of Conduct addresses, and we expect that the Code of Financial Ethics will address, matters such as conflicts of interest, confidentiality, fair dealing and compliance with laws and regulations. The Code of Conduct and the Code of Financial Ethics will be available without charge on the investor relations portion of our website upon consummation of this offering.

                EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

                COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS

                Introduction

                Upon the listing of our Class A common stock, the Compensation Committee of our board of directors will continue to determine the appropriate philosophy, objectives and design for our executive compensation program and the compensation of our executive officers following the listing. The committee may make changes to the compensation arrangements described below, and intends to retain a compensation consultant to provide advice and support to the committee in the design and animplementation of our executive governancecompensation program, as it deems necessary or appropriate.

                The specific compensation and nominating committee.benefits that will be provided to our executive officers in connection with and following the listing of our Class A common stock have not yet been determined. A description of the changes that may be contemplated by our Compensation Committee in connection with the offering will be described in a subsequent filing once determined.

                Audit Committee2019 Named Executive Officers

                This compensation discussion and analysis provides information about the material elements of compensation that are paid, awarded to, or earned by our “named executive officers,” who consist of our principal executive officer, principal financial officer and our three other most highly compensated executive officers for fiscal year 2019. Our named executive officers (“NEOs”) for fiscal year 2019 are:

                 

                Stephen Cooper, Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”)

                Eric Levin, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

                Max Lousada, Chief Executive Officer, Warner Recorded Music

                Carianne Marshall, Co-Chair and Chief Operating Officer, Warner Chappell Music

                Guy Moot, Co-Chair and Chief Executive Officer, Warner Chappell Music

                Role of the Compensation Committee

                The Compensation Committee is responsible for overseeing our compensation programs. As part of that responsibility, the Compensation Committee determines all compensation for the Company’s executive officers. For executive officers other than the CEO, the Compensation Committee considers the recommendation of the CEO and the Executive Vice President, Human Resources in making its compensation determinations. The Committee interacts regularly with management regarding our executive compensation initiatives and programs. The Compensation Committee has the authority to engage its own advisors and had done so prior to the consummation of the Merger. However, during fiscal year 2019, no independent compensation advisor provided any advice or recommendations on the amount or form of executive and director compensation to the Compensation Committee and since the consummation of the Merger, we have not retained a compensation consultant to assist in determining or recommending the amount or form of executive compensation. The Compensation Committee may elect in the future to retain a compensation consultant if it determines that doing so would assist it in implementing and maintaining our compensation programs.

                Our audit committee currentlyexecutive team consists of John Connaughton, who servesindividuals with extensive industry expertise, creative vision, strategic and operational skills,in-depth company knowledge, financial acumen and high ethical standards. We are committed to providing competitive compensation packages to ensure that we retain these executives and maintain and strengthen our position as chairman, Chuck Briziusa leading global music entertainment company. Our executive compensation programs and Scott Jaeckel. the decisions made by the Compensation Committee are designed to achieve these goals. The compensation

                for the Company’s NEOs (the executive officers for whom disclosure of compensation is provided in the tables below) consists of base salary and annual bonuses. In addition, two of our NEOs, Messrs. Cooper and Lousada, participate, based on their individual elections, in the Second Amended and Restated Warner Music Group Corp. Senior Management Free Cash Flow Plan (the “Plan”), our long-term incentive program. The NEOs do not receive any other compensation or benefits other than standard benefits available to all U.S. employees, which primarily consist of health plans, the opportunity to participate in the Company’s 401(k) and deferred compensation plans, basic life insurance and accidental death insurance coverage. Additionally, because Mr. Lousada is located in the United Kingdom, he participates in our defined contribution pension scheme for our U.K. employees, and he also receives a car allowance and is reimbursed for certain tax preparation costs. Mr. Moot also participated in the defined contribution pension scheme for U.K. employees for a portion of the 2019 fiscal year during his employment in London, U.K., prior to his relocation to Los Angeles, California.

                For the 2019 fiscal year, in determining the compensation of the NEOs, the Compensation Committee sought to establish a level of compensation that is (a) appropriate for the size and financial condition of the Company, (b) structured so as to attract and retain qualified executives and (c) tied to annual financial performance and long-term shareholder value creation.

                The Company has entered into employment arrangements with each of our NEOs (other than Mr. Cooper), which establish each executive’s base salary and, for Mr. Lousada, his entitlement to a percentage of our annual free cash flow under the Plan and, in the case of Messrs. Levin and Moot and Ms. Marshall, their discretionary or target annual bonus. The Company has not entered into an employment agreement with Mr. Cooper because, among other reasons, as a participant in the Plan (with an entitlement to a percentage of our annual free cash flow under the Plan), the Company believes he already has retention incentives to remain employed at the Company.

                Executive Compensation Objectives and Philosophy

                We expectdesign our executive compensation programs to attract talented executives to join the Company and to motivate them to position us for long-term success, achieve superior operating results and increase stockholder value. To realize these objectives, the Compensation Committee and management focus on the following key factors when considering the amount and structure of the compensation arrangements for our executives:

                Alignment of executive and stockholder interests by providing incentives linked to operating performance and achievement of cash flow and strategic objectives. We are committed to creating stockholder value and believe that our executives and employees should be provided incentives through our compensation programs that align their interests with those of our stockholders. Accordingly, we provide our executives with annual cash bonus incentives linked to our operating performance. In addition, in 2013, we adopted the Plan, which, as described below, is an incentive compensation program that pays annual bonuses based on our free cash flow and offers participants the opportunity to share in appreciation of our common stock. For information on the components of our executive compensation programs and the reasons why each is used, see “Components of Executive Compensation” below.

                A clear link between an executive’s compensation and Company-wide performance. Two of our NEOs (Messrs. Cooper and Lousada) and some of our other senior executives have elected to participate in the Plan. As further discussed below, the Plan, which is a significant part of our executive compensation program, is designed to reward our executives’ contributions to our free cash flow and long-term value. For other executives, their compensation is designed to reward their achievement of specified key goals, which include, among other things, the successful implementation of strategic initiatives, realizing superior operating and financial performance, and other factors that we believe are important, such as the promotion of an ethical work environment and teamwork within the Company. We believe our compensation structure motivates our executives to achieve these goals and rewards them for their significant efforts and contributions to the Company and the results they achieve.

                The extremely competitive nature of the media and entertainment industry, and our need to attract and retain the most creative and talented industry leaders. We compete for talented executives in relatively high-priced markets, and the Compensation Committee takes this into consideration when making compensation decisions. For example, we compete for executives with other recorded music and music publishing companies, other entertainment, media and technology companies, law firms, private ventures, investment banks and many other companies that offer high levels of compensation. We believe that our senior management team is among the best in the industry and is the right team to lead us to long-term success. Our commitment to ensuring that we are led by the right executives is a high priority, and we make our compensation decisions accordingly.

                Components of Executive Compensation

                Employment Arrangements

                With the exception of Mr. Cooper as described above, in the 2019 fiscal year we had employment arrangements with all of our NEOs, the key terms of which are described below under “Summary of NEO Employment Arrangements.” We believe that Chuck Briziushaving employment arrangements with certain of our executives can be beneficial to us because it provides retentive value, requires them to comply with key restrictive covenants, and may give us some competitive advantage in the recruiting process over a company that does not offer employment arrangements. Our employment arrangements set forth the terms and conditions of employment and establish the components of an executive’s compensation, which generally include the following:

                Base salary;

                Participation in the free cash flow bonus pool of the Plan or a discretionary or target annual cash bonus;

                Severance payable upon a qualifying termination of employment; and

                Benefits, including participation in a defined contribution plan and health, life insurance and disability insurance plans.

                Key Considerations in Determining Executive Compensation

                The following describes the components of our NEO compensation arrangements and why each is included in our executive compensation programs.

                Base Salary

                The cash base salary an NEO receives is determined by the Compensation Committee after considering the individual’s compensation history, the range of salaries for similar positions, the individual’s expertise and experience, and other factors the Compensation Committee believes are important, such as whether we are trying to attract the executive from another opportunity. The Compensation Committee believes it is appropriate for executives to receive a competitive level of guaranteed compensation in the form of base salary and determines the initial base salary by taking into account recommendations from management and, if deemed necessary, the Compensation Committee’s independent compensation consultant.

                Each of our NEOs (other than Mr. Cooper) was paid base salary in accordance with the terms of their respective employment arrangement for fiscal year 2019. Mr. Cooper was paid annual base salary of $1,000,000 for fiscal year 2019.

                Effective November 1, 2018, Ms. Marshall’s annual base salary increased from $750,000 to $1,000,000 in recognition of additional duties and responsibilities she assumed in connection with the departure of Warner Chappell Music’s former Chair and Chief Executive Officer. On February 1, 2019, her annual base salary increased to $1,250,000 in connection with her promotion to Co-Chair and Chief Operating Officer of Warner Chappell Music.

                Annual Cash Bonus

                Our Compensation Committee directly links the amount of the annual cash bonuses we pay to our financial performance for the particular year. Messrs. Cooper and Lousada have elected to participate in the annual free cash flow bonus pool in the Plan, as described below.

                Annual Free Cash Flow Bonus Pool

                Messrs. Cooper and Lousada have elected to participate in the Plan, which is also anon-qualified deferred compensation plan that allows the participants to defer receipt of all or a portion of their annual bonuses until future dates prescribed by the Plan. Our Compensation Committee adopted the Plan to, among other reasons, reinforce a partnership culture with our executives, by allowing them to participate in our short-term performance (in the form of annual free cash flow bonuses) and long-term performance (in the form of deferred compensation that is indexed to the value of our common stock and with grants of Profits Interests, as described below under “Long-Term Equity Incentives”). We believe it is important for our executives and shareholders to be motivated to work together towards shared financial and operational goals. In addition, our Compensation Committee considered that the Plan offers our executives the opportunity fortax-efficient wealth management creation based on our performance.

                For the 2019 fiscal year, Messrs. Cooper and Lousada participated in the Plan with fixed percentages of free cash flow of 2.5% and 1.0%, respectively. The Company’s free cash flow for the 2019 fiscal year for the Plan was $283 million. Accordingly, for fiscal year 2019, Messrs. Cooper and Lousada earned free cash flow bonuses under the Plan of $7,075,000 and $2,830,000, respectively. Because he had already deferred his maximum allocation under the Plan prior to the 2019 fiscal year, Mr. Cooper was not entitled to defer any of his free cash flow bonus payable for the 2019 fiscal year and all of it will be replacedpaid to him in cash. Mr. Lousada elected to defer 100% of his free cash flow bonus earned from the 2019 fiscal year and, in doing so, to acquire equity interests representing shares of our common stock. The amounts to be paid in cash to Mr. Cooper for his free cash flow bonus under the Plan for the 2019 fiscal year are set forth below under the“Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation” column in the Summary Compensation Table.

                Discretionary Bonuses

                Messrs. Levin and Moot and Ms. Marshall do not participate in the Plan. For the 2019 fiscal year, Mr. Levin had an annual target bonus amount of $850,000 set forth in his employment agreement. For the 2019 fiscal year, Mr. Moot had an annual target bonus amount of $1,750,000 set forth in his employment agreement, to be prorated from his date of hire. For the 2019 fiscal year, Ms. Marshall had an annual target bonus amount of $1,266,667 set forth in her employment agreement. The actual amount of Messrs. Levin’s and Moot’s and Ms. Marshall’s annual bonuses are determined by Richard Bressler, an independent director,the Compensation Committee in its sole discretion and that Mr. Bressler will becomemay be higher or lower than their target amounts. The amounts of Messrs. Levin’s and Moot’s and Ms. Marshall’s bonuses for fiscal year 2019 are set forth below under the chairman“Bonus” column in the Summary Compensation Table.

                For Messrs. Levin and Moot and Ms. Marshall, the Compensation Committee considered the recommendation of the audit committeeCEO and will qualify as our "audit committee financial expert" as such term is definedthe Executive Vice President, Human Resources in Item 401(b)making its bonus determinations. The bonuses for each of Regulation S-K asMessrs. Levin and Moot and Ms. Marshall were based on the target bonus set forth in his or her employment agreement, corporate performance and other discretionary factors, including achievement of the datestrategic objectives and other goals. A variety of this offering. The audit committee is governedqualitative and quantitative factors that vary by a written charter which will be reviewed,year and amended if necessary,are given different weights in different years depending on an annual basis. The audit committee's responsibilities include (1) recommending the hiring or termination of independent auditorsfacts and approving any non-audit work performed by such auditor, (2) approvingcircumstances were considered, with no single factor predominant in the overall scopebonus determination. The factors considered by the Compensation Committee in connection with Messrs. Levin and Moot’s and Ms. Marshall’s fiscal year 2019 bonuses are discussed in more detail below.

                For fiscal year 2019, after considering the factors described above and management’s recommendations, the Compensation Committee determined that the bonuses for Messrs. Levin and Moot and Ms. Marshall would be

                set at amounts equal to $1,034,340, $913,985 and $1,319,487, respectively. This reflected the Compensation Committee’s and management’s assessment that overall corporate performance and discretionary factors justified payment of such bonus to each of them based on their and the audit, (3) assistingCompany’s performance during the boardfiscal year. Specifically, the Compensation Committee set the amount of Mr. Levin’s bonus after considering the quality of his individual performance in monitoringrunning the integritycompany-wide finance function, and taking into account other qualitative factors including performance in internal and public financial reporting, budgeting and forecasting processes, compliance and infrastructure, investment and cost-savings initiatives and communicating to investors and other important constituencies. The Compensation Committee set the amounts of our financial statements,Mr. Moot’s and Ms. Marshall’s bonuses after considering the independent accountant's qualifications and independence,quality of their individual performance in running their specific business functions as well as the performance of the independent accountants and our internal audit function and our compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, (4) annually reviewing an independent auditors' report describing the auditing firms' internal quality-control procedures, any material issues raised by the most recent internal quality-control review, or peer review, of the auditing firm, (5) discussing the annual audited financial and quarterly statements with management and the independent auditor, (6) discussing earnings press releases,Company as well as financial informationtheir additional responsibilities during the transition period following the departure of Warner Chappell Music’s former Chair and earnings guidance providedChief Executive Officer.

                Other non-financial factors taken into account by the Compensation Committee in setting these bonus amounts included, among other items, providing strategic leadership and direction for the Company, including corporate governance matters, managing the strategic direction of the Company.

                Long-Term Equity Incentives

                Warner Music Group Corp. Senior Management Free Cash Flow Plan

                As noted above, Messrs. Cooper and Lousada have elected to analystsparticipate in the Plan. In addition to providing an annual bonus that is based on a percentage of the Company’s free cash flow, as described above, the Plan provides its participants with the opportunity to defer all or a portion of their free cash flow bonuses and rating agencies, (7) discussing policiesreceive grants of equity interests, within prescribed limits.

                Deferral of Compensation under the Plan

                Subject to prescribed limits under the Plan (including on an individualized participant basis), deferred amounts, if any, will be credited to a participant’s account as and when a deferred bonus is earned and indexed to the fair market value of a share of our common stock (as determined from time to time by the Compensation Committee), except that the initial value of deferred amounts at the time of deferral was based on our fair market value as of January 1, 2013 for the Plan’s initial participants, including Mr. Cooper, and as of the grant date for other participants who joined the Plan at a later date, including Mr. Lousada. The amount deferred in respect of Mr. Lousada’s bonus for the 2019 fiscal year is $2,830,000. As noted above, Mr. Cooper was not entitled to defer any of his 2019 free cash flow bonus because he had previously deferred his maximum allocation under the Plan.

                Equity Interests under the Plan

                Each of our NEOs who elected to participate in the Plan became a member of WMG Management Holdings, LLC (“Management LLC”), a limited liability company formed in connection with the Plan’s adoption, and was granted a “profits interest” in Management LLC (“Profits Interests”) in amounts equal to the maximum number of shares of our common stock available for issuance to the participants in settlement of his or her deferred accounts. Prior to the stock split in connection with this offering, awards of Profits Interests and deferred equity units under the Plan were denominated as fractional shares in amounts based on 10,000 times the number of shares of our common stock available under the Plan or held by Management LLC. As a result of the stock split, these numbers in the Plan and Management LLC have been adjusted to the number of shares actually represented by those interests on a 1-for-1 basis. The numbers shown in this registration statement reflect this adjustment. These Profits Interests granted to Messrs. Cooper and Lousada represent an economic entitlement to future appreciation in our common stock above the fair market value on the grant date. In addition, in connection with the increase to the free cash flow percentage allocations of Mr. Cooper, he was granted an additional number of Profits Interests in Management LLC equal to the additional number of deferred equity units that may be granted

                to him, representing an economic entitlement to future appreciation in our common stock from the date of grant. Terms and conditions of the Plan with respect to risk assessmentthe Profits Interests are described below in the narrative accompanying the “Grant of Plan-Based Awards in Fiscal Year 2019” table and risk management, (8) meeting separately, periodically, with management, internal auditors andunder “Potential Payments upon Termination orChange-In-Control.”

                Under the independent auditor, (9) reviewing withPlan, deferred equity units are settled at the independent auditor any audit problems or difficulties and managements response, (10) setting clear hiring policies for employees or former employees of the independent auditors, (11) annually reviewing the adequacy of the audit committee's written charter, (12) reviewing with management any legal matters that may have a material impact on the company and (13) reporting regularly to the full board of directors.

                Compensation Committee of Warner Music Group

                        Warner Music Group's compensation committee consists of Scott Sperling, Len Blavatnik, Thomas Lee, Seth Lawry, Mark Nunnelly, Jonathan Nelson and Ian Loring. The compensation committee's responsibilities include, among other things, (1) reviewing key employee compensation policies, plans and programs, (2) reviewing and approving the compensation of our chief executive officer and other executive officers, (3) developing and recommending to the board of directors compensation for board members, (4) reviewing and approving employment contracts and other similar arrangements between us and our executive officers, (5) reviewing and consulting with the chief executive officer on the evaluation of executive performance and other related matters, (6) administration of stock plans and other incentive compensation plans, (7) overseeing compliance with any applicable compensation reporting requirements of the SEC, (8) reviewing and making recommendations to the board of directors regarding long-term incentive compensation or equity compensation plans and (9) retaining consultants to advise the committee on executive compensation practices and policies.

                Executive, Governance and Nominating Committee of Warner Music Group

                        Warner Music Group's executive, governance and nominating committee consists of Scott Sperling, Edgar Bronfman Jr., Thomas Lee, Seth Lawry, Mark Nunnelly, Jonathan Nelson and Ian Loring. The



                executive, governance and nominating committee's responsibilities include, among other things, (1) supporting the board of directors in performance of its duties and responsibilities with respect to strategic outcomes, management outcomes, including leadership and compensation, and actions between meetings of the board of directors, (2) reporting regularly to the full board of directors, (3) developing and recommending criteria for selecting new directors, (4) screening and recommending to the board of directors individuals qualified to become directors, (5) overseeing evaluations of the board of directors, its members and committees of the board of directors and (6) establishing criteria for and leading the annual performance self-evaluation of the board of directors and each committee.

                        The executive, governance and nominating committee also monitors compliance with our code of ethics that covers all employees and executives and financial officers. Prior to consummation of this offering, the committee expects to approve and adopt a new Code of Ethical Business Conduct for all employees, including all of our executives and financial officers, copies of which will be available upon written request at no cost.

                Compensation of Directors of Warner Music Group

                        We currently anticipate that all directors who do not serve as officers or employees for us and are not affiliated with the Investors, which we refer to as independent directors, will receive an annual retainer of $150,000. Such directors will receive an additional retainer for serving on committees or as chairs of committees. As a result, an outside director who is the chair of the audit committee will receive an annual retainer of $170,000 and an outside director who either serves as a member of the audit committee or as the chair of another committee will receive an annual retainer of $160,000. Of such annual retainer, half will be paidparticipants’ election in shares of our common stock or with a cash payment equal to the fair market value of the shares. Any shares received on settlement are required to be immediately exchanged for fully-vested equity units in Management LLC. See “Grants of Plan-Based Awards in Fiscal Year 2019”. In connection with the offering, the Plan and halfthe LLC Agreement associated with the Plan were amended to provide that, following the offering, Plan participants will no longer have the option to settle deferred accounts in cash or to be paid in eithercash for redemption of their vested interests in Management LLC. Following the offering, all deferred equity units and vested Profits Interests and Acquired LLC Units will be settled in or redeemed with shares of our common stock. All such shares of common stock or cash, at the optionthat will be distributed by Management LLC to Plan participants will convert to Class A common stock from shares of the director.Class B common stock that are currently outstanding and owned by Management LLC. Furthermore, shares of common stock received in settlement of deferred equity units will no longer be required to be immediately exchanged for equity units in Management LLC.

                        We currently anticipate that we will require all outside directors to hold a minimum amount of our common stock. Directors who serve as officers or employees for us or who are affiliatedIn connection with the Investors will not receive compensationsale of Class A common stock by Access in connection with their services as directors.

                Compensation ofthe offering, Management

                        Warner Music Group's board of directors LLC has adopted executive compensation plans that link compensation with the performance of our company, including meeting specified cost-savings goals. Warner Music Group will continually review its executive compensation programsagreed to ensure that they are competitive. Our executive compensation plans include our restricted stock agreements. Such agreements provide thatgive each Plan participant a right to sell a portion of the restrictedshares of common stock vestsunderlying their vested Profits Interests, even if the Plan participant does not own any Acquired LLC Units. As a result, Plan participants will be able to cause the LLC to sell a percentage of the shares of common stock underlying their vested Profits Interests and Acquired LLC Units (to the extent that a participant owns Acquired LLC Units). Such percentage will be based on lengththe percentage of service and the remainder vests based on lengthshares of service and the occurrence of specified corporate events (e.g. initial publicClass A common stock that Access is offering or change of control) resultingfor sale in the achievementoffering.

                Assuming that all of specified performance goals. We have sold or granted 6,087 sharesthe participants’ interests under the Plan were vested, a maximum of restricted Class A Common Stock (equivalent to 6,931,2058,224,241 shares of our common stock after giving effect to the Recapitalization) to our Named Executive Officers, and Michael Fleisher. Of such shares, 415 shares have vested and up to 830 shares may vest upon this initial public offering (or 472,837 shares have vested and up to 945,674 shares may vest after giving effect to the Recapitalization) and 7,294 shareswould be distributable in redemption of restricted Class A Common Stock (equivalent to 8,305,390outstanding Acquired LLC Units, a maximum of 9,484,990 shares of our common stock after giving effect to the Recapitalization) to our employeeswould be issuable in the aggregate (including our executives),redemption of which 437 shares have vestedoutstanding deferred equity units, and up to 874 may vest upon this initial public offering (or 497,732 shares have vested and up to 995,464 shares may vest after giving effect to the Recapitalization). See "—Employment Agreements."

                        In addition, we have entered, and expect to continue to enter, into stock option agreements with somea maximum of our employees, including some of our Named Executive Officers. In general, such agreements provide that a portion of the option vests based on length of service and the remainder vests based on



                length of service and the occurrence of specified corporate events (e.g., initial public offering or change in control) resulting in the achievement of specified performance goals. We have granted stock options to purchase 785 shares of our Class A Common Stock (equivalent to 893,73918,031,928 shares of our common stock after giving effect to the Recapitalization)would be distributable in redemption of outstanding Profits Interests (ignoring any Benchmark Amount of Profits Interests).

                On January 4, 2019, April 5, 2019 and July 5, 2019, we paid a special cash dividend to our Named Executive Officers, none of which have vested or will vest upon this initial public offering. We have also granted options to purchase 2,728stockholders on all the issued and outstanding shares of our Class A Common Stock (equivalentcommon stock. Under the Plan, deferred equity unit holders receive dividend equivalents for cash dividends paid on our common stock.

                Tax Deductibility of Compensation and Other Tax Considerations

                Where appropriate, and after taking into account various considerations, including that certain incentives, including the Profits Interests under the Plan, may have competing advantages, we structure our executive employment arrangements and compensation programs to 3,106,851allow us to take a tax deduction for the full amount of the compensation we pay to our executives.

                Section 162(m) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), limits tax deductions relating to executive compensation of certain executives of publicly held companies. For taxable years ended prior to this offering, we were not deemed to be a publicly held company for purposes of Section 162(m) of the Code. Accordingly, these limitations were not applicable to the executive compensation program described above and were not taken into consideration in making compensation decisions. For fiscal year 2020 and future years, our Compensation Committee will review and consider the deductibility of executive compensation under Section 162(m) of the Code. However, it is expected that our Compensation Committee will authorize compensation payments that are not deductible for federal income tax purposes when the committee believes that such payments are appropriate to attract, retain and incentivize executive talent.

                Benefits

                Our NEOs also receive health coverage, life insurance, disability benefits and, generally, other similar benefits in the same manner as our U.S. employees and, in the case of Mr. Lousada and, for a portion of the 2019 fiscal year during his employment in London, U.K. (before he relocated to Los Angeles, California), Mr. Moot, U.K. employees of equivalent status.

                Retirement Benefits

                We offer atax-qualified 401(k) plan to our U.S. employees and in November 2010 we adopted anon-qualified deferred compensation plan, which is available to those of our employees whose base salary is at least $200,000 and who are bonus eligible and who are not eligible to participate in the Plan. Both plans are available to the NEOs except for thenon-qualified deferred compensation plan if they participate in the Plan. None of our NEOs participated in the non-qualified deferred compensation plan during fiscal year 2019.

                In accordance with the terms of the Company’s 401(k) plan, the Company matches after one year of service, in cash, 50% of the first 6% of each plan participant’s contributions to the plan, up to 3% of eligible pay, with a limit of up to $8,400 in 2019, whichever is less. Employees can contribute up to the maximum IRSpre-tax deferral of $19,000 in 2019 (with a catch up of $6,000 in 2019 in the case of participants age 50 or greater), whichever occurs first. The matching contributions made by the Company are initially subject to vesting, based on continued employment, with 25% scheduled to vest on each of the second through fifth anniversaries of the employee’s date of hire.

                Additionally, the Company offers a defined contribution pension scheme for U.K. employees, including, in fiscal year 2019, Messrs. Lousada and Moot.

                Perquisites

                We generally do not provide perquisites to our NEOs, although, in fiscal year 2019, Mr. Lousada and Mr. Moot received a car allowance, Mr. Moot received relocation assistance and Messrs. Lousada and Moot were reimbursed for certain tax preparation costs and received employer contributions with respect to private medical insurance, life assurance and income protection. See the Summary Compensation Table below for a summary of compensation received by our NEOs, including any perquisites received in fiscal year 2019.

                Summary Compensation Table

                The following table provides summary information concerning compensation paid or accrued by us to or, on behalf of, our NEOs, for services rendered to us during the specified fiscal year.

                Name and Principal Position

                 Year  Salary
                ($)
                  Bonus
                ($)(1)
                  Non-Equity
                Incentive Plan
                Compensation
                ($)(2)
                  Change in
                Pension Value
                and
                Nonqualified
                Deferred
                Compensation
                Earnings
                ($)
                  All Other
                Compensation
                ($)(3)
                  Total
                ($)
                 

                Stephen Cooper

                  2019  $1,000,000   —    $7,075,000   —    $2,013,264  $10,088,264 

                CEO

                  2018  $1,000,000   —    $9,325,000   —    $24,025,974  $34,350,974 
                  2017  $1,000,000   —    $12,025,000   —    $2,181,818  $15,206,818 

                Max Lousada (4)(5)

                  2019  $5,108,000   —     —     —    $510,330  $5,618,330 

                CEO, Warner Recorded Music

                  2018  $5,180,000   —     —     —    $1,467,059  $6,647,059 
                       

                Eric Levin

                  2019  $850,000  $1,034,340   —     —    $8,400  $1,892,740 

                Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

                  2018  $750,000  $677,907   —     —    $8,250  $1,436,157 
                  2017  $750,000  $625,000   —     —    $8,100  $1,383,100 

                Carianne Marshall (6)

                  2019  $1,132,692  $1,319,487   —     —    $721  $2,452,900 

                Co-Chair and COO, Warner Chappell Music

                       

                Guy Moot (6)

                  2019  $829,994  $913,985   —     —    $322,754  $2,066,733 

                Co-Chair and CEO, Warner Chappell Music

                       

                (1)

                Represents discretionary cash bonuses for fiscal year 2019 performance for each of Messrs. Levin and Moot and Ms. Marshall paid in January 2020, and discretionary cash bonuses for fiscal years 2018 and 2017 to Mr. Levin.

                (2)

                For the 2019 fiscal year, Mr. Cooper’s free cash flow bonus under the Plan will be paid entirely in cash because he previously acquired all of his deferred equity unit allocation. All of his 2018 and 2017 free cash flow bonus were also paid in cash.

                (3)

                Fiscal year 2019 includes 401(k) matching contributions of $8,400 for Mr. Levin and defined contribution pension matching contributions of $23,991 (£18,787) for Mr. Lousada and $7,740 (£6,061) for Mr. Moot. Additionally, fiscal year 2019 for Messrs. Cooper and Lousada, includes $2,013,264 and $433,667, respectively, in cash dividends paid to them under the Plan in respect of their then outstanding deferred equity units and Profits Interests. Messrs. Lousada and Moot were reimbursed for certain tax preparation costs and received car allowances as well as employer contributions with respect to private medical insurance, life assurance and income protection. Mr. Moot also received relocation assistance totaling $282,168, including a related tax gross-up of $97,574.

                (4)

                Mr. Lousada became an NEO in fiscal year 2018.

                (5)

                The amounts reported for Mr. Lousada have been converted from British pound sterling to U.S. dollars using a conversion factor of 1.277 and 1.295 for fiscal years 2019 and 2018, respectively.

                (6)

                Ms. Marshall and Mr. Moot became NEOs in fiscal year 2019. Base salary information for Ms. Marshall and Mr. Moot reflects proration resulting from Ms. Marshall’s salary changes during fiscal year 2019 and Mr. Moot’s commencement of employment during fiscal year 2019.

                Grant of Plan-Based Awards in Fiscal Year 2019

                No deferred equity units or Profits Interests were granted in fiscal year 2019 to our NEOs.

                Under the Plan, the deferred amounts granted to our participating NEOs are credited to a participant’s account as and when a deferred bonus is earned based on the fair market value of a share of our common stock as of January 1, 2013. Uncredited deferred equity units are forfeited upon an NEO’s termination of employment. Under the Plan, our participating NEOs’ Profits Interests vest over time as equivalent amounts of their annual free cash flow bonuses are deferred under the Plan. Unvested Profits Interests are forfeited on any termination of employment. As of September 30, 2019, 6,517,563.99 and 2,607,025.60 deferred equity units had been granted to Mr. Cooper and Mr. Lousada, respectively. As of September 30, 2019, all of Mr. Cooper’s deferred equity units, including special deferred equity units, had vested, and Mr. Lousada had vested in 1,169,930.68 of his deferred equity units. Also, each of Messrs. Cooper and Lousada had vested in an equal number of the Profits Interests held by him (or in Mr. Cooper’s case, held in trust by him). In December 2018, 2,173,125.20 of Mr. Cooper’s deferred equity units, including special deferred equity units, settled and ceased to be outstanding. Deferred equity units described herein reflect an adjustment the Company made during fiscal year 2019 to account for a change to the number of shares of our common stock after giving effect to the Recapitalization) to other employeesoutstanding.

                The deferred amounts reflected in the aggregate (excluding our Named Executive Officers“Outstanding Equity Awards at 2019 FiscalYear-End” and options granted pursuant“Nonqualified Deferred Compensation” tables below have been or are scheduled to LTIP stock option agreements), of which 88 shares subjectbe settled in equal installments as follows: For Mr. Cooper, on the December 2019 and 2020 redemption dates; and for Mr. Lousada, on the December 2023, 2024, and 2025 redemption dates. Under the Plan, deferred accounts are to such options have vested and up to an additional 175 shares may vest upon this initial public offering (or 99,579 shares subject to such options have vested and up to an additional 199,157 shares may vest after giving effect tobe settled at the Recapitalization).

                LTIP Stock Option Agreements

                        Warner Music Group's board of directors recently approved a form of LTIP stock option agreement for grants of options to eligible individuals. Eligible individuals include any employee, director or consultant of Warner Music Group or any of its affiliates, or any other entity designated by Warner Music Group's board of directorsparticipants’ election, in which Warner Music Group has an interest, who is selected by Warner Music Group's compensation committee to receive an award. The board authorized the granting of options to purchase up to 1,190 shares of our Class A Common Stock (equivalent to 1,355,066 shares of our common stock after giving effector with a cash payment equal to the Recapitalization) pursuantthen fair market value of the shares. Any shares received on settlement are required to the LTIP program. Warner Music Group has granted options andbe immediately exchanged for fully-vested equity units (“Acquired LLC Units”) in Management LLC. On each scheduled redemption date, a Plan participant may grant additional stock options under the LTIP stock option agreementselect to certain membersredeem up toone-third of our currenthis or future management. Options generally will haveher vested Profits Interests (including any Profits Interests eligible for redemption on a 10-year term and the exercise price willprior redemption date that were not then redeemed) for a cash payment equal at least 100% ofto their liquidation value. A Plan participant may also elect to redeem his or her Acquired LLC Units for a cash payment equal to the fair market value of their underlying shares of the Company’s common stock on each redemption date. In addition to a Plan participant’s right to redemption of his or her vested Profits Interests and Acquired LLC Units on the dateredemption dates and annually thereafter, Management LLC may redeem vested Profits Interests and Acquired LLC Units following a participant’s termination of employment with the grant. WithCompany and its subsidiaries. All remaining Profits Interests will be redeemed in December 2020 for Mr. Cooper and December 2025 for Mr. Lousada. Redemption payments in respect to each option granted pursuant to a LTIP stock option agreement, one-third of the shares coveredProfits Interests may be reduced by the option generally vestamount of any outstanding unrecovered added investment amounts. In connection with the offering, the Plan and become exercisable in four equal installments on the day priorLLC Agreement associated with the Plan were amended to each of first through fourth anniversaries ofprovide that, following the effective date of the LTIP stock option agreement, subject to the employee's continued employment. Two-thirds of the shares covered byoffering, Plan participants will no longer have the option generally vestto settle deferred accounts in cash or to be paid in cash for redemption of their vested interests in Management LLC. Following the offering, all deferred equity units and become exercisable based on the occurrence of both a service condition (which is the same as the service condition described with respect to the service-based portion of the option)vested Profits Interests and a performance condition. The performance condition is met if, following an initial public offering or certain other events (including a change in control), a specified investment return is achieved by the investors (one-half of such shares require one return level and the other one-half of such shares require a different return level). The performance-based portion of the option also vests, subject to the employee's continued employment, on the day prior to the seventh anniversary of the effective date of the LTIP stock option agreement and the service condition applicable to the performance-based optionAcquired LLC Units will be deemed to have been attained upon certain terminations followingsettled in or in anticipation of a change in control. We have granted stock options under the LTIP stock option agreements to purchase 1,145 shares of our Class A Common Stock (equivalent to 1,303,824redeemed with shares of our common stock after giving effect to the Recapitalization) to our employees in the aggregate (excluding options granted as described under "Management—Compensation of Management"), none of which have vested or will vest upon this offering.

                2005 Omnibus Stock Plan

                        Prior to this offering, we expect to adopt the 2005 Omnibus Stock Plan, or 2005 Plan, which authorizes the granting of stock based awards to purchase up to 3,000 shares of our Class A Common Stock (equivalent to 3,416,133 shares of our common stock after giving effect to the Recapitalization). Under the 2005 Plan, our board of directors or the compensation committee will administer the plan and has the power to make awards, to determine when and to whom awards will be granted, the form of each award, the amount of each award, and any other terms or conditions of each award consistent



                with the terms of the 2005 Plan. Awards may be made to employees, directors and others as set forth in the 2005 Plan. The types of awards that may be granted include restricted and unrestricted stock, incentive and nonstatutory stock options, stock appreciation rights, performance units and other stock based awards. Each award agreement specifies the number and type of award, together with any other terms and conditions as determined by the board of directors or the compensation committee in their sole discretion.

                        Our compensation committee authorized options to purchase up to an additional 1,000 shares of our Class A Common Stock (equivalent to 1,138,711 shares of our common stock after giving effect to the Recapitalization) to be granted to certain eligible employees, which we intend to grant under the 2005 Plan. Eligible employees include any employee who does not already have any other equity participation in our company. We expect to grant options to purchase up to 1,000 shares of our Class A Common Stock (equivalent to 1,138,711 shares of our common stock after giving effect to the Recapitalization) to certain senior employees effective at the date of this offering with an exercise price equal to the offering price.

                Executive Compensation

                        The following table sets forth the salaries and bonuses received by the five executive officers who received the highest salaries for their services to us in the ten-month fiscal year ended September 30, 2004 (the "Named Executive Officers").


                Summary Compensation Table

                 
                 Compensation
                for the Ten
                Month Fiscal Year Ended
                September 30, 2004

                  
                  
                  
                 
                 Long Term Compensation
                  
                Name and Principal Position

                 Other Annual
                Compensation

                 Restricted Stock
                Award

                 Securities
                Underlying Options
                (# of shares)

                 Salary(1)
                 Bonus(2)
                Edgar Bronfman Jr.
                Chairman of the Board and
                Chief Executive Officer
                 $1,000,000 $5,250,000     
                Paul-René Albertini
                Chairman and CEO, Warner
                Music International
                 $1,250,000 $3,150,000 $116,831(3)  
                Lyor Cohen
                Chairman and Chief Officer of
                U.S. Recorded Music
                 $1,000,000 $5,238,839   $2,098,954 
                Les Bider(4)
                Chairman and CEO,
                Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
                 $1,000,000 $1,440,000     298,736
                David H. Johnson
                Executive Vice President
                and General Counsel
                 $700,000 $1,036,500     

                (1)
                Salaries represent annual salaries for these executive officers. Actual salary received during the ten month fiscal period ended September 30, 2004 for each of these executives, including in some casesstock. All such shorter period during which they were employed by us, was $596,153.87, 595,983.89 pounds sterling, $596,153.87, $846,153.90 and $605,769.30, respectively.

                (2)
                Bonuses reflect three separate payments: (1) annual bonuses, (2) a one-time special bonus related to the Restructuring Plan ("Restructuring Plan Bonus") and (3) for Mr. Cohen, a signing bonus. The annual bonuses of $4,000,000, $2,400,000, $3,000,000, $1,190,000 and $824,000 paid to Messrs. Bronfman, Albertini, Cohen, Bider and Johnson, respectively, represent bonuses for the twelve months ended November 30, 2004, which would have been our fiscal year-end prior to our change of our fiscal year-end to September 30. The annual bonuses and 50% of the Restructuring Plan Bonus were paid in January 2005. The amounts in the table reflect 50% of the Restructuring Plan Bonus paid in January 2005, or $1,250,000, $750,000, $1,000,000, $250,000 and $212,500 paid to Messrs. Bronfman, Albertini, Cohen, Bider and Johnson, respectively. The remaining 50% of the Restructuring Plan Bonus is expected to be paid to Messrs. Bronfman, Albertini, Cohen, Bider and Johnson in or about January 2006. In addition, Lyor Cohen's bonus includes a $1,238,839 signing bonus paid at the time of his employment in connection with his employment with us.

                (3)
                Paul-René Albertini's annual compensation also includes £64,583 received in other annual compensation during the ten month fiscal year ended September 30, 2004, which was converted into dollars based on a conversion rate of 1.809 dollars to 1 pound sterling.

                (4)
                Mr. Bider has agreed to forfeit his option pursuant to his severance arrangements. See "Management—Employment Agreements and Severance Arrangements—Severance Arrangements with Les Bider."


                Stock Option Grants in Warner Music Group in the Ten Month Fiscal Year Ended
                September 30, 2004 (1)

                Name
                 Securities
                Underlying
                Options
                (# of shares)

                 % of Total Options
                Granted to
                Employees in the Ten
                Months Ended
                September 30

                 Exercise
                Price
                per
                Share

                 Expiration
                Date

                 Grant Date Fair
                Value(2)

                Les Bider(3) 298,736 20%$0.88 9/29/14 $1,453,851

                (1)
                We have granted stock options to purchase 523 shares of our Class A Common Stock to our Named Executive Officers (or 595,004 shares of common stock after giving effectthat will be distributed by Management LLC to Plan participants will convert to Class A common stock from shares of Class B common stock that are currently outstanding and owned by Management LLC. Furthermore, shares of common stock received in settlement of deferred equity units will no longer be required to be immediately exchanged for equity units in Management LLC.

                As a condition to the Recapitalization) after September 30, 2004.

                (2)
                The amount representsgrant of Profits Interests to our NEOs who elected to participate in the estimated fair valuePlan, each of stock options atthem agreed to restrictive covenants in the date of grant, calculated usingLLC Agreement associated with the Black-Scholes option pricing model, based uponPlan, includingnon-competition with the following assumptions used in developing the grant valuations: an expected volatility of 49.4%; an expected term life of 5 years; a risk-free rate of return of 3.30%; and a dividend yield of 0%. The actual valuebusinesses of the options, if any, realized will depend onCompany and its subsidiaries during the extent to whichparticipant’s term of employment,non-solicitation of certain artists, labels and employees during the market valueparticipant’s term of employment and for one year afterwards, as well as obligations ofnon-disparagement and confidentiality.

                Summary of NEO Employment Arrangements

                This section describes employment arrangements in effect for our NEOs during fiscal year 2019. Potential payments under the severance agreements and arrangements described below are provided in the section entitled “Potential Payments upon Termination orChange-In-Control.” In addition, for a summary of the stock exceeds the exercise pricemeanings of the option on the date the option is exercised. Consequently, we cannot assure you that the value realized will be at“cause” and “good reason” as discussed below, see “Termination for ‘Cause’” and “Resignation for ‘Good Reason’ or near the value estimated above.

                (3)
                Mr. Bider has agreed to forfeit his option as of his employment end date as set forth in his severance arrangements. See "Management—without ‘Good Reason’” below.

                Employment Agreements and Severance Arrangements—Severance Arrangements with Les Bider."
                Stephen Cooper

                Employment AgreementsAs noted above, except for Mr. Cooper’s annual base salary of $1,000,000 and Severance Arrangementshis participation in the Plan, the Company does not have any other employment arrangement with Mr. Cooper.

                Employment Agreement with Edgar Bronfman, Jr.Max Lousada

                During fiscal year 2019, Mr. Bronfman isLousada was party to an employment agreement with Acquisition Corp., which took effect on March 1, 2004, pursuantus that provided, among other things, for the following:

                (1)

                the term of Mr. Lousada’s employment agreement ends on September 30, 2022;

                (2)

                Mr. Lousada’s base salary for fiscal year 2019 was $5,108,000 (£4,000,000);

                (3)

                eligibility to participate in the Plan; and

                (4)

                eligibility to participate in the defined contribution pension plan for U.K. employees, along with company matching contributions of up to 10% of Mr. Lousada’s base salary.

                In the event we terminate his employment for any reason other than “cause” (as defined in his employment agreement) or he is constructively dismissed, Mr. Lousada will be entitled to which he serves as Acquisition Corp.'s Chairman of the Board and CEO. Thecash severance benefits equal to $7,662,000 (£6,000,000).

                Mr. Lousada’s employment agreement expires on March 1, 2008 but is automatically extendedalso contains covenants relating to confidentiality, asix-month post-employmentnon-compete and aone-year post-employmentnon-solicitation covenant.

                Employment Agreement with Eric Levin

                During fiscal year 2019, Mr. Levin was party to an employment agreement with us that provided, among other things, for successive one-year terms unless either party gives written notice. Thethe following:

                (1)

                the term of Mr. Levin’s employment agreement ends on September 30, 2023; and

                (2)

                Mr. Levin’s base salary for fiscal year 2019 was $850,000 and his target bonus was $850,000. Additionally, Mr. Levin’s base salary and target bonus will continue to be $850,000 for fiscal years 2020 and 2021, and will increase to $900,000 for fiscal years 2022 and 2023.

                Also, his employment agreement provides that, if during the term, we establish a new long-term incentive plan, we will consider offering Mr. Bronfman is paidLevin an annual base salary of at least $1,000,000, subjectopportunity to discretionary increases from time to time by Acquisition Corp.'s Board of Directors or compensation committee. Mr. Bronfman is also eligible to receive an annual cash bonus, with a target of 300% of his base salary and a maximum of up to 600% of his base salary.participate in it.

                In the event Acquisition Corp. terminateswe terminate his employment agreement for any reason other than for cause or if Mr. Bronfman terminates“cause” (as defined in his employment for good reason, as defined in the agreement,agreement), Mr. BronfmanLevin will be entitled to cash severance benefits equal to: one year of his then-currentto the annual base salary and target bonus; a pro-rated annual bonus; and continued participation in Acquisition Corp.'s group health and life insurance plans for uppayable to one year after termination.him under his employment agreement, except that if we elect to not renew his employment agreement at the end of its term, he will be paid $600,000.

                        TheMr. Levin’s employment agreement also contains standard covenants relating to confidentiality and assignment of intellectual property rights and one year post employment aone-year post-employmentnon-solicitation and non-competition covenants. covenant.

                        Mr. Bronfman purchased 2,884 shares of restricted Class A Common Stock of Warner Music Group (or 3,283,944 shares of common stock after giving effect to the Recapitalization), which as of April 15, 2005, represents approximately 2.8% of the aggregate ownership of the Class A Common Stock and Class L Common Stock of Warner Music Group (or 2.3% of the ownership of the common stock after giving effect to the Recapitalization and this offering) without taking into account the



                exercise of the warrants issued to Time Warner or the exercise of any outstanding options. The restricted stock agreement provides that (i) one-third of the restricted shares generally vest in four equal installments on the day prior to each of the first through fourth anniversaries of the effective date of the restricted stock agreement (March 1, 2004), subject to Mr. Bronfman's continued employment on each such vesting date and (ii) the remainder generally vests based on the occurrence of both a service condition (which is the same as the service condition described with respect to the service-based portion of the restricted shares) and a performance condition, which is met if, following an initial public offering or certain other events (including a change in control), a specified investment return is achieved by the investors (one-half of such shares requires one return level and the other one-half requires a higher return level). The performance-based portion also vests (x) subject to Mr. Bronfman's continued employment, on the day prior to the seventh anniversary of the effective date of the restricted stock agreement and (y) on its Initial Call Date (as defined) following certain terminations of employment upon which certain performance targets are achieved. Further, the service-based portion of the restricted shares and the service condition applicable to the performance-based portion will vest upon certain terminations of employment following or in anticipation of a change in control (as defined). Upon any termination of Mr. Bronfman's employment, the restricted stock may be purchased by Warner Music Group (or its subsidiary). Such stock is subject to provisions regarding vesting, forfeiture and repurchase contained in that agreement and is also subject to the stockholders agreement described under "Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions." 240 shares of such restricted stock have vested and up to 481 shares may vest upon this initial public offering (or 273,662 shares have vested and up to 547,324 shares may vest after giving effect to the Recapitalization).

                        APPAC, a minority shareholder group of Vivendi Universal, initiated an inquiry, which under French law is both civil and criminal, into various issues relating to Vivendi, including Vivendi's financial disclosures and the appropriateness of compensation received by the former CEO, Jean-Marie Messier. The inquiry has also been extended to cover compensation received by Mr. Bronfman. While the scope and targets of this inquiry are not public, the president of APPAC has publicly announced that he is seeking to have Mr. Bronfman repay to Vivendi compensation he received while affiliated with Vivendi. The outcome of such inquiry or of any subsequent proceeding with respect to Mr. Bronfman is uncertain at this time. Mr. Bronfman believes that all compensation paid to him by Vivendi was properly received and that the claims raised by APPAC are without merit.

                Employment Agreement with Paul-René AlbertiniCarianne Marshall

                        Warner Music International Services Limited entered intoFor fiscal year 2019, Ms. Marshall was party to an employment agreement with Paul-René Albertini under which Mr. Albertini serves as Warner Music International's President. He has recently been promoted to Chairman and CEO. On March 1, 2004, WMG Acquisition Corp. assumed Mr. Albertini's employment agreement.

                        The employment agreement, as amended on October 21, 2004, provides for a term ending on December 31, 2008. Under the terms of the employment agreement, Mr. Albertini is paid an annual base salary of $1,250,000 for 2004, and $1,500,000 for 2005 through 2008. Mr. Albertini is also eligible to receive an annual cash bonus of at least $1,000,000 with respect to 2004 and 2005, and discretionary bonuses with respect to 2006 through 2008, with the target amount of each such bonus being $2,000,000. Under the agreement, Mr. Albertini is guaranteed as least $10,250,000 in salary and bonusus that provided, among other things, for the years 2003 through 2005.following:

                 Warner Music International may terminate Mr. Albertini's

                (1)

                the term of Ms. Marshall’s employment agreement ends on March 31, 2024; and

                (2)

                Ms. Marshall’s base salary for fiscal year 2019 was increased to $1,250,000 on February 1, 2019 (after an earlier increase to $1,000,000 on November 1, 2018), and her target bonus was $1,266,667. Ms. Marshall’s target bonus for each fiscal year after 2019 will be $1,750,000.

                Also, her employment without notice on or before December 31, 2005, and pay him a lump sum comprised of: the gross salary due for the balance of the term, the bonus payments due for the balance of the term which shall be at least $1,500,000 per year, a payment in lieu of employment benefits he would have received through the remainder of the term of his agreement, and 50% of the sum of his then-current base salary and the previous year's bonus



                payment. If such termination occurs after December 31, 2005, the payments to Mr. Albertini will be comprised of: the gross salary due for the balance of the term, and a bonus for each year remaining in the term (including the year in which such termination occurs) each in the amount of $2,000,000; provided that the total of such amounts shall not be greater than $7,000,000 or less than $1,750,000.

                        The employment agreement also contains standard covenants relating to confidentiality, assignment of intellectual property rights, non-competition and non-solicitation.

                        Mr. Albertini purchased 212 shares of restricted Class A Common Stock of Warner Music Group (or 241,457 shares of common stock after giving effect to the Recapitalization), which as of April 15, 2005, represents less than 1% of the aggregate ownership of the Class A Common Stock and Class L Common Stock of Warner Music Group (or less than 1% of the ownership of the common stock after giving effect to the Recapitalization and this offering) without taking into account the exercise of the warrants issued to Time Warner or the exercise of any outstanding options. The restricted stock agreement provides that, (i) one-third of the restricted shares generally vest in four equal installments on the day prior to each of the first through fourth anniversaries of the effective date of the restricted stock agreement (October 1, 2004), subject to Mr. Albertini's continued employment on each such vesting date and (ii) the remainder generally vests based on the occurrence of both a service condition (which is the same as the service condition described with respect to the service-based portion of the restricted shares) and a performance condition, which is met if following an initial public offering or certain other events (including a change in control), a specified investment return is achieved by the investors (one-half of such shares requires one return level and the other one-half requires a higher return level). The performance-based portion also vests, subject to Mr. Albertini's continued employment, on the day prior to the seventh anniversary of the effective date of the restricted stock agreement. Further, the service-based portion of the restricted shares and the service condition applicable to the performance-based portion will vest upon certain terminations of employment following or in anticipation of a change in control (as defined). Upon any termination of Mr. Albertini's employment, the restricted stock may be purchased by Warner Music Group (or its subsidiary). Such stock is also subject to the stockholders agreement described under "Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions."

                        After September 30, 2004, Mr. Albertini also has entered into a stock option agreement with Warner Music Group pursuant to which he was granted an option to purchase 523 shares of Class A Common Stock of Warner Music Group (or 595,004 shares of common stock after giving effect to the Recapitalization) at a price of $1,179 per share, subject to adjustments. The terms and conditions relating to the vesting of the option granted to Mr. Albertini are substantially the same as the terms and conditions relating to the vesting of the options described under "Management—LTIP Stock Option Agreements". The option granted to Mr. Albertini generally has a 10-year term. 44 shares subject to the option will vest on September 30, 2005, subject to Mr. Albertini's continued employment, and up to an additional 87 shares may vest on such date, subject to Mr. Albertini's continued employment and the achievement of the performance condition described under "Management—LTIP Stock Option Agreements" (or 49,584 and 99,167 shares subject to the option after giving effect to the Recapitalization, respectively).

                Employment Agreement with Lyor Cohen

                        Acquisition Corp. entered into an employment agreement with Lyor Cohen on January 25, 2004 under which Mr. Cohen serves as Chairman and CEO of U.S. Recorded Music. The employment agreement provides for a four-year term beginning on March 1, 2004, butduring the term, is automatically extended for successive one-year terms unless either party gives written noticewe establish a new long-term incentive plan, we will offer Ms. Marshall an opportunity to the contrary at least 90 days prior to the expiration of the current term. Under the terms of the employment agreement, Mr. Cohen is paid a salary equal to $1,000,000 for the first year of his employment with Warner Music Group, and thereafter, will be paid an annual base salary of at least $1,500,000, subject to discretionaryparticipate in it.



                increases from time to time by Acquisition Corp.'s Board of Directors or compensation committee. Mr. Cohen is also eligible to receive an annual cash bonus, with a target of $2.5 million and a maximum of $5 million. In the event of a change of control of Warner Music Group or certain other events and subject to certain conditions, Mr. Cohen will receive a one-time cash bonus of up to $10,000,000 depending on the amount of cash consideration received by the Investors. In the event Acquisition Corp. terminates thewe terminate her employment agreement for any reason other than causefor “cause” (as defined in her employment agreement), death or disability or if Mr. CohenMs. Marshall terminates hisher employment for good reason, as“good reason” (as defined in the agreement, Mr. Cohenher employment agreement), Ms. Marshall will be entitled to severance benefits equal to: one yearto 15 months of his then-currenther annual base salary and target bonus;plus a discretionary pro-rated annual bonus;bonus (as determined by the Company in good faith) and continued participation in Warner Music Group'sthe Company’s group health and life insurance plans for upthe month of termination. However, if we elect to one year after termination.

                        Thenot renew her employment agreement also contains standard covenants relating to confidentiality, assignment of intellectual property rights and six month post employment non-solicitation covenants.

                        Acquisition Corp. also agreed to pay Mr. Cohen a starting bonus equal to the greater of $1,000,000 or 59% of the fair market value, as of March 1, 2004, of the shares of Class A Common Stock of Warner Music Group granted to him at that time. Warner Music Group granted to Mr. Cohen 2,099 shares of restricted Class A Common Stock (or 2,390,102 shares of common stock after giving effect to the Recapitalization), which as of April 15, 2005, represents approximately 2.1% of the aggregate ownership of the Class A and Class L Common Stock of Warner Music Group (or 1.7% of the ownership of the common stock after giving effect to the Recapitalization and this offering) without taking into account the exercise of the warrants issued to Time Warner or the exercise of any outstanding options. The restricted stock agreement provides that (i) one-third of the restricted shares generally vest in four equal installments on the day prior to each of the first through fourth anniversaries of the effective date of the restricted stock agreement (March 1, 2004), subject to Mr. Cohen's continued employment on each such vesting date and (ii) the remainder generally vests based on the occurrence of both a service condition (which is the same as the service condition described with respect to the service-based portion of the restricted shares) and a performance condition, which is met if, following an initial public offering or certain other events (including a change in control), a specified investment return is achieved by the investors (one-half of such shares requires one return level and the other one-half requires a different return level). In addition, all unvested restricted stock vests, subject to Mr. Cohen's continued employment, on the day prior to the seventh anniversary of the effective date of the restricted stock agreement or upon termination of Mr. Cohen's employment for specified reasons. Further, the service-based portion of the restricted shares and the service condition applicable to the performance-based portion will vest upon a change in control (as defined). The vested restricted stock may also be purchased by Warner Music Group (or its subsidiary) upon any termination of employment. Such stock is also subject to the stockholders agreement described under "Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions." 175 shares of such restricted stock have vested and up to 350 shares may vest upon this initial public offering (or 199,175 shares have vested and up to 398,350 shares may vest after giving effect to the Recapitalization).

                Severance Arrangements with Les Bider

                        Warner Music Inc. entered into an employment agreement with Les Bider under which Mr. Bider serves as Chairman and CEO of Warner/Chappell Music, Inc. ("WCM"). On March 1, 2004, Acquisition Corp. assumed Mr. Bider's employment agreement. On March 31, 2005, Warner Music Inc. and Les Bider entered into a separation agreement and release, under which Mr. Bider's employment with Warner/Chappell Music, Inc. will end as of such date as either he or Warner Music Inc. may designate in writing to the other, which date shall be not less than 30 days after the date on which such notice is given.



                        Under the terms of the separation agreement and release, Mr. Bider will be entitled to: a payment in the amount of $2,602.74 multiplied by the number of days during the period from the date on which his employment with WCM terminates to December 31, 2005 (the "Payment Period"); an additional payment of $1,000,000; an annual bonus with respect to 2005 in the amount of $960,000 payable no later than January 31, 2006; payments at the rateend of $80,000 per annum during the Payment Period; continued participation in Warner Music Inc.'s group health plans through December 31, 2005 or such time as he becomes eligible to participate in a medical insurance plan offered by a subsequent employer; and continued participation in life insurance and 401(k) plans during the Payment Period. The agreement also contains mutual releases, standard covenants relating to confidentiality, and a non-solicitation covenant until March 31, 2006.

                        Mr. Bider entered into a stock option agreement with Warner Music Group pursuant to which he was granted an option to purchase 262 shares of Class A Common Stock of Warner Music Group (or 298,736 shares of common stock after giving effect to the Recapitalization) at a price of $1,000 per share, subject to adjustments. No portion of such option has vested. In connection with his severance arrangements, Mr. Bider has agreed to forfeit such option as of his employment end date as set forth in his severance arrangements.

                Employment Agreement with Richard Blackstone

                        WCM entered into an employment agreement with Richard Blackstone on March 15, 2005 under which Mr. Blackstone will serve as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of WCM. The employment agreement provides for a four-yearits term, beginning on January 1, 2006 or such earlier date as Mr. Blackstone becomes available to commence employment at WCM. Under the terms of the employment agreement, Mr. Blackstoneshe will be paid the severance that would be payable to her under our severance policy if she did not have an annual salary equal to $650,000. Mr. Blackstone is also eligible to receive an annual cash bonus, with a target of $650,000; provided that Mr. Blackstone may elect that either (i) if he commences work with WCM in 2005, that his bonus with respect to 2005 shall not be less than $650,000 (pro rated to reflect his actual service to WCM in such year) or (ii) that his bonus with respect to 2006 shall not be less than $650,000. In addition, WCM will pay Mr. Blackstone a special payment in the amount of $100,000, less any annual bonus amounts paid to Mr. Blackstone by WCM or his current employer with respect to 2005. In the event that WCM terminates the employment agreement for any reason other than cause or if Mr. Blackstone terminates his employment for good reason, as defined in the agreement, Mr. Blackstone will be entitled to severance benefits equal to: $2,000,000 if such termination occurs in the first year of the contract, $1,500,000 if such termination occurs in the second year of the contract, $1,000,000 if such termination occurs in the third year of the contract, or $650,000 if such termination occurs in the final year of the contract, plus a pro-rated annual bonus; and continued participation in WCM's group health and life insurance plans for one year after termination. Theagreement.

                Ms. Marshall’s employment agreement also contains standard covenants relating to confidentiality and assignment of intellectual property rights anda one-year post employmentpost-employment non-solicitation covenants.covenant.

                        Mr. Blackstone was also awarded 210 shares of restricted Class A Common Stock of Warner Music Group (or 238,989 shares of common stock after giving effect to the Recapitalization), which as of April 15, 2005, represents less than 1% of the aggregate ownership of Class A Common Stock and Class L Common Stock of Warner Music Group (or less than 1% of the common stock after giving effect to the Recapitalization and this offering) without taking into account the exercise of warrants issued to Time Warner and the exercise of any outstanding options. The restricted stock agreement provides that (i) one-third of the restricted shares generally vest in four equal installments on the day prior to each of the first through fourth anniversaries of the effective date of the restricted stock agreement, subject to Mr. Blackstone's continued employment on each such vesting date and (ii) the remainder generally vests based on the occurrence of both a service condition (which is the same as the service condition described with respect to the service-based portion of the restricted shares) and a performance-based condition, which is met if, following an initial public offering or certain other events



                (including a change in control), a specified investment return is achieved by the investors (one-half of such shares requires one return level and the other one-half requires a higher return level). In addition, all unvested restricted stock vests, subject to Mr. Blackstone's continued employment, on the day prior to the seventh anniversary of the effective date of the restricted stock agreement or upon termination of Mr. Blackstone's employment for specified reasons. Further, the service-based portion of the restricted shares and the service condition applicable to the performance-based portion will vest upon a change in control (as defined). The vested restricted stock may also be purchased by Warner Music Group (or its subsidiary) upon any termination of employment. Such stock is also subject to the stockholders agreement described under "Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions."

                Employment Agreement with Michael D. FleisherGuy Moot

                For fiscal year 2019, Mr. Moot was party to employment agreements with us that provided, among other things, for the following:

                 Warner Music Inc. entered into an employment agreement with Michael D. Fleisher on December 21, 2004 under which Mr. Fleisher serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Warner Music Inc. The

                (1)

                the term of Mr. Moot’s employment agreement ends on March 31, 2024;

                (2)

                Mr. Moot’s annual base salary is $1,750,000 (although prior to his relocation to Los Angeles, California in fiscal year 2019, his annual base salary was denominated as £1,365,000), and his target bonus is the same amount;

                (3)

                Mr. Moot was entitled to up to $298,818 (£234,000), after-tax, in relocation assistance in connection with his relocation to Los Angeles, California.

                Also, his employment agreement provides forthat, if during the term, we establish a four-year term beginning on January 1, 2005. Under the terms of the employment agreement,new long-term incentive plan, we will offer Mr. Fleisher is paid a salary equalMoot an opportunity to $800,000. Mr. Fleisher is also eligible to receive an annual cash bonus, with a target of $800,000; provided that Mr. Fleisher's bonus with respect to 2005 shall not be less than $800,000. participate in it.

                In the event Warner Music Inc. terminates thewe terminate his employment agreement for any reason other than causefor “cause” (as defined in his employment agreement), death or disability or if Mr. FleisherMoot terminates his employment for good reason, as“good reason” (as defined in the agreement,his employment agreement), Mr. FleisherMoot will be entitled to severance benefits equal to: one yearto 18 months of his then-currentannual base salary and target bonus;plus a pro-rated annual bonus;discretionary prorated bonus (as determined by the Company in good faith), up to $75,000 in relocation assistance to move from Los Angeles, California to London, U.K. and continued participation in Acquisition Corp.'sthe Company’s group health and life insurance plans for upthe month of termination. However, if we elect to one year after termination. Thenot renew his employment agreement at the end of its term, he will be paid 12 months of annual base salary.

                If Mr. Moot resigns without “good reason” or is terminated for “cause” before the second anniversary of his relocation to Los Angeles, California, he will be required to repay all or a portion of the relocation assistance and related tax gross-up.

                Mr. Moot’s employment agreement also contains standard covenants relating to confidentiality assignmentand a one-year post-employment non-solicitation covenant.

                Outstanding Equity Awards at 2019 FiscalYear-End

                Name

                  Number of Shares or Units
                of Stock That Have Not  Vested
                (#)(1)
                  Market Value of Shares or Units
                of Stock That Have Not Vested
                ($)(4)
                 

                Stephen Cooper

                   —  (2)  $—   
                   —  (3)  $—   

                Max Lousada

                   1,437,095.39(2)  $11,080,184 
                   1,437,095.39(3)  $6,498,271 

                (1)

                An NEO’s deferred equity units and Profits Interests generally vest over time as equivalent amounts of annual free cash flow bonuses are deferred under the Plan. All of Mr. Cooper’s deferred equity units, including special deferred equity units, and Profits Interests had vested as of September 30, 2019.

                (2)

                Uncredited deferred equity units approved for grant to the NEO as of September 30, 2019. Each deferred equity unit is equivalent to one share of our common stock.

                (3)

                Unvested Profits Interests. This table does not include vested Profits Interests that were held by the NEOs or Class A units of Management LLC received in settlement of vested deferred equity units held directly and in trust by Mr. Cooper, in each case, as of September 30, 2019: for Mr. Cooper, 6,517,563.99 vested Profits Interests, with a value of $34,105,592; and for Mr. Lousada, 1,169,930.68 vested Profits Interests, with a value of $5,290,203. A Profits Interest’s benchmark amount reflects the value of our common stock on the grant date of the Profits Interest, and the value of a Profits Interest reflects the appreciation in the fair market value of our common stock above its benchmark amount. For the 2019 redemption date, Mr. Cooper received shares of the Company’s common stock for his deferred equity units that settled in December 2018 (and all such shares were immediately contributed to Management LLC in exchange for Class A units, pursuant to the Plan) and Mr. Cooper elected to retain (and not redeem) all of his Profits Interests then eligible for redemption. Because Mr. Lousada joined the Plan in 2017, he was not eligible to redeem any deferred equity units or Profits Interests in December 2018.

                (4)

                As of September 30, 2019, after giving effect to a 477,242.614671815-for-1 stock split of the Company’s Class B common stock effected on February 28, 2020, the value of a share of our common stock, as determined under the Plan, was $7.71. Assumptions used in the calculation of this amount are included in Note 11 to our audited financial statements for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019.

                Equity Awards Vested in 2019 Fiscal Year

                Name

                  Number of Shares or Units
                of Stock Acquired on Vesting
                (#)
                  Value Realized on Vesting
                ($)(3)
                 

                Stephen Cooper

                   —  (1)  $—   
                   —  (2)  $—   

                Max Lousada

                   467,144.16(1)  $1,488,424 
                   467,144.16(2)  $1,488,424 

                (1)

                Deferred equity units that vested in fiscal year 2019. Generally, an NEO’s deferred equity units vest in the fiscal year following the fiscal year in which the NEO’s free cash flow bonuses are paid. However, in August 2018, prior to the 2019 fiscal year, vesting was accelerated for 702,786.52 of Mr. Lousada’s deferred equity units that would otherwise have vested in fiscal year 2019 and the remaining 467,144.16 vested in December 2018.

                (2)

                Profits Interests that vested in fiscal year 2019 reflect a number of Profits Interests equal to the number of deferred equity units acquired by Mr. Lousada in fiscal year 2019.

                (3)

                Reflects the difference between the purchase price of a deferred equity unit and the fair market value of a deferred equity unit on the date Mr. Lousada acquired the vested deferred equity units in December 2018, and for a Profits Interest reflects the appreciation in the fair market value of a share of our common stock as of the vesting date since the date of grant. Pursuant to the Plan and the NEOs’ elections, the deferred equity units and Profits Interests will not be settled or redeemed until the scheduled redemption dates or, if earlier, termination of the NEO’s employment. See the descriptions in the narratives accompanying the “Grants of Plan-Based Awards in Fiscal Year 2019” table above and below under “Potential Payments upon Termination orChange-In-Control.”

                Nonqualified Deferred Compensation

                The following table provides information concerning the deferred accounts of intellectual property rightsour NEOs under the Plan:

                Name

                  Executive
                Contributions
                in
                Last FY ($)(1)
                   Registrant
                Contributions
                in
                Last FY ($)(2)
                   Aggregate
                Earnings in
                Last FY ($)(3)
                   Aggregate
                Withdrawals /
                Distributions
                ($)
                   Aggregate
                Balance at Last
                FYE ($)(4)
                 

                Stephen Cooper

                  $—     $—     $5,802,385   $13,582,814   $32,960,714 

                Max Lousada

                  $1,490,000   $1,488,424   $1,562,547   $—     $9,020,311 

                (1)

                Amounts of free cash flow bonuses that were deferred by Mr. Lousada under the Plan through the acquisition of vested deferred equity units in fiscal year 2019.

                (2)

                Reflects the difference between the purchase price of a deferred equity unit and the fair market value of a deferred equity unit on the date Mr. Lousada acquired the vested deferred equity units in fiscal year 2019.

                (3)

                Reflects the increase in value of vested deferred equity units outstanding as of September 30, 2019 since October 1, 2018.

                (4)

                For Mr. Cooper, this reflects the value of shares of the Company’s common stock that he received in settlement of his deferred equity units in December 2019.

                Potential Payments upon Termination orChange-In-Control

                We have entered into employment arrangements that, by their terms, will require us to provide compensation and six month postother benefits to our NEOs if their employment non-solicitation covenants.terminates or they resign under specified circumstances. In addition, the Plan provides for certain payments upon a participant’s termination of employment or achange-in-control of the Company.

                The following discussion summarizes the potential payments upon a termination of employment in various circumstances. The amounts discussed apply the assumptions that employment terminated on September 30, 2019 and the NEO does not become employed by a new employer or return to work for the Company, or that a change in control occurred on September 30, 2019. The discussion that follows addresses Ms. Marshall and Messrs. Lousada, Cooper, Levin and Moot. See “Summary of NEO Employment Arrangements” above for a description of their respective agreements. The value of a share of our common stock applied to this discussion was $7.71, as determined under the Plan as of September 30, 2019.

                Estimated Benefits upon Termination for “Cause” or Resignation Without “Good Reason”

                In the event an NEO is terminated for “cause,” or resigns without “good reason” as such terms are defined below, the NEO is only eligible to receive compensation and benefits accrued through the date of termination. Therefore, no amounts other than accrued amounts would be payable to Ms. Marshall or Messrs. Lousada, Levin and Moot in this instance pursuant to their employment arrangements. As noted above, Mr. Fleisher purchased 787Cooper does not have an employment arrangement directly with the Company and, therefore, he is also not entitled to any benefits from the Company, except under the Plan, if he is terminated for “cause” or he resigns without “good reason.”

                Estimated Benefits upon Termination without “Cause” or Resignation for “Good Reason”

                Upon termination without “cause” or resignation for “good reason,” Ms. Marshall and Messrs. Lousada, Levin and Moot are entitled to contractual severance benefits payable on termination plus, in the case of Ms. Marshall and Mr. Moot, apro-rated annual bonus for the year of termination. Although annual free cash flow bonuses under the Plan are generally contingent upon the participant being employed with the Company on the date of payment, if, after the first quarter of a fiscal year, the employment of Messrs. Cooper or Lousada is terminated by the Company without “cause”, by him for “good reason” or due to his death or “disability,” he will be entitled under the Plan to a pro rata free cash flow bonus in respect of the year in which such event occurs (as

                such terms are defined in the Plan). None of our NEOs is entitled to any additional severance upon a termination in connection with a change in control.

                Name

                  Salary (other
                than accrued
                amounts)(1)
                   Bonus(2)   Value of
                Deferred
                Compensation(3)
                   Acceleration
                of
                Profits
                Interests(4)
                   Benefits   Total 

                Stephen Cooper

                   —     $7,075,000   $32,960,714    —      —     $40,035,714 

                Eric Levin

                  $850,000    —      —      —      —     $850,000 

                Max Lousada (5)

                  $7,662,000   $2,830,000   $9,020,311    —      —     $19,512,311 

                Carianne Marshall

                  $1,562,500   $1,319,487    —      —      —     $2,881,987 

                Guy Moot

                  $2,625,000   $913,985    —      —      —     $3,538,985 

                (1)

                For Messrs. Levin, Moot and Lousada and Ms. Marshall, the amount represents the severance payable to them on such a qualifying termination.

                (2)

                For Messrs. Cooper and Lousada, represents a pro rata amount of the annual free cash flow bonus payable under the Plan (or, since the termination date is assumed to be September 30, 2019, their full 2019 annual bonuses). For Ms. Marshall and Mr. Moot, represents the actual 2019 bonus paid assuming the Company in its good-faith discretion determined to pay that amount.

                (3)

                Reflects the value of vested deferred equity units that will be settled on a termination of employment without “cause” or by the NEO for “good reason” (including, in Mr. Cooper’s case, units held in trust).

                (4)

                Profits Interests will not accelerate on a termination of employment that is not in connection with a change in control of the Company. This table does not include vested Profits Interests held by the NEOs (or, in Mr. Cooper’s case, Profits Interests held in trust).

                (5)

                The amounts reported for Mr. Lousada have been converted from British pound sterling to U.S. dollars using a conversion factor of 1.277.

                Estimated Benefits in Connection with a Change in Control

                As participants in the Plan, each of Messrs. Lousada and Cooper will be entitled to additional payments upon a change in control in respect of his amounts deferred under the Plan and the Profits Interests granted to him.

                Name

                  Value of Deferred
                Compensation(1)
                   Acceleration of
                Profits Interests(2)
                   Total 

                Stephen Cooper

                  $32,960,714   $—     $32,960,714 

                Max Lousada

                  $9,020,311   $2,830,000   $11,850,311 

                (1)

                For each of Messrs. Cooper and Lousada, represents the value of the NEO’s deferred equity units that were vested and outstanding on September 30, 2019 and for Mr. Cooper, the then outstanding portion of the additional deferred equity units granted to him in December 2013 to offset the impact of the $54 million of investments that were funded through fiscal year 2013 free cash flow (but reduced for the amount of any unrecovered investment amounts that were allocated to the NEO with such additional grant). Also, for Mr. Lousada, the deferred equity units that would have been credited to his deferred compensation account with a pro rata portion of the free cash flow bonus in respect of the 2019 fiscal year payable in deferred equity units (i.e., the remainder due to be deferred from his 2019 fiscal year free cash flow bonus, since the change in control would be deemed to occur on September 30, 2019).

                (2)

                For Mr. Lousada, his Profits Interests that would have vested if 100% of his 2019 free cash flow bonus would have been deferred under the Plan. The value of a Profits Interest reflects the appreciation in the fair market value of a share of our common stock as of September 30, 2019 since the date of grant. In each case, the value of a Profits Interest assumes that Management LLC was liquidated and its proceeds distributed to its members, including our NEOs. This table does not include vested Profits Interests held directly or in trust by the NEOs or Profits Interests or Class A units in Management LLC held directly and in trust by Mr. Cooper.

                Upon a change of control of the Company and upon certain sales of shares of restricted Class A Common Stockour common stock underlying Profits Interests and Acquired LLC Units, distributions will be made in respect of Profits Interests (to the extent of their liquidation value) and Acquired LLC Units. The LLC Agreement associated with the Plan provides Access with the right to cause Plan participants (including the NEOs) to sell their Profits Interests, Acquired LLC Units or the underlying shares of our common stock on a sale by Access of more than 50% of the outstanding shares of our common stock to third parties (i.e., a “drag-along right”), other than in a public offering of our common stock. Also, the LLC Agreement provides Plan participants (including the NEOs) with the right to sell their vested Profits Interests and Acquired LLC Units in the event that Access proposes to sell to third parties or us shares of our common stock other than certain sales after a public offering of our common stock (i.e., a“tag-along right”).

                Estimated Benefits upon Death or Disability

                Death.For Messrs. Lousada, Levin and Moot and Ms. Marshall, other than accrued benefits and, in the case of Messrs. Cooper and Lousada under the Plan, no other benefits are provided in connection with such NEO’s death. Also, for Ms. Marshall and Mr. Moot, represents the actual 2019 bonus paid assuming the Company in its good-faith discretion determined to pay that amount.

                Disability.For Messrs. Lousada, Levin and Moot and Ms. Marshall, other than accrued benefits and short-term disability amounts and, in the case of Messrs. Cooper and Lousada under the Plan, no benefits are provided in connection with such NEO’s disability. Also, for Ms. Marshall and Mr. Moot, represents the actual 2019 bonus paid assuming the Company in its good-faith discretion determined to pay that amount.

                As participants in the Plan, each of Messrs. Cooper and Lousada will be entitled to the following payments if terminated as a result of death or disability:

                Name

                  Bonus(1)   Value of Deferred
                Compensation(2)
                   Acceleration of
                Profits Interests(3)
                   Total 

                Stephen Cooper

                  $7,075,000   $32,960,714    —     $40,035,714 

                Max Lousada

                  $2,830,000   $9,020,311    —     $11,850,311 

                Carianne Marshall

                  $1,319,487    —      —     $1,319,487 

                Guy Moot

                  $913,985    —      —     $913,985 

                (1)

                Represents a pro rata amount of the annual free cash flow bonus payable under the Plan (or, since the termination date is assumed to be September 30, 2019, the full 2019 annual bonus) for each of Messrs. Cooper and Lousada. For Ms. Marshall and Mr. Moot, represents the actual 2019 bonus paid assuming the Company in its good-faith discretion determined to pay that amount.

                (2)

                Represents the value of each NEOs’ deferred equity units that were vested and outstanding on September 30, 2019, and the then outstanding portion of the additional deferred equity units granted to Mr. Cooper in December 2013 to offset the impact of the $54 million of investments that were funded through fiscal year 2013 free cash flow (but reduced for the amount of any unrecovered investment amounts that were allocated to the NEO with such additional grant), in each case, based on the value of our common stock as of September 30, 2019.

                (3)

                Profits Interests will not accelerate on a termination of employment that is not in connection with a change in control of the Company. This table does not include vested Profits Interests held directly or in trust by the NEOs or Profits Interests or Class A units in Management LLC held directly and in trust by Mr. Cooper.

                Relevant Provisions of Employment Arrangements

                Upon termination of employment for any reason, all of our employees, including our NEOs, are entitled to unpaid salary and vacation time accrued through the termination date.

                Termination for “Cause”

                Under the terms of his employment agreement (and for purposes of the Plan), we generally would have “cause” to terminate the employment of Mr. Lousada in any of the following circumstances: (1) serious or repeated breach of any of his material obligations, (2) refusing to carry out any lawful and reasonable order given to him or failing to attend to his duties, (3) committing any financially dishonest or fraudulent act relating to the Company, (4) conviction of a crime that is punishable by imprisonment, (5) guilty of gross misconduct or of any other conduct which brings or is likely to bring serious professional discredit to the Company, (6) unable to perform his duties by reason ofill-health or accident either for a specified period, (7) becoming of unsound mind and a patient for the purpose of any statute relating to mental health, (8) a petition or application for an order in bankruptcy is presented by or against him or any person becomes entitled to petition or apply for any such order, (9) a disqualification order (as defined in Section 1 of the Directors Disqualification Act 1986) is made against him or he otherwise becomes prohibited by law from being a member of the Company’s board of directors and (10) if he voluntarily resigns as a member of the Company’s board of directors. In the event of (1) or (2) that is curable, we are required to notify Mr. Lousada of such circumstances and give him a reasonable opportunity to cure.

                For purposes of the Plan, we would have “cause” to terminate the employment of Mr. Cooper in any of the following circumstances: (1) ceasing to perform his material duties to the Company or its affiliates (other than as a result of vacation, approved leave or incapacity due to physical or mental illness or injury), which failure amounts to an extended neglect of his duties, (2) engaging in conduct that is demonstrably and materially injurious to the business of the Company or its affiliates, (3) conviction of a felony or entered a plea of guilty or no contest to a felony charge or a misdemeanor involving as a material element fraud, dishonest or sale or possession of illicit substances, (4) failing to follow lawful instructions of his direct superiors or the Company’s board of directors and (5) breach of any restrictive covenant addressed in his employee letter.

                Under the terms of their employment agreements, we generally would have “cause” to terminate the employment of Messrs. Levin or Moot or Ms. Marshall in any of the following circumstances: (1) repeated and continual refusal to perform his or her duties with the Company, (2) engaging in willful malfeasance that has a material adverse effect on the Company, (3) breach of his or her covenants in his/her employment agreement and (4) conviction of a felony or entered a plea of nolo contendere to a felony charge.

                Resignation for “Good Reason” or without “Good Reason”

                For purposes of the Plan, Messrs. Cooper or Lousada generally would have “good reason” to terminate employment in any of the following circumstances: (1) if his salary or annual bonus percentage under the Plan is materially reduced, (2) if we fail to pay him any salary which has become payable and due to him, or (3) our failure to pay him any entitlement that has become payable and due under the Plan. Messrs. Cooper and Lousada are required to notify us within 30 days after becoming aware of the occurrence of any event that constitutes “good reason,” and in general we have 30 days to cure the event, but failing a cure, he must terminate his employment within 30 days after the cure period expires.

                Our employment agreements with Mr. Moot and Ms. Marshall provide that he or she generally would have “good reason” to terminate employment in any of the following circumstances: (1) if we assign duties inconsistent with his/her current positions, duties or responsibilities or if we change the parties to whom he or she reports, (2) if we fail to pay any amounts due under the employment agreement, (3) if we relocate him/her beyond a specified area, (4) if we assign the Company’s obligations under the employment agreement to a non-affiliate (except, in Ms. Marshall’s case, if the assignment is in connection with a sale, transfer or disposition of all or a substantial portion of the stock or assets of Warner Chappell Music, Inc. or its direct or indirect parent). Our employment agreement with Mr. Levin does not include “good reason” termination provisions.

                Restrictive Covenants

                Our agreements with our NEOs contain several important restrictive covenants with which an executive must comply following termination of employment. For example, Messrs. Cooper’s and Lousada’s entitlements

                to payments under the Plan are each conditioned on the NEO’s compliance with covenants not to solicit certain of our artists and employees. Thisnon-solicitation covenant continues in effect during a period that, for each of our NEOs, will end one year following his termination of employment.

                Messrs. Levin’s and Moot’s and Ms. Marshall’s employment agreements and the Plan for Messrs. Cooper and Lousada also contain covenants regardingnon-disclosure of confidential information.

                Changes to Executive Compensation in Connection with the Offering

                Omnibus Incentive Plan

                Our board of directors and our stockholders have approved the Warner Music Group (or 896,208 shares of common stock after giving effect to the Recapitalization), which as of April 15, 2005, represents less than 1% of the aggregate ownership of the Class A Common Stock and Class L Common Stock of Warner Music Group (or less than 1% of the ownership of the common stock after giving effect to the Recapitalization and this offering) without taking into account the conversion of the warrants issued to Time Warner into Class A Common StockCorp. 2020 Omnibus Incentive Plan, or the exercise of any outstanding options. The restricted stock agreement provides that (i) one-third of the restricted shares generally vest in four equal installments on the day prior to each of the first through fourth anniversaries of the vesting commencement date set forth in the restricted stock agreement (December 21, 2004), subject to Mr. Fleisher's continued employment on each such vesting date and (ii) the remainder generally vests based on the occurrence of both a service condition (which is the same as the service condition described with respect to the service-based portion of the restricted shares) and a performance condition,“Omnibus Incentive Plan,” which is met if, following an initial public offering or certain other events (including a change in control), a specified investment return is achieved by the investors (one-half of such shares requires one return level and the other one-half requires a higher return level). The performance-based portion also vests, subject to Mr. Fleisher's continued employment,will be effective on the day prior to the seventh anniversary of the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, pursuant to which, following the offering at times determined by our board of directors or our compensation committee, we will make grants of long-term equity incentive compensation to our directors, officers and other employees. The following are the material terms of the Omnibus Incentive Plan, which is qualified by reference to the full text of the Omnibus Incentive Plan.

                Administration. Our board of directors has the authority to interpret the terms and conditions of the Omnibus Incentive Plan, to determine eligibility for and terms of awards for participants and to make all other determinations necessary or advisable for the administration of the Omnibus Incentive Plan. The board of directors may delegate its authority to a subcommittee. The board of directors, or the applicable subcommittee, is referred to below as the “Administrator.” To the extent consistent with applicable law, the Administrator may further delegate matters involving administration of the Omnibus Incentive Plan to our Chief Executive Officer or other of our officers. In addition, subcommittees may be established to the extent necessary to comply with Rule 16b-3 under the Exchange Act.

                Eligible Award Recipients. Our directors, employees, advisors and consultants are eligible to receive awards under the Omnibus Incentive Plan.

                Awards. Awards under the Omnibus Incentive Plan may be made in the form of stock options, which may be either incentive stock options or non-qualified stock options; restricted stock; restricted stock agreement. Further,units; performance shares; performance units; stock appreciation rights, or “SARs”; dividend equivalents; and other stock-based awards. Cash awards may also be granted under the service-basedPlan as annual or long-term incentives.

                Shares Subject to the Omnibus Incentive Plan. Subject to adjustment as described below, the aggregate number of shares of common stock available for issuance under the Omnibus Incentive Plan will be equal to 31,169,099 shares over the 10-year period from the date of adoption, including up to 1,000,000 shares of our Class A common stock that would be issued upon vesting of equity awards that we expect to grant to a broad group of our employees, subject to certain conditions, in connection with (but not prior to) this offering. Shares issued under the Omnibus Incentive Plan may be either authorized but unissued shares or shares reacquired by us. All of the shares under the Omnibus Incentive Plan may be granted as incentive stock options within the meaning of the Code.

                Any shares covered by an award, or portion of an award, granted under the Omnibus Incentive Plan that are forfeited, canceled, expired or otherwise terminated for any reason will again be available for the grant of awards under the Omnibus Incentive Plan. Additionally, any shares tendered or withheld to satisfy the grant or exercise price or tax withholding obligations pursuant to any award under the Omnibus Incentive Plan, and the shares subject to any award that is settled in cash, will again be available for issuance. The Omnibus Incentive Plan permits us to issue replacement awards to employees of companies acquired by us, but those replacement awards would not count against the share maximum listed above.

                Director Limits. With respect to any period from one annual meeting of shareholders to the next following annual meeting of shareholders, the fair market value of shares subject to awards granted to any non-employee director (as of the grant date), and the cash paid to any non-employee director, may not exceed $800,000 in the aggregate for any such non-employee director who is serving as chairman of the board of directors and $700,000 in the aggregate for any other such non-employee director.

                Terms and Conditions of Options and Stock Appreciation Rights. An “incentive stock option” is an option that meets the requirements of Section 422 of the Code, and a “non-qualified stock option” is an option that does not meet those requirements. A SAR is the right of a participant to a payment, in shares of common stock, or such other form determined by the Administrator, equal to the amount by which the fair market value of a share of common stock on the exercise date exceeds the exercise price of the stock appreciation right. An option or SAR granted under the Omnibus Incentive Plan will be exercisable only to the extent that it is vested on the date of exercise. Subject to the one-year minimum vesting requirement described below, each option and SAR will vest and become exercisable according to the terms and conditions determined by the Administrator. Unless otherwise determined by the Administrator, no option or SAR may be exercisable more than ten years from the grant date. SARs may be granted to participants in tandem with options or separately.

                The exercise price per share under each non-qualified option and SAR granted under the Omnibus Incentive Plan may not be less than 100% of the fair market value of our common stock on the option grant date. The Omnibus Incentive Plan includes a general prohibition on the repricing of out-of-the-money options and SARs without shareholder approval.

                Terms and Conditions of Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units. Restricted stock is an award of common stock on which certain restrictions are imposed over specified periods that subject the shares to a substantial risk of forfeiture. A restricted stock unit is a unit, equivalent in value to a share of common stock, credited by means of a bookkeeping entry in our books to a participant’s account, which is settled after vesting in stock or cash, as determined by the Administrator. Subject to the provisions of the Omnibus Incentive Plan, our Administrator will determine the terms and conditions of each award of restricted stock or restricted stock units, including the restricted period for all or a portion of the restricted sharesaward, and the service conditionrestrictions applicable to the performance-based portionaward. Subject to the one-year minimum vesting requirement described below, restricted stock and restricted stock units will vest upon certain terminationsbased on a period of employment followingservice specified by our Administrator, the occurrence of events specified by our Administrator or both. Restricted stock units granted under the plan will receive dividend equivalents settled in anticipationshares of our common stock unless otherwise determined by the Administrator.

                Terms and Conditions of Performance Shares and Performance Units. A performance share is a grant of a change in control (as defined). The restrictedspecified number of shares of common stock, may be purchased by Warner Music Group (or its subsidiary) upon any termination of employment. Such stock is also subject to the stockholders agreement described under "Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions."

                Employment Agreement with David H. Johnson

                        Warner Music Inc. entered into an employment agreement with David H. Johnson under which Mr. Johnson serves as Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Warner Music Inc. On March 1, 2004, WMG Acquisition Corp. assumed Mr. Johnson's employment agreement.



                        The employment agreement terminates on June 29, 2007. Under the terms of the employment agreement, Mr. Johnson is paid an annual base salary of $700,000. Mr. Johnson is also eligibleor a right to receive an annual cash bonus equal to the greatera specified (or formulaic) number of his annual target bonus, as defined in the agreement, or the average of his bonuses for 2002 and 2003.

                        In the event Warner Music Inc. terminates the employment agreement for any reason other than for cause or if Mr. Johnson terminates his employment for good reason, as defined in the agreement, Mr. Johnson will be entitled to severance benefits equal to a lump sum payment of two times his annual base salary and a minimum bonus as defined in the agreement.

                        The employment agreement also contains standard covenants relating to confidentiality.

                        Mr. Johnson purchased 105 shares of restricted Class A Common Stock of Warner Music Group (or 119,494 shares of common stock after giving effectthe date of grant, subject to the Recapitalization), which asachievement of April 15, 2005,predetermined performance conditions. A performance unit is a unit, having a specified cash value that represents less than 1%the right to receive a share of common stock or cash (based on the fair market value of our common stock) if performance conditions are achieved. Vested performance units may be settled in cash, stock or a combination of cash and stock, at the discretion of the aggregate ownershipAdministrator. Subject to the one-year minimum vesting requirement described below, performance shares and performance units will vest based on the achievement of performance goals during the performance cycle established by the Administrator, and such other conditions, restrictions and contingencies as the Administrator may determine. Performance shares and performance units granted under the plan will receive dividend equivalents settled in shares of our common stock unless otherwise determined by the Administrator.

                Other Stock-Based Awards. The Administrator may make other equity-based or equity-related awards not otherwise described by the terms of the Class A Common Stock and Class L Common Stock of Warner Music Group (or less than 1%Omnibus Incentive Plan.

                Minimum Vesting Requirements. No award granted under the Omnibus Incentive Plan may vest before the first anniversary of the ownershipdate of grant, subject to certain accelerated vesting contemplated under the plan, with the exception of (i) up to five percent (5%) of the commonnumber of shares reserved for issuance under the Omnibus

                Incentive Plan, (ii) replacement awards granted under the Omnibus Incentive Plan, (iii) awards granted in connection with the assumption or substitution of awards as part of a transaction, and (iv) awards that may be settled only in cash.

                Dividend Equivalents. A dividend equivalent is the right to receive payments in cash or in stock, after giving effectbased on dividends with respect to shares of stock. Dividend equivalents may be granted to participants in tandem with another award or as freestanding awards.

                Termination of Employment or Service. Except as provided below under “Effect of a Change in Control” or as determined by the Administrator, unvested awards granted under the Omnibus Incentive Plan will be forfeited upon a participant’s termination of employment or service to the RecapitalizationCompany.

                Other Forfeiture Provisions; Clawback. A participant will be required to forfeit and this offering) without taking into accountdisgorge any awards granted or vested and all gains earned or accrued due to the exercise of the warrants issued to Time Warnerstock options or SARs or the exercisesale of any outstanding options. The restrictedCompany common stock agreement provides that (i) one-thirdto the extent required by any policies as to forfeiture and recoupment or clawback policies as may be adopted by the Administrator or the board of directors, or as required by applicable law, including Section 304 of the restrictedSarbanes-Oxley Act and Section 10D of the Exchange Act, or as required by any stock exchange or quotation system on which our common stock is listed.

                In addition, in the event a participant engages in “competitive activity” (as defined in the Omnibus Incentive Plan) following a termination of the participant’s employment or service, all options and SARs, whether vested or unvested, and all other awards that are vested or unpaid as of the date of engagement in competitive activity may (in the Administrator’s discretion) be immediately forfeited and canceled, and any portion of the participant’s award that became vested after such termination of employment or service, and any shares generallyof common stock or cash issued upon exercise or settlement of such awards, may (in the Administrator’s discretion) be immediately forfeited, canceled, and disgorged or paid to the Company together with all gains earned or accrued due to the sale of shares of common stock issued upon exercise or settlement of the awards.

                Change in Capitalization or Other Corporate Event. The number or amount of shares of stock, other property or cash covered by outstanding awards, the number and type of shares of stock that have been authorized for issuance under the Omnibus Incentive Plan, the exercise or purchase price of each outstanding award, and the other terms and conditions of outstanding awards, will be subject to adjustment by the Administrator in the event of any stock dividend, extraordinary dividend, stock split or share combination or any recapitalization, merger, consolidation, exchange of shares, spin-off, liquidation or dissolution of the Company or other similar transaction affecting our common stock. Any such adjustment would not be considered a repricing for purposes of the prohibition on repricing described above.

                Effect of a Change in Control. Except as otherwise determined by the Administrator, upon a future change in control of the Company, unless prohibited by applicable law (including if such action would trigger adverse tax treatment under Section 409A of the Code), no accelerated vesting or cancellation of awards would occur if the awards are assumed and/or replaced in the change in control with substitute awards having the same or better terms and conditions, except that any substitute awards must fully vest on a participant’s involuntary termination of employment without “cause” or for “good reason” (as defined in four equal installmentsthe Omnibus Incentive Plan), in each case occurring within 12 months following the date of the change in control. To the extent that awards that vest based on continued service are not assumed and/or replaced in this manner, then those awards would fully vest and be cancelled for the same per share payment made to the shareholders in the change in control (less, in the case of options and SARs, the applicable exercise or base price). Performance-vesting awards would be modified into time-vesting awards at the time of the change in control based on either target or actual levels of performance (as determined by the Administrator), and the modified awards would then either be replaced or assumed, or cashed out, as described above. The Administrator has the ability to prescribe different treatment of awards in the award agreements and/or to take actions that are more favorable to participants.

                Expiration Date. The Omnibus Incentive Plan has a ten-year term and will expire at the end of that term unless further approval of our shareholders of the Omnibus Incentive Plan (or a successor plan) is obtained. However, the expiration of the Omnibus Incentive Plan would have no effect on outstanding awards previously granted.

                DIRECTOR COMPENSATION

                The following table provides summary information concerning compensation paid or accrued by, or on behalf of, ournon-employee directors for services rendered to us during fiscal year 2019.

                Mr. Lynton is entitled to an annual retainer of $350,000, payable pro rata quarterly in arrears, for his service on the day priorCompany’s board of directors, and he was paid a prorated portion of this retainer from the date of his appointment to eachthe Company’s board of directors on February 7, 2019. Mathias Döpfner is entitled to an annual retainer of €250,000, payable pro rata quarterly in arrears, for his service as a director on the Company’s board of directors. Messrs. Lee and Kreiz and Ms. Hertz were entitled to $75,000 for fiscal year 2019. No othernon-employee directors received any compensation for service on the Company’s board of directors or board committees during fiscal year 2019.

                Directors are entitled to reimbursement of their expenses incurred in connection with travel to meetings. In addition, the Company reimburses directors for fees paid to attend director education events.

                Name

                  Fees Earned
                or Paid in
                Cash
                ($)
                  Stock
                Awards
                ($)
                   Option
                Awards
                ($)
                   Non-Equity
                Incentive Plan
                Compensation
                ($)
                   Change in
                Pension Value
                and
                Nonqualified
                Deferred
                Compensation
                Earnings
                   All Other
                Compensation
                ($)
                   Total ($) 

                Michael Lynton

                  $226,528   —      —      —      —      —     $226,528 

                Lincoln Benet

                   —     —      —      —      —      —      —   

                Alex Blavatnik

                   —     —      —      —      —      —      —   

                Len Blavatnik

                   —     —      —      —      —      —      —   

                Mathias Döpfner

                  $282,150(1)   —      —      —      —      —     $282,150 

                Noreena Hertz

                  $75,000   —      —      —      —      —     $75,000 

                Ynon Kreiz

                  $75,000   —      —      —      —      —     $75,000 

                Thomas H. Lee

                  $75,000   —      —      —      —      —     $75,000 

                Donald A. Wagner

                   —     —      —      —      —      —      —   

                (1)

                The amount reported for Mr. Döpfner has been converted from Euros to U.S. dollars using a conversion factor of 1.1286 as of September 30, 2019.

                Changes to Director Compensation in Connection with the Offering

                We expect to implement a non-officer director compensation program following the offering, including a mix of cash and equity compensation as well as certain benefits.

                Cash Retainers and Equity-Based Award

                Compensation Item

                Amount

                Annual Cash Retainer

                $100,000

                Annual Equity Award

                $175,000 restricted stock grant with one-year vesting

                Board Chair Additional Retainer

                $80,000 restricted stock grant with one-year vesting and $45,000 in cash

                Committee Chair Annual Cash Retainer Fee

                Audit Committee: $15,000

                Compensation Committee: $15,000

                Nominating & Governance Committee: $15,000

                Executive Committee: $15,000

                Finance Committee: $15,000

                Committee Member Annual Cash Retainer Fee

                Audit Committee: $5,000

                Compensation Committee: $5,000

                Nominating & Governance Committee: $5,000

                Executive Committee: $5,000

                Finance Committee: $5,000

                Non-officer directors who are affiliated with Access will not be entitled to compensation for service as a director or committee member during any period in which Access owns more than 50% of the first through fourth anniversariesvalue of the vesting commencement dateCompany’s outstanding equity.

                Directors are also entitled to reimbursement of their expenses incurred in connection with travel to meetings. In addition, the Company reimburses directors for fees paid to attend director education events.

                Stock Ownership

                We intend to implement a stock ownership policy under which our non-officer directors who are not affiliated with Access will be required to hold four times the value of their annual cash retainer in Company stock (which includes unvested restricted stock). The directors will be required to retain 100% of any net shares (after the payment of taxes) received as compensation until the ownership requirement is achieved.

                COMPENSATION COMMITTEE INTERLOCKS AND INSIDER PARTICIPATION

                None of the Compensation Committee’s members is or has been a Company officer or employee during the last fiscal year. During fiscal year 2019, none of the Company’s executive officers served on the Company’s board of directors, the Compensation Committee or any similar committee of another entity of which an executive officer served on our board of directors or Compensation Committee.

                PRINCIPAL AND SELLING STOCKHOLDERS

                The following tables set forth in the restricted stock agreement (October 1, 2004), subject to Mr. Johnson's continued employment on each such vesting date and (ii) the remainder generally vests based on the occurrenceinformation as of both a service condition (which is the same as the service condition describedMay 15, 2020 with respect to the service-based portion of the restricted shares) and a performance condition, which is met if, following an initial public offering or certain other events (including a change in control), a specified investment return is achieved by the investors (one-half of such shares requires one return level and the other one-half requires a higher return level). The performance-based portion also vests, subject to Mr. Johnson's continued employment, on the day prior to the seventh anniversary of the effective date of the restricted stock agreement (January 28, 2005). Further, the service-based portion of the restricted shares and the service condition applicable to the performance-based portion will vest upon certain terminations of employment following or in anticipation of a change in control (as defined). The restricted stock may be purchased by Warner Music Group (or its subsidiary) upon any termination of employment. Such stock is also subject to the stockholders agreement described under "Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions."



                PRINCIPAL AND SELLING STOCKHOLDERS

                        The following table and accompanying footnotes show information regarding the beneficial ownership of our common stock as of April 15, 2005 (1) before this offering and after giving effect to the Recapitalization, and (2) after this offering and after giving effect to the Recapitalization, by:

                each of our directors;

                each of theour named executive officers named in the summary compensation table aboveofficers; and our newly appointed Chief Financial Officer;

                all selling stockholders; and

                all of our current executive officers including our newly appointed Chief Financial Officer, and directors as a group.

                The selling stockholdersamounts and percentages of shares beneficially owned are reported on the basis of regulations of the SEC governing the determination of beneficial ownership of securities. Under SEC rules, a person is deemed to be a “beneficial owner” of a security if that person has or shares voting power or investment power, which includes the power to dispose of or to direct the disposition of such security. A person is also deemed to be a beneficial owner of any securities of which that person has a right to acquire beneficial ownership within 60 days. Securities that can be so acquired are deemed to be outstanding for purposes of computing such person’s ownership percentage, but not for purposes of computing any other person’s percentage. Under these rules, more than one person may be deemed to be "underwriters" in this offering.

                        Notwithstandinga beneficial owner of the beneficial ownership of common stock presented below,same securities, and a stockholders agreement governs the stockholders' exercise of their voting rights with respect to election of directors and certain other material events. The parties to the stockholders' agreement have agreed to vote their shares to elect the board of directors as set forth therein. See "Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Stockholders Agreement."

                        The actual number of shares of common stockperson may be deemed to be issued in respecta beneficial owner of securities as to which such person has no economic interest.

                Applicable percentage ownership before the offering is based on no shares of Class L Common Stock in the Recapitalization is subject to change based on any changes to the initial public offering priceA common stock and the date510,000,000 shares of pricing of this offering. See "Basis of Presentation."

                        The number of shares outstanding after the offering and the percentages of beneficialClass B common stock outstanding. Applicable percentage ownership after the offering areis based on 143,020,313(i) 70,000,000 shares of ourClass A common stock to be issued and 440,000,000 shares of Class B common stock outstanding immediately after the completion of this offering and assume an additional 4,890,000 shares that will be sold to(assuming no exercise by the underwriters pursuant toof their option to purchase additional shares. In addition, it assumes that we purchase either the Three-Year Warrants or all shares of Class A common stock issuable to Historic TW uponfrom the exercise of the Three-Year Warrants. The number of shares beneficially owned also gives effect to the stock split which is expected to happen immediately prior to the consummation of the offering.

                 
                  
                  
                  
                 Percentage of Shares Beneficially
                Owned After this Offering

                 
                 
                 Shares Beneficially Owned
                Immediately Prior to this Offering

                  
                 Assuming the
                Underwriters'
                Option Is Not
                Exercised(8)

                 Assuming the
                Underwriters'
                Option Is
                Exercised in Full

                 
                Name and address of beneficial owner

                 Number
                 Percent
                of Common
                Stock

                 Shares to
                be sold in
                this Offering

                 Number
                 Percent
                of Common
                Stock

                 Number
                 Percent
                of Common
                Stock

                 
                Thomas H. Lee Funds(1)
                c/o Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P.
                75 State Street, Suite 2600
                Boston, MA 02109
                 56,353,539 48.64%2,847,000 53,506,539 37.41%50,944,539 35.62%
                Music Capital Partners, L.P.(2)
                c/o Lexa Partners LLC
                375 Park Avenue
                New York, NY 10152
                 14,195,930 12.25%716,000 13,479,930 9.43%12,833,930 8.97%
                Bain Capital Funds(3)
                c/o Bain Capital, LLC
                111 Huntington Avenue
                Boston, MA 02199
                 24,090,063 20.79%1,216,000 22,874,063 15.99%21,779,063 15.23%
                                


                Providence Equity Partners Inc.(4)
                50 Kennedy Plaza
                18th Floor
                Providence, RI 02903
                 12,905,391 11.14%651,000 12,254,391 8.57%11,667,391 8.16%
                Edgar Bronfman, Jr.(2) 3,283,944 2.83% 3,283,944 2.30%3,283,944 2.30%
                Len Blavatnik        
                Charles A. Brizius(5)        
                John P. Connaughton(6)        
                Scott L. Jaeckel(5)        
                Seth W. Lawry(5)        
                Thomas H. Lee(5)        
                Ian Loring(6)        
                Jonathan N. Nelson(4)        
                Mark Nunnelly(6)        
                Scott M. Sperling(5)        
                Lyor Cohen 2,390,102 2.06% 2,390,102 1.67%2,390,102 1.67%
                Paul-René Albertini 241,457 0.21% 241,457 0.17%241,457 0.17%
                Les Bider(7)               
                Michael D. Fleisher 896,208 0.77% 896,208 0.63%896,208 0.63%
                David H. Johnson 119,494 0.10% 119,494 0.08%119,494 0.08%
                All directors and executive officers as a group ((16) members) 6,931,205 5.98% 6,931,205 4.85%6,931,205 4.85%

                *
                Less than 1%

                (1)
                Includesselling stockholders) and (ii) 80,500,000 shares of Class A common stock owned by each of Thomas H. Lee Equity Fund V, L.P., Thomas H. Lee Parallel Fund V, L.P., Thomas H. Lee Equity (Cayman) Fund V, L.P. (collectively, the "THL Funds"), Putnam Investments Holdings, LLC, Putnam Investments Employees' Securities Company I LLC, Putnam Investments Employees' Securities Company II LLC (collectively, the "Putnam Funds"), 1997 Thomas H. Lee Nominee Trust (the "Lee Trust"), THL WMG Equity Investors, L.P. ("THL WMG Equity") and Thomas H. Lee Investors Limited Partnership ("Lee Investors"). The shares held by the THL Funds may be deemed to be beneficially owned by THL Equity Advisors V, LLC ("Advisors"), the general partner of each of the THL Funds. The shares held by THL WMG Equity may be deemed to be beneficially owned by Thomas H. Lee Advisors, LLC ("THL Advisors"), its general partner. Advisors and THL Advisors and each disclaims beneficial ownership of such shares except to the extent of its pecuniary interest. The Putnam Funds, the Lee Trust and Lee Investors are co-investment entities of the THL Funds and each disclaims beneficial ownership of any shares other than the shares held directly by such entity. Each of the THL Funds, Advisors, THL Advisors, Lee Investors and the Lee Trust has an address c/o Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P., 75 State Street, Suite 2600, Boston, Massachusetts 02109. The Putnam Funds have an address c/o Putnam Investment, Inc., 1 Post Office Square, Boston, Massachusetts 02109.

                (2)
                Edgar Bronfman, Jr., a director and the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Warner Music Group, Holdings and Acquisition Corp., is the managing member of the ultimate general partner of Music Capital Partners, L.P., and as such, may be deemed to have beneficial ownership of429,500,000 shares of Class B common stock held by Music Capital Partners, L.P. Mr. Bronfman disclaims beneficial ownershipoutstanding immediately after the completion of such shares except to the extent of his pecuniary interest.

                (3)
                Includes shares of common stock owned by each of Bain Capital VII Coinvestment Fund, LLC, Bain Capital Integral Investors, LLC, and BCIP TCV, LLC (the "Bain Capital Funds"). Each of the Bain Capital Funds is an affiliate of Bain Capital, LLC. Bain Capital LLC disclaims beneficial ownership of such shares. Each of the Bain Capital Funds has an address c/o Bain Capital, LLC, 111 Huntington Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02199.

                (4)
                Includes shares of common stock owned by each of Providence Equity Partners IV, L.P. and Providence Equity Operating Partners IV, L.P. (collectively, the "Providence Funds"). Jonathan M. Nelson, a director of Warner Music

                  Group, Holdings and Acquisition Corp., Glenn M. Creamer and Paul J. Salem are members and officers of Providence Equity Partners IV L.L.C., which is the general partner of Providence Equity GP IV L.P., which is the general partner of Providence Funds, and thus may be deemed to have beneficial ownership of the shares held by the Providence Funds. Each of Messrs. Nelson, Creamer and Salem expressly disclaims beneficial ownership of such shares except to the extent of their pecuniary interest. The Providence Funds have an address c/o Providence Equity Partners Inc., 50 Kennedy Plaza, Providence, Rhode Island 02903.

                (5)
                Mr. Lee, a director of Warner Music Group, Holdings and Acquisition Corp., is President of Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P. and disclaims any beneficial ownership of any shares beneficially owned by the Thomas H. Lee Funds except to the extent of his pecuniary interest. Messrs. Brizius, Lawry, Sperling, directors of Warner Music Group, are managing directors of Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P. and disclaim any beneficial ownership of any shares beneficially owned by the Thomas H. Lee Funds except to the extent of their pecuniary interest. Mr. Jaeckel, a managing director of Warner Music Group, is a Vice President of Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P. and disclaims any beneficial ownership of any shares beneficially owned by the Thomas H. Lee Funds except to the extent of his pecuniary interest. Messrs. Lee, Brizius, Lawry, Sperling and Jaeckel have an address c/o Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P., 100 Federal Street, 35th Floor, Suite 2600, Boston, Massachusetts 02109.

                (6)
                Messrs. Connaughton, Loring and Nunnelly, directors of Warner Music Group, Holdings and Acquisition Corp., are managing directors of Bain Capital Partners, LLC. Each of Messrs. Connaughton, Loring and Nunnelly disclaim any beneficial ownership of any shares beneficially owned by the Bain Capital Funds except to the extent of their pecuniary interest. Messrs. Connaughton, Loring and Nunnelly have an address c/o Bain Capital, LLC, 111 Huntington Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02110.

                (7)
                On February 17, 2005, Mr. Bider announcedthis offering (assuming that he had decided to step down from such position following the appointment of a successor and a transition period. Mr. Bider has agreed to forfeit his option as of his employment end date as set forth in his severance arrangements. See "Management—Employment Agreements and Severance Arrangements—Severance Arrangements with Les Bider".

                (8)
                We will grant the underwriters anexercise their option to purchase up to an additional 4,890,000 shares of Class A common stock from the selling stockholders in this offering.
                full).


                Except as otherwise indicated in these footnotes, each of the beneficial owners listed has, to our knowledge, sole voting and investment power with respect to the indicated shares of common stock. Unless otherwise set forth in the footnotes to the table, the address for each listed stockholder is c/o Warner Music Group Corp., 1633 Broadway, New York, New York 10019.

                  Shares Beneficially Owned
                Before the Offering
                  % of
                Total
                Voting
                Power
                Before
                Offering(1)
                  Shares
                Offered
                Hereby
                  Shares Beneficially Owned
                After the Offering Assuming the
                Underwriters’ Option Is Not
                Exercised(1)
                  % of
                Total
                Voting
                Power
                After
                Offering
                Assuming the
                Underwriters’
                Option Is Not
                Exercised(1)
                  Shares Beneficially Owned
                After the Offering Assuming
                Exercise of Underwriters’ Option
                  % of
                Total
                Voting
                Power
                After
                Offering
                Assuming
                Exercise of
                Underwriters’
                Option(1)
                 
                  Class A  Class B  Class A  Class B  Class A  Class B 

                Name of Beneficial
                Owner

                 Shares  %  Shares  %  Shares  %  Shares  %  Shares  %  Shares  % 

                AI Entertainment Holdings LLC(2)(3)

                  —     —     444,629,202(4)   87.2%   87.2%   45,886,845(3)   —     —     398,742,357   90.6%   89.9%   —     —     388,603,687   90.5%   89.6% 

                Altep 2012 L.P. (5)

                  —     —     2,001,168   *   *   289,578   —     —     1,711,590   *   *   —     —     1,668,153   *   * 

                WMG Management Holdings, LLC (5)

                  —     —     26,256,169   5.1%   5.1%   2,119,286   —     —     24,136,883   5.5%   5.4%   —     —     23,818,990   5.5%   5.5% 

                Access Industries, LLC (2)(6)

                  —     —     20,479,800(6)   4.0%   4.0%   20,479,800   —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —   

                AI Entertainment Management, LLC 

                  —     —     6,501,216(7)   1.3%   1.3%   1,224,491   —     —     5,276,725   1.2%   1.2%   —     —     5,276,725   1.2%   1.2% 

                CT/FT Holdings LLC(3)

                  —     —     2,978,598(6)   *   *   —     —     —     2,978,598   *   *   —     —     2,978,598   —     —   

                Blavatnik Family Foundation LLC (2)(7)

                  —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —   

                Blavatnik July 2019-13 Investment Trust(3)

                  —     —     6,850,786(6)   1.3%   1.3%   —     —     —     6,850,786   *   *   —     —     6,850,786   —     —   

                Michael Lynton

                  —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —   

                Len Blavatnik (8)

                  —     —     509,696,939   100.0  100.0  —     —     —     440,000,000   100.0%   99.2%   —     —     429,500,000   100.0%   99.1% 

                Lincoln Benet (5)(9)

                  —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —   

                Alex Blavatnik(3)

                  —     —     303,061(6)   *   *   —     —     —     303,061   *   *   —     —     303,061   —     —   

                Mathias Döpfner

                  —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —   

                Noreena Hertz

                  —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —   

                Ynon Kreiz

                  —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —   

                Thomas H. Lee

                  —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —   

                Donald A. Wagner (5)(9)

                  —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —   

                Stephen Cooper (5)(9)

                  —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —   

                Max Lousada (5)(9)

                  —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —   

                Eric Levin

                  —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —   

                Carianne Marshall

                  —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —   

                Guy Moot

                  —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —   

                Maria Osherova

                  —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —   

                Paul M. Robinson

                  —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —   

                Oana Ruxandra

                  —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —   

                James Steven

                  —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —   

                All current directors and executive officers as a group (18 persons) (3)(9)

                  —     —     510,000,000   100.0  100.0  —     —     —     440,000,000   100.0  99.2   —     —     429,500,000   100.0  99.1 

                *

                Less than one percent.

                (1)

                Percentage of total voting power represents voting power with respect to all shares of our Class A common stock and Class B common stock, as a single class. The holders of our Class B common stock are entitled to 20 votes per share, and holders of our Class A common stock are entitled to one vote per share. For more information about the voting rights of our Class A and Class B common stock, see “Description of Capital Stock—Common Stock.”

                (2)

                Access Industries, LLC may contribute shares of Class B common stock to one or more series of Blavatnik Family Foundation LLC (“BFFLLC”) in connection with this offering, and one or more such series of BFFLLC may, if authorized by its member(s), participate in the offering as a selling stockholder. Any contribution of shares of Class B common stock to one or more series of BFFLLC (or the decision of any member of any series of BFFLLC not to authorize the sale of all or a portion of such series’ shares in this offering) will not change the aggregate number of shares of Class A common stock being offered by the selling stockholders in this offering. To the extent that shares of common stock held by any series of BFFLLC, if any, are not included in this offering, AI Entertainment Holdings LLC and/or Access Industries, LLC will sell a corresponding number of shares of Class A common stock such that the aggregate number of shares of Class A common stock being offered and sold by the selling stockholders in this offering remains unchanged.

                (3)

                Assumes that (i) none of CT/FT Holdings LLC, Blavatnik July 2019-13 Investment Trust and Alex Blavatnik sell any shares of Class A common stock in this offering and (ii) AI Entertainment Holdings LLC sells a corresponding number of shares of Class A common stock such that the aggregate number of shares of Class A common stock being offering and sold by the selling stockholders in this offering remains unchanged.

                (4)

                Reflects shares to be distributed by AI Entertainment Holdings LLC to Access Industries, LLC, CT/FT Holdings LLC, Blavatnik July 2019-13 Investment Trust, and Alex Blavatnik in connection with this offering.

                (5)

                In connection with the offering, Altep 2012 L.P. and WMG Management Holdings, LLC will sell a portion of the shares of Class A common stock that they hold. The proceeds of such sales will be distributed to beneficial owners of limited partnership interests, in the case of Altep 2012 L.P., and to certain members of management that beneficially own deferred equity units and Profits Interests, in the case of WMG Management Holdings, LLC, in

                each case in accordance with the terms of the relevant limited partnership agreement or limited liability company operating agreement. No shares issuable for deferred equity units granted under the Plan will be sold in the offering. For additional information on the Plan, see “Executive Compensation—Long-Term Equity Incentives—Warner Music Group Corp. Senior Management Free Cash Flow Plan.”
                (6)

                Represents shares to be received by means of distribution from AI Entertainment Holdings LLC in connection with this offering. Assumes that Access Industries, LLC sells all 20,479,800 shares reflected in the table above in this offering. AI Entertainment Holdings LLC may sell some or all of such shares in lieu of Access Industries, LLC.

                (7)

                Assumes that no series of BFFLLC receives any shares of Class B common stock as a contribution from Access Industries, LLC in connection with this offering.

                (8)

                Represents shares held by entities over which Len Blavatnik either exercises or may be deemed to exercise direct or indirect control as of the date of this prospectus.

                (9)

                Does not reflect shares of the Company’s common stock that may be attributable to the beneficial owners of limited partnership interests in Altep 2012 L.P. or Acquired LLC Units and Profits Interests in WMG Management Holdings, LLC or deferred equity units granted under the Plan. Messrs. Benet and Wagner beneficially own limited partnership interests in Altep 2012 L.P. and disclaim any beneficial ownership of shares of the Company’s common stock. Messrs. Cooper and Lousada own Profits Interests, and Mr. Cooper owns Acquired LLC Units, in WMG Management Holdings, LLC and each of them holds vested deferred equity units granted under the Plan (with respect to Mr. Cooper, this includes interests and units held in trust) and disclaim any beneficial ownership of shares of the Company’s common stock.


                CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

                Ancillary AgreementsPolicies and Procedures for Related Person Transactions

                Prior to the Stock Purchase Agreement

                        In addition to the purchase agreement and the warrants described under "The Transactions," we have entered into the following ancillary agreements in connection with the Acquisition.

                Stockholders Agreement

                        Warner Music Group has entered into a stockholders agreement with Acquisition Corp., Holdings, the Investors, Time Warner and certainconsummation of our executive officers and directors. This agreement will be amended in connection with this offering. The amended stockholders agreement will provide that Warner Music Group'soffering, our board of directors consistwill approve written policies and procedures with respect to the review and approval of fourteen members, with fivecertain transactions between us and a “Related Person,” or a “Related Person Transaction,” which we refer to as our “Related Person Transaction Policy.” Pursuant to the terms of the Related Person Transaction Policy, our board of directors, appointed by THL, three directors appointed by Bain Capital, oneacting through our Audit Committee, must review and decide whether to approve or ratify any Related Person Transaction. Any potential Related Person Transaction is required to be reported to our legal department, which will then determine whether it should be submitted to our Audit Committee for consideration. The Audit Committee must then review and decide whether to approve any Related Person Transaction.

                For the purposes of the Related Person Transaction Policy, a “Related Person Transaction” is a transaction, arrangement or relationship (or any series of similar transactions, arrangements or relationships) in which we were, are or will be a participant and the amount involved exceeds $120,000, and in which any Related Person had, has or will have a direct or indirect material interest.

                A “Related Person,” as defined in the Related Person Transaction Policy, means any person who is, or at any time since the beginning of our last fiscal year was, a director appointed by Providence Equity, oneor executive officer of WMG or a nominee to become a director appointed by Music Capital (THL, Bain Capital and Providence Equity, each a "Principal Investor Group"), one directorof WMG; any person who will at all timesis known to be the Chief Executive Officer, currently Edgar Bronfman, Jr., and three independent directors to be chosen unanimously bybeneficial owner of more than five percent of our common stock; any immediate family member of any of the vote of Warner Music Group's board. The agreement regarding the appointment of directors will remain until the earlier of a change of control or the last date permitted by applicable law,foregoing persons, including any New York Stock Exchange requirements. The three independent directors have not currently been appointed, but Richard Bresslerchild, stepchild, parent, stepparent, spouse, sibling,mother-in-law,father-in-law,son-in-law,daughter-in-law,brother-in-law, orsister-in-law of the director, executive officer, nominee or more than five percent beneficial owner, and any person (other than a tenant or employee) sharing the household of such director, executive officer, nominee or more than five percent beneficial owner; and any firm, corporation or other entity in which any of the foregoing persons is a general partner or, for other ownership interests, a limited partner or other owner in which such person has agreeda beneficial ownership interest of ten percent or more.

                Relationship with Access Following this Offering

                Following this offering, Access will continue to servehold more than majority of the total combined voting power of our outstanding common stock, and as a director asresult Access will continue to have significant control of our business, including pursuant to the dateagreements described below. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Controlling Stockholder—Following the completion of this offering, Access will continue to control us and may have conflicts of interest with other stockholders. Conflicts of interest may arise because affiliates of our controlling stockholder have continuing agreements and business relationships with us.”

                Stockholder Agreement

                We intend to enter into a stockholder agreement (the “Stockholder Agreement”) with Access prior to the consummation of this offering. The Stockholder Agreement will govern the relationship between Access and us following this offering, including matters related to our corporate governance, including board nomination rights and information rights.

                Boards of Directors and Access Rights with respect to Director Designation

                The Stockholder Agreement will grant Access the right to designate nominees for our board of directors, whom we refer to as the “Access Designees,” subject to maintaining specified ownership levels. Specifically, the Stockholder Agreement will grant Access the right to designate for nomination for election to our board of directors a number of Access Designees equal to:

                all directors comprising our board of directors at such time as long as Access holds at least 50% of the total combined voting power of our outstanding common stock;

                at least 40% of the total number of directors that an Investor may appoint will be reduced if that Investor's investment in us falls below certain share ownership thresholds outlined incomprising our board of directors at such time as long as Access holds at least 40% but less than 50% of the amended stockholders agreement. In casetotal combined voting power of our outstanding common stock;

                at least 30% of the total number of directors comprising our board of directors at such a reduction,time as long as Access holds at least 30% but less than 40% of the total combined voting power of our outstanding common stock;

                at least 20% of the total number of directors comprising our board of directors at such time as long as Access holds at least 20% but less than 30% of the total combined voting power of our outstanding common stock; and

                at least 10% of the total number of directors comprising our board of directors at such time as long as Access holds at least 10% but less than 20% of the total combined voting power of our outstanding common stock.

                For purposes of calculating the number of our total directors willAccess Designees that Access is entitled to nominate pursuant to the formula outlined above, any fractional amounts would be accordingly reduced. Each Investor's director designee(s) may onlyrounded up to the nearest whole number and the calculation would be removed bymade on a pro forma basis after taking into account any increase in the Investor that appointed such designee(s). The amended stockholders agreement contemplates that thesize of our board of directors of Warner Music Group will have an executive committee, an audit committee and a compensation committee and, at its discretion, a governance committee.

                        The amended stockholders agreement will prohibit the parties from transferring stockdirectors. With respect to any vacancy of our competitors without the approval of (a) our entire board of directors and (b) the approval of the largest Principal Investor Group (determined by the Principal Investor Groups' relative investments in us) and one other Principal Investor Group (the "Requisite Stockholder Majority"). The amended agreement will also provide that, following this offering, each party to the stockholders agreement whose sale of shares pursuant to Rule 144 under the Securities Act would be subject to aggregation with another stockholder shall notify all such stockholders (i) when it has commenced a measurement period for purposes of the group volume limit in connection with a sale of shares under Rule 144 and (ii) what the volume limit for the measurement period, determined as of its commencement, will be. Each stockholder that is subject to such aggregationan Access-designated director, Access will have the right to sell shares that are subject to the group volume limit under Rule 144 pro rata during the applicable measurement period based on its percentage ownership of the shares that are held by all of the parties to the amended stockholders agreement at the start of the measurement period. These transfer restrictions will expire upondesignate a change of control.

                        The Requisite Stockholder Majority will have the right to require all other parties to the agreement to sell the same percentage of their stock to a buyer in a change of control transaction approvednew director for election by a majority of the entireremaining directors then on our board as is being sold to such buyer by the membership of the Requisitedirectors. The Stockholder Majority. A member of a Principal Investor Group (or any affiliate thereof) that is also part of the Requisite Stockholder Majority exercising the foregoing right will not be able to be a buyer in such a change of control transaction unless the transaction is approved by each of the Investors.

                        The amended stockholders agreementAgreement will provide that ifan Access-designated director will serve as the Chairman of our board of directors as long as Access holds at least 35% of the total combined voting power of our outstanding common stock.

                Consent Rights

                The Stockholder Agreement will provide that, until and including the date on which Access ceases to hold at least 10% of our outstanding common stock, the prior written consent of Access will be required before we may take any of the following actions, whether directly or indirectly through a subsidiary:

                any merger, consolidation or similar transaction (or any amendment to or termination of an agreement to enter into such a transaction) with or into any other person whether in a single transaction or a series of transactions, other than any acquisition or disposition involving consideration less than $25 million;

                any acquisition or disposition of securities, assets or liabilities involving consideration or book value greater than $25 million;

                any change in our authorized capital stock or the creation of any new class or series of our capital stock;

                any issuance or acquisition of capital stock (including stockbuy-backs, redemptions or other reductions of capital), or securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for capital stock or equity-linked securities, except (i) issuances of equity awards to directors or employees pursuant to an equity compensation plan approved by our board of directors; (ii) issuances or acquisitions of capital stock of one of Warner Music Group's stockholdersour subsidiaries to or by one of our wholly-owned subsidiaries; and (iii) issuances or acquisitions of capital stock that isour board of directors determines are necessary to maintain compliance with covenants contained in any debt instrument;

                any issuance or acquisition (including redemptions, prepayments, open market or negotiated repurchases or other transactions reducing the outstanding debt of the Company or any subsidiary) of debt securities to or from a third party involving an aggregate principal amount exceeding $25 million;

                any other incurrence of a debt obligation to or from a third party having a principal amount greater than $25 million;

                entry into or termination of any joint venture or similar business alliance having a value exceeding $25 million;

                listing or delisting of any securities on a securities exchange, other than the listing or delisting of debt securities on Nasdaq or any other securities exchange located solely in the United States;

                (A) any action to increase or decrease the size of the board of directors, (B) the formation of, or delegation of authority to, any new committee, or subcommittee thereof, of the board of directors, (C) the delegation of authority to any existing committee or subcommittee thereof not set forth in the committee’s charter or authorized by the board of directors prior to consummation of this offering or (D) any amendments to the stockholders agreement offerscharter (or equivalent authorizing document) of any committee, including any action to sellincrease or decrease size of any committee (whether by amendment or otherwise), except in each case as required by applicable law;

                any amendment (or approval or recommendation of any amendment) to our certificate of incorporation orby-laws;

                any filing or petition under bankruptcy laws, admission of insolvency or similar actions by us or any of our subsidiaries, or our dissolution orwinding-up;

                the election, appointment, hiring, dismissal or removal of the Company’s chief executive officer, chief financial officer or general counsel;

                any material change in a significant accounting policy of the Company and any termination or change of the Company’s independent auditor;

                settlement of any litigation to which the Company or any of its stock tosubsidiaries is a prospective buyer in a private transaction,party involving the other stockholders party topayment by the stockholders agreement will have the right to sell their shares to that prospective buyer, subject to certain cutbacks, including a pro rata cutback in which the stockholder may only sell a pro rata portionCompany or any of its shares. Historic TW, if itsubsidiaries of an amount equal to or greater than $15 million; or



                continues to hold warrants after this offering, will also be entitled to receive noticethe creation or amendment of any such sale and to exercise its warrants and participate in the sale.

                        The amended stockholders agreement will givestock option, employee stock purchase or similar equity-based plan for management or employees, or any member of the Investors and Historic TW (to the extent of any remaining interest) the right to require us to register (including by means of a shelf registration statement permitting sales of shares from time to time over an extended period) the stock held by such stockholders for sale to the public under the Securities Act, subject to certain limitations. In connection with each underwritten public offering, Warner Music Group's stockholders will be required to enter into a lockup agreement covering a period of no greater than 90 days (180 days for an initial public offering). The amended agreement will also provide that if Warner Music Group registers shares of its common stock for sale to the public after this initial public offering, parties to the stockholders agreement will have the right to have their shares included in any such registration statement. Any registration is subject to a potential underwriters' cutbackincrease in the number of shares of Common Stock reserved under such plan.

                Other Rights

                The Stockholder Agreement will also grant to be registered ifAccess certain other rights, including specified information and access rights and rights to have certain expenses reimbursed by the underwriters determineCompany.

                Registration Rights Agreement

                We intend to enter into a registration rights agreement with Access (the “Registration Rights Agreement”) prior to the consummation of this offering. The Registration Rights Agreement will provide Access certain registration rights relating to shares of our common stock held by Access whereby, at any time following the consummation of this offering and the expiration of any relatedlock-up period, Access and its permitted

                transferees may require us to register under the Securities Act, all or any portion of these shares, aso-called “demand request.” Access and its permitted transferees will also have “piggyback” registration rights, such that marketing factors requireAccess and its permitted transferees may include their respective shares in any future registrations of our equity securities, whether or not that registration relates to a limitationprimary offering by us or a secondary offering by or on behalf of any of our stockholders.

                The Registration Rights Agreement will set forth customary registration procedures, including an agreement by us to make our management reasonably available to participate in road show presentations in connection with any underwritten offerings. We will also agree to indemnify Access and its permitted transferees with respect to liabilities resulting from untrue statements or omissions in any registration statement used in any such registration, other than untrue statements or omissions resulting from information furnished to us for use in a registration statement by Access or any permitted transferee.

                Transactions with Access Affiliates

                As a wholly owned subsidiary of Access, historically, we have entered into various transactions with Access and its subsidiaries in the normal course of business including, among others, service agreements, lease arrangements and license arrangements. The transactions described below are between us and affiliates of Access that are not also subsidiaries of WMG.

                Management Agreement

                The Company and Holdings are party to the Management Agreement pursuant to which Access provides the Company and its subsidiaries with financial, investment banking, management, advisory and other services. Pursuant to the Management Agreement, the Company pays quarterly to Access an annual fee and reimburses Access for certain expenses incurred performing services under the agreement. The Company and Holdings agreed to indemnify Access and certain of its affiliates against all liabilities arising out of performance of the Management Agreement.

                Costs incurred by the Company under the terms of the Management Agreement were approximately $11 million, $16 million and $9 million for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2019, September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017, respectively. The fiscal year ended September 30, 2019 included the annual base fee of $9 million and an increase of $2 million calculated pursuant to the Management Agreement. The fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 included the annual base fee of $9 million and an increase of $7 million calculated pursuant to the Management Agreement.

                The Management Agreement will terminate in accordance with its terms upon consummation of this offering, and the Company will pay all fees and expenses due and payable thereunder following such termination in accordance with the terms of the Management Agreement, including a termination fee and a fee for transaction services in an estimated aggregate amount of approximately $60 million.

                Lease Arrangements with Access

                On March 29, 2019, an affiliate of Access acquired the Ford Factory Building, located on 777 S. Santa Fe Avenue in Los Angeles, California, from an unaffiliated third party. The building is the Company’s new Los Angeles, California headquarters and as such, the Company is the sole tenant of the building acquired by Access. The existing lease agreement was assumed by Access upon purchase of the building and was not modified as a result of the purchase. Rental payments by the Company under the existing lease total approximately $12 million per year, subject to annual fixed increases. The remaining lease term is approximately 11 years, after which the Company may exercise a single option to extend the term of the lease for 10 years thereafter.

                On August 13, 2015, a subsidiary of the Company, Warner Music Inc., entered into a license agreement with Access, for the use of office space in the Company’s corporate headquarters at 1633 Broadway New York, New York. The license fee of $2,775 per month, plus an IT support fee of $1,000 per month, was based on the numberper foot lease costs to the Company of sharesits headquarters space, which represented market terms. The space is occupied by The Blavatnik Archive, which is dedicated to be underwritten. Wethe discovery and preservation of historically distinctive and visually compelling artifacts, images and stories that contribute to the study of 20th century Jewish, WWI and WWII history. For the fiscal years ended September 30, 2019, September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017, an immaterial amount was recorded as rental income.

                On July 29, 2014, AI Wrights Holdings Limited, an affiliate of Access, entered into a lease and related agreements with Warner Chappell Music Limited and WMG Acquisition (UK) Limited, subsidiaries of the Company, for the lease of 27 Wrights Lane, Kensington, London. The Company had been the tenant of the building, which Access acquired. Subsequent to the change in ownership, the parties entered into the lease and related agreements pursuant to which, on January 1, 2015, the rent was increased to £3,460,250 per year and the term was extended for an additional five years from December 24, 2020 to December 24, 2025, with a market rate rent review beginning December 25, 2020.

                Music Publishing Agreement

                Val Blavatnik (the son of the Company’s director and controlling shareholder, Len Blavatnik) entered into a music publishing contract with Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., dated September 7, 2018, pursuant to which, in fiscal 2019, he was paid $162,500 in advances recoupable from royalties otherwise payable to him from the licensing of musical compositions written or co-written by him.

                License Agreements with Deezer

                Access owns a controlling equity interest in Deezer S.A., which was formerly known as Odyssey Music Group (“Odyssey”), a French company that controls and operates a music streaming service, formerly through Odyssey’s subsidiary, Blogmusik SAS, under the name Deezer, and is represented on Deezer S.A.’s Board of Directors. Subsidiaries of the Company have agreedbeen a party to license agreements with Historic TWDeezer since 2008, which provide for the use of the Company’s sound recordings on Deezer’sad-supported and subscription streaming services worldwide (excluding Japan) in exchange for fees paid by Deezer. The Company has also authorized Deezer to repurchaseinclude the Three-Year WarrantsCompany’s sound recordings in Deezer’s streaming services where such services are offered as a bundle with third-party services or products (e.g., telco services or hardware products), for which Deezer is also required to make payments to the Company. Deezer paid to the Company an aggregate amount of approximately $49 million, $39 million and $36 million in connection with the Concurrent Transactions.

                Seller Administrative Services Agreement

                foregoing arrangements during the fiscal years ended September 30, 2019, September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017, respectively. In addition, in connection with these arrangements, (i) the Acquisition, Acquisition Corp.Company was issued, and currently holds, warrants to purchase shares of Deezer S.A. and (ii) the Company purchased a small number of shares of Deezer S.A., which collectively represent a small minority interest in Deezer S.A. The Company also has various publishing agreements with Deezer. Warner Chappell has licenses with Deezer for use of repertoire on the service in Europe, which the Company refers to as a PEDL license (referencing the Company’s Pan European Digital Licensing initiative), and for territories in Latin America. For the PEDL and Latin American licenses for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019, Deezer paid the Company an additional approximately $1 million. Deezer also licenses other publishing rights controlled by Warner Chappell through statutory licenses or through various collecting societies.

                Investment in Tencent Music Entertainment Group

                On October 1, 2018, WMG China LLC (“WMG China”), an affiliate of the Company, entered into a seller administrative servicesshare subscription agreement with Time Warner whereby Time WarnerTencent Music Entertainment Group pursuant to which WMG China agreed to provide uspurchase 37,162,288 ordinary shares of Tencent Music Entertainment Group for $100 million. WMG China is 80% owned by AI New Holdings 5 LLC, an affiliate of Access, and 20% owned by the Company. On October 3, 2018, WMG China acquired the shares pursuant to the share subscription agreement.

                Acquisitions of Selected Assets of Songkick

                As of July 12, 2017, we acquired selected assets from Songkick, including the concert discovery app and website and the Songkick trademark, for a purchase price of $5 million. At the time we acquired such assets, Access owned a significant minority interest in the seller.

                Relationships with certain administrative services, including (i) accounting services, (ii) tax services, (iii) human resourcesOther Directors, Executive Officers and benefits services, (iv) information technology services, (v) legal services, (vi) treasury services, (vii) payroll services, (viii) travel services, (ix) real estate management services and (x) messenger services. The obligation for Time Warner to provide these services generally (with some exceptions) terminated on December 31, 2004. In addition, Acquisition Corp. may terminate the services, generally upon 30 days' notice to Time Warner. Time Warner may terminate mostAffiliates

                Lease Arrangements with Cooper Investment Partners

                On July 15, 2016, a subsidiary of the services upon 180 days' notice to Acquisition Corp.Company, Warner Music Inc., entered into a license agreement with respect to any service category that Time Warner ceases to provide to its subsidiaries, divisions and business units. Time Warner bills Acquisition Corp. monthlyCooper Investment Partners LLC, for the services.use of office space in the Company’s corporate headquarters at 1633 Broadway, New York, New York. The amount paid for these services is generally not fixed, but rather islicense fee of $16,967.21 per month, was based on the per foot lease costs of Time Warner in providing the administrative services, including Time Warner's employee costs and out-of-pocket expenses. In addition, Acquisition Corp. has agreed to indemnify Time Warner, its affiliates, partners, officers, employees, agents and permitted assigns for losses relating to the services contemplated by the seller administrative services agreement. Time Warner has agreed to indemnify Acquisition Corp. for losses arising outCompany of its breachheadquarters space, which represented market terms. For the fiscal years ended September 30, 2019, September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017, an immaterial amount was recorded as rental

                income. The space is occupied by Cooper Investment Partners LLC, which is a private equity fund that pursues a wide range of investment opportunities. Mr. Cooper, Chief Executive Officer and a director of the agreement or Time Warner's gross negligence or willful misconduct.Company, is the Managing Partner of Cooper Investment Partners LLC.

                Loan Agreement with Max Lousada

                On July 1, 2004, Acquisition Corp. and Time Warner amended the seller administrative services agreement so that Time Warner will provide DX Online Services, a web-based solution designed to manage small package shipping, to us. Time Warner's obligation to provide DX Online Services will expire December 31, 2004, subject to an automatic renewal after that date on a monthly basis. After December 31, 2004, either Time Warner or Acquisition Corp. may terminate by providing 30 days' notice. Generally, Acquisition Corp. pays $5,500 per month for such services.

                Purchaser Administrative Services Agreement

                        In connection with the Acquisition, Acquisition Corp. entered into a purchaser administrative services agreement with Time Warner whereby Acquisition Corp. agreed to provide Time Warner with certain administrative services including (i) financial and accounting advisory services, (ii) information technology services, (iii) real estate services and (iv) distribution services in certain countries outside the U.S. Acquisition Corp.'s obligation to provide these services generally (with one exception) terminated on December 31, 2004. Acquisition Corp. previously billed Time Warner monthly for the services. The amount paid for these services was generally not fixed, but rather, was based on Acquisition Corp.'s costs in providing the administrative services, including our employee costs and out-of-pocket expenses. In addition, Time Warner has agreed to indemnify Acquisition Corp., our affiliates, partners, officers, employees, agents and permitted assigns for losses relating to the services



                contemplated by the purchaser administrative services agreement. Acquisition Corp. has agreed to indemnify Time Warner for losses arising out of our breach of the agreement or our gross negligence or willful misconduct.

                Management/Monitoring Agreement

                        Acquisition Corp. entered into a management agreement with Warner Music Group, Holdings and the Investors. Pursuant to this agreement, Warner Music Group, Holdings and Acquisition Corp. paid an aggregate of $75 million to the Investors in consideration for their services in connection with the Acquisition. AlthoughApril 16, 2018, the Company has not conductedloaned $227,000 to Mr. Lousada in exchange for a formal analysis aspromissory note. Mr. Lousada was obligated to repay this loan upon the arm's-length natureearliest of such fee, the Company believes that the amountspecified events, including April 30, 2019, termination of such fee is representative of, or comparable to, such fees paid in similar transactions.

                        In consideration for ongoing consulting and management advisory services, the management agreement requires Warner Music Group to pay (or to cause Holdings or Acquisition Corp. to pay) the Investors an aggregate annual fee of $10 million per year ("Periodic Fees"), which is payable quarterly in advance. This annual fee has been prepaid in its entirety through February 2005. In the case of future services provided in connection with any future acquisition, disposition, or financing transactions involving Acquisition Corp., Warner Music Group or Holdings, the management agreement requires Warner Music Group to pay (or to cause Holdings or Acquisition Corp. to pay) the Investors an aggregate fee of one percent of the gross transaction value of each such transaction ("Subsequent Fees"). The agreement also requires Acquisition Corp., Warner Music Group and Holdings to pay the reasonable expenses of the Investors in connection with, and indemnify them for liabilities arising from, the management agreement, the Acquisition and any related transactions, their equity investment in Acquisition Corp., Warner Music Group or Holdings, our operations, and the services they provide to Acquisition Corp., Warner Music Group and Holdings. The management agreement continues in full force and effect until December 30, 2014, provided, however, that the Investors may cause the agreement to terminate at any time upon agreement of the Investors. Inhis employment, the event of a default (as specified therein) or if the terminationCompany or one of the management agreement, Warner Music Group, Holdings and Acquisition Corp. shall pay eachits affiliates became an issuer of the Investors (x) any unpaid portion of the Periodic Fees, any Subsequent Fees and any expenses due with respect to periodspublicly traded stock. Mr. Lousada repaid this loan prior to the date of termination plus (y) the net present value (using a discount rate equalApril 30, 2019.

                Director Indemnification Agreements

                Prior to the yield on the dateconsummation of termination on U.S. Treasury Securities of like maturity) of the Periodic Fees that would have been payable with respect to the period from the date of termination until December 30, 2014. The management agreement will be terminated prior to this offering, other thanwe will enter into indemnification agreements with respectour directors. The indemnification agreements will provide the directors with contractual rights to reimbursementindemnification and indemnification provisions, and a fee of approximately $73 million will be payable to the Investors. The Termination Fee will be paid with the proceeds from borrowings under the new term loan and cash on hand at Acquisition Corp. after this offering.expense rights. See "Prospectus Summary—Recent Developments—The Concurrent Transactions."

                Other Arrangements with Investors

                        Employees of the Investors have from time to time filled management roles on an interim basis while we have been transitioning to a permanent management team. For example, the position of Chief Financial Officer was previously filled by an employee of one of the Investors. Such employees have not received any compensation from us for such services. However, a representative cost for such services in the aggregate amount of $280,000 has been charged to the statement of operations for the seven months ended September 30, 2004 with a corresponding increase in additional paid-in capital.

                Cumulative Preferred Stock

                        Holdings is authorized to issue 150,000 shares of Cumulative Preferred Stock, par value $0.001 per share ("Preferred Stock"), with a liquidation preference of $10,000. 40,000 shares of Preferred Stock, which rank senior to our common stock with respect to the right to receive dividends and to receive distributions upon the liquidation, dissolution and winding up of Holdings, were issued to the Investors



                in connection with the Acquisition. 20,000 shares of Preferred Stock were previously redeemed in connection with the Refinancing. The remaining 20,000 shares of Preferred Stock were redeemed in full in connection with the Holdings' Payment to Investors.

                Return“Description of Capital Stock—Limitations on Liability and Dividend on PreferredIndemnification.”

                        We returned an additional $350 million of capital to the Investors. The Return of Capital on September 30, 2004 consisted of a dividend of $8 million paid on the preferred equity securities of Holdings held by the Investors and notes payable of $342 million by Warner Music Group to the Investors. The notes payable were paid in full in October 2004. The Return of Capital was funded out of our excess cash balance and not from the incurrence of additional debt. We obtained an amendment to Acquisition Corp.'s senior secured credit agreement to provide for this Return of Capital.

                Holdings' Payment to Investors

                        On December 23, 2004, Holdings issued approximately $700 million of Holdings Notes. The proceeds from the issuance of the Holdings Notes were used to fund a return of approximately $681 million from Holdings to its shareholders and the shareholders of Warner Music Group through a combination of dividends on Holdings' preferred stock and repurchases of its common stock and preferred stock and dividends on Warner Music Group's common stock. Of the total of $681 million, approximately $631 million was distributed to the Investors with the remainder being held by Warner Music Group. We distributed $42.5 million of the remaining $50 million to the Investors on March 28, 2005 and intend to distribute the remainder of approximately $7.5 million to the Investors prior to this offering. We obtained an amendment to Acquisition Corp's senior secured credit agreement to provide for the Holdings' Payment to Investors, including the distribution of the remaining $50 million to the Investors.



                DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK

                The following description of our capital stock is a descriptionsummary of the material terms of our Charteramended and Bylaws thatrestated certificate of incorporation and amended and restatedby-laws. Reference is made to the more detailed provisions of, and the descriptions are qualified in their entirety by reference to, these documents, forms of which will be in effect immediately after this offering, after giving effect tofiled with the Recapitalization. We refer you to the form of our Charter and form of Bylaws, copies of which have been filedSEC as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus formsis a part.part, and applicable law. This description assumes the effectiveness of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restatedby-laws, which will take effect prior to the consummation of this offering.

                Authorized CapitalizationGeneral

                        Warner Music Group'sOur authorized capital stock will consistconsists of (i) 500 million1,000,000,000 shares of Class A common stock, par value $0.001 per share, 1,000,000,000 shares of which approximately 116 million shares are currently issuedClass B common stock, par value $0.001, and outstanding and (ii) 100 million100,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.001$1.00 per share, of which no shares are currently issued and outstanding. Immediately followingshare. Upon the completionclosing of this offering, there are expected towill be approximately 143.0 million70,000,000 shares of our Class A common stock issued and outstanding, 440,000,000 shares of our Class B common stock issued and outstanding and no shares of our preferred stock outstanding.

                  Common Stock

                  Except as otherwise expressly provided in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or as required by applicable law and as described herein, our Class A common stock and Class B common stock have the same rights, are equal in all respects and are treated by us as if they were one class of shares.

                  Voting Rights

                        Voting Rights.    HoldersShares of our Class A common stock are entitled to one vote per share on all matters to be voted upon by the stockholders. The holders of common stock do not have cumulative voting rights in the election of directors.

                        Dividend Rights.    Dividends upon the common stock of the corporation can be declared by the board of directors at any regular or special meeting, and may be paid in cash, in property, or in shares of capital stock. Before payment of any dividend, there may be set aside out of any funds of the Company available for dividends such sums as the board of directors deems proper as reserves to meet contingencies, or for repairing or maintaining any other funds property, or for any proper purpose, and the board of directors may modify or abolish any such reserve. Acquisition Corp's senior credit facility and the indentures governing the Holdings Notes and the Acquisition Corp. Notes impose restrictions on our ability to declare dividends with respect to our common stock.

                        Liquidation Rights.    Upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up or a sale or disposition of all or substantially all of the assets, the holders ofClass B common stock are entitled to 20 votes per share. Our shares of Class B common stock will automatically be converted into shares of Class A common stock upon the occurrence of certain events set forth below under “—Conversion, Exchange and Transferability.” Holders of shares of Class A common stock and Class B common stock will vote together as a single class on all matters (including the election of directors) submitted to a vote of stockholders, except as otherwise required by applicable law and as specified in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation.

                Dividends

                Any dividend paid or payable to the holders of shares of Class A common stock and Class B common stock will be paid on an equal priority,pari passu basis, on a per share basis to the holders of shares of Class A common stock and Class B common stock, unless different treatment of the shares of each such class is approved by the affirmative vote of a majority of the voting power of the then-outstanding shares of Class A common stock entitled to vote thereon and by the affirmative vote of a majority of the voting power of the then-outstanding shares of Class B common stock entitled to vote thereon, each voting separately as a class;provided,however, that if a dividend is paid in the form of Class A common stock or Class B common stock (or rights to acquire shares of Class A common stock or Class B common stock), then the holders of Class A common stock will receive ratablyClass A common stock (or rights to acquire shares of Class A common stock) and holders of Class B common stock will receive Class B common stock (or rights to acquire shares of Class B common stock) with holders of Class A common stock and Class B common stock receiving an identical number of shares of Class A common stock or Class B common stock (or rights to acquire such stock, as the case may be), unless approved by the affirmative vote of a majority of the voting power of the then outstanding shares of Class A common stock entitled to vote thereon and by the affirmative vote of a majority of the voting power of the then outstanding shares of Class B common stock entitled to vote thereon, each voting separately as a class. For the avoidance of doubt, shares of Class B common stock or rights to acquire Class B common stock may not be issued, paid or

                otherwise distributed to holders of Class A common stock or rights to acquire Class A common stock unless approved by the affirmative vote of a majority of the then-outstanding shares of Class B common stock entitled to vote thereon.

                A dividend payable in shares of any class or series of securities of the Company or any other person, other than shares of Class A common stock or Class B common stock (or rights to acquire Class A common stock or rights to acquire Class B common stock) may be declared and paid on the basis of a distribution of (i) identical securities, on an equal per share basis, to holders of Class A common stock and Class B common stock or (ii) a separate class or series of securities to the holders of shares of Class A common stock and a different class or series of securities to the holders of shares of Class B common stock, on an equal per share basis to such holders; provided that, in connection with a dividend payable in shares pursuant to (ii) above, such separate classes or series of securities do not differ in any respect other than their relative voting rights, with holders of Class B common stock receiving the class or series of securities having the highest relative voting rights and the holders of shares of Class A common stock receiving securities having lesser relative voting rights; provided that the highest relative voting rights are no more than 20 times greater than the lesser relative voting rights; provided further, that unless approved by the affirmative vote of a majority of the voting power of the then-outstanding shares of Class B common stock, entitled to vote thereon, the class or series of securities received by the holders of the Class B common stock shall provide for 20 votes per share.

                Liquidation

                In the event of our dissolution, liquidation orwinding-up of our affairs, whether voluntary or involuntary, after payment of all our preferential amounts required to be paid to the holders of any series of preferred stock, our remaining assets legally available for distribution, if any, will be distributed among the holders of the shares of Class A common stock and Class B common stock, treated as a single class,pro rata based on the number of shares held by each such holder, unless different treatment of the shares of each such class is approved by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the voting power of the then-outstanding Class A common stock and a majority of the voting power of the then-outstanding Class B common stock, voting separately.

                Merger, Consolidation or Tender or Exchange Offer

                The holders of Class B common stock will not be entitled to receive economic consideration for their shares in excess of that payable to the stockholders after paymentholders of liabilities.

                        Other Matters.    TheClass A common stock has no preemptivein the event of a merger, consolidation or conversion rights and is not subjectother business combination requiring the approval of our stockholders or a tender or exchange offer to further calls or assessment by us. There are no redemption or sinking fund provisions applicable to the common stock. All outstandingacquire any shares of our common stock, includingunless different treatment of the shares of each such class is approved by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the voting power of the then-outstanding Class A common stock offeredand a majority of the voting power of the then-outstanding Class B common stock, voting separately. However, in this offering,any such event involving consideration in the form of securities of another corporation or other entity, then the holders of shares of Class B common stock shall have their shares of Class B common stock converted into, or may otherwise be paid or distributed, such securities with a greater number of votes per share (but in no event greater than 20 times;provided that, unless otherwise approved by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the voting power of the then-outstanding shares of Class B common stock entitled to vote thereon, the class or series of securities received by the holders of Class B common stock shall provide for 20 votes per share) than such securities into which shares of Class A common stock are fullyconverted, or which are otherwise paid or distributed to the holders of shares of Class A common stock.

                Any merger or consolidation that is not a change of control transaction would require approval by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the voting power of the then-outstanding Class A common stock and non-assessable.a majority of the voting power of the then-outstanding Class B common stock, voting separately, unless (i) the shares of Class A common stock and Class B common stock outstanding immediately prior to such merger or consolidation are treated equally, identically and ratably or (ii) such shares are converted on a pro rata basis into shares of the surviving entity having identical rights, powers and privileges to the shares of Class A common

                Preferred Stock

                stock and Class B common stock in effect immediately prior to such merger or consolidation, respectively; provided that if the voting power of the Class B common stock would be adversely affected in connection with such merger or consolidation, the approval by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the then-outstanding shares of Class B common stock shall be required.

                        Our CharterReclassification, Subdivisions and Combinations

                If we reclassify, subdivide or combine in any manner our outstanding shares of Class A common stock or Class B common stock, then all outstanding shares of Class A common stock and Class B common stock will authorizebe reclassified, subdivided or combined in the Warner Music Groupsame proportion and manner, unless different treatment of the shares of each such class is approved by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the voting power of the then-outstanding Class A common stock and a majority of the voting power of the then-outstanding Class B common stock, voting separately;providedthat if the voting power of the Class B common stock would be adversely affected by such reclassification, subdivision or combination, the approval by the affirmative vote of a majority of the voting power of the then-outstanding shares of Class B common stock will be required.

                Spin-offs

                Any new company formed as a result of aspin-off to our stockholders must have a certificate of incorporation or other constituent document with provisions substantially similar in all material respects to the amended and restated certificate of incorporation, including provisions providing for the distribution of voting securities to holders of Class B common stock that have 20 times the voting power of any securities distributed to holders of Class A common stock, unless a majority of the voting power of the Class B common stock otherwise consents.

                Conversion, Exchange and Transferability

                Shares of Class A common stock are not convertible into any other class of shares.

                Each outstanding share of Class B common stock may at any time, at the option of the holder, be converted into one share of Class A common stock. In addition, each outstanding share of Class B common stock will be automatically converted into one share of Class A common stock upon any transfer of such share of Class B common stock, except for certain permitted transfers described in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. Permitted transfers include transfers made to Access; Len Blavatnik; the Blavatnik Family Foundation LLC; any direct or indirect equityholder of Access; any family member of any direct or indirect equityholder of Access; entities controlled, directly or indirectly, or managed by Access or an affiliate of Access; and any affiliate or permitted transferee of any of the foregoing, including any affiliate of any permitted transferee. Permitted transferees include family members, trusts solely for the benefit of any direct or indirect equityholder of Access or one or more of such equityholder’s family members and other tax and estate planning vehicles, partnerships, corporations and other entities controlled by the equityholder or such equityholder’s family members, and certain foundations and charities affiliated with Access or any permitted transferees, so long as the equityholder or permitted transferees, or a fiduciary who is selected by Access or such equityholder or permitted transferees and whom Access or such equityholder or permitted transferees have the power to remove and replace, retains voting control over the shares transferred to such foundation or charity.

                Each outstanding share of Class B common stock will automatically convert into one share of Class A common stock on the first business day after the date on which the outstanding shares of Class B common stock constitutes less than 10% of the aggregate number of shares of common stock then outstanding.

                In addition, all of our shares of Class B common stock will convert into shares of Class A common stock if our board of directors approves such conversion with the consent of a majority of the voting power of the Class B common stock.

                Other than as described above or set forth in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, our Class B common stock will not automatically be converted into Class A common stock. Once converted into Class A common stock, the Class B common stock may not be reissued.

                Other Provisions

                The holders of our common stock will not have any preemptive, cumulative voting, subscription, conversion, redemption or sinking fund rights. The common stock will not be subject to establish onefuture calls or more seriesassessments by us. The rights and privileges of preferredholders of our common stock and to determine, with respectare subject to any series of preferred stock the terms and rights of that series, including:

                rights of holders of our common stock, which could adversely affect the holders of the common stock and could delay, discourage or prevent a takeover of us even if a change of control of our company would be beneficial to the interests of our stockholders.

                Annual Stockholders Meeting

                Our amended and restatedby-laws will provide that annual stockholders meetings will be held at a date, time and place, if any, as exclusively selected by our board of directors. To the extent permitted under applicable law, we may conduct meetings by remote communications, including by webcast.

                Voting

                The affirmative vote of a plurality of the voting power of the shares of our then-outstanding common stock present, in person or by proxy, at the meeting and entitled to vote on the election of directors will decide the election of any directors, and the affirmative vote of a majority of the voting power of the shares of our then-outstanding common stock present, in person or by proxy, at the meeting and entitled to vote at any annual or special meeting of stockholders will decide all other matters voted on by stockholders, unless the question is one upon which, by express provision of law, under our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, or under our amended and restatedby-laws, a different vote is required, in which case such provision will control.


                  Board Designation Rights

                  Pursuant to the Stockholder Agreement, Access will have certain board designation rights following this offering. See “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Relationship with Access Following this Offering—Stockholder Agreement.”

                  Removal of Directors

                  Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that directors may be removed with or without cause upon the affirmative vote of holders of at least a majority of the total combined voting power of our outstanding shares of common stock then entitled to vote at an election of directors;provided that the Company shall not permit the removal of an Access-designated director with Access’s consent until such time as Access first beneficially ceases to own at least 10% of the total combined voting power of the then-outstanding common stock. Any vacancy in the Board that results from (x) the death, disability, resignation or disqualification of any director shall be filled by an affirmative vote of at least a majority of the directors then in office, even if less than a quorum, or by a sole remaining director and (y) an increase in the number of directors or the removal of any director shall be filled (a) until the first date on which Access ceases to beneficially own more than 50% of the total combined voting power of our common stock, solely by an affirmative vote of the holders of at least a majority of the total combined voting power of our outstanding common stock entitled to vote in an election of directors and (b) from and after the first date on which Access ceases to beneficially own more than 50% of the total combined voting power of our common stock, by an affirmative vote of at least a majority of the directors then in office, even if less than a quorum, or by a sole remaining director.

                  Anti-Takeover Effects of Certain Provisionsour Certificate of Delaware LawIncorporation and Our Charter and BylawsBy-laws

                          CertainThe provisions of our Charteramended and Bylaws, which arerestated certificate of incorporation and amended and restatedby-laws summarized in the following paragraphs,below may have an anti-takeover effect and may delay, defer or prevent a tender offer or takeover attempt that a stockholderyou might consider in itsyour best interest, including those attemptsan attempt that might result in your receipt of a premium over the market price for your shares. These provisions are also designed, in part, to encourage persons seeking to acquire control of us to first negotiate with our board of directors, which could result in an improvement of the terms offered to us.

                  Dual Class Common Stock. As described above in the section titled “—Common Stock—Voting Rights,” our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide for a dual class common stock structure pursuant to which holders of our Class B common stock will have the ability to control the outcome of matters requiring stockholder approval, even if they own significantly less than a majority of the shares heldof our outstanding Class A and Class B common stock, including the election of directors and significant corporate transactions, such as a merger or other sale of our company or its assets. Current investors, executives, and employees will have the ability to exercise significant influence over those matters.

                  Authorized but Unissued Shares of Common Stock. Following the completion of this offering, our shares of authorized and unissued common stock will be available for future issuance without additional stockholders approval. While our authorized and unissued shares are not designed to deter or prevent a change of control, under some circumstances we could use the additional shares to create voting impediments or to frustrate persons seeking to effect a takeover or otherwise gain control by, stockholders.

                    Removalfor example, issuing those shares in private placements to purchasers who might side with our board of Directors; Vacanciesdirectors in opposing a hostile takeover bid.

                    Authorized but Unissued Shares of Preferred Stock. Under our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, our board of directors will have the authority, without further action by our stockholders, to issue up to 100,000,000 shares of preferred stock in one or more series and to fix the voting powers, designations, preferences and the relative participating, optional or other special rights and qualifications, limitations and restrictions of each series, including dividend rights, dividend rates, conversion rights, voting rights, terms of redemption, liquidation

                  preferences and the number of shares constituting any series. The existence of authorized but unissued preferred stock could reduce our attractiveness as a target for an unsolicited takeover bid since we could, for example, issue shares of preferred stock to parties who might oppose such a takeover bid or shares that contain terms the potential acquiror may find unattractive. This may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control, may discourage bids for the common stock at a premium over the market price of the common stock, and may adversely affect the market price of, and the voting and other rights of the holders of, our common stock.

                  Special Meetings of Stockholders. Our Charteramended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that, unless otherwise provided in the stockholders agreement, (i) prior tountil the date on whichwhen Access ceases to beneficially own more than 50% of the Investors cease to own at least 40%total combined voting power of all the thenour outstanding sharescommon stock, a special meeting of stock, directorsstockholders may be removed for any reason uponcalled only by our board of directors or our corporate secretary at the affirmative voterequest of the holders of at least a majority of the total combined voting power of all the thenour outstanding shares of stock entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, voting together as a single class and (ii) oncommon stock. From and after thesuch date, the Investors cease to own at least 40%a special meeting of all the then outstanding shares of stock, directors may be removed only upon the affirmative vote of holders of at least 75% of the voting power of all the then outstanding shares of stock entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, voting together as a single class. In addition, our Charter and Bylaws will provide that, unless otherwise provided in the stockholders agreement, any vacancies on our board of directors will be filled only by the affirmative vote of a majority of the remaining directors, although less than a quorum.

                          The Delaware General Corporation Law ("DGCL") provides that stockholders are not entitled to the right to cumulate votes in the election of directors unless our Charter provides otherwise. Our Charter does not expressly provide for cumulative voting.

                          Our Charter will provide that special meetings of our stockholders may be called only by the chairmanChairman of our board of directors or the President or Secretary, in each case pursuant toby a resolution adopted by a majority of theour board of directors.

                          The DGCL permits stockholder action by written consent unless otherwise provided by the Charter. Our Charter will preclude stockholder action by written consent after the date on which the Investors cease to own at least 40% of all the then outstanding shares of stock.

                          Our Bylaws will provide that stockholders seeking to nominatemake nominations of candidates for election as directors or to bring other business before an annual meeting of our stockholders. The amended and restatedby-laws will provide that any stockholders wishing to nominate persons for election as directors at, or bring other business before, an annual meeting must provide timelydeliver to our corporate secretary a written notice of their proposal in writingthe stockholder’s intention to do so. These provisions may have the corporate secretary.

                          Generally,effect of precluding the conduct of certain business at a meeting if the proper procedures are not followed. We expect that these provisions may also discourage or deter a potential acquirer from conducting a solicitation of proxies to elect the acquirer’s own slate of directors or otherwise attempting to obtain control of our company. To be timely, a stockholder'sthe stockholder’s notice must be receiveddelivered to our corporate secretary at our principal executive offices not less than 90 days nor more than 120 days prior tobefore the first anniversary date of the previous year's annual meeting. Our Bylaws also specify requirements asmeeting for the preceding year; provided, however, that in the event that the annual meeting is set for a date that is more than 30 days before or more than 70 days after the first anniversary date of the preceding year’s annual meeting, a stockholder’s notice must be delivered to our corporate secretary (x) not less than 90 days nor more than 120 days prior to the formmeeting or (y) no later than the close of business on the 10th day following the day on which a public announcement of the date of the meeting is first made by us.

                  No Stockholders Action by Written Consent.Our amended and contentrestated certificate of a stockholder's notice. These provisionsincorporation will provide that stockholders action may impede stockholders' ability to bring matters before an annual meeting of stockholders or make nominations for directorsbe taken only at an annual meeting or special meeting of stockholders.stockholders, provided that stockholders action may be taken by written consent in lieu of a meeting until Access ceases to beneficially own more than 50% of the total combined voting power of our outstanding common stock.

                  . Our Charteramended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide generally that we reserveour amended and restated certificate of incorporation may be amended by both the right to amend, alter, change or repeal any provisionaffirmative vote of our Charter in the manner now or hereinafter prescribed by the DGCL. In addition, our Charter will granta majority of our board of directors and the authority to amend and repeal our Bylaws without a stockholderaffirmative vote in any manner not inconsistent with the laws of the Stateholders of a majority of the total combined voting power of our outstanding shares of our common stock then entitled to vote at any annual or special meeting of stockholders;provided that, after the date when Access ceases to beneficially own more than 50% of the total combined voting power of our outstanding common stock, specified provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation may not be amended, altered or repealed unless the amendment is approved by the affirmative vote of the holders of at least 6623% of the total combined voting power of our outstanding common stock then entitled to vote at any annual or special meeting of stockholders, including the provisions governing:

                  dual class common stock capital structure;

                  liability and indemnification of directors;

                  corporate opportunities;

                  elimination of stockholders action by written consent if Access ceases to beneficially own more than 50% of the total combined voting power of our outstanding common stock;

                  prohibition on the rights of stockholders to call a special meeting if Access ceases to beneficially own more than 50% of the total combined voting power of our outstanding common stock; and

                  required approval of the holders of at least 6623% of the total combined voting power of our outstanding common stock to amend our amended and restatedby-laws and certain provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation if Access ceases to beneficially own more than 50% of the total combined voting power of our outstanding common stock.

                  In addition, our amended and restatedby-laws may be amended, altered or repealed, or newby-laws may be adopted, by the affirmative vote of a majority of our board of directors, or by the affirmative vote of the holders of (x) as long Access beneficially owns more than 50% of the total combined voting power of our outstanding common stock, a majority, and (y) thereafter, at least 6623%, of the total combined voting power of our outstanding common stock then entitled to vote at any annual or special meeting of stockholders.

                  These provisions make it more difficult for any person to remove or amend any provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restatedby-laws that may have an anti-takeover effect.

                  Delaware Anti-Takeover Law.In general, Section 203 of the DGCL prohibits a publicly held Delaware corporation from engaging in a business combination, such as mergers, sales and leases of assets, issuances of securities and similar transactions by a corporation or our Charter.


                    Conflictssubsidiary with an interested stockholder including a person or group who beneficially owns 15% or more of Interest

                          Delaware lawthe corporation’s voting stock for a period of three years following the date the person became an interested stockholder, unless (with certain exceptions) the business combination or the transaction in which the person became an interested stockholder is approved in a prescribed manner. Section 203 permits corporations, in their certificate of incorporation, to adopt provisions renouncing any interest or expectancy in certain opportunities that are presented toopt out of the corporation or its officers, directors or stockholders.protections of Section 203. Our Charteramended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that we have elected not to be subject to Section 203 of the maximum extent permitted from timeDGCL for so long as Access owns, directly or indirectly, at least five percent of the outstanding shares of our common stock. From and after the date that Access ceases to timeown, directly or indirectly, at least five percent of the outstanding shares of our common stock, we will be governed by Delaware law, we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, business opportunities that are from time to time presented to our officers, directors or stockholders or their respective affiliates, other than those officers, directors stockholders or affiliates who are our employees.Section 203.

                  Limitations on Liability and Indemnification

                  Our amended and restated certificate of Officers and Directors

                          The DGCL authorizes corporationsincorporation will contain provisions relating to limit or eliminate the personal liability of directors to corporations and their stockholdersdirectors. These provisions will eliminate a director’s personal liability for monetary damages for breaches of directors' fiduciary duties. Our Charter will includeresulting from a provision that eliminates the personal liability of directors for monetary damages for actions taken as a director to the fullest extent authorized by the DGCL. The DGCL does not permit exculpation for liability due to:

                    for breach of fiduciary duty, except in circumstances involving:

                    any breach of the director’s duty of loyalty;

                    for

                  acts or omissions not in good faith or involvingwhich involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of the law;

                  under Section 174

                  unlawful payments of the DGCL (unlawful dividends);dividends or

                  for transactions unlawful stock repurchases, redemptions or other distributions; or

                  any transaction from which the director derivedderives an improper personal benefit.

                          Our Charter and BylawsThe principal effect of the limitation on liability provision is that a stockholder will provide that we shall indemnify our directors and officersbe unable to prosecute an action for monetary damages against a director unless the fullest extent authorized bystockholder can demonstrate a basis for liability for which indemnification is not available under the DGCL. WeThese provisions, however, should not limit or eliminate our rights or any stockholder’s rights to seeknon-monetary relief, such as an injunction or rescission, in the event of a breach of director’s fiduciary duty. These provisions will also be expressly authorized to carry directors' and officers' insurance providing indemnification for our directors, officers and certain employees for some liabilities. We believe that these indemnification provisions and insurance are useful to attract and retain qualified directors and executive officers.

                  not alter a director’s liability under federal securities laws. The limitationinclusion of liability and indemnification provisionsthis provision in our Charteramended and Bylawsrestated certificate of incorporation may discourage or deter stockholders or management from bringing a lawsuit against directors for a breach of their fiduciary duty. These provisions may also have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against directors and officers,duties, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise benefithave benefited us and our stockholders. In addition, your investment may be adversely affected to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against directors and officers pursuant to these indemnification provisions.

                          There

                  Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and our amended and restatedby-laws will require us to indemnify and advance expenses to our directors and officers to the fullest extent not prohibited by the DGCL and other applicable law, except in the case of a proceeding instituted by the director without the approval of our board of directors. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and our amended and restatedby-laws will provide that we are required to indemnify our directors and executive officers, to the fullest extent permitted by law, for all judgments, fines, settlements, legal fees and other expenses incurred in connection with pending or threatened legal proceedings because of the director’s or officer’s positions with us or another entity that the director or officer serves at our request, subject to various conditions, and to advance funds to our directors and officers to enable them to defend against such proceedings. To receive indemnification, the director or officer must have been successful in the legal proceeding or have acted in good faith and in what was reasonably believed to be a lawful manner in our best interest and, with respect to any criminal proceeding, have had no reasonable cause to believe his or her conduct was unlawful.

                  Prior to the consummation of this offering, we will enter into an indemnification agreement with each of our directors. The indemnification agreement will provide our directors with contractual rights to the indemnification and expense advancement rights provided under our amended and restatedby-laws, as well as contractual rights to additional indemnification as provided in the indemnification agreement.

                  Corporate Opportunities

                  Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that we, on our behalf and on behalf of our subsidiaries, renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, corporate opportunities, that are from time to time presented to Access or any of its affiliates, directors, officers, employees, stockholders, members, partners or subsidiaries, even if the opportunity is currently no pending material litigationone that we or our subsidiaries might reasonably be deemed to have pursued or had the ability or desire to pursue if granted the opportunity to do so. Neither Access nor any of its affiliates, directors, officers, employees, stockholders, members, partners or subsidiaries will generally be liable to us or any of our subsidiaries for breach of any fiduciary or other duty, as a director or otherwise, by reason of the fact that such person pursues or acquires such corporate opportunity, directs such corporate opportunity to another person or fails to present such corporate opportunity, or information regarding such corporate opportunity, to us or our subsidiaries unless, in the case of any such person who is a director or officer of the Company, such corporate opportunity is expressly offered to such director or officer in writing solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of the Company. To the fullest extent permitted by law, by becoming a stockholder in our company, stockholders will be deemed to have notice of and consented to this provision of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation.

                  Choice of Forum

                  Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternate forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will, to the fullest extent provided by law, be the sole and exclusive forum for: (i) any derivative action or proceeding involvingbrought on our behalf; (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed to us or our stockholders by any of our directors, officers, other employees, agents or employeesstockholders; (iii) any action asserting a claim against us arising under the DGCL or as to which the DGCL confers jurisdiction on the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (including, without limitation, any action asserting a claim arising out of or pursuant to our amended and restatedby-laws); or (iv) any action asserting a claim against us that is governed by the internal affairs doctrine, in each case subject to such Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware having personal jurisdiction over the indispensable parties named as defendants. However, claims subject to exclusive jurisdiction in the federal courts, such as suits brought to enforce a duty or liability created by the Securities Act, the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder, need not be brought in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware. Although our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will contain the exclusive of forum provisions described above, it is possible that a court could find that such provision is inapplicable for which indemnificationa particular claim or action or that such provision is sought.unenforceable, and our stockholders will not be deemed to have waived our

                  Delaware Anti-takeover Statute

                  compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. To the fullest extent permitted by law, by becoming a stockholder in our company, you will be deemed to have notice of and have consented to the provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation related to choice of forum.

                  Market Listing

                  We have opted out of Section 203 ofbeen approved to list our Class A common stock on Nasdaq under the DGCL. Subject to specified exceptions, Section 203 prohibits a publicly held Delaware corporation from engaging in a "business combination" with an "interested stockholder" for a period of three years after the date of the transaction in which the person became an interested stockholder. "Business combinations" include mergers, asset sales and other transactions resulting in a financial benefit to the "interested stockholder." Subject to various exceptions, an "interested stockholder" is a person who, together with his or her affiliates and associates, owns, or within three years did own, 15% or more of the corporation's outstanding voting stock. These restrictions generally prohibit or delay the accomplishment of mergers or other takeover or change-in-control attempts that are not approved by a company's board of directors.symbol “WMG”.



                  Transfer Agent and Registrar

                          American Stock Transfer and Trust Company will be theThe transfer agent and registrar for our common stock.

                  Listing

                          We have applied to list ourClass A common stock on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "WMG".

                  Authorized but Unissued Capital Stock

                          The DGCL does not require stockholder approval for any issuance of authorized shares. However, the listing requirements of the New York Stock Exchange, which would apply so long as ourand Class B common stock is listed on the New Yorkwill be American Stock Exchange, require stockholder approval of certain issuances equal to or exceeding 20% of the then outstanding voting power or then outstanding number of shares of common stock. These additional shares may be used for a variety of corporate purposes, including future public offerings, to raise additional capital or to facilitate acquisitions.Transfer & Trust Company, LLC.

                          One of the effects of the existence of unissued and unreserved common stock may be to enable our board of directors to issue shares to persons friendly to current management, which issuance could render more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control of our company by means of a merger, tender offer, proxy contest or otherwise, and thereby protect the continuity of our management and possibly deprive the stockholders of opportunities to sell their shares of common stock at prices higher than prevailing market prices.



                  SHARES ELIGIBLEAVAILABLE FOR FUTURE SALE

                          PriorImmediately prior to this offering, there has not been anywas no public market for our common stock, and we cannot predict what effect, if any, market sales of shares of common stock or the availability of shares of common stock for sale will have on the market price of ourClass A common stock. Nevertheless, salesSales of substantial amounts of our Class A common stock including shares issued upon the exercise of outstanding warrants, in the public market could adversely affect prevailing market prices of our Class A common stock. Some shares of our Class A common stock will not be available for sale for a certain period of time after this offering because they are subject to contractual and legal restrictions on resale some of which are described below. Sales of substantial amounts of Class A common stock in the public market after these restrictions lapse, or the perception that suchthese sales could occur, could materially and adversely affect the prevailing market price ofand our common stock and could impair our future ability to raise equity capital throughin the salefuture.

                  Sales of Restricted Securities

                  After this offering, 70,000,000 shares of our equity or equity-related securities at a time and price that we deem appropriate.

                          Upon the closing of this offering, we will have outstanding an aggregate of approximately 143 million shares ofClass A common stock including 4,890,000 shares that will be issued upon the exercise of the underwriters' option to purchase additional shares.outstanding. Of the outstandingthese shares, the70,000,000 shares sold in this offering (or 80,500,000 shares if the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional shares of Class A common stock from the selling stockholders) will be freely tradable without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act, except that any shares heldunless purchased by our "affiliates,"“affiliates,” as that term is defined underin Rule 144 ofunder the Securities Act, may be sold only in compliance with the limitations described below. The remaining outstandingAct. No shares of Class A common stock will be deemed "restricted securities" asoutstanding after this offering that term is definedare “restricted securities” within the meaning of Rule 144 under Rule 144.the Securities Act. Restricted securities may be sold in the public market only if they are registered under the Securities Act or if they qualify forare sold pursuant to an exemption from registration under Rule 144 or 144(k)Rule 701 under the Securities Act, which are summarized below.

                          The stockholders agreement gives any member Subject to thelock-up agreements described below, shares held by our affiliates that are not restricted securities or that have been owned for more than one year may be sold subject to compliance with Rule 144 of the InvestorsSecurities Act without regard to the prescribedone-year holding period under Rule 144. In addition, upon the completion of this offering, all 440,000,000 shares outstanding of our Class B common stock (or all 429,500,000 shares if the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional shares of Class A common stock from the selling stockholders) will be deemed “restricted securities” as that term is defined under Rule 144, and Historic TW (towould also be subject to the extent“lock-up” period noted below.

                  Equity Compensation Plans

                  Upon the completion of this offering, we intend to file one or more registration statements under the Securities Act to register the shares of common stock to be issued under our equity compensation plans, including the Plan and the Omnibus Incentive Plan, and, as a result, all shares of common stock acquired upon exercise of stock options and other equity-based awards granted under these plans will, subject to a180-daylock-up period, also be freely tradable under the Securities Act unless purchased by our affiliates. A total of 31,169,099 shares of our Class A common stock will be available for grants of additional equity awards under the Omnibus Incentive Plan to be adopted in connection with the consummation of this offering over the10-year period from the date of adoption, including up to 1,000,000 shares of our Class A common stock that would be issued upon vesting of equity awards that we expect to grant to a broad group of our employees, subject to certain conditions, in connection with (but not prior to) this offering.

                  Lock-up Agreements

                  Upon the completion of the offering, the selling stockholders and our directors and executive officers will have signedlock-up agreements, under which they will agree not to sell, transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, any remaining interest)shares of our common stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for shares of our common stock without the prior written consent of Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC for a period of 180 days after the date of this prospectus. These agreements are described below under “Underwriting.”

                  Registration Rights Agreement

                  Access will have the right to require us to register (including by means of a shelf registration statement permitting sales of shares from time to time over an extended period) the stock held by such stockholders for sale to the public under the Securities Act, subject to certain limitations. In connection with each underwritten public offering, Warner Music Group's stockholders will be required to enter into a lockup agreement covering a period of no greater than 90 days (180 days for an initial public offering). The agreement also provides that if Warner Music Group registerstheir shares of its common stock for sale to the public after this initial public offering, parties to the stockholders agreement will have the right to have their shares included in any such registration statement. Any registration is subject to a potential underwriter's cutback in the number of shares to be registered if the underwriter determines that marketing factors require a limitation on the number of shares to be underwritten. Immediately after this offering, the Investors will own approximately 102.1 million shares entitled to these registration rights and management will own approximately 8 million shares entitled to these registration rights. If the Three-Year Warrants are not exercised and our agreement to repurchase the Three-Year Warrants is not consummated, Historic TW will continue to hold MMT Warrants exercisable upon certain events for approximately 26.7 million shares entitled to these registration rights. We have agreed with Historic TW to repurchase the Three-Year Warrants in connection with the Concurrent Transactions.resale. See "Prospectus Summary—Recent Developments—The Concurrent Transactions" and "Certain“Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions."Transactions—Relationship with Access Following this Offering—Registration Rights Agreement.”

                          Subject to the lock-up agreements described below and the volume limitations and other conditions under

                  Rule 144 approximately 108.0 million shares of our common stock are currently available for sale in the public market under exemptions from registration requirements.

                  Rule 144

                  In general, under Rule 144, as currently in effect, a person (or persons whose shares are required to be aggregated), including an affiliate, who has beneficially owned shares of our common stock for at



                  least one year is entitled to sell in any three-month period a number of shares that does not exceed the greater of:

                    1% of the then-outstanding shares of common stock or approximately 1.43 million shares assuming no exercise by the underwriters of their option to purchase additional shares; and

                    the average weekly reported volume of trading in the common stock on the New York Stock Exchange during the four calendar weeks preceding the date on which notice of sale is filed, subject to restrictions.

                          Sales under Rule 144 are also subject to manner of sale provisions and notice requirements and to the availability of current public information about us.

                  Rule 144(k)

                          In addition, a person who is not deemed to be or have been an affiliateone of oursour affiliates for purposes of the Securities Act at any time during the 90 days preceding a sale and who has beneficially owned the shares proposed to be sold for at least two years,six months, including the holding period of any prior owner other than an affiliate, is entitled to sell such shares without registration, subject to compliance with the public information requirements of Rule 144. If such a person has beneficially owned the shares proposed to be sold for at least one year, including the holding period of a prior owner other than an affiliate, then such person is entitled to sell such shares without complying with any of the requirements of Rule 144.

                  In general, under Rule 144, as currently in effect, our affiliates or persons selling shares on behalf of our affiliates, who have met thesix-month holding period for beneficial ownership of “restricted shares” of our common stock, are entitled to sell within any three month period, a number of shares that does not exceed the greater of:

                  1% of the number of shares of our Class A common stock then outstanding, which will equal approximately 700,000 shares immediately after this offering (or 805,000 shares if the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional shares of Class A common stock from the selling stockholders); and

                  the average reported weekly trading volume of our common stock on Nasdaq during the four calendar weeks preceding the date of filing a Notice of Proposed Sale of Securities Pursuant to Rule 144 with respect to the sale.

                  Sales under Rule 144 by our affiliates or persons selling shares on behalf of our affiliates are also subject to certain manner of sale provisions and notice requirements and to the availability of current public information about us. The sale of these shares, or the perception that sales will be made, could adversely affect the price of our common stock after this offering because a great supply of shares would be, or would be perceived to be, available for sale in the public market.

                  Rule 701

                  Any of our employees, officers or directors who acquired shares under a written compensatory plan or contract may be entitled to sell thosethem in reliance on Rule 701. Rule 701 permits affiliates to sell their Rule 701 shares under Rule 144(k)144 without regard tocomplying with the mannerholding period requirements of sale,Rule 144. Rule 701 further provides thatnon-affiliates may sell these shares in reliance on Rule 144 without complying with the holding period, public information, volume limitation or notice requirementsprovisions of Rule 144. To the extent that our affiliates sell theirHowever, all shares other than pursuant to Rule 144 or a registration statement, the purchaser's holding period for the purpose of effecting a saleissued under Rule 144 commences on the date of transfer from the affiliate.

                  Lock-Up Agreements

                          We, our directors and executive officers, Historic TW (to the extent of any remaining interest) and the Investors have agreed with the underwriters not to dispose of or hedge any of their common stock or securities convertible into or exchangeable for shares of common stock, subject to specified exceptions, during the period from the date of this prospectus continuing through the date 180 days after the date of this prospectus, except with the prior written consent of Goldman, Sachs & Co. See "Underwriting."

                  Stock Options and Restricted Stock

                          Pursuant to our LTIP stock option agreements and other option agreements, and after giving effect to the Recapitalization, we have granted options to employees of the company and its affiliates to purchase an aggregate of 5,304,414 shares of our common stock. Of the outstanding shares of common stock granted subject to options and after giving effect to the Recapitalization, approximately 99,579 shares subject to options have vested and up to an additional 199,157 shares subject to options may vest upon this initial public offering, subject to the continued employment of such employees and attainment of certain performance targets. After giving effect to the Recapitalization, we have also granted and sold 8,305,390 shares of our common stock to our employees, with restrictions, of which 497,732 have vested and up to 995,464 may vest upon this initial public offering, subject to the continued employment of such employees and attainment of certain performance targets.

                          As soon as practicable following this offering, we intend to file one or more registration statements on Form S-8 under the Securities Act to register all shares of common stock subject to outstanding stock options and all outstanding shares of restricted common stock held by our employees prior to this offering and the shares of common stock subject to the 2005 Plan, including the shares of common stock subject to options we expect to grant at the date of this offering. After expiration of the applicable contractual resale restrictions, shares covered by these registration statements will be eligible



                  for sale in the public markets, other than shares owned by our affiliates, which may be sold in the public market if they are registered or qualify for an exemption from registration under Rule 144.

                  Warrants

                          If the Three-Year Warrants are not exercised prior to the consummation of this initial public offering, the Three-Year Warrants will expire. However, Historic TW will continue to hold MMT Warrants giving it the right to purchase up to approximately 26.7 million shares upon certain events. Historic TW may exercise its rights in whole or in part under the MMT Warrants (i) upon the sale to certain music companies of all or substantially all of the recorded music business or music publishing business conducted by us or the acquisition by certain music companies of 35% of the outstanding shares of Warner Music Group or Holdings; (ii) the acquisition of all or substantially all of the recorded music business or music publishing business of certain music companies; or (iii) a merger with or the formation of a joint venture or other combination of all or substantially all of the recorded music business or music publishing business conducted by us with that of certain music companies. If a definitive agreement for such a transaction is not executed by March 1, 2007, or if the MMT Warrants are not exercised within 90 days of the consummation of such a transaction, the MMT Warrants will expire. We have agreed with Historic TW to repurchase the Three-Year Warrants in connection with the Concurrent Transactions. Upon repurchase, the Three-Year Warrants will be deemed to have been exercised and the MMT Warrants will expire.



                  DESCRIPTION OF INDEBTEDNESS

                  Senior Secured Credit Facility

                    Overview

                          In connection with the Transactions, Acquisition Corp. entered into a senior secured credit facility with Banc of America Securities LLC, as joint lead arranger and joint book manager, Bank of America, N.A., as administrative agent, Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., as joint lead arranger, joint book manager and co-syndication agent, Lehman Brothers Inc., as co-arranger and co-book manager, Lehman Commercial Paper Inc., as co-syndication agent, and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, as co-arranger, co-book manager and documentation agent and the other lenders party thereto.

                          The senior secured credit facility provides senior secured financing of $1.45 billion, consisting of:

                    a $1.2 billion term loan facility; and

                    a $250 million ($4 million of which has been drawn in the form of letters of credit) revolving credit facility.

                          Upon the occurrence of certain events, we may request an increase to the existing revolving credit facility in an amount not to exceed $100 million, subject to receipt of commitments by existing revolving lenders or other financial institutions reasonably acceptable to the administrative agent.

                          Acquisition Corp. is the borrower for the term loan facility. Acquisition Corp. is also a borrower under the revolving credit facility, and certain of its non-U.S. subsidiaries may be designated as additional borrowers under the revolving credit facility. A portion of the revolving credit facility up to an aggregate not to exceed the equivalent of $150 million may be made available in euros, pounds sterling and yen. The revolving credit facility includes borrowing capacity available for letters of credit and for borrowings on same-day notice, referred to as the swingline loans.

                          On December 6, 2004, Acquisition Corp. amended the senior secured credit facility to make certain changes. In particular, the changes:

                    allow Holdings to incur permitted indebtedness that accrues up to $35,000,000 in cash interest in any fiscal year. Prior to the change, any permitted indebtedness incurred by Holdings was required to be pay-in-kind interest for at least the first five years.

                    remove the requirement that the maximum leverage ratio for Acquisition Corp. and its subsidiaries be less than 3.75:1 at the time that Holdings incurs any permitted indebtedness.

                    adjust the method of calculating EBITDA when measuring the leverage ratio of Holdings so that it is consistent with the method of calculation used in the indenture for our notes. In order for Holdings to incur permitted indebtedness under the senior secured credit facility, it must show compliance with a leverage ratio test on a pro forma basis for the incurrence of such indebtedness.

                          Acquisition Corp. is seeking to amend its senior secured credit facility to, among other things:

                    increase the term loan facility to an amount not to exceed $1,441 million in the aggregate;

                    lower the rates of interest paid under the term loan credit facilities;

                    permit the application of proceeds to us from the offering as described under "Use of Proceeds;"

                    permit the Concurrent Transactions;

                    provide more flexibility under certain restrictive covenants;

                    permit dividends in an amount not to exceed $90 million per year; and

                      clarify that after this initial public offering of our common shares, the Investors and certain other parties can own a lower percentage of our common stock before triggering a change of control.

                      Interest Rate and Fees

                            Borrowings under the senior secured credit facility bear interest at a rate equal to an applicable margin plus, at our option, either (a) a base rate determined by reference to the higher of (1) the prime rate of Bank of America, N.A. and (2) the federal funds rate plus1/2 of 1% or (b) a LIBOR rate determined by reference to the costs of funds for deposits in the currency of such borrowing for the interest period relevant to such borrowing adjusted for certain additional costs. At December 31, 2004, the base rate and LIBOR margins were 1.75% and 2.75% respectively for borrowings under the revolving credit and term loan facilities. Currently, the base rate and LIBOR margins are 1.00% and 2.00%, respectively, for borrowings under the revolving credit facility, and 1.50% and 2.50%, respectively, for borrowings under the term loan facility. The applicable margin for borrowings under both the revolving credit facility and term loan facility are variable subject to certain leverage ratio tests. We expect that the proposed amendment to the senior secured credit agreement will lower the base rate and LIBOR margins for borrowings under the term loan facility to 0.75% and 1.75%, respectively, if the senior secured debt of Acquisition Corp. is rated at least BB- by S&P and Ba3 by Moody's (or if the ratings are lower, 1.00% and 2.00%, respectively).

                            In addition to paying interest on outstanding principal under the senior secured credit facility, Acquisition Corp. is required to pay a commitment fee to the lenders under the revolving credit facility in respect of the unutilized commitments thereunder. At December 31, 2004, the commitment fee rate was 0.50% and is currently 0.375%. The commitment fee is variable subject to certain leverage ratio tests. Acquisition Corp. must also pay customary letter of credit fees.

                      Prepayments

                            The senior secured credit facility requires Acquisition Corp. to prepay outstanding term loans, subject to certain exceptions, with:

                      50% (which percentage will be reduced to 25% if our leverage ratio is less than 4.00 to 1.00 and to 0% if our leverage ratio is less than 3.50 to 1.00) of the annual excess cash flow of Holdings and its subsidiaries;

                      100% of the net cash proceeds in excess of $15,000,000 per fiscal year from asset sales and casualty and condemnation events, if we do not reinvest those proceeds in assets to be used in our business or to make certain other permitted investments within twelve months, subject to certain limitations;

                      100% (which percentage will be reduced to 75% if our leverage ratio is less than 3.00 to 1.00) of the net cash proceeds of any incurrence of debt, other than certain debt permitted under the senior secured credit facility; and

                      50% (which percentage will be reduced to 25% if our leverage ratio is less than 3.50 to 1.00) of the net proceeds of issuances of equity of Holdings and its subsidiaries, subject to certain exceptions.

                            The foregoing mandatory prepayments will be applied to the next four installments of the term loan facility then due and then to the remaining installments of the term loan facility on a pro rata basis.

                            We expect that the proposed amendment to the senior secured credit agreement will eliminate prepayments made with excess cash flow and with the proceeds of issuances of equity.



                      Amortization

                            Acquisition Corp. is required to repay installments on the loans under the term loan facility in quarterly principal amounts of 0.25% of their funded total principal amount for the first six years and nine months, with the remaining amount payable on February 28, 2011.

                            Principal amounts outstanding under the revolving credit facility are due and payable in full at maturity, on February 28, 2010.

                      Guarantee and Security

                            All obligations under the senior secured credit facility are unconditionally guaranteed by Holdings and, subject to certain exceptions, each of Acquisition Corp.'s existing and future domestic wholly owned subsidiaries, referred to collectively as "U.S. Guarantors." In addition, the borrowings of Acquisition Corp.'s foreign subsidiary borrowers under the senior secured credit facility are unconditionally guaranteed by Holdings, Acquisition Corp. and, subject to certain exceptions, each of Acquisition Corp.'s existing and future domestic wholly owned subsidiaries and, to the extent legally permitted (referred to as the foreign guarantees), by certain of Acquisition Corp.'s foreign subsidiaries.

                            All obligations under the senior secured credit facility and the guarantees of those obligations are secured by substantially all the assets of Holdings, Acquisition Corp. and each U.S. Guarantor, including, but not limited to, the following, and subject to certain exceptions:

                      a pledge of 100% of Acquisition Corp.'s capital stock, 100% of the capital stock of each U.S. Guarantor and 65% of the capital stock of each of Acquisition Corp.'s foreign subsidiaries that are directly owned by Acquisition Corp. or one of the U.S. Guarantors; and

                      a security interest in substantially all tangible and intangible assets of Holdings, Acquisition Corp. and each U.S. Guarantor.

                            In addition, the obligations of any foreign subsidiary borrowers under the senior secured credit facility, and the foreign guarantees of such obligations,701 are subject to certain exceptions, secured bylock-up agreements and will only become eligible for sale when the following:

                      a pledge of the capital stock of each foreign borrower and each foreign guarantor; and

                      a lien on substantially all tangible and intangible assets of each foreign borrower and each foreign guarantor.

                      Certain Covenants and Events of Default180-daylock-up

                            The senior secured credit facility contains a number of covenants that, among other things, restrict, subject to certain exceptions, the ability of Holdings, Acquisition Corp. and our other subsidiaries, to:

                      sell assets;

                      incur additional indebtedness or issue preferred stock;

                      repay other indebtedness (including the notes);

                      pay dividends and distributions or repurchase our capital stock;

                      create liens on assets;

                      make investments, loans or advances;

                      make certain acquisitions;

                      engage in mergers or consolidations;

                      engage in certain transactions with affiliates;

                      amend certain material agreements governing our indebtedness, including the notes;
                    expire.


                            In addition, the senior secured credit facility requires Holdings, Acquisition Corp. and our other subsidiaries to maintain the following financial covenants:

                            The senior secured credit facility also contains certain customary affirmative covenants and events of default.

                    73/8% Senior Subordinated Notes due 2014

                            In April 2004, Acquisition Corp. issued its 73/8% Senior Subordinated Notes that mature on April 15, 2014 in an aggregate principal amount of $465 million in a private transaction not subject to the registration requirements under the Securities Act. On December 16, 2004, Acquisition Corp. filed a registration statement to exchange the dollar notes for identical freely tradeable dollar notes registered under the Securities Act. The net proceeds from that financing, along with the net proceeds from Acquisition Corp.'s issuance of sterling notes, were used to repay all amounts outstanding under its senior subordinated bridge loan facility in full, to return a portion of the initial capital investment by the Investors and to pay related fees and expenses.

                            Each of Acquisition Corp.'s domestic subsidiaries that guarantees the obligations under the senior secured credit facility jointly and severally and unconditionally guarantees the dollar notes on an unsecured senior subordinated basis.

                            The dollar notes are general unsecured senior subordinated obligations of Acquisition Corp. that rank junior to its existing and future senior indebtedness, including obligations under the senior secured credit facility, equally in right of payment with all of Acquisition Corp.'s future senior subordinated debt and senior in right of payment to all of Acquisition Corp.'s future subordinated debt. They are effectively subordinated in right of payment to all of Acquisition Corp.'s existing and future secured debt to the extent of the value of the assets securing such debt, and are structurally subordinated to all obligations of Acquisition Corp.'s subsidiaries that are not guarantors. The dollar notes are not entitled to the benefit of any sinking fund.

                            The dollar notes may be redeemed, in whole or in part, at any time prior to April 15, 2009, at the option of Acquisition Corp., at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the dollar notes redeemed plus the greater of (1) 1.0% of the then outstanding principal amount of the dollar notes and (2) the excess of (a) the present value at the redemption date of (i) the redemption price of the dollar note at April 15, 2009, as set forth in the table below, plus (ii) all required interest payments due on the dollar notes through April 15, 2009, excluding accrued but unpaid interest, computed using a discount rate equal to the treasury rate as of such redemption date plus 50 basis points over (b) the then outstanding principal amount of the dollar notes.

                            On or after April 15, 2009, Acquisition Corp. may redeem all or a part of the dollar notes at the redemption prices, expressed as a percentage of the principal amount, set forth in the table below, plus



                    accrued and unpaid interest, if redeemed during the twelve-month period beginning on April 15 of the years indicated below:

                    Year

                     Percentage
                    2009 103.688%
                    2010 102.458%
                    2011 101.229%
                    2012 and thereafter 100.000%

                            In addition, at any time prior to April 15, 2007, Acquisition Corp. may redeem up to 35% of the originally issued aggregate principal amount of the dollar notes at a redemption price of 107.375% of the principal amount thereof, plus accrued and unpaid interest to the redemption date, with the net cash proceeds of certain equity offering of Acquisition Corp. or of any of its direct or indirect parent corporations, provided that at least 65% of the originally issued principal amount of the dollar notes remains outstanding after the occurrence of such redemption and the redemption occurs within 90 days of the closing of such equity offering.

                      Change of Control

                            In the event of a change of control, which is defined in the indenture governing the dollar notes, each holder of the dollar notes will have the right to require Acquisition Corp. to repurchase all or any part of such holder's dollar notes at a purchase price in cash equal to 101% of the principal amount thereof, plus accrued and unpaid interest to the date of purchase.

                      Covenants

                            The indenture governing the dollar notes contains certain covenants that, among other things, limit Acquisition Corp.'s ability and the ability of some of Acquisition Corp.'s subsidiaries to:

                      incur additional debt or issue certain preferred shares;

                      pay dividends on or make distributions in respect of Acquisition Corp.'s capital stock or make other restricted payments;

                      make certain investments;

                      sell certain assets;

                      create liens on certain debt without securing the notes;

                      consolidate, merge, sell or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of Acquisition Corp.'s assets;

                      enter into certain transactions with Acquisition Corp.'s affiliates; and

                      designate its subsidiaries as unrestricted subsidiaries.

                      Events of Default

                            The indenture governing the dollar notes also provides for events of default which, if any of them occurs, would permit or require the principal of and accrued interest on such dollar notes to become or to be declared to be due and payable.

                    81/8% Senior Subordinated Notes due 2014

                      General

                            In April 2004, Acquisition Corp. issued its 81/8% Senior Subordinated Notes that mature on April 15, 2014 in an aggregate principal amount of £100 million in a private transaction not subject to the registration requirements under the Securities Act. On December 16, 2004, Acquisition Corp. filed a registration statement to exchange the sterling notes for identical freely tradeable notes registered


                    under the Securities Act. The net proceeds from this financing, along with the net proceeds from Acquisition Corp.'s issuance of dollar notes, were used to repay all amounts outstanding under its senior subordinated bridge loan facility in full, to return a portion of the initial capital investment by the Investors and to pay related fees and expenses.

                      Guarantees

                            Each of Acquisition Corp.'s domestic subsidiaries that guarantees the obligations under the senior secured credit facility jointly and severally and unconditionally guarantees the sterling notes on an unsecured, senior subordinated basis.

                      Ranking

                            The sterling notes are general unsecured senior subordinated obligations of Acquisition Corp. that rank junior to its existing and future senior indebtedness, including obligations under the senior secured credit facility, equally in right of payment with all of Acquisition Corp.'s future senior subordinated debt and senior in right of payment to all Acquisition Corp.'s future subordinated debt. They are effectively subordinated in right of payment to all of Acquisition Corp.'s existing and future secured debt to the extent of the value of the assets securing such debt, and are structurally subordinated to all obligations of Acquisition Corp.'s subsidiaries that are not guarantors. The sterling notes are not entitled to the benefit of any sinking fund.

                      Optional Redemption

                            The sterling notes may be redeemed, in whole or in part, at any time prior to April 15, 2009, at the option of Acquisition Corp., at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the sterling notes redeemed plus the greater of (1) 1.0% of the then outstanding principal amount of the sterling notes and (2) the excess of (a) the present value at the redemption date of (i) the redemption price of the sterling note at April 15, 2009, as set forth in the table below, plus (ii) all required interest payments due on the sterling notes through April 15, 2009, excluding accrued but unpaid interest, computed using a discount rate equal to the treasury rate as of such redemption date plus 50 basis points over (b) the then outstanding principal amount of the sterling notes.

                            On or after April 15, 2009, Acquisition Corp. may redeem all or a part of the sterling notes at the redemption prices, expressed as a percentage of the principal amount, set forth in the table below, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if redeemed during the twelve-month period beginning on April 15 of the years indicated below:

                    Year

                     Percentage
                    2009 104.063%
                    2010 102.708%
                    2011 101.354%
                    2012 and thereafter 100.000%

                            In addition, at any time prior to April 15, 2007, Acquisition Corp. may redeem up to 35% of the originally issued aggregate principal amount of the sterling notes at a redemption price of 108.125% of the principal amount thereof, plus accrued and unpaid interest to the redemption date, with the net cash proceeds of certain equity offering of Acquisition Corp. or of any of its direct or indirect parent corporations, provided that at least 65% of the originally issued principal amount of the sterling notes remains outstanding after the occurrence of such redemption and the redemption occurs within 90 days of the closing of such equity offering.

                      Change of Control

                            In the event of a change of control, which is defined in the indenture governing the sterling notes, each holder of the sterling notes will have the right to require Acquisition Corp. to repurchase all or


                    any part of such holder's sterling notes at a purchase price in cash equal to 101% of the principal amount thereof, plus accrued and unpaid interest to the date of purchase.

                      Covenants

                            The indenture governing the sterling notes contains certain covenants that, among other things, limit Acquisition Corp.'s ability and the ability of some of Acquisition Corp.'s subsidiaries to:

                      incur additional debt or issue certain preferred shares;

                      pay dividends on or make distributions in respect of Acquisition Corp.'s capital stock or make other restricted payments;

                      make certain investments;

                      sell certain assets;

                      create liens on certain debt without securing the notes;

                      consolidate, merge, sell or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of Acquisition Corp.'s assets;

                      enter into certain transactions with Acquisition Corp.'s affiliates; and

                      designate its subsidiaries as unrestricted subsidiaries.

                      Events of Default

                            The indenture governing the sterling notes also provides for events of default which, if any of them occurs, would permit or require the principal of and accrued interest on such dollar notes to become or to be declared to be due and payable.

                    Holdings Notes

                            General.    In December, 2004, Holdings issued $250 million of Holdings Floating Rate Notes that mature on December 15, 2011, $396.81 million of Holdings Discount Notes that mature on December 15, 2014 and $200 million of Holdings PIK Notes that mature on December 15, 2014.

                            Ranking.    The Holdings Notes are Holdings' senior unsecured obligations and rank equally in right of payment to all of Holdings' unsecured senior indebtedness; rank senior in right of payment to all of Holdings' future senior subordinated unsecured indebtedness and future subordinated unsecured indebtedness; and are effectively subordinated in right of payment to Holdings' existing and future secured indebtedness to the extent of the value of the assets securing such indebtedness and all obligations of each of Holdings' existing and future subsidiaries, including all obligations of Acquisition Corp.

                      Optional Redemption.

                            Holdings Floating Rate Notes:    At any time prior to December 15, 2006, Holdings may redeem, in the aggregate, (1) up to 35% or (2) all, but not less than all, of the Holdings Floating Rate Notes with the net cash proceeds of one or more equity offerings at a redemption price of 104.00% of the principal amount of the Holdings Floating Rate Notes, plus accrued and unpaid interest and additional interest, if any, to the redemption date,provided, however, that in the case of (1) above, at least 65% of the original aggregate principal amount of Holdings Floating Rate Notes remains outstanding after each such redemption andprovided, further, that in the case of (1) and (2) above, such redemption will occur within approximately 90 days after the date on which any such equity offering is consummated.

                            At any time prior to December 15, 2006, Holdings may redeem the Holdings Floating Rate Notes, in whole or in part, at its option, at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the Holdings Floating Rate Notes plus the greater of: (1) 1.0% of the then outstanding principal amount of the Holdings Floating Rate Notes; and (2) the excess of: (a) the present value at such redemption date



                    of (i) the redemption price of the Holdings Floating Rate Notes at December 15, 2006 (as set forth in the table below) plus (ii) all required interest payments due on the Holdings Floating Rate Notes (assuming that the interest rate per annum on the Holdings Floating Rate Notes applicable on the date of which notice of redemption was given was in effect for the entire period) through December 15, 2006 (excluding accrued but unpaid interest), computed using a discount rate equal to the treasury rate as of such redemption date plus 50 basis points; over (b) the then outstanding principal amount of the Holdings Floating Rate Notes.

                            At any time on or after December 15, 2006 Holdings may redeem the Holdings Floating Rate Notes, in whole or in part, at its option, at the redemption prices set forth in the following table, plus accrued and unpaid interest and additional interest, if any, to the redemption date:

                    Year

                     Percentage
                    2006 102.00%
                    2007 101.00%
                    2007 and thereafter 100.00%

                            In connection with this offering, all outstanding Holdings Floating Rate Notes will be redeemed. See "Use of Proceeds."

                            Holdings Discount Notes:    At any time prior to December 15, 2007, Holdings may redeem, in the aggregate, up to 35% of the Holdings Discount Notes with the net cash proceeds of one or more equity offerings at a redemption price of 109.50% of the accreted value thereof, plus accrued and unpaid interest and additional interest, if any, to the redemption date;provided, however, at least 65% of the original aggregate principal amount at maturity of Holdings Discount Notes remains outstanding after each such redemption andprovided, further, that such redemption will occur within approximately 90 days after the date on which any such equity offering is consummated.

                            At any time prior to December 15, 2007, Holdings may redeem the Holdings Discount Notes, in whole or in part, at its option, at a redemption price equal to 100% of the accreted value of the Holdings Discount Notes redeemed plus the greater of: (1) 1.0% of the then accreted value of the Holdings Discount Note; and (2) the excess of: (a) the present value at such redemption date of (i) the redemption price of the Holdings Discount Note at December 15, 2009 (as set forth in the table below) plus (ii) all required interest payments due on the Holdings Discount Note through December 15, 2009 (excluding accrued but unpaid interest), computed using a discount rate equal to the treasury rate as of such redemption date plus 50 basis points; over (b) the then accreted value of the Holdings Discount Note.

                            At any time on or after December 15, 2009 Holdings may redeem the Holdings Discount Notes, in whole or in part, at its option, at the redemption prices set forth in the following table, plus accrued and unpaid interest and additional interest, if any, to the redemption date:

                    Year

                     Percentage
                    2009 104.750%
                    2010 103.167%
                    2011 101.583%
                    2012 and thereafter 100.000%

                            In connection with this offering, 35% of outstanding aggregate principal amount of the Holdings Discount Notes will be redeemed. See "Use of Proceeds."

                            Holdings PIK Notes:    On or after March 15, 2005 and prior to June 15, 2006, Holdings may redeem any and all of the aggregate principal amount of the Holdings PIK Notes then outstanding with the net cash proceeds of one or more equity offerings at a redemption price of 100.00% of the principal amount of the Holdings PIK Notes, plus accrued and unpaid interest and additional interest,



                    if any, to the redemption date;provided that the redemption occurs within 90 days after the date on which any such equity offering is consummated.

                            On and after June 15, 2005 and before June 15, 2006, the Holdings PIK Notes will be redeemable at 100.00% of their principal amount, plus accrued and unpaid interest to, but not including, the redemption date. On and after June 15, 2006 and before December 15, 2007, the Holdings PIK Notes will be redeemable at 102.00% of the principal amount, plus accrued and unpaid interest to, but not including, the redemption date. On and after December 15, 2007 and before December 15, 2008, the Holdings PIK Notes will be redeemable at 101.000% of the principal amount, plus accrued and unpaid interest to, but not including, the redemption date. On and after December 15, 2008, the Holdings PIK Notes will be redeemable at 100.00% of the principal amount, plus accrued and unpaid interest to, but not including, the redemption date.

                            In connection with this offering, all outstanding Holdings PIK Notes will be redeemed. See "Use of Proceeds."

                            Change of Control.    Upon the occurrence of a change of control, which is defined in the indenture governing Holdings' Notes, each holder of such notes has the right to require Holdings to repurchase some or all of such holder's notes at a purchase price in cash equal to 101% (or, in the case of a change of control as a result of Holdings no longer owning 100% of the issued and outstanding common stock of Warner Music Group, 100%), of the aggregate principal amount of Holdings Floating Rate Senior Notes, aggregate accreted value of the Holdings Discount Notes and aggregate principal amount at maturity of the Holdings PIK Notes, as the case may be, plus accrued and unpaid interest and additional interest, if any, to the repurchase date.

                            Covenants.    The indenture governing the Holdings Notes contains covenants limiting, among other things, its ability and the ability of its restricted subsidiaries to:

                      incur additional indebtedness or issue certain preferred shares;

                      pay dividends on or make other distributions on capital stock or make other restricted payments;

                      make certain investments;

                      sell certain assets;

                      create liens on certain debt without securing the Holdings Notes;

                      consolidate, merge, sell or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of Holdings' assets;

                      enter into certain transactions with Holdings' affiliates; and

                      designate Holdings' subsidiaries as unrestricted subsidiaries.

                            Events of Default.    The indenture governing the Holdings Notes also provides for events of default which, if any of them occurs, would permit or require the principal of and accrued interest on such notes to become or to be declared due and payable.

                            Warner Music Group Corp. Guarantee.    The indenture governing the Holdings Notes permits the reports, information and other documents required to be filed or furnished to holders of the Holdings Notes under such indenture to be filed by, and be those of, Warner Music Group Corp. if Warner Music Group Corp. becomes a guarantor of the Holdings Notes, meets certain other conditions and complies with the requirements of Rule 3-10 of Regulation S-X promulgated by the SEC. Accordingly, Warner Music Group Corp. may guarantee the Holdings Notes in order to simplify its reporting requirements going forward.



                    CERTAINMATERIAL U.S. FEDERAL INCOME AND ESTATE TAX CONSEQUENCES TO CONSIDERATIONS FORNON-U.S. HOLDERS

                    The following is a summarydiscussion of certain United StatesU.S. federal income and estate tax consequences ofconsiderations relating to the purchase, ownership and disposition of our Class A common stock byNon-U.S. Holders (as defined below) that purchase such Class A common stock pursuant to this offering and hold such Class A common stock as a capital asset. This discussion is based on the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), U.S. Treasury regulations promulgated or proposed thereunder, and administrative and judicial interpretations thereof, all as in effect on the date hereof and all of which are subject to change, possibly with retroactive effect, or to different interpretation. This discussion does not address all of the date hereof. Except where noted, this summary deals only with common stock purchasedU.S. federal income tax considerations that may be relevant to specificNon-U.S. Holders in light of their particular circumstances or toNon-U.S. Holders subject to special treatment under U.S. federal income tax law (such as banks, insurance companies, dealers in securities or otherNon-U.S. Holders that generally mark their securities to market for cash in this offering that is held as a capital asset by a non-U.S. holder.

                            A "non-U.S. holder" means a person (other than a partnership) that is not for United StatesU.S. federal income tax purposes, anyforeign governments, international organizations,tax-exempt entities, certain former citizens or residents of the following:United States, orNon-U.S. Holders that hold our Class A common stock as part of a straddle, hedge, conversion or other integrated transaction). This discussion does not address any U.S. state or local ornon-U.S. tax considerations or any U.S. federal gift or alternative minimum tax considerations.

                      As used in this discussion, the term“Non-U.S. Holder” means a beneficial owner of our Class A common stock that, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, is:

                      an individual who is neither a citizen ornor a resident of the United States;

                      a corporation (or any other entity treated as a corporation for United States federal income tax purposes)that is not created or organized in or under the laws of the United States, any state thereof, or the District of Columbia;

                      an estate the income of whichthat is not subject to United States federal income taxation regardless of its source; or

                      a trust if it (1) is subject to the primary supervision of a court within the United States and one or more United States persons have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust or (2) has a valid election in effect under applicable United States Treasury regulations to be treated as a United States person.

                            This summary is based upon provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code"), and regulations, rulings and judicial decisions as of the date hereof. Those authorities may be changed, perhaps retroactively, so as to result in United States federal income and estate tax consequences different from those summarized below. This summary does not address all aspects of United States federal income and estate taxes and does not deal with foreign, state, local or other tax considerations that may be relevant to non-U.S. holders in light of their personal circumstances. In addition, it does not represent a detailed description of the United States federal income and estate tax consequences applicable to you if you are subject to special treatment under the United StatesU.S. federal income tax laws (including if you are a United States expatriate, "controlled foreign corporation," "passive foreign investment company," corporation that accumulates earnings to avoid United States federalon income tax or an investor in a pass-through entity). We cannot assure you that a change in law will not alter significantly the tax considerations that we describe in this summary.

                            If a partnership holds our common stock, the tax treatment of a partner will generally depend upon the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. If you are a partner of a partnership holding our common stock, you should consult your tax advisors.

                    fromThis summarynon-U.S. sources which is not intended to be construed as legal advice. If you are considering the purchase of our common stock, you should consult your own tax advisors concerning the particular United States federal income and estate tax consequences to you of the ownership of the common stock, as well as the consequences to you arising under the laws of any other taxing jurisdiction.

                    Dividends

                            Dividends paid to a non-U.S. holder of our common stock generally will be subject to withholding of United States federal income tax at a 30% rate or such lower rate as may be specified by an applicable income tax treaty. However, dividends that are effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business byin the non-U.S. holderUnited States; or

                    a trust unless (i) a court within the United States are not subjectis able to exercise primary supervision over its administration and one or more U.S. persons have the withholding tax, provided certain certification and disclosure requirements are satisfied. Instead, such dividends are subjectauthority to United Statescontrol all of its substantial decisions or (ii) it has in effect a valid election under applicable U.S. Treasury regulations to be treated as a U.S. person.

                    If an entity treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes invests in our Class A common stock, the U.S. federal income tax considerations relating to such investment will depend in part upon the status and activities of such entity and the particular partner. Any such entity should consult its own tax advisor regarding the U.S. federal income tax considerations applicable to it and its partners relating to the purchase, ownership and disposition of our Class A common stock.

                    PERSONS CONSIDERING AN INVESTMENT IN OUR CLASS A COMMON STOCK SHOULD CONSULT THEIR OWN TAX ADVISORS REGARDING THE U.S. FEDERAL, STATE AND LOCAL ANDNON-U.S. INCOME, ESTATE AND OTHER TAX CONSIDERATIONS RELATING TO THE PURCHASE, OWNERSHIP AND DISPOSITION OF OUR CLASS A COMMON STOCK IN LIGHT OF THEIR PARTICULAR CIRCUMSTANCES.

                    Distributions on Class A Common Stock

                    If we make a netdistribution of cash or other property (other than certainpro rata distributions of our Class A common stock or rights to acquire our Class A common stock) with respect to a share of our Class A common stock, the distribution generally will be treated as a dividend to the extent it is paid from our current or accumulated earnings and profits (as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles). If the amount of such distribution exceeds our current and accumulated earnings and profits, such excess generally will be treated first as atax-free return of capital to the extent of theNon-U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in such share of our Class A common stock, and then as capital gain (which will be treated in the same manner described below under

                    “Sale, Exchange or Other Disposition of Class A Common Stock”). Distributions treated as ifdividends on our Class A common stock that are paid to or for the non-U.S. holder wereaccount of a United States person as defined under the Code, unless an applicable income tax treaty provides otherwise. Any such effectively connected dividends received by a foreign



                    corporation mayNon-U.S. Holder generally will be subject to an additional "branch profits tax"U.S. federal withholding tax at a 30% rate of 30%, or suchat a lower rate as may be specifiedif provided by an applicable income tax treaty.

                            A non-U.S. holder of our common stock who wishes to claimtreaty and the benefit of an applicable treaty rate for dividends will be required to (a) completeNon-U.S. Holder provides the documentation (generally, Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) FormW-8BEN (or other orW-8BEN-E) required to claim benefits under such tax treaty to the applicable form) and certify under penalty of perjury that such holder is not a United States person as defined under the Code and is eligible for treaty benefits or (b)withholding agent. Even if our common stock is held through certain foreign intermediaries, satisfycurrent or accumulated earnings and profits are less than the relevant certification requirementsamount of the distribution, the applicable United States Treasury regulations. Special certification and other requirements apply to certain non-U.S. holders that are pass-through entities rather than corporations or individuals.

                            A non-U.S. holder of our common stock eligiblewithholding agent may treat the entire distribution as a dividend for U.S. federal withholding tax purposes. EachNon-U.S. Holder should consult its own tax advisor regarding U.S. federal withholding tax on distributions, including suchNon-U.S. Holder’s eligibility for a reducedlower rate and the availability of United States withholding tax pursuant to an income tax treaty may obtain a refund of any excess amounts withheld by filing an appropriate claim for refundU.S. federal tax withheld.

                    If, however, a dividend is effectively connected with the Internal Revenue Service.

                    Gain on Dispositionconduct of Common Stock

                            Any gain realized ona trade or business in the disposition of our common stockUnited States by aNon-U.S. Holder, such dividend generally will not be subject to United Statesthe 30% U.S. federal withholding tax if suchNon-U.S. Holder provides the appropriate documentation (generally, IRS FormW-8ECI) to the applicable withholding agent. Instead, suchNon-U.S. Holder generally will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on such dividend in substantially the same manner as a U.S. person (except as provided by an applicable tax treaty). In addition, aNon-U.S. Holder that is treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes may be subject to a branch profits tax at a rate of 30% (or a lower rate if provided by an applicable tax treaty) on its effectively connected income for the taxable year, subject to certain adjustments.

                    The foregoing discussion is subject to the discussion below under “—FATCA Withholding” and “—Information Reporting and Backup Withholding.”

                    Sale, Exchange or Other Disposition of Class A Common Stock

                    ANon-U.S. Holder generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on any gain recognized on the sale, exchange or other disposition of our Class A common stock unless:

                      the

                      such gain is effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business of the non-U.S. holder in the United States (and, if requiredby suchNon-U.S. Holder, in which event suchNon-U.S. Holder generally will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on such gain in substantially the same manner as a U.S. person (except as provided by an applicable tax treaty) and, if it is treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax treaty, is attributablepurposes, may also be subject to a United States permanent establishmentbranch profits tax at a rate of the non-U.S. holder)30% (or a lower rate if provided by an applicable tax treaty);

                      the non-U.S. holder

                    suchNon-U.S. Holder is an individual who is present in the United States for 183 days or more induring the taxable year of thatsuch sale, exchange or other disposition and certain other conditions are met;met, in which event such gain (net of certain U.S. source losses) generally will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at a rate of 30% (except as provided by an applicable tax treaty); or

                    we are or have been a "United“United States real property holding corporation"corporation” for United StatesU.S. federal income tax purposes.

                            An individual non-U.S. holder described inpurposes at any time during the first bullet point immediately above will be subject to taxshorter of (x) the five-year period ending on the net gain derived fromdate of such sale, exchange or other disposition and (y) suchNon-U.S. Holder’s holding period with respect to such Class A common stock, and certain other conditions are met.

                    Generally, a corporation is a “United States real property holding corporation” if the sale under regular graduatedfair market value of its United States real property interests equals or exceeds 50% of the sum of the fair market value of its worldwide real property interests and its other assets used or held for use in a trade or business (all as determined for U.S. federal income tax rates inpurposes). We believe that we presently are not, and we do not presently anticipate that we will become, a United States real property holding corporation. However, because this determination is made from time to time and is dependent upon a number of factors, some of which are beyond our control, including the same manner as if the non-U.S. holdervalue of our assets, there can be no assurance that we will not become a United States real property holding corporation. If we were a United States personreal property holding corporation during the period described in clause

                    (iii) above, gain recognized by aNon-U.S. Holder generally would be treated as defined underincome effectively connected with the Code. Ifconduct of a non-U.S. holder that is a foreign corporation falls under the first bullet point immediately above, it will be subject to tax on its net gaintrade or business in the same manner as if it were a United States person as defined underby suchNon-U.S. Holder, with the Code and,consequences described in addition, may be subject toclause (i) above (except that the branch profits tax equalwould not apply), unless suchNon-U.S. Holder owned (directly or constructively) five percent or less of our Class A common stock throughout such period and our Class A common stock is treated as “regularly traded on an established securities market” at any time during the calendar year of such sale, exchange or other disposition.

                    The foregoing discussion is subject to 30%the discussion below under “—Information Reporting and Backup Withholding.”

                    FATCA Withholding

                    Under the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act provisions of its effectively connected earningsthe Code and profits or at such lower rate as may be specified by an applicable incomerelated U.S. Treasury guidance (“FATCA”), a withholding tax treaty. An individual non-U.S. holder described in the second bullet point immediately aboveof 30% will be imposed in certain circumstances on payments of dividends on our Class A common stock. In the case of payments made to a “foreign financial institution” (such as a bank, a broker, an investment fund or, in certain cases, a holding company), as a beneficial owner or as an intermediary, this tax generally will be imposed, subject to certain exceptions, unless such institution (i) has agreed to (and does) comply with the requirements of an agreement with the United States (an “FFI Agreement”) or (ii) is required by (and does comply with) applicable foreign law enacted in connection with an intergovernmental agreement between the United States and a flat 30%foreign jurisdiction (an “IGA”) to, among other things, collect and provide to the U.S. tax authorities or other relevant tax authorities certain information regarding U.S. account holders of such institution and, in either case, such institution provides the withholding agent with a certification as to its FATCA status. In the case of payments made to a foreign entity that is not a financial institution (as a beneficial owner), the tax generally will be imposed, subject to certain exceptions, unless such entity provides the withholding agent with a certification as to its FATCA status and, in certain cases, identifies any “substantial” U.S. owner (generally, any specified U.S. person that directly or indirectly owns more than a specified percentage of such entity). If our Class A common stock is held through a foreign financial institution that has agreed to comply with the requirements of an FFI Agreement or is subject to similar requirements under applicable foreign law enacted in connection with an IGA, such foreign financial institution (or, in certain cases, a person paying amounts to such foreign financial institution) generally will be required, subject to certain exceptions, to withhold tax on payments made to (i) a person (including an individual) that fails to provide any required information or documentation or (ii) a foreign financial institution that has not agreed to comply with the gain derived from the sale, which may be offset by United States source capital losses, even though the individualrequirements of an FFI Agreement and is not considered a residentsubject to similar requirements under applicable foreign law enacted in connection with an IGA. EachNon-U.S. Holder should consult its own tax advisor regarding the application of the United States.FATCA to our Class A common stock.

                            We believe we are not and do not anticipate becoming a "United States real property holding corporation" for United States federal income tax purposes.

                    Federal Estate Tax

                            Common stock held by an individual non-U.S. holder at the time of death will be included in such holder's gross estate for United States federal estate tax purposes, unless an applicable estate tax treaty provides otherwise.

                    Information Reporting and Backup Withholding

                            We must reportDistributions on our Class A common stock paid to aNon-U.S. Holder and the amount of any U.S. federal tax withheld from such distributions generally will be reported annually to the Internal Revenue ServiceIRS and to each non-U.S. holdersuchNon-U.S. Holder by the amountapplicable withholding agent.

                    The information reporting and backup withholding rules that apply to payments of dividends paid to such holder and the tax withheld with respectcertain U.S. persons generally will not apply to suchpayments of dividends regardless of whether withholding was required. Copies of the information returns reportingon our Class A common stock to aNon-U.S. Holder if such dividends and



                    withholding may also be made available to the tax authorities in the country in which the non-U.S. holder resides under the provisions of an applicable income tax treaty.

                            A non-U.S. holder will be subject to backup withholding for dividends paid to such holder unless such holderNon-U.S. Holder certifies under penaltypenalties of perjury that it is not a non-U.S. holder (andU.S. person (generally by providing an IRS FormW-8BEN orW-8BEN-E to the payor does not have actual knowledgeapplicable withholding agent) or reason to know that such holder is a United States person as defined under the Code), or such holder otherwise establishes an exemption.

                            Information reporting and, depending onProceeds from the circumstances, backup withholding will apply to the proceeds of a sale, exchange or other disposition (including a redemption) of our Class A common stock withinby aNon-U.S. Holder effected outside the United States through anon-U.S. office of anon-U.S. broker generally will not be subject to the information reporting and backup withholding rules that apply to payments to certain U.S. persons, provided that the proceeds are paid to theNon-U.S. Holder outside the United States. However, proceeds from the sale, exchange or conductedother disposition of our Class A common stock by aNon-U.S. Holder effected through anon-U.S.

                    office of anon-U.S. broker with certain specified U.S. connections or of a U.S. broker generally will be subject to these information reporting rules (but generally not to these backup withholding rules), even if the proceeds are paid to suchNon-U.S. Holder outside the United States-related financial intermediaries,States, unless the beneficial ownersuchNon-U.S. Holder certifies under penaltypenalties of perjury that it is not a non-U.S. holder (andU.S. person (generally by providing an IRS FormW-8BEN orW-8BEN-E to the payor doesapplicable withholding agent) or otherwise establishes an exemption. Proceeds from the sale, exchange or other disposition of our Class A common stock by aNon-U.S. Holder effected through a U.S. office of a broker generally will be subject to these information reporting and backup withholding rules unless suchNon-U.S. Holder certifies under penalties of perjury that it is not have actual knowledgea U.S. person (generally by providing an IRS FormW-8BEN or reasonW-8BEN-E to know that the beneficial owner is a United States person as defined under the Code)applicable withholding agent) or such owner otherwise establishes an exemption.

                    Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules maygenerally will be allowed as a refund or a credit against a non-U.S. holder's United StatesNon-U.S. Holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability providedif the required information is furnished by suchNon-U.S. Holder on a timely furnishedbasis to the Internal Revenue Service.IRS.

                    U.S. Federal Estate Tax

                    Shares of our Class A common stock owned or treated as owned by an individualNon-U.S. Holder at the time of suchNon-U.S. Holder’s death will be included in suchNon-U.S. Holder’s gross estate for U.S. federal estate tax purposes and may be subject to U.S. federal estate tax unless an applicable estate tax treaty provides otherwise.



                    UNDERWRITING

                            Warner Music Group,The company, the selling stockholders and the underwriters named below have entered into an underwriting agreement with respect to the shares of Class A common stock being offered. Subject to certain conditions, each underwriter has severally agreed to purchase the number of shares of Class A common stock indicated in the following table. Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC and Goldman Sachs & Co. and Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated will act as joint global coordinators and, together with Lehman Brothers Inc. and Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., will act as joint book-running managers for the offering. Banc of America Securities LLC and Citigroup Global Markets Inc. will act as joint lead managers. Goldman, Sachs & Co. and Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated will act asare the representatives of the underwriters listed below:underwriters.

                    Underwriters


                    Number of
                    Shares
                    Goldman, Sachs

                    Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC

                                     
                    Morgan Stanley

                    Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC

                    Goldman Sachs & Co. IncorporatedLLC

                      

                    BofA Securities, Inc.

                    Citigroup Global Markets Inc.

                    J.P. Morgan Securities LLC

                    Barclays Capital Inc.

                    Evercore Group L.L.C.

                    Guggenheim Securities, LLC

                    Macquarie Capital (USA) Inc.

                    Nomura Securities International, Inc.

                    RBC Capital Markets, LLC

                    SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, Inc.

                    CIBC World Markets Corp.

                    HSBC Securities (USA) Inc.

                    SG Americas Securities, LLC; Société Générale

                    LionTree Advisors LLC

                    Raine Securities LLC

                    AmeriVet Securities, Inc.

                    Bancroft Capital, LLC

                    Blaylock Van, LLC

                    C.L. King & Associates, Inc.

                    Loop Capital Markets LLC

                    Roberts & Ryan Investments, Inc.

                    Samuel A. Ramirez & Company, Inc.

                    Siebert Williams Shank & Co., LLC

                    Telsey Advisory Group LLC

                    Tigress Financial Partners, LLC

                     
                    Lehman Brothers Inc. 

                    Total

                      
                    Deutsche Bank Securities Inc.  
                    Banc of America Securities LLC

                     
                    Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
                    Allen & Company LLC
                    Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc.
                    UBS Securities LLC
                    Blaylock & Partners, L.P.
                    Pacific Crest Securities, Inc.
                    Ramirez & Co., Inc.
                    Muriel Siebert & Co., Inc.
                    Utendahl Capital Partners, L.P.
                    The Williams Capital Group, L.P.

                    Total32,600,000

                    The underwriters are committed to take and pay for all of the shares of Class A common stock being offered, if any are taken, other than the shares covered by the option described below unless and until this option is exercised. If an underwriter defaults,Pursuant to the terms of the underwriting agreement, providesany series of BFFLLC, to which shares of our Class B common stock may be contributed in connection with this offering, may sell shares of Class A common stock in the offering to the extent authorized by its member. If any series of BFFLLC that receives a contribution of shares of Class B common stock does not participate in the offering or sells less than all of its Contingent Sale Shares, AI Entertainment Holdings LLC and/or Access Industries, LLC will offer a corresponding number of shares of Class A common stock such that the purchase commitmentsaggregate number of shares of Class A common stock being offered by the non-defaultingselling stockholders in this offering remains unchanged.

                    The underwriters may be increased orhave an option to buy up to an additional 10,500,000 shares of Class A common stock from the underwriting agreement may be terminated.

                            Ifselling stockholders to cover sales by the underwriters sell moreof a greater number of shares than the total number set forth in the table above, the underwriters have an option to buy up to an additional 4,890,000 shares from the selling stockholders to cover such sales.above. They may exercise that option for 30 days. If any shares are purchased pursuant to this option, the underwriters will severally purchase shares in approximately the same proportion as set forth in the table above.

                    The following tables showtable shows the per share and total underwriting discounts and commissions to be paid to the underwriters by Warner Music Group and the selling stockholders. Such amounts are shown assuming both no exercise and full exercise of the underwriters'underwriters’ option to purchase 10,500,000 additional shares.


                    Paid by the Company
                    Selling Stockholders


                    No Exercise
                    Full Exercise
                    No
                    Exercise
                    Full
                    Exercise

                    Per Share

                      $              $ 

                    Total

                      $  $


                    Paid by the Selling Stockholders


                    No Exercise
                    Full Exercise
                    Per Share  $  $
                    Total$$

                    Shares of Class A common stock sold by the underwriters to the public will initially be offered at the initial public offering price set forth on the cover of this prospectus. Any shares of Class A common stock sold by the underwriters to securities dealers may be sold at a discount of up to $         per share from the initial public offering price. Any such securities dealers may resell any shares purchased from the underwriters to certain other brokers or dealers at a discount of up to $                        per share fromAfter the initial public offering price. If allof the shares are not sold atof Class A common stock, the initial public offering price, the representativesrepresentative may change the offering price and the other selling terms. The offering of the shares of Class A common stock by the underwriters is subject to receipt and acceptance and subject to the underwriters’ right to reject any order in whole or in part.

                            Warner Music Group andThe company has agreed with the underwriters, subject to certain exceptions, not to dispose of or hedge any of its directors, executive officers and certain other employees, Historic TW (tocommon stock or securities convertible into or exchangeable for shares of common stock during the extentperiod from the date of this prospectus continuing through the date 180 days after the date of this prospectus, except with the prior written consent of Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC. This agreement does not apply to (i) shares of common stock to be sold in the offering, (ii) issuances of common stock by the Company upon exercise, settlement or redemption of any remaining interest)option, deferred equity unit or profits interest of the Company or its affiliates or otherwise pursuant to employee equity compensation plans existing on the date of such agreement, or (iii) any issuance or transfer of common stock upon the conversion or exchange of convertible or exchangeable securities outstanding as of the date of such agreement. In addition, the Company’s officers, directors, and holders of all of the InvestorsCompany’s common stock, including the selling stockholders, have agreed with the underwriters, subject to certain exceptions, not to dispose of or hedge any of their common stock or securities convertible into or exchangeable for shares of common stock during the period from the date of this prospectus and continuing to and includingthrough the date 180 days after the date of this prospectus, except with the prior written consent of Goldman, SachsMorgan Stanley & Co., LLC. The agreement by the Company’s officers, directors and holders of its common stock is subject to certain exceptions. Our lock-up agreement will providespecified exceptions, for, among other things:

                      securitiesincluding: (a) transfers to be registeredthe underwriters to this offering; (b) open market transactions after the completion of the offering; (c) the establishment of a trading plan pursuant to any registration statement on Form S-8 pursuantRule 10b5-1 of the Exchange Act; (d) a bona fide third-party tender offer, merger, consolidation or other similar transaction made to the termsall holders of any benefit plans or arrangements in effect on the date hereof or disclosed in this prospectusour common stock; (e) transfers of which the underwriters have been advised in writing,

                      issuances ofour Class B common stock upon the exercise of an optionthat do not result in such shares converting into Class A common stock; (f) bona fide gifts or upon conversiontransfers by will or exchange of convertible or exchangeable securities pursuant to employee benefit plans or arrangements in effect as of the date hereof or disclosed in this prospectus (subject to the stockholder lock-up provisions),

                      granting of awards pursuant to employee benefit plans or arrangements in effect as of the date hereof or disclosed in this prospectus, including our LTIP stock option agreements (subject to the stockholder lock-up provisions), and

                      the issuance by us of shares of common stock in connection with the acquisition of, or a joint venture with, another company provided that (i) recipients of the common stock agree to be bound for the remainder ofintestacy; (g) if the lock-up periodsignatory is a selling stockholder, distributions to its affiliates or (ii) the aggregate number of shares of common stock issued in such transactions, taken together, does not exceed 10% of the aggregate number of shares of common stock issued in this offering,stockholders; (h) entering into, and in the case of each such issuance in connection with a joint venture or acquisition, the filing of a registration statement with respect thereto.

                            The stockholder lock-up agreements will provide exceptions for, among other things:

                      transfers to (1) a spouse, child or other dependent or member of immediate family or (2) pursuant to a domestic relations order of a court of competent jurisdiction, providedborrowing against, any margin loan facility, borrowing against any account that in the case of (1), (i) such transfer shall not involve a disposition for value and (ii) each recipient of such shares or convertible securities agrees to be subject to the restrictions described in the preceding paragraph and no filing by any party shall be required with the Securities and Exchange Commission or shall be voluntarily made in connection with such transfer; or

                      transfers to any limited partner or holder of equity interests of such stockholder, provided that (i) any such transfer shall not involve a disposition for value and (ii) each recipient of such shares or convertible securities agrees to be subject to the restrictions described in the preceding paragraph and no filing by any party shall be required with the Securities and Exchange Commission or shall be voluntarily made in connection with such transfer; or

                        transfers in connection with the exchange or surrender of shares of common stock by stockholders to us in satisfaction or payment of the exercise price of such stock options or to satisfy any tax withholding obligations of such stockholder in respect of such option exercise; or

                        transactions by any person other than us relating toholds shares of our common stock acquired in open market transactions after completion of this offering, provided that no filing by any party shall be required with the Securities and Exchange Commission or shall be voluntarily made in connection with sales ofotherwise pledging shares of common stock or other securities acquired in such open market transactions; or

                        transfers by a person other than us of shares of common stock or any security convertible intoour common stock as a bona fide gift orcollateral for no consideration and transfers by a person other than us by will or intestacy, provided that in each case, each recipient of such shares or convertible securities agrees to be subject to the restrictions described in the immediately preceding paragraph and no filing byloans; (i) any party with the Securities and Exchange Commission shall be required or shall be voluntarily made in connection with such transfer; or

                        transfers by a person other than us to any trust partnership or limited liability company for the direct or indirect benefit of such person and/the lock-up signatory or the immediate family of such person for estate planning purposes, provided that (i) the trusteelock-up signatory; (j) if the lock-up signatory is a corporation, transfers of the trust, partnershipcapital stock of the corporation to any of its wholly-owned subsidiaries; and (k) one or the limited liability company, as the case may be, agrees to be subject to the restrictions described in the preceding paragraph, (ii)more sales or distributions or any such transfer shall not involve a disposition for value and (iii) no filing by any partynet share settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission shall be requiredCompany (1) to satisfy tax withholding or shall be voluntarily madesimilar obligations in connection with such transfer;the exercise of options to purchase our common stock, the vesting of restricted stock or

                        restricted stock units or any deferred stock units, including deferred equity units, (2) in payment of the exercise or purchase price with respect to anythe exercise of options to purchase our directors common stock

                      or executive officers,(3) in connection with the settlement of deferred stock units or deferred equity units or distributions by Management LLC of shares of common stock to its equityholders who are employees of the Company, upon hissubject to certain limitations; provided that, in the case of any transfer or her death, disabilitydistribution pursuant to (f) through (j), the transferee or termination of employment.

                      distribute agrees in writing to be bound by the lock-up restrictions. In addition, a selling stockholder may also make any demand for the 180-day restricted period described above will be automatically extended if: (i) during the last 17 dayssale of, the 180-day restricted period, we issue an earnings release or announce material newsrequest to sell, all or a material event or (ii) prior to the expirationportion of the 180-day restricted period, we announce that we will release earnings results during the 15-day period following the last day of the 180-day restricted period, the "lock-up" restrictions described above will continue to apply until the expiration of the 18-day period beginning on the issuance of the earnings release or the announcement of the material news or material event, unless Goldman, Sachs & Co. waives, in writing, such extension.

                              Selling stockholders may transfer and donateits remaining shares of our common stock owned by them priorpursuant to the completionRegistration Rights Agreement, so long as there is no public announcement of this offering. The numbersuch demand or request. See “Shares Available for Future Sale” for a discussion of shares of our common stock beneficially owned by such selling stockholders will decrease as and when such selling stockholderscertain transfer or donate their shares of our common stock. The plan of distribution for the securities offered and sold under this prospectus will otherwise remain unchanged, except that the transferees, donees or other successors in interest will be selling stockholders for purposes of this prospectus.restrictions.

                      Prior to the offering, there has been no public market for the shares.shares of Class A common stock. The initial public offering price will behas been negotiated among Warner Music Groupbetween the Company and the representatives. Among the factors to be considered in determining the initial public offering price of the shares of Class A common stock, in addition to prevailing market conditions, will be Warner Music Group'sthe company’s historical performance, estimates of Warner Music Group'sthe business potential and earnings prospects of the company, an assessment of Warner Music Group'sthe company’s management and the consideration of the above factors in relation to market valuation of companies in related businesses.

                              Warner Music Group has appliedWe have been approved to list theour Class A common stock on the New York Stock ExchangeNasdaq under the symbol "WMG"“WMG”. In order to meet one of the requirements for listing the common stock on the NYSE, the underwriters have undertaken to sell lots of 100 or more shares to a minimum of 2,000 beneficial holders.

                      In connection with the offering, the underwriters may purchase and sell shares of Class A common stock in the open market. These transactions may include short sales, stabilizing transactions and purchases to



                      cover positions created by short sales. Short sales involve the sale by the underwriters of a greater number of shares than they are required to purchase in the offering. "Covered"offering, and a short position represents the amount of such sales are sales made in an amountthat have not been covered by subsequent purchases. A “covered short position” is a short position that is not greater than the underwriters' option to purchaseamount of additional shares fromfor which the selling stockholders in the offering.underwriters’ option described above may be exercised. The underwriters may close outcover any covered short position by either exercising their option to purchase additional shares or purchasing shares in the open market. In determining the source of shares to close outcover the covered short position, the underwriters will consider, among other things, the price of shares available for purchase in the open market as compared to the price at which they may purchase additional shares pursuant to the option granted to them. "Naked"described above. “Naked” short sales are any short sales in excessthat create a short position greater than the amount of such option.additional shares for which the option described above may be exercised. The underwriters must close outcover any such naked short position by purchasing shares in the open market. A naked short position is more likely to be created if the underwriters are concerned that there may be downward pressure on the price of the Class A common stock in the open market after pricing that could adversely affect investors who purchase in the offering. Stabilizing transactions consist of various bids for or purchases of Class A common stock made by the underwriters in the open market prior to the completion of the offering.

                      The underwriters may also impose a penalty bid. This occurs when a particular underwriter repays to the underwriters a portion of the underwriting discount received by it because the representatives have repurchased shares sold by or for the account of such underwriter in stabilizing or short covering transactions.

                      Purchases to cover a short position and stabilizing transactions, as well as other purchases by the underwriters for their own accounts, may have the effect of preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of ourthe company’s stock, and together with the imposition of the penalty bid, may stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the market price of the Class A common stock. As a result, the price of the Class A common stock may be higher than the price that otherwise might exist in the open market. IfThe underwriters are not required to engage in these activities are commenced, theyand may be discontinuedend any of these activities at any time. These transactions may be effected on the New York Stock Exchange, the Nasdaq, Stock Market, in the over-the-counter market or otherwise.

                      The estimated offering expenses payable in connection with the offering, exclusive of the underwriting discounts and commissions, are approximately $6.7 million. We have agreed to reimburse the underwriters for expenses relating to clearance of this offering with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”) up to $40,000.

                      The company and the selling stockholders have agreed to indemnify the several underwriters against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act.

                      The underwriters and their respective affiliates are full service financial institutions engaged in various activities, which may include sales and trading, commercial and investment banking, advisory, investment management, investment research, principal investment, hedging, market making, brokerage and other financial and non-financial activities and services. Certain of the underwriters and their respective affiliates have provided, and may in the future provide, a variety of these services to the Company and to persons and entities with relationships with the Company, for which they received or will receive customary fees and expenses.

                      In the ordinary course of their various business activities, the underwriters and their respective affiliates, officers, directors and employees may purchase, sell or hold a broad array of investments and actively trade securities, derivatives, loans, commodities, currencies, credit default swaps and other financial instruments for their own account and for the accounts of their customers, and such investment and trading activities may involve or relate to assets, securities and/or instruments of the Company (directly, as collateral securing other obligations or otherwise) and/or persons and entities with relationships with the Company. The underwriters and their respective affiliates may also communicate independent investment recommendations, market color or trading ideas and/or publish or express independent research views in respect of such assets, securities or instruments and may at any time hold, or recommend to clients that they should acquire, long and/or short positions in such assets, securities and instruments

                      Selling Restrictions

                      European Economic Area and United Kingdom

                      In relation to each Member State of the European Economic Area and the United Kingdom (each a “Relevant State”), no shares of our Class A common stock have been offered or will be offered pursuant to this offering to the public in that Relevant State prior to the publication of a prospectus in relation to shares of our Class A common stock which has been approved by the competent authority in that Relevant State or, where appropriate, approved in another Relevant State and notified to the competent authority in that Relevant State, all in accordance with the Prospectus Regulation, except that offers of shares of our Class A common stock may be made to the public in that Relevant State at any time under the following exemptions under the Prospectus Regulation:

                      to any legal entity which is a qualified investor as defined in the Prospectus Regulation;

                      to fewer than 150 natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined in the Prospectus Regulation), subject to obtaining the prior consent of the representative for any such offer; or

                      In any other circumstances falling within Article 1(4) of the Prospectus Regulation;

                      provided that no such offer of shares of our Class A common stock shall require us or any underwriter to publish a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Regulation or supplement a prospectus pursuant to Article 23 of the Prospectus Regulation.

                      For the purposes of this provision, the expression an “offer to the public” in relation to any shares of our Class A common stock in any Relevant State means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and any shares of our Class A common stock to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe for any shares of our Class A common stock, and the expression “Prospectus Regulation” means Regulation (EU) 2017/1129.

                      This European Economic Area selling restriction is in addition to any other selling restrictions set out below.

                      United Kingdom

                      Each underwriter has represented warranted and agreed that: (i) it has not offered or sold and, prior to the expiry of the period of six months from the Closing date, will not offer or sell any shares to persons

                      (a)

                      it has only communicated or caused to be communicated and will only communicate or cause to be communicated an invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity (within the meaning of Section 21 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (“FSMA”)) received by it in connection with the issue or sale of the shares of Class A common stock in circumstances in which Section 21(1) of the FSMA does not apply to the company or the selling stockholders; and

                      (b)

                      it has complied and will comply with all applicable provisions of the FSMA with respect to anything done by it in relation to the shares of Class A common stock in, from or otherwise involving the United Kingdom.

                      In the United Kingdom, exceptthis prospectus is only addressed to persons whose ordinary activities involve them in acquiring, holding, managing or disposing of investments (as principal or agent) for the purposes of their businesses or otherwise in circumstances which have not resulted and will not result in an offer to the public in the United Kingdomdirected at qualified investors who are (i) investment professionals falling within the meaning of the Public Offers of Securities Regulations 1995; (ii) it has only communicated or caused to be communicated and will only communicate or cause to be communicated any invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity (within the meaning of section 21Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 ("FSMA")) received by(Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (the Order); or (ii) high net worth entities and other persons to whom it in connection with the issue or sale of any shares in circumstances in which section 21(1)may lawfully be communicated, falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the FSMA doesOrder (all such persons together being referred to as “relevant persons”). Any investment or investment activity to which this prospectus relates is available only to relevant persons and will only be engaged with relevant persons. Any person who is not applya relevant person should not act or rely on this prospectus or any of its contents.

                      Canada

                      The Class A common stock may be sold in Canada only to purchasers purchasing, or deemed to be purchasing, as principal that are accredited investors, as defined in National Instrument45-106 Prospectus Exemptions or subsection 73.3(1) of the Securities Act (Ontario), and are permitted clients, as defined in National Instrument31-103 Registration Requirements, Exemptions, and Ongoing Registrant Obligations. Any resale of the Class A common stock must be made in accordance with an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the issuer, and (iii) it has complied and will complyprospectus requirements of applicable securities laws.

                      Securities legislation in certain provinces or territories of Canada may provide a purchaser with allremedies for rescission or damages if this prospectus (including any amendment thereto) contains a misrepresentation, provided that the remedies for rescission or damages are exercised by the purchaser within the time limit prescribed by the securities legislation of the purchaser’s province or territory. The purchaser should refer to any applicable provisions of the FSMAsecurities legislation of the purchaser’s province or territory of these rights or consult with respecta legal advisor.

                      Pursuant to anything done by itsection 3A.3 of National Instrument33-105 Underwriting Conflicts (NI33-105), the underwriters are not required to comply with the disclosure requirements of NI33-105 regarding underwriter conflicts of interest in relation to the shares in, from or otherwise involving the United Kingdom.connection with this offering.

                      Hong Kong

                      The sharesClass A common stock may not be offered or sold transferred or delivered, as part of their initial distribution or at any time thereafter, directly or indirectly, to any individual or legal entity in the Netherlands other than to individuals or legal entities who or which trade or invest in securities in the conduct of their profession or trade, which includes banks, securities intermediaries, insurance companies, pension funds, other institutional investors and commercial enterprises which, as an ancillary activity, regularly trade or invest in securities.

                              The shares may not be offered or soldHong Kong by means of any document other than to persons whose ordinary business is to buy or sell or debentures, whether as principal or agent, or(i) in circumstances which do not constitute an offer to the public within the meaning of the Companies (Winding Up and Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance (Cap. 32)32 of the Laws of Hong Kong,Kong) (“Companies (Winding Up and Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance”) or which do not constitute an invitation to the public within the meaning of the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571 of the Laws of Hong Kong) (“Securities and Futures Ordinance”), (ii) to “professional investors” as defined in the Securities and Futures Ordinance and any rules made thereunder, or (iii) in other circumstances which do not result in the document being a “prospectus” as defined in the Companies (Winding Up and Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance, and no advertisement, invitation or document relating to the sharesClass A common stock may be issued or may be in the possession of any

                      person for the purpose of issue (in each case whether in Hong Kong or elsewhere,elsewhere), which is directed at, or the contents of which are likely to be accessed or read by, the public in Hong Kong (except if permitted to do so under the securities laws of



                      Hong Kong) other than with respect to shares of Class A common stock which are or are intended to be disposed of only to persons outside Hong Kong or only to "professional investors" within the meaning of“professional investors” in Hong Kong as defined in the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571) of Hong Kong and any rules made thereunder.

                      Singapore

                      This prospectus has not been registered as a prospectus with the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Accordingly, this prospectus and any other document or material in connection with the offer or sale, or invitation orfor subscription or purchase, of the securitiesClass A common stock may not be circulated or distributed, nor may the securitiesClass A common stock be offered or sold, or be made the subject of an invitation for subscription or purchase, whether directly or indirectly, to persons in Singapore other than (i) to an institutional investor (as defined under circumstancesSection 4A of the Securities and Futures Act, Chapter 289 of Singapore (the “SFA”)) under Section 274 of the SFA, (ii) to a relevant person (as defined in Section 275(2) of the SFA) pursuant to Section 275(1) of the SFA, or any person pursuant to Section 275(1A) of the SFA, and in accordance with the conditions specified in Section 275 of the SFA or (iii) otherwise pursuant to, and in accordance with the conditions of, any other applicable provision of the SFA, in each case subject to conditions set forth in the SFA.

                      Where the shares of Class A common stock are subscribed or purchased under Section 275 of the SFA by a relevant person which is a corporation (which is not an accredited investor (as defined in Section 4A of the SFA)) the sole business of which is to hold investments and the entire share capital of which is owned by one or more individuals, each of whom is an accredited investor, the securities (as defined in Section 239(1) of the SFA) of that corporation shall not be transferable for 6 months after that corporation has acquired the shares under Section 275 of the SFA except: (1) to an institutional investor under Section 274 of the SFA or to a relevant person (as defined in Section 275(2) of the SFA), (2) where such offer, sale or invitation does not constitutetransfer arises from an offer or sale, or invitation for subscription or purchase,in that corporation’s securities pursuant to Section 275(1A) of the SFA, (3) where no consideration is or will be given for the transfer, (4) where the transfer is by operation of law, (5) as specified in Section 276(7) of the SFA, or (6) as specified in Regulation 32 of the Securities and Futures (Offers of Investments) (Shares and Debentures) Regulations 2005 of Singapore (“Regulation 32”).

                      Where the shares of Class A common stock are subscribed or purchased under Section 275 of the SFA by a relevant person which is a trust (where the trustee is not an accredited investor (as defined in Section 4A of the SFA)) whose sole purpose is to hold investments and each beneficiary of the trust is an accredited investor, the beneficiaries’ rights and interest (howsoever described) in that trust shall not be transferable for 6 months after that trust has acquired the shares under Section 275 of the SFA except: (1) to an institutional investor under Section 274 of the SFA or to a relevant person (as defined in Section 275(2) of the SFA), (2) where such transfer arises from an offer that is made on terms that such rights or interest are acquired at a consideration of not less than S$200,000 (or its equivalent in a foreign currency) for each transaction (whether such amount is to be paid for in cash or by exchange of securities or other assets), (3) where no consideration is or will be given for the transfer, (4) where the transfer is by operation of law, (5) as specified in Section 276(7) of the SFA, or (6) as specified in Regulation 32.

                      Solely for the purposes of our obligations pursuant to Section 309B of the publicSFA, we have determined, and hereby notify all relevant persons (as defined in Singapore.the Securities and Futures (Capital Markets Products) Regulations 2018 (“CMP Regulations”)) that the shares of Class common stock are “prescribed capital markets products” (as defined in the CMP Regulations) and Excluded Investment Products (as defined in MAS Notice SFA04-N12: Notice on the Sale of Investment Products and MAS NoticeFAA-N16: Notice on Recommendations on Investment Products).

                      Japan

                      The securitiesshares of Class A common stock have not been and will not be registered under the SecuritiesFinancial Instruments and Exchange LawAct of Japan (the Securities and Exchange Law) and each underwriter has agreed that it will(Act No. 25 of 1948, as amended), or the FIEA. The shares of Class A common stock may not offerbe offered or sell any securities,sold, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to or for the benefit of any resident of Japan (which term as used herein means(including any person resident in Japan includingor any corporation or other entity organized under the laws of Japan), or to others for re-offeringreoffering or resale, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to aor for the benefit of any resident of Japan, except pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of the FIEA and otherwise in compliance with any relevant laws and regulations of Japan.

                      Australia

                      This prospectus:

                      does not constitute a disclosure document or a prospectus under Chapter 6D.2 of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) (the “Corporations Act”);

                      has not been, and will not be, lodged with the Australian Securities and Exchange Law and any other applicable laws, regulations and ministerial guidelines of Japan.

                              The underwriters do not expect sales in discretionary accounts to exceed five percentInvestments Commission (“ASIC”), as a disclosure document for the purposes of the total numberCorporations Act and does not purport to include the information required of shares offered.

                              Warner Music Group anda disclosure document for the selling shareholders estimate that their sharepurposes of the total expenses of the offering, excluding underwriting discountsCorporations Act; and commissions, will

                      may only be approximately $2.4 million.

                              Warner Music Group and the selling stockholders have agreedprovided in Australia to indemnify the several underwriters against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933.

                              A prospectus in electronic format will be made available on the websites maintained byselect investors who are able to demonstrate that they fall within one or more of the lead managerscategories of investors, available under section 708 of the Corporations Act (“Exempt Investors”).

                      The Class A common stock may not be directly or indirectly offered for subscription or purchased or sold, and no invitations to subscribe for or buy the Class A common stock may be issued, and no draft or definitive offering memorandum, advertisement or other offering material relating to any Class A common stock may be distributed in Australia, except where disclosure to investors is not required under Chapter 6D of the Corporations Act or is otherwise in compliance with all applicable Australian laws and regulations. By submitting an application for the Class A common stock, you represent and warrant to us that you are an Exempt Investor.

                      As any offer of Class A common stock under this offering and may alsodocument will be made available on websites maintained by other underwriters. The underwriterswithout disclosure in Australia under Chapter 6D.2 of the Corporations Act, the offer of those securities for resale in Australia within 12 months may, agreeunder section 707 of the Corporations Act, require disclosure to allocateinvestors under Chapter 6D.2 if none of the exemptions in section 708 applies to that resale. By applying for the Class A common stock you undertake to us that you will not, for a numberperiod of shares12 months from the date of sale of the Class A common stock, offer, transfer, assign or otherwise alienate those Class A common stock to underwritersinvestors in Australia except in circumstances where disclosure to investors is not required under Chapter 6D.2 of the Corporations Act or where a compliant disclosure document is prepared and lodged with ASIC.

                      Brazil

                      The offer and sale of our Class A common stock has not been, and will not be, registered (or exempted from registration) with the Brazilian Securities Commission (Comissão de Valores Mobiliários – CVM) and, therefore, will not be carried out by any means that would constitute a public offering in Brazil under Law No. 6,385, of December 7, 1976, as amended, under CVM Rule No. 400, of December 29, 2003, as amended, or under CVM Rule No. 476, of January 16, 2009, as amended. Any representation to the contrary is untruthful and unlawful. As a consequence, our Class A common stock cannot be offered and sold in Brazil or to any investor resident or domiciled in Brazil. Documents relating to the offering of our Class A common stock, as well as information contained therein, may not be supplied to the public in Brazil, nor used in connection with any public offer for subscription or sale of Class A common stock to their online brokerage account holders. Internetthe public in Brazil.

                      China

                      This prospectus will not be circulated or distributed in the People’s Republic of China (“PRC”) and the Class A common stock will not be offered or sold, and will not be offered or sold to any person for re-offering or resale directly or indirectly to any residents of the PRC except pursuant to any applicable laws and regulations of the PRC. Neither this prospectus nor any advertisement or other offering material may be distributed or published in the PRC, except under circumstances that will result in compliance with applicable laws and regulations.

                      France

                      Neither this prospectus nor any other offering material relating to the Class A common stock offered by this prospectus has been and will not be submitted to the clearance procedures of the Autorité des Marchés Financiers or of the competent authority of another member state of the European Economic Area and notified to the Autorité des Marchés Financiers. The Class A common stock has not been offered or sold and will not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, to the public in France. Neither this prospectus nor any other offering material relating to the Class A common stock has been or will be:

                      a)

                      released, issued, distributed or caused to be released, issued or distributed to the public in France;

                      b)

                      used in connection with any offer for subscription or sale of the notes to the public in France.

                      Such offers, sales and distributions will be allocatedmade in France only:

                      c)

                      to qualified investors (investisseurs qualifiés) and/or to a restricted circle of investors (cercle restreint d’investisseurs), in each case acting for their own account, or otherwise in circumstances in which no offer to the public occurs, all as defined in and in accordance with Articles L.411-2, D.411-1, D.411-2, D.734-1, D.744-1, D.754-1 and D.764-1 of the French Code monétaire et financier;

                      d)

                      to investment services providers authorized to engage in portfolio management on behalf of third parties; or

                      e)

                      in a transaction that, in accordance with Article L.411-2-I-1°-or-2° -or 3° of the French Code monétaire et financier and Article 211-2 of the General Regulations (Règlement Général) of the Autorité des Marchés Financiers, does not constitute a public offer (offre au public).

                      The Class A common stock may not be distributed directly or indirectly to the public except in accordance with Articles L.411-1, L.411-2, L.412-1 and L.621-8 through L.621-8-3 of the French Code monétaire et financier and applicable regulations thereunder.

                      Kuwait

                      The Class A common stock has not been authorized or licensed for offering, marketing or sale in the State of Kuwait. The distribution of this prospectus and the offering and sale of the Class A common stock in the State of Kuwait is restricted by law unless a license is obtained from the Kuwait Ministry of Commerce and Industry in accordance with Law 31 of 1990. Persons into whose possession this prospectus comes are required by us and the international underwriters to inform themselves about and to observe such restrictions. Investors in the State of Kuwait who approach us or any of the international underwriters to obtain copies of this prospectus are required by us and the international underwriters to keep such prospectus confidential and not to make copies thereof or distribute the same to any other person and are also required to observe the restrictions provided for in all jurisdictions with respect to offering, marketing and the sale of the Class A common stock.

                      Qatar

                      The Class A common stock described in this prospectus have not been, and will not be, offered, sold or delivered, at any time, directly or indirectly in the State of Qatar in a manner that would constitute a public

                      offering. This prospectus has not been, and will not be, registered with or approved by the lead managersQatar Financial Markets Authority or Qatar Central Bank and may not be publicly distributed. This prospectus is intended for the original recipient only and must not be provided to underwriters thatany other person. It is not for general circulation in the State of Qatar and may not be reproduced or used for any other purpose.

                      Saudi Arabia

                      This document may not be distributed in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia except to such persons as are permitted under the Offers of Securities Regulations as issued by the board of the Saudi Arabian Capital Market Authority (“CMA”) pursuant to resolution number 2-11-2004 dated 4 October 2004 as amended by resolution number 1-28-2008, as amended (the “CMA Regulations”). The CMA does not make internet distributionsany representation as to the accuracy or completeness of this document and expressly disclaims any liability whatsoever for any loss arising from, or incurred in reliance upon, any part of this document. Prospective purchasers of the securities offered hereby should conduct their own due diligence on the same basis as other allocations.

                              Certainaccuracy of the underwriters and their respective affiliates have, from timeinformation relating to time, performed, and maythe securities. If you do not understand the contents of this document, you should consult an authorised financial adviser.

                      Switzerland

                      This prospectus is not intended to constitute an offer or solicitation to purchase or invest in the future perform, various financial advisoryClass A common stock. The Class A common stock may not be publicly offered, directly or indirectly, in Switzerland within the meaning of the Swiss Financial Services Act (“FinSA”) and investment banking serviceswill not be listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (“SIX”) or on any other stock exchange or regulated trading venue (exchange or multilateral trading facility) in Switzerland. This document does not constitute a prospectus within the meaning of, and has been prepared without regard to, the disclosure standards for usissuance prospectuses under art. 652a or our affiliates,art. 1156 of the Swiss Code of Obligations or the disclosure standards for which they receivedlisting prospectuses under art. 27 ff. of the SIX Listing Rules or the listing rules of any other stock exchange or regulated trading venue (exchange or multilateral trading facility) in Switzerland. Neither this document nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the Class A common stock constitutes a prospectus pursuant to the FinSA, and neither this document nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the Class A common stock or the offering may be publicly distributed or otherwise made publicly available in Switzerland.

                      Neither this document nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the offering, the Company, or the Class A common stock have been or will receive customary feesbe filed with or approved by any Swiss regulatory authority. In particular, this document will not be filed with, and expenses. Certain affiliatesthe offer of Class A common stock will not be supervised by, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority FINMA (FINMA), and the offer of Class A common stock has not been and will not be authorized under the Swiss Federal Act on Collective Investment Schemes (“CISA”). The investor protection afforded to acquirers of interests in collective investment schemes under the CISA does not extend to acquirers of Class A common stock.

                      United Arab Emirates

                      The Class A common stock has not been, and are not being, publicly offered, sold, promoted or advertised in the United Arab Emirates (including the Dubai International Financial Centre) other than in compliance with the laws of the underwriters are agents and/or lenders under Acquisition Corp.'s senior secured credit agreement,United Arab Emirates (and the Dubai International Financial Centre) governing the issue, offering and we expect will continuesale of securities. Further, this prospectus does not constitute a public offer of securities in the United Arab Emirates (including the Dubai International Financial Centre) and is not intended to be agents and/a public offer. This prospectus has not been approved by or lenders under the proposed amendment to Acquisition Corp.'s senior secured credit agreement for which they will receive customary fees, and also acted as initial purchasers in connectionfiled with the offeringCentral Bank of the Acquisition Corp. NotesUnited Arab Emirates, the Securities and Commodities Authority or the Holdings' Notes. Certain affiliates of Goldman, Sachs & Co. have an approximately 5% aggregate economic interest in the common stock of Warner Music Group through investments in certain limited partnerships affiliated with Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P. and Providence Equity Partners Inc.Dubai Financial Services Authority.



                      LEGAL MATTERS
                      VALIDITY OF COMMON STOCK

                      The validity of the issuance of the shares of our Class A common stock to be sold in this offeringoffered hereby will be passed upon for us by Simpson ThacherDebevoise & BartlettPlimpton LLP, New York, New York. Cahill GordonYork and will be passed upon for the underwriters by Davis Polk  & ReindelLLP,Wardwell LLP, New York, New York will act as counsel to the underwriters. Cahill Gordon & ReindelLLP has performed, and continues to perform, legal services for the company.York.


                      EXPERTS

                      The consolidated and combined financial statements of Warner Music Group Corp. as of September 30, 20042019 and November 30, 2003 (Predecessor)2018 and for each of the seven monthsyears in the three year period ended September 30, 2004, three months ended February 29, 2004 (Predecessor) and each of the two years ended November 30, 2003 (Predecessor), appearing in the Prospectus and Registration Statement,2019 have been audited by Ernst & Youngincluded herein in reliance upon the report of KPMG LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their reports thereon appearing elsewhere herein, and are included in reliance upon such reports given on the authority of suchsaid firm as experts in accounting and auditing. The audit report refers to a change in method of accounting for revenue recognition.


                      AVAILABLEWHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

                      We have filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC")SEC a registration statement on FormS-1, under the Securities Act of which this prospectus forms a part, with respect to the issuance of shares of our Class A common stock being offered hereby.sold in this offering. This prospectus which forms a part of the registration statement, does not contain all of the information set forth in the registration statement.statement and the exhibits thereto because some parts have been omitted in accordance with the rules and regulations of the SEC. For further information with respect to us and the shares of ourClass A common stock being sold in this offering, reference is made to the registration statement.statement and the exhibits filed therewith. Statements contained in this prospectus as to the contents of any contract or other document referred to are not necessarily complete. We are not currently subjectcomplete and in each instance, if such contract or document is filed as an exhibit, reference is made to the informational requirementscopy of such contract or other document filed as an exhibit to the registration statement, each statement being qualified in all respects by such reference. The SEC maintains an internet site at http://www.sec.gov, from which interested persons can electronically access the registration statement, including the exhibits and any schedules thereto. Copies of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange Act"). As a result ofregistration statement, including the offering of the shares of our common stock, weexhibits and schedules thereto, are also available at your request, without charge, from:

                      Warner Music Group Corp.

                      1633 Broadway

                      New York, NY 10019

                      Attention: Investor Relations

                      We will becomebe subject to the informational requirements of the Exchange Act and, in accordance therewith,accordingly, will file annual reports containing financial statements audited by an independent registered public accounting firm, quarterly reports containing unaudited financial statements, current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. The registration statement, suchYou may inspect and copy these reports, proxy statements and other information can be inspected and copiedwithout charge at the Public Reference RoomSEC’s website. You may also access, free of charge, our reports filed with the SEC (for example, our Annual Reports on Form10-K, our Quarterly Reports on Form10-Q and our Current Reports on Form8-K and any amendments to those forms) through our website (investors.wmg.com). Reports filed with or furnished to the SEC will be available as soon as reasonably practicable after they are filed with or furnished to the SEC. None of the SEC located at Room 1024, Judiciary Plaza, 450 Fifth Street, N.W., Washington D.C. 20549. Copies of such materials, including copies of allinformation contained on, or that may be accessed through our websites or any portionother website identified herein is part of, the registration statement, canor incorporated into, this prospectus. All website addresses in this prospectus are intended to be obtained from the Public Reference Room of the SEC at prescribed rates. You can call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 to obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room. Such materials may also be accessed electronically by means of the SEC's home page on the Internet (http://www.sec.gov).inactive textual references only.



                      WARNER MUSIC GROUP CORP.
                      (formerly known as WMG Parent Corp.)

                      INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED AND COMBINED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS


                      Contents


                      Audited Financial Statements:


                        


                      Reports

                      Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm on Consolidated Financial Statements


                        

                      F-2

                      Consolidated and Combined Balance Sheets as of September 30, 20042019 and NovemberSeptember  30, 20032018


                        

                      F-4
                      F-3

                      Consolidated and Combined Statements of Operations for the Seven MonthsFiscal Years Ended September 30, 2004, Three Months Ended February 29, 2004, Ten Months2019, September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017

                      F-4

                      Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income for the Fiscal Years Ended September 30, 20032019, September 30, 2018 and Years Ended NovemberSeptember 30, 2003 and 20022017


                        

                      F-5

                      Consolidated and Combined Statements of Cash Flows for the Seven MonthsFiscal Years Ended September 30, 2004, Three Months Ended February 29, 2004, Ten Months2019, September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017

                      F-6

                      Consolidated Statements of (Deficit) Equity for the Fiscal Years Ended September 30, 20032019, September 30, 2018 and Years Ended NovemberSeptember 30, 2003 and 20022017


                        

                      F-7

                      Consolidated and Combined Statements of Shareholders' and Group Equity for the Seven Months Ended September 30, 2004, Three Months Ended February 29, 2004 and Years Ended November 30, 2003 and 2002


                      F-8

                      Notes to Consolidated and Combined Audited Financial Statements


                        

                      F-10
                      F-8

                      Schedule I—Warner Music Group Corp. Condensed

                      Quarterly Financial Statements (Parent Only)Information


                        

                      F-68
                      F-49

                      Supplementary Information—Consolidating Financial Statements

                      F-51

                      Audited Consolidated Financial Statement Schedules:

                      Schedule II—Valuation and Qualifying Accounts


                        

                      F-73
                      F-63

                      Unaudited Interim Financial Statements:


                        


                      Consolidated Balance Sheets as of DecemberMarch 31, 20042020 and September 30, 20042019


                        

                      F-74
                      F-64

                      Consolidated and Combined Statements of Operations for the Three and Six Months Ended DecemberMarch 31, 20042020 and 20032019


                        

                      F-75
                      F-65

                      Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income for the Three and CombinedSix Months Ended March 31, 2020 and 2019

                      F-66

                      Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the ThreeSix Months Ended DecemberMarch 31, 20042020 and 20032019


                        

                      F-76
                      F-67

                      Consolidated and Combined Statements of Shareholders' and Group EquityDeficit for the Three and Six Months Ended DecemberMarch 31, 20042020 and 20032019


                        

                      F-77
                      F-68

                      Notes to Consolidated and Combined Interim Financial Statements


                        

                      F-78
                      F-70

                      Supplementary Information—Consolidating Financial Statements

                      F-93



                      Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

                      TheTo the Stockholders and Board of Directors and Shareholders of Warner Music Group Corp. (formerly known as WMG Parent Corp.):

                      Opinion on the Consolidated Financial Statements

                      We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheetsheets of Warner Music Group Corp. (formerly known as WMG Parent Corp.)and subsidiaries (the "Company")Company) as of September 30, 2004, as defined in Note 2,2019 and 2018, the related consolidated statements of operations, shareholders'comprehensive income, cash flows, and (deficit) equity, for each of the years in the three-year period ended September 30, 2019, and the related notes, and the related supplementary information, and financial statement schedule II as listed in the accompanying index (collectively, the consolidated financial statements). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of September 30, 2019 and 2018, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the seven monthsyears in the three-year period ended September 30, 2004. Our audit also included2019, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

                      Change in Accounting Principle

                      As discussed in Note 2 to the financial statement schedule listed in the Index at Item 16(b). Theseconsolidated financial statements, and schedulethe Company has changed its method of accounting for revenue recognition as of October 1, 2018 due to the adoption of ASC Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers.

                      Basis for Opinion

                      These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company'sCompany’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these consolidated financial statements and schedules based on our audit.audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

                      We conducted our auditaudits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Broad (United States).PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement. Wemisstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were notwe engaged to perform, an audit of the Company'sits internal control over financial reporting. Our audit included considerationAs part of our audits, we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting as a basis for designing audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company'sCompany’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion. An audit also includes

                      Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence supportingregarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements, assessingstatements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, andas well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

                              In our opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects,presentation of the consolidated financial position of the Company at September 30, 2004, and the consolidated results of its operations and its cash flows for the seven months ended September 30, 2004, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. Also, in our opinion, the related financial statement schedule, when considered in relation to the basic financial statements taken as a whole, present fairly in all material respects the information set forth therein.

                              Our audit was conducted for the purpose of forming an opinion on the financial statements taken as a whole. The condensed consolidated financial statements are presented for purposes of additional analysis and is not a required part of the financial statements. Such information has been subjected to the auditing procedures applied in our audit of the financial statements and, in our opinion, is fairly stated in all material respects in relation to the basic financial statements taken as a whole.

                      /s/  ERNST & YOUNG LLP      

                      March 10, 2005, except as to Note 26 as the date is    , 2005
                      New York, New York

                      The foregoing report is in the form that will be signed upon the completion of the restatement of capital accounts described in Note 26 to the consolidated financial statements.

                      /s/  ERNST & YOUNG LLP      

                      April 15, 2005
                      New York, New York



                      Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

                      The Shareholder of Warner Music Group Corp. (formerly known as WMG Parent Corp.)

                              We have audited the accompanying combined balance sheet of Warner Music Group Corp. (formerly known as WMG Parent Corp.) ("Old WMG") as of November 30, 2003 (Predecessor Basis), as defined in Note 2, and the related combined statements of operations, group equity, and cash flows for the three months ended February 29, 2004 (Predecessor Basis) and each of the two years ended November 30, 2003 (Predecessor Basis). Our audit also included the financial statement schedule listed in the Index at Item 15(a). These financial statements and schedule are the responsibility of Old WMG's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements and schedule based on our audits.

                              We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. We were not engaged to perform an audit of the Company's internal control over financial reporting. Our audits included consideration of the internal control over financial reporting as a basis for designing audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company's internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion. An audit also includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, and evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinions.opinion.

                              In our opinion,/s/ KPMG LLP

                      We have served as the financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the combined financial position of Old WMG at November 30, 2003 (Predecessor Basis), and the combined results of its operations and its cash flows for the three months ended February 29, 2004 (Predecessor Basis), and each of the two years ended November 30, 2003 (Predecessor Basis), in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. Also, in our opinion, the related financial statement schedule, when considered in relation to the basic financial statements taken as a whole, present fairly in all material respects the information set forth therein.Company’s auditor since 2015.

                              Our audits were conducted for the purpose of forming an opinion on the financial statements taken as a whole. The condensed consolidating financial statements are presented for purposes of additional analysis and are not a required part of the financial statements. Such information has been subjected to the auditing procedures applied in our audits of the financial statements and, in our opinion, is fairly stated in all material respects in relation to the basic financial statements taken as whole.

                      March 10, 2005
                      New York, New York


                      November 27, 2019, except as to the earnings per share paragraph in Note 2 which is dated February 6, 2020, and except as to per share and share information and the common stock paragraph in Note 2 which is dated May 7, 2020


                      Warner Music Group Corp.
                      (formerly known as WMG Parent Corp.)

                      Consolidated and Combined Balance Sheets

                       
                       Successor
                       Predecessor
                       
                       
                       September 30, 2004
                       November 30, 2003
                       
                       
                       (in millions)

                       
                      Assets       
                      Current assets:       
                       Cash and equivalents(b) $555 $144 
                       Accounts receivable, less allowances of $222 and $291 million(a)  571  736 
                       Inventories  65  61 
                       Royalty advances expected to be recouped within one year  223  245 
                       Deferred tax assets  38  230 
                       Other current assets  86  90 
                        
                       
                       
                      Total current assets  1,538  1,506 

                      Royalty advances expected to be recouped after one year

                       

                       

                      223

                       

                       

                      266

                       
                      Investments  8  10 
                      Property, plant and equipment, net  189  221 
                      Goodwill  978   
                      Intangible assets subject to amortization, net  1,937  2,431 
                      Intangible assets not subject to amortization  100  24 
                      Other assets  117  26 
                        
                       
                       
                      Total assets $5,090 $4,484 
                        
                       
                       

                      Liabilities and Shareholder's and Group Equity

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       
                      Current liabilities:       
                       Accounts payable $226 $285 
                       Accrued royalties  1,003  959 
                       Taxes and other withholdings, including $3 million due to Time Warner-affiliated companies in 2003  10  34 
                       Current portion of long-term debt  12   
                       Note payable to shareholders  342   
                       Other current liabilities  587  367 
                        
                       
                       
                      Total current liabilities  2,180  1,645 

                      Long-term debt

                       

                       

                      1,828

                       

                       

                      120

                       
                      Deferred tax liabilities, net  265  952 
                      Other noncurrent liabilities  333  180 
                      Minority interest in preferred stock of subsidiary  204   
                        
                       
                       
                      Total liabilities  4,810  2,897 
                        
                       
                       

                      Shareholders' and group equity:

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       
                       Common stock ($0.001 par value; 500,000,000 shares authorized; 114,115,176 shares issued and outstanding)     
                       Additional paid-in capital(b)  512   
                       Retained earnings (deficit)  (238)  
                       Accumulated other comprehensive income, net  6   
                       Group equity    2,347 
                       Due from Time Warner-affiliated companies, net    (760)
                        
                       
                       
                      Total shareholders' and group equity(b)  280  1,587 
                        
                       
                       

                      Total liabilities and shareholders' and group equity

                       

                      $

                      5,090

                       

                      $

                      4,484

                       
                        
                       
                       

                      (a)
                      Accounts receivable includes an approximate $32 million receivable from Time Warner at September 30, 2004. In addition, accounts receivable at November 30, 2003 includes an approximate $196 million retained beneficial interest in a Time Warner-affiliated, qualifying special-purpose entity used in connection with Time Warner's accounts receivable securitization program (see Note 25).

                      (b)
                      Subsequent to September 30, 2004, a dividend was declared and paid, which had the effect of reducing each of cash and equivalents and shareholders' equity by $43 million. After giving effect to this subsequent payment, cash and equivalents, additional paid-in-capital and shareholders' equity reflected in the above balance sheet at September 30, 2004 were $512 million, $470 million and $238 million, respectively. Further, prior to the completion of the initial public offering of the Company's common stock as discussed in Note 26, the Company intends to declare dividends of $157 million, of which $10 million relates to dividends on unvested shares of restricted stock which will be paid at a later date when, and if, such restricted stock vests. When such dividends are declared and paid, it would have the effect of further reducing cash and equivalents, additional paid-in-capital and the shareholders' equity by $157 million.


                         September 30,
                      2019
                        September 30,
                      2018
                       
                         (in millions) 

                      Assets

                         

                      Current assets:

                         

                      Cash and equivalents

                        $619  $514 

                      Accounts receivable, net of allowances of $17 million and $45 million

                         775   447 

                      Inventories

                         74   42 

                      Royalty advances expected to be recouped within one year

                         170   123 

                      Prepaid and other current assets

                         53   50 
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total current assets

                         1,691   1,176 

                      Royalty advances expected to be recouped after one year

                         208   153 

                      Property, plant and equipment, net

                         300   229 

                      Goodwill

                         1,761   1,692 

                      Intangible assets subject to amortization, net

                         1,723   1,851 

                      Intangible assets not subject to amortization

                         151   154 

                      Deferred tax assets, net

                         38   11 

                      Other assets

                         145   78 
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total assets

                        $6,017  $5,344 
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Liabilities and Equity

                         

                      Current liabilities:

                         

                      Accounts payable

                        $260  $281 

                      Accrued royalties

                         1,567   1,396 

                      Accrued liabilities

                         492   423 

                      Accrued interest

                         34   31 

                      Deferred revenue

                         180   208 

                      Other current liabilities

                         286   34 
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total current liabilities

                         2,819   2,373 

                      Long-term debt

                         2,974   2,819 

                      Deferred tax liabilities, net

                         172   165 

                      Other noncurrent liabilities

                         321   307 
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total liabilities

                        $6,286  $5,664 
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Equity:

                         

                      Class A common stock ($0.001 par value; 1,000,000,000 shares authorized; 0 and 0 shares issued and outstanding as of September 30, 2019 and September 30, 2018, respectively)

                        $—    $—   

                      Class B common stock ($0.001 par value; 1,000,000,000 shares authorized; 505,830,022 and 501,991,944 shares issued and outstanding as of September 30, 2019 and September 30, 2018, respectively)

                         1   1 

                      Additionalpaid-in capital

                         1,127   1,127 

                      Accumulated deficit

                         (1,177  (1,272

                      Accumulated other comprehensive loss, net

                         (240  (190
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total Warner Music Group Corp. deficit

                         (289  (334

                      Noncontrolling interest

                         20   14 
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total equity

                         (269  (320
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total liabilities and equity

                        $6,017  $5,344 
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      See accompanying notes.
                      notes



                      Warner Music Group Corp.
                      (formerly known as WMG Parent Corp.)

                      Consolidated and Combined Statements of Operations

                       
                        
                       Predecessor
                       
                       
                       Successor
                       
                       
                        
                        
                       Years Ended November 30,
                       
                       
                       Seven Months
                      Ended
                      September 30,
                      2004

                       Three Months
                      Ended
                      February 29,
                      2004

                       Ten Months
                      Ended
                      September 30,
                      2003

                       
                       
                       2003
                       2002
                       
                       
                       (audited)

                       (audited)

                       (unaudited)

                       (audited)

                       (audited)

                       
                       
                       (in millions, except per share data)

                       
                      Revenues(b) $1,769 $779 $2,487 $3,376 $3,290 
                      Costs and expenses:                
                       Cost of revenues(a)(b)  (944) (415) (1,449) (1,940) (1,873)
                       Selling, general and administrative expenses(a)(b)  (677) (319) (995) (1,286) (1,282)
                       Impairment of goodwill and other intangible assets        (1,019) (1,500)
                       Amortization of intangible assets  (104) (56) (201) (242) (182)
                       Loss on sale of physical distribution assets (Note 7)      (12) (12)  
                       Restructuring (costs) income, net(c)  (26)   (27) (35) 5 
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                      Total costs and expenses  (1,751) (790) (2,684) (4,534) (4,832)
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       

                      Operating income (loss)

                       

                       

                      18

                       

                       

                      (11

                      )

                       

                      (197

                      )

                       

                      (1,158

                      )

                       

                      (1,542

                      )

                      Interest expense, net(b)

                       

                       

                      (80

                      )

                       

                      (2

                      )

                       

                      (5

                      )

                       

                      (5

                      )

                       

                      (23

                      )
                      Net investment-related (losses) gains      (17) (26) 42 
                      Equity in the losses of equity-method investees, net  (2) (2) (32) (41) (42)
                      Deal-related transaction and other costs      (7) (70)  
                      Loss on repayment of bridge loan  (6)        
                      Unrealized loss on warrants  (120)        
                      Other expense, net(b)  (4)   (10) (17) (5)
                      Minority interest expense  (14)        
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                      Loss before income taxes and cumulative effect of accounting change  (208) (15) (268) (1,317) (1,570)
                      Income tax (expense) benefit  (30) (17) 29  (36) 340 
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                      Loss before cumulative effect of accounting change  (238) (32) (239) (1,353) (1,230)
                      Cumulative effect of accounting change          (4,796)
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                      Net loss $(238)$(32)$(239)$(1,353)$(6,026)
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                      Pro forma net loss per common share:                
                       Basic $(2.21)            
                        
                                   
                       Diluted $(2.21)            
                        
                                   
                      Pro forma average common shares:                
                       Basic  107.5             
                        
                                   
                       Diluted  107.5             
                        
                                   



                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       
                      (a) Includes depreciation expense of: $(36)$(16)$(71)$(86)$(67)
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       

                         Fiscal Year Ended
                      September 30,
                      2019
                        Fiscal Year Ended
                      September 30,
                      2018
                        Fiscal Year Ended
                      September 30,
                      2017
                       
                         (in millions, except share and per share amounts) 

                      Revenues

                        $4,475  $4,005  $3,576 

                      Costs and expenses:

                          

                      Cost of revenue

                         (2,401  (2,171  (1,931

                      Selling, general and administrative expenses (a)

                         (1,510  (1,411  (1,222

                      Amortization expense

                         (208  (206  (201
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total costs and expenses

                         (4,119  (3,788  (3,354
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Operating income

                         356   217   222 

                      Loss on extinguishment of debt

                         (7  (31  (35

                      Interest expense, net

                         (142  (138  (149

                      Other income (expense)

                         60   394   (40
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Income (loss) before income taxes

                         267   442   (2

                      Income tax (expense) benefit

                         (9  (130  151 
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Net income

                         258   312   149 

                      Less: Income attributable to noncontrolling interest

                         (2  (5  (6
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Net income attributable to Warner Music Group Corp.

                        $256  $307  $143 
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      (a) Includes depreciation expense of:

                        $(61 $(55 $(50
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Net income per share attributable to Warner Music Group Corp.’s stockholders:

                          

                      Basic and Diluted

                        $0.51  $0.61  $0.29 

                      Weighted average common shares:

                          

                      Basic and Diluted

                         501,991,944   502,630,835   503,392,885 

                      See accompanying notes.notes


                      (b)
                      Includes the following income (expenses) resulting from transactions with related companies (see Note 21):

                       
                        
                        
                        
                       Years Ended November 30,
                       
                       
                        
                       Predecessor
                       
                       
                       Successor
                       
                       
                       Three Months
                      Ended
                      February 29,
                      2004

                       Ten Months
                      Ended
                      September 30,
                      2003

                        
                        
                       
                       
                       Seven Months
                      Ended September 30,
                      2004

                       2003
                       2002
                       
                       
                       (audited)

                       (audited)

                       (unaudited)

                       (audited)

                       (audited)

                       
                       
                       (in millions)

                       
                      Revenues $ $4 $35 $56 $60 
                      Cost of revenues    (2) (195) (239) (233)
                      Selling, general and administrative expenses  (10) (12) (114) (144) (143)
                      Interest expense, net    1  8  10  (3)
                      Other expense, net      (10) (17) (4)
                      Minority interest expense  (14)        
                      (c)
                      Restructuring income in 2002 relates to a $12 million reversal of non-merger related restructuring charges recognized in a prior period as a result of either the planned action not ultimately occurring or actual costs being less than originally estimated. Such amount was offset by other non-merger related restructuring charges incurred during the period of $7 million (see Note 12).

                      See accompanying notes.


                      Warner Music Group Corp.
                      (formerly known as WMG Parent

                      Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income

                         Fiscal Year Ended
                      September 30,
                      2019
                        Fiscal Year Ended
                      September 30,
                      2018
                        Fiscal Year Ended
                      September 30,
                      2017
                       
                         (in millions) 

                      Net income

                        $258  $312  $149 

                      Other comprehensive (loss) income, net of tax:

                          

                      Foreign currency adjustment

                         (34  (13  30 

                      Deferred (loss) gain on derivative financial instruments

                         (11  3   —   

                      Minimum pension liability

                         (5  1   7 
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Other comprehensive (loss) income, net of tax

                         (50  (9  37 
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total comprehensive income

                         208   303   186 

                      Less: Income attributable to noncontrolling interest

                         (2  (5  (6
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Comprehensive income attributable to Warner Music Group Corp.

                        $206  $298  $180 
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      See accompanying notes

                      Warner Music Group Corp.)

                      Consolidated and Combined Statements of Cash Flows

                       
                        
                       Predecessor
                       
                       
                        
                        
                        
                       Years Ended November 30,
                       
                       
                       Successor
                       Predecessor
                       
                       
                       Seven Months
                      Ended
                      September 30,
                      2004

                       Three Months
                      Ended
                      February 29,
                      2004

                       Ten Months
                      Ended
                      September 30,
                      2003

                       2003
                       2002
                       
                       
                       (audited)

                       (audited)

                       (unaudited)

                       (audited)

                       (audited)

                       
                       
                        
                       
                      (in millions)


                       
                      Cash flows from operating activities                
                      Net loss $(238)$(32)$(239)$(1,353)$(6,026)
                      Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities:                
                       Cumulative effect of accounting change          4,796 
                       Impairment of goodwill and other intangible assets        1,019  1,500 
                       Depreciation and amortization  140  72  272  328  249 
                       Deferred taxes  8  (4) (79) (19) (394)
                       Loss on sale of physical distribution assets      12  12   
                       Loss on repayment of bridge loan  6         
                       Non-cash interest expense  19  2  10  11  17 
                       Net investment-related losses (gains)      17  26  (42)
                       Equity in the losses of equity-method investees, including distributions  3  2  35  44  43 
                       Unrealized loss on warrants  120         
                       Minority interest expense  14         
                       Changes in operating assets and liabilities:                
                        Accounts receivable  (33) 387  275  (121) 90 
                        Inventories  (10) 6  24  12  17 
                        Royalty advances  77  (4) 38  111  (30)
                        Accounts payable and accrued liabilities  (23) (109) (116) 169  (174)
                        Other balance sheet changes  3  1  8  39  (59)
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                      Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities(a)  86  321  257  278  (13)
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                      Cash flows from investing activities                
                      Acquisition of Old WMG(b)  (2,638)        
                      Other investments and acquisitions  (10) (2) (43) (52) (1,102)
                      Investment proceeds    19    38  825 
                      Capital expenditures  (15) (3) (30) (51) (88)
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                      Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities  (2,663) 14  (73) (65) (365)
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                      Cash flows from financing activities                
                      Borrowings  2,348    114  114   
                      Financing costs of borrowings  (99)        
                      Debt repayments  (631) (124) (101) (101)  
                      Capital contributions    262  132  132   
                      Proceeds from the issuance of Class A Common Stock(b)  85         
                      Proceeds from the issuance of Class L Common Stock(b)�� 765         
                      Proceeds from issuance of subsidiary preferred stock  400         
                      Repurchase of subsidiary preferred stock  (202)        
                      Proceeds from the issuance of restricted shares of Class A Common Stock  3         
                      Decrease (increase) in amounts due from Time Warner-affiliated companies    194  (293) (195) 416 
                      Dividends paid to minority interest on subsidiary preferred stock or to Time Warner for predecessor periods  (8) (342)   (68) (31)
                      Principal payments on capital lease      (3) (3)  
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                      Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities  2,661  (10) (151) (121) 385 
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                      Effect of foreign currency exchange rate changes on cash    2  6  11   
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                      Net increase in cash and equivalents  84  327  39  103  7 
                      Cash and equivalents at beginning of period  471  144  41  41  34 
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                      Cash and equivalents at end of period $555 $471 $80 $144 $41 
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       

                      (a)
                      Net cash used in operating activities for the seven months ended September 30, 2004 includes approximately $105 million of acquisition-related restructuring payments. Net cash used in operating activities for 2002 includes approximately $175 million of one-time payments, principally relating to merger-related restructuring activities.
                      (b)
                      Excludes $35 million of non-cash consideration issued as part of the purchase price paid to Time Warner in the form of warrants.


                        Fiscal Year Ended
                      September 30,
                      2019
                        Fiscal Year Ended
                      September 30,
                      2018
                        Fiscal Year Ended
                      September 30,
                      2017
                       
                        (in millions) 

                      Cash flows from operating activities

                         

                      Net income

                       $258  $312  $149 

                      Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:

                         

                      Depreciation and amortization

                        269   261   251 

                      Unrealized (gains) losses and remeasurement of foreign-denominated loans

                        (28  (3  24 

                      Deferred income taxes

                        (68  66   (192

                      Loss on extinguishment of debt

                        7   31   35 

                      Net (gain) loss on divestitures and investments

                        (20  (389  17 

                      Non-cash interest expense

                        6   6   8 

                      Equity-based compensation expense

                        50   62   70 

                      Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

                         

                      Accounts receivable, net

                        (90  (43  (60

                      Inventories

                        3   (3  1 

                      Royalty advances

                        (110  31   17 

                      Accounts payable and accrued liabilities

                        3   82   48 

                      Royalty payables

                        130   22   136 

                      Accrued interest

                        3   (10  3 

                      Deferred revenue

                        (4  (4  22 

                      Other balance sheet changes

                        (9  4   6 
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Net cash provided by operating activities

                        400   425   535 
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Cash flows from investing activities

                         

                      Acquisition of music publishing rights and music catalogs, net

                        (41  (14  (16

                      Capital expenditures

                        (104  (74  (44

                      Investments and acquisitions of businesses, net of cash received

                        (231  (23  (139

                      Proceeds from the sale of investments

                        —     516   73 
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities

                        (376  405   (126
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Cash flows from financing activities

                         

                      Proceeds from issuance of Acquisition Corp. 4.125% Senior Secured Notes

                        —     —     380 

                      Proceeds from issuance of Acquisition Corp. 4.875% Senior Secured Notes

                        —     —     250 

                      Proceeds from issuance of Acquisition Corp. 5.500% Senior Notes

                        —     325   —   

                      Proceeds from supplement of Acquisition Corp. Senior Term Loan Facility

                        —     320   22 

                      Proceeds from issuance of Acquisition Corp. 3.625% Senior Secured Notes

                        514   —     —   

                      Repayment of Acquisition Corp. 4.125% Senior Secured Notes

                        (40  —     —   

                      Repayment of Acquisition Corp. 4.875% Senior Secured Notes

                        (30  —     —   

                      Repayment of Acquisition Corp. 5.625% Senior Secured Notes

                        (247  —     (28

                      Repayment of Acquisition Corp. 6.000% Senior Secured Notes

                        —     —     (450

                      Repayment of Acquisition Corp. 6.250% Senior Secured Notes

                        —     —     (173

                      Repayment of and redemption deposit for Acquisition Corp. 6.750% Senior Notes

                        —     (635  —   

                      Call premiums paid and deposit on early redemption of debt

                        (5  (23  (27

                      Deferred financing costs paid

                        (7  (12  (13

                      Distribution to noncontrolling interest holder

                        (3  (5  (5

                      Dividends paid

                        (94  (925  (84
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities

                        88   (955  (128
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and equivalents

                        (7  (8  7 
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Net increase (decrease) in cash and equivalents

                        105   (133  288 

                      Cash and equivalents at beginning of period

                        514   647   359 
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Cash and equivalents at end of period

                       $619  $514  $647 
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      See accompanying notes.
                      notes



                      Warner Music Group Corp.
                      (formerly known as WMG Parent Corp.)

                      Consolidated and Combined Statements of Shareholders' and Group(Deficit) Equity

                       
                       Common Stock
                        
                        
                        
                        
                       Due from Time
                      Warner-
                      Affiliated
                      Companies,
                      net

                       Total
                      Shareholders'
                      and
                      Group
                      Equity

                       
                       
                        
                        
                       Accumulated
                      Other
                      Comprehensive
                      Income (Loss)

                        
                       
                       
                       Common
                      Shares

                       Par
                       Additional
                      Paid-in
                      Capital

                       Retained
                      Earnings

                       Group
                      Equity

                       
                       
                       (in millions, except number of common shares)

                       
                      Predecessor                        
                      Balance at November 30, 2001  $ $ $ $ $15,569 $(981)$14,588 
                      Comprehensive loss:                        
                       Net loss(a)           (6,026)   (6,026)
                       Foreign currency translation adjustment           17    17 
                       Deferred losses on foreign exchange contracts           (8)   (8)
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                      Total comprehensive loss           (6,017)   (6,017)
                      Reallocation of goodwill to other segments of Time Warner upon the initial adoption of FAS 142           (5,942)   (5,942)
                      Tax benefits on stock options exercised           2    2 
                      Decrease in amounts due from Time Warner-affiliated companies, net             416  416 
                      Dividends           (31)   (31)
                      Other           (15)   (15)
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                      Balance at November 30, 2002           3,566  (565) 3,001 
                      Comprehensive loss:                        
                       Net loss(a)           (1,353)   (1,353)
                       Foreign currency translation adjustment           68    68 
                       Deferred gains on foreign exchange contracts           4    4 
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                      Total comprehensive loss           (1,281)   (1,281)
                      Reduction in tax benefits on stock options exercised           (2)   (2)
                      Increase in amounts due from Time Warner-affiliated companies, net             (195) (195)
                      Capital contributions           132    132 
                      Dividends           (68)   (68)
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                      Balance at November 30, 2003           2,347  (760) 1,587 
                      Comprehensive loss:                        
                       Net loss           (32)   (32)
                       Foreign currency translation adjustment           21    21 
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                      Total comprehensive loss           (11)   (11)
                      Decrease in amounts due from Time Warner-affiliated companies, net             325  325 
                      Capital contributions           262    262 
                      Dividends           (969) 497  (472)
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                      Balance at February 29, 2004  $ $ $ $ $1,629 $62 $1,691 
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       

                      (a)
                      Net loss for 2003 includes an approximate $1.019 billion impairment charge to reduce the carrying value of goodwill, trademarks and other intangible assets in the fourth quarter of 2003. In addition, net loss for 2002 includes a $4.8 billion impairment charge to reduce the carrying value of goodwill upon the initial adoption of FAS 142 and a $1.5 billion impairment charge to reduce the carrying value of goodwill and other intangible assets in the fourth quarter of 2002 (see Note 11).

                        Class A
                      Common Stock
                        Class B
                      Common Stock
                        Additional
                      Paid-in
                      Capital
                        Accumulated
                      Deficit
                        Accumulated
                      Other
                      Comprehensive
                      Loss
                        Total
                      Warner Music
                      Group Corp.
                      Equity
                        Noncontrolling
                      Interest
                        Total
                      (Deficit)
                      Equity
                       
                        Shares  Value  Shares  Value 
                        (in millions, except share and share amounts) 

                      Balance at September 30, 2016

                        —    $—     503,392,885  $1  $1,127  $(715 $(218 $195  $15  $210 

                      Net income

                        —     —     —     —     —     143   —     143   6   149 

                      Dividends ($0.17 per share)

                        —     —     —     —     —     (84  —     (84  —     (84

                      Other comprehensive income, net of tax

                        —     —     —     —     —     —     37   37   —     37 

                      Disposal of noncontrolling interest related to divestiture

                        —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     (3  (3

                      Distribution to noncontrolling interest holders

                        —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     (5  (5

                      Other

                        —     —     —     —     —     2   —     2   2   4 
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Balance at September 30, 2017

                        —    $—     503,392,885  $1  $1,127  $(654 $(181 $293  $15  $308 
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Net income

                        —     —     —     —     —     307   —     307   5   312 

                      Dividends ($1.84 per share)

                        —     —     —     —     —     (925  —     (925  —     (925

                      Other comprehensive loss, net of tax

                        —     —     —     —     —     —     (9  (9  —     (9

                      Distribution to noncontrolling interest holders

                        —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     (6  (6

                      Other

                        —     —     (1,400,941  —     —     —     —     —     —     —   
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Balance at September 30, 2018

                        —    $—     501,991,944  $1  $1,127  $(1,272 $(190 $(334 $14  $(320
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Cumulative effect of ASC 606 adoption

                        —     —     —     —     —     139   —     139   11   150 

                      Net income

                        —     —     —     —     —     256   —     256   2   258 

                      Dividends ($0.59 per share)

                        —     —     —     —     —     (300  —     (300  —     (300

                      Other comprehensive loss, net of tax

                        —     —     —     —     —     —     (50  (50  —     (50

                      Distribution to noncontrolling interest holders

                        —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     (3  (3

                      Other

                        —     —     3,838,078   —     —     —     —     —     (4  (4
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Balance at September 30, 2019

                        —    $—     505,830,022  $1  $1,127  $(1,177 $(240 $(289 $20  $(269
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      See accompanying notes.notes


                       
                       Common Stock
                        
                        
                        
                        
                        
                        
                       
                       
                        
                        
                       Accumulated
                      Other
                      Comprehensive
                      Income (Loss)

                        
                       Due from Time
                      Warner-
                      Affiliated
                      Companies, net

                       Total
                      Shareholders'
                      and
                      Group Equity

                       
                       
                       Common
                      Shares

                       Par
                       Additional
                      Paid-in
                      Capital

                       Retained
                      Earnings

                       Group
                      Equity

                       
                       
                       (in millions, except number of common shares)

                       
                      Successor                        
                      Balance at February 29, 2004—Predecessor  $ $ $ $ $1,629 $62 $1,691 
                      Adjustments to record the Acquisition:                        
                       Transfer of excluded net liabilities to Time Warner           12  (12)  
                       Elimination of historical equity balances           (1,641) (50) (1,691)
                       Capital contribution to fund a portion of the purchase price of Old WMG 107,544,922    850          850 
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                      Balance at March 1, 2004, adjusted to give effect to the Acquisition 107,544,922    850          850 
                      Comprehensive loss:                        
                        Net loss          (238)          (238)
                        Foreign currency translation adjustment             10        10 
                        Deferred loses on derivative financial instruments             (4)       (4)
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       Total comprehensive loss          (238) 6        (232)
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                      Return of capital     (342)         (342)
                      Issuance of stock options and restricted shares of Class A Common Stock 6,570,254    3          3 
                      Other     1          1 
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                      Balance at September 30, 2004 114,115,176 $ $512 $(238)$6 $ $ $280 
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       

                      See accompanying notes.



                      Warner Music Group Corp.
                      (formerly known as WMG Parent Corp.)

                      Notes to Consolidated and CombinedAudited Financial Statements

                      1. Description of Business

                      Warner Music Group Corp. (formerly known as Warner Music Group Parent Corp.) (the "Company" or "Parent"“Company”) was formed by a private equity consortium of Investors (the "Investor Group") on November 21, 2003. The Company is the direct parent of WMG Holdings Corp. ("Holdings"(“Holdings”), which is the direct parent of WMG Acquisition Corp. ("New WMG" or "Acquisition(“Acquisition Corp."). New WMGAcquisition Corp. is one of the world'sworld’s major music companies and the successorentertainment companies.

                      Acquisition of Warner Music Group by Access Industries

                      Pursuant to the interestsAgreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of May 6, 2011 (the “Merger Agreement”), by and among the Company, AI Entertainment Holdings LLC (formerly Airplanes Music LLC), a Delaware limited liability company (“Parent”) and an affiliate of Access Industries, Inc. (“Access”), and Airplanes Merger Sub, Inc., a Delaware corporation and a wholly owned subsidiary of Parent (“Merger Sub”), on July 20, 2011 (the “Merger Closing Date”), Merger Sub merged with and into the Company with the Company surviving as a wholly owned subsidiary of Parent (the “Merger”). In connection with the Merger, the Company delisted its common stock from the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”). The Company continues to voluntarily file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) current and periodic reports that would be required to be filed with the SEC pursuant to Section 15(d) of the recorded music and music publishing businessesSecurities Exchange Act of Time Warner Inc. ("Time Warner"1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Such predecessor interests formerly as provided for in certain covenants contained in the instruments covering its outstanding indebtedness. All of the Company’s common stock is owned by Time Warner are hereinafter referred to as "Old WMG" or the "Predecessor." Effective March 1, 2004, WMG Acquisition Corp. acquired Old WMG from Time Warner for approximately $2.6 billion (the "Acquisition").affiliates of Access.

                              The Company classifies its business interests into two fundamental areas: recorded music and music publishing. A brief description of those operations is presented below.

                      Recorded Music Operations

                              The Company's recorded music operations consistOur Recorded Music business primarily consists of the discovery and development of recording artists and the related marketing, promotion, distribution, sale and distributionlicensing of music created by such recording artists. We play an integral role in virtually all aspects of the recorded music produced by such artists. value chain from discovering and developing talent to producing, distributing and selling music to marketing and promoting recording artists and their music.

                      In the United States, the Company's operations areour Recorded Music business is conducted principally through itsour major record labels—Warner Bros. Records, The Atlantic Records and Warner Records. In October 2018, we launched Elektra Music Group and Word Entertainment. Internationally, the Company's recorded music operations are conducted through its Warner Music International division ("WMI") in over 50 countries outside the United States through various subsidiaries, affiliatesas a standalone label group, which comprises the Elektra, Fueled by Ramen and non-affiliated licensees. The Company's current roster of recording artistsRoadrunner labels. Our Recorded Music business also includes among others, Cher, Enya, Eric Clapton, Faith Hill, Josh Groban, Kid Rock, Linkin Park, Luis Miguel, Madonna, matchbox twenty, Metallica, Phil Collins and Red Hot Chili Peppers.

                              The Company's recorded music operations also includeRhino Entertainment, a catalog division called Warner Strategic Marketing ("WSM"). WSMthat specializes in marketing the Company'sour recorded music catalog through compilations, and reissuances of previously released music and video titles as welland releasing previously unreleased material from our vault. We also conduct our Recorded Music business through a collection of additional record labels including Asylum, Big Beat, Canvasback, East West, Erato, FFRR, Nonesuch, Parlophone, Reprise, Sire, Spinnin’ Records, Warner Classics and Warner Music Nashville.

                      Outside the United States, our Recorded Music business is conducted in more than 60 countries through various subsidiaries, affiliates andnon-affiliated licensees. Internationally, we engage in the same activities as in the licensingUnited States: discovering and signing artists and distributing, selling, marketing and promoting their music. In most cases, we also market, promote, distribute and sell the music of tracks to/from third partiesthose recording artists for various uses, including filmwhom our domestic record labels have international rights. In certain smaller markets, we license the right to distribute and television soundtracks.sell our music tonon-affiliated third-party record labels.

                              The Company's principal recorded-musicOur Recorded Music business’ distribution operations include Warner-Elektra-Atlantic Corporation ("(“WEA Corp."), which primarily markets, distributes and distributessells music and video products to retailers and wholesale distributors in the United States; a 90% interest indistributors; Alternative Distribution Alliance an(“ADA”), which markets, distributes and sells the products of independent distribution company;labels to retail and wholesale distributors; and various distribution centers and ventures operated internationally;internationally.

                      In addition to our music being sold in physical retail outlets, our music is also sold in physical form to online physical retailers, such as Amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com and bestbuy.com, and distributed in digital

                      form to an 80% interestexpanded universe of digital partners, including streaming services such as those of Amazon, Apple, Deezer, SoundCloud, Spotify, Tencent Music Entertainment Group and YouTube, radio services such as iHeart Radio and SiriusXM and download services such as Apple’s iTunes and Google Play.

                      We have integrated the marketing of digital content into all aspects of our business, including artists and repertoire (“A&R”) and distribution. Our business development executives work closely with A&R departments to ensure that while music is being produced, digital assets are also created with all distribution channels in Word Entertainment, whosemind, including streaming services, social networking sites, online portals and music-centered destinations. We also workside-by-side with our online and mobile partners to test new concepts. We believe existing and new digital businesses will be a significant source of growth and will provide new opportunities to successfully monetize our assets and create new revenue streams. The proportion of digital revenues attributable to each distribution operations specializechannel varies by region and proportions may change as the introduction of new technologies continues. As one of the world’s largest music entertainment companies, we believe we are well positioned to take advantage of growth in digital distribution and emerging technologies to maximize the value of our assets.

                      We have diversified our revenues beyond our traditional businesses by entering into expanded-rights deals with recording artists in order to partner with such artists in other aspects of their careers. Under these agreements, we provide services to and participate in recording artists’ activities outside the traditional recorded music business such as touring, merchandising and sponsorships. We have built and acquired artist services capabilities and platforms for marketing and distributing this broader set of music-related rights and participating more widely in the distributionmonetization of music productsthe artist brands we help create. We believe that entering into expanded-rights deals and enhancing our artist services capabilities in the Christian retail marketplace.areas such as merchandising, VIP ticketing, fan clubs, concert promotion and management has permitted us to diversify revenue streams and capitalize on other revenue opportunities. This provides for improved long-term relationships with our recording artists and allows us to more effectively connect recording artists and fans.

                              The principal recorded-music revenue sources to the Company are sales of CDs, digital downloads and other recorded music products, and license fees received for the ancillary uses of its recorded music catalog.

                      Music Publishing Operations

                      While Recorded Music is focused on marketing, promoting, distributing and licensing a particular recording of a musical composition, Music Publishing is an intellectual property business focused on generating revenue from uses of the musical composition itself. In return for promoting, placing, marketing and administering the creative output of a songwriter, or engaging in those activities for other rightsholders, our Music Publishing business garners a share of the revenues generated from use of the musical compositions.

                      The Company'soperations of our Music Publishing business are conducted principally through Warner Chappell Music, our global music publishing company headquartered in Los Angeles with operations include Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.in over 60 countries through various subsidiaries, affiliates and its wholly owned subsidiaries, and certain other music-publishing affiliates of the Company. The Company ownsnon-affiliated licensees. We own or controls thecontrol rights to more than one1.4 million musical compositions, including numerous pop music hits, American standards, folk songs and motion picture and theatrical compositions. ItsAssembled over decades, our award-winning catalog includes works fromover 80,000 songwriters and composers and a diverse range of artistsgenres including pop, rock, jazz, classical, country, R&B,hip-hop, rap, reggae, Latin, folk, blues, symphonic, soul, Broadway, techno, alternative and composers, including Barry Gibb, Cole Porter, Dido,



                      Madonna, Moby, Nickelback, R.E.M. and Staind. The Companygospel. Warner Chappell Music also administers the music and soundtracks of several third-party television and motion picture companies, including Lucasfilm, Ltd.film producers and Hallmark Entertainment.studios. We have an extensive production music catalog collectively branded as Warner Chappell Production Music.

                              The Company's music publishing operations include Warner Bros. Publications U.S. Inc. ("Warner Bros. Publications"), one2. Summary of the world's largest publishers of printed music. Warner Bros. Publications markets publications throughout the world containing works of such artists as Shania Twain, The Grateful Dead and Led Zeppelin. However, in December 2004, the Company entered into an agreement to sell its printed music business to Alfred Publishing Co., Inc. ("Alfred Publishing"). The sale is expected to close in spring 2005 and is subject to customary closing conditions. See Note 7 for additional information.Significant Accounting Policies

                              The principal music-publishing revenue sources to the Company are royalties for the use of its compositions on CDs and DVDs, in television commercials, ring tones, music videos and the Internet; license fees received for the use of its musical compositions on radio, television, in motion pictures and in other public performances; and sales of published sheet music and songbooks.

                      2.    Basis of Presentation

                      New Basis of Presentation

                      The accompanying consolidated and combined financial statements present separately the financial position, results of operations, cash flows and changes in equity for both the Company and its predecessor, Old WMG. As described in further detail in Note 5, Old WMG was acquired by a subsidiary of the Company effective as of March 1, 2004. In connection with the Acquisition, a new accounting basis was established for the Company as of the acquisition date based upon an allocation of the purchase price to the underlying net assets acquired. Financial information for the pre- and post-acquisition periods have been separated by a vertical line on the face of the consolidated and combined financial statements to highlight the fact that the financial information for such periods have been prepared under two different historical-cost bases of accounting.

                      Old Basis of Presentation

                              As previously described, the operations of Old WMG were under the control of Time Warner through the end of February 2004. In January 2001, historic Time Warner was acquired by America Online Inc. ("AOL") in a transaction hereinafter referred to as the "AOL Time Warner Merger". The AOL Time Warner Merger was accounted for under the purchase method of accounting. Under the purchase method ofaccordance with accounting the basis of the historical net assets includedprinciples generally accepted in the accompanying combined financial statements was adjusted, effective asUnited States (“U.S. GAAP”). In the opinion of January 1, 2001, to reflect an allocable portionmanagement, all adjustments (consisting of the purchase price relating to the AOL Time Warner Merger. See Note 6normal recurring accruals) considered necessary for additional information.

                              For all periods prior to the closing of the Acquisition, the accompanying combined financial statements reflect all assets, liabilities, revenues, expenses and cash flows directly attributable to Old WMG. In addition, the accompanying combined financial statements include allocations of certain costs of Time Warner and Old WMG deemed reasonable by the Company's management, in order to present the results of operations, financial position, changes in group equity and cash flows of Old WMG on a stand-alone basis. The principal allocation methodologies are described below. The financial information included herein does not necessarily reflect the results of operations, financial position,



                      changes in group equity and cash flows of Old WMG in the future or what wouldfair presentation have been reflected had Old WMG beenincluded.

                      The Company maintains a separate, stand-alone entity during52-53 week fiscal year ending on the periods presented.last Friday in each reporting period. The income tax benefits and provisions, related tax payments and deferred tax balances have been prepared as if Old WMG operated as a stand-alone taxpayer for the periods presented.

                              For all periods prior to the closing of the Acquisition, certain general and administrative costs incurred by Time Warner have been allocated to the combined financial statements of Old WMG, including pension and other benefit-related costs, insurance-related costs and other general and administrative costs. These cost allocations were determined based on a combination of factors, as appropriate, including Old WMG's pro rata share of the revenues under the management of Old WMG and other more directly attributable methods, such as claim experience for insurance costs and employee-related attributes for pension costs. The costs allocated to the Company are not necessarily indicative of the costs that would have been incurred if Old WMG had obtained such services independently, nor are they indicative of costs that will be charged or incurred in the future. However, management believes that such allocations are reasonable.

                      Fiscal Year

                              In 2004, in connection with the Acquisition, the Company changed its fiscal year-end to September 30 from November 30. As such, financial information for 2004 is presented for a shortened, ten-month transition periodyear ended September 30, 2004. This financial information for 2004 also has been separated into two pre-acquisition and post-acquisition periods as a result of2019 ended on September 27, 2019, the change in accounting basis that occurred relating to the Acquisition. In order to enhance comparability, financial information for the ten-month periodfiscal year ended September 30, 2004 has been supplemented by2018

                      ended on September 28, 2018 and the presentation of unaudited financial information for the ten-month periodfiscal year ended September 30, 2003. Based2017 ended on howSeptember 29, 2017. For convenience purposes, the Company's closing schedule occurred in 2003, the information for the ten-month period endedCompany continues to date its financial statements as of September 30, 2003 consists of 43 weeks, as compared to 44 weeks contained in the ten-month period ended September 30, 2004.30.

                      Basis of Consolidation and Combination

                              Prior to the closing of the Acquisition, the recorded music and music publishing operations of the Company were legally held by multiple subsidiaries and affiliates of Old WMG and Time Warner. As such, theThe accompanying financial statements present thecombined consolidated accounts of such businesses for all periods prior to the Acquisition. After the closing of the Acquisition, New WMG acquired the stock or net assets of those predecessor businesses. Accordingly, the accompanying financial statements present theconsolidated accounts of such businesses for all periods after the closing of the Acquisition. The consolidated accounts include 100% of the assets, liabilities, revenues, expenses, income, losses and cash flows of the Company and all entities in which the Company has a controlling voting interest and/or variable interest entities required to be consolidated in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States ("U.S. GAAP").GAAP. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidationeliminated.

                      Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 810,Consolidation (“ASC 810”) requires the Company first evaluate its investments to determine if any investments qualify as a variable interest entity (“VIE”). A VIE is consolidated if the Company is deemed to be the primary beneficiary of the VIE, which is the party involved with the VIE that has both (i) the power to control the most significant activities of the VIE and combination.

                      Reclassifications

                              Certain reclassifications have been made(ii) either the obligation to absorb losses or the right to receive benefits that could potentially be significant to the prior periods' financial information in order to conform to the current period's presentation.



                      Recapitalization

                              As described further in Note 26, the Company's Board of Directors approved a registration statement on Form S-1VIE. If an entity is not deemed to be filed witha VIE, the SecuritiesCompany consolidates the entity if the Company has a controlling voting interest.

                      Common Stock

                      On February 28, 2020, the Company created new classes of shares (Class A and Exchange Commission in connection with an initial public offering of the Company'sClass B common stock (the "Initial Common Stock Offering").

                              In connection with the Initial Common Stock Offering, the Company's Board of Directors approved (i) to convertstock), and all of the outstanding shares of Class L Common Stockthe Company’s common stock were reclassified into shares of Class A Common Stock, (ii) to rename allB common stock. The shares of the outstandingCompany’s Class A common stock are entitled to one vote per share and the shares of the Company’s Class A Common Stock asB common stock which will have the effect of eliminating from the Company's authorized capitalare entitled to 20 votes per share. Effective on February 28, 2020, there was a 477,242.614671815-for-1 stock the Class L Common Stock and Class A Common Stock and (iii) to authorize a 1,139 for 1 split of the Company'sCompany’s Class B common stock. This stock (collectively,split has been retrospectively presented throughout the "Recapitalization"financial statements.

                      Earnings per Share

                      The consolidated statements of operations present basic and diluted earnings per share (“EPS”).

                              Accordingly, these historical financial statements have been restated to reflect the Recapitalization for all periods occurring after the Acquisition that was effective as of March 1, 2004. Such restatement primarily related to common stock Basic and equivalent shares information,diluted earnings (loss) per share is computed by dividing net income (loss) peravailable to common share computations and stock-based compensation disclosures.

                      Amounts Due To/From Time Warner-Affiliated Companies

                              As described further in Note 21, prior tostockholders by the closingweighted average number of outstanding common shares less shares issued for the exercise of the Acquisition that was effective in March 2004, Old WMG had various commercialdeferred equity units during the period. The deferred equity units are mandatorily redeemable and financing arrangements with Time Warner and its affiliates. To illustrate, Old WMG distributed home video product for Time Warner's filmed entertainment division and Old WMG's financing requirements were funded by Time Warner. Givenas such are excluded from the intercompany nature of these and other arrangements, the related payables and receivables generally were not settled through periodic cash payments and receipts. Accordingly, except as noted below for income taxes, the net amounts due from all transactions with Time Warner-affiliated companies have been classified as a reduction of group equity in the accompanying combined balance sheet for all periods prior to March 2004.

                              With respect to income taxes for all periods prior to the closingdenominator of the Acquisition that was effective in March 2004,basic and diluted EPS calculation. The Company did not have any dilutive securities for the income tax benefits and provisions, related tax payments and deferred tax balances have been prepared as if Old WMG operated as a stand-alone taxpayer. As such, while generally owed to Time Warner or its subsidiaries because Old WMG's taxable results were included in the consolidated income tax returns of Time Warner or its subsidiaries, all current and deferred tax liabilities for those periods have been classified as liabilities in the accompanying combined balance sheet as of November 30, 2003.

                              In connection with the Acquisition, substantially all of the intercompany receivables and payables between Old WMG and Time Warner and its affiliates were settled, and any receivables and payables that existed between the parties as ofended September 30, 2004 have been presented as third-party balances in the accompanying consolidated balance sheet. In addition, with respect to taxes, Time Warner assumed all of the underlying tax obligations of Old WMG for all periods prior to the closing of the Acquisition. As such, all historical current and deferred tax assets and liabilities that existed as of the closing date of the Acquisition were transferred to Time Warner. Current and deferred tax assets and liabilities that existed as of2019, September 30, 2004 are third-party in nature2018 and have been presented as such in the accompanying consolidated balance sheet.



                      3.    Summary of Significant Accounting PoliciesSeptember 30, 2017.

                      Use of Estimates

                      The preparation of consolidated and combined financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the financial statementsConsolidated Financial Statements and the accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

                      Business Combinations

                      The Company accounts for its business acquisitions under the FASB ASC Topic 805,BusinessCombinations (“ASC 805”) guidance for business combinations. The total cost of acquisitions is allocated to the underlying identifiable net assets based on their respective estimated fair values. The excess of the purchase price over the estimated fair values of the net assets acquired is recorded as goodwill. Determining the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed requires management’s judgment and often involves the use of significant estimates dueand assumptions, including assumptions with respect to future cash inflows and outflows, discount rates, asset lives and market multiples, among other factors, the risks inherent in the recorded music and music publishing businesses, including continuing industry-wide piracy. Estimates are used when accounting for certain items such as allowances for doubtful accounts and sales returns, depreciation and amortization, asset impairments (including royalty advances and intangible assets), contingencies, the value of stock-based compensation and the value of stock warrants issued to Time Warner. In addition, significant estimates were used in accounting for the Acquisition under the purchase method of accounting, and prior to the Acquisition, in allocating certain costs to Old WMG in order to present Old WMG's operating results on a stand-alone basis (see Note 2).items.

                      Cash and Equivalents

                      The Company considers all highly liquid investments with maturities of three months or less when purchasedat the date of purchase to be cash equivalents. The Company includes checks outstanding at year end as a component of accounts payable, instead of a reduction in its cash balance where there is not a right of offset in the related bank accounts.

                              Prior

                      Accounts Receivable

                      Credit is extended to the closingcustomers based upon an evaluation of the Acquisition, Old WMG had agreementscustomer’s financial condition. Accounts receivable are recorded at net realizable value.

                      Refund Liabilities and Allowance for Doubtful Accounts

                      Management’s estimate of Recorded Music physical products that will be returned, and the amount of receivables that will ultimately be collected is an area of judgment affecting reported revenues and operating income. In determining the estimate of physical product sales that will be returned, management analyzes vendor sales of product, historical return trends, current economic conditions, changes in customer demand and commercial acceptance of the Company’s products. Based on this information, management reserves a percentage of each dollar of physical product sales that provide the customer with Time Warner, whereby all cash received or paid by Old WMG was included in, or funded by, clearing accounts or international cash pools within Time Warner's centralized cash management system.the right of return. The average monthly balance of amounts due from Time Warner and its affiliates was $1.2 billionprovision for the three-month period ended February 29, 2004, $778 million for the year ended November 30, 2003 and $791 million for the year ended November 30, 2002. Net amounts due from Time Warner and its affiliates aresuch sales returns is reflected as a reduction of group equity in the accompanying combined balance sheetrevenues from the related sale.

                      Similarly, the Company monitors customer credit risk related to accounts receivable. Significant judgments and estimates are involved in evaluating if such amounts will ultimately be fully collected. On an ongoing basis, the Company tracks customer exposure based on news reports, ratings agency information, reviews of Old WMG ascustomer financial data and direct dialogue with customers. Counterparties that are determined to be of Novembera higher risk are evaluated to assess whether the payment terms previously granted to them should be modified. The Company also monitors payment levels from customers, and a provision for estimated uncollectible amounts is maintained based on such payment levels, historical experience, management’s views on trends in the overall receivable agings and, for larger accounts, analyses of specific risks on a customer-specific basis.

                      Concentration of Credit Risk

                      Customer credit risk represents the potential for financial loss if a customer is unwilling or unable to meet its agreed upon contractual payment obligations. As of September 30, 2003.2019 and September 30, 2018, Spotify represented 13% and 18%, respectively, of the Company’s accounts receivable balance. No other single customer accounted for more than 10% of accounts receivable in either period. The Company, by policy, routinely assesses the financial strength of its customers. As such, the Company does not believe there is any significant collection risk.

                      In the Music Publishing business, the Company collects a significant portion of its royalties from copyright collecting societies around the world. Collecting societies and associations generally areForeign Currency Translationnot-for-profit organizations that represent composers, songwriters and music publishers. These organizations seek to protect the rights of their members by licensing, collecting license fees and distributing royalties for the use of the members’ works. Accordingly, the Company does not believe there is any significant collection risk from such societies.

                              The financial positionInventories

                      Inventories consist of merchandise, vinyl, CDs, DVDs and operating results of substantially all foreign operationsother related music products. Inventories are consolidated or combined using the local currency as the functional currency. Local currency assets and liabilities are translatedstated at the rateslower of exchange oncost or estimated realizable value. Cost is determined usingfirst-in,first-out (“FIFO”) and average cost methods, which approximate cost under the balance sheet date, and local currency revenues and expenses are translated at average rates of exchange during the period. Resulting translation gains or losses areFIFO method. Returned goods included in the accompanying consolidated and combined statementinventory are valued at estimated realizable value, but not in excess of shareholders' and group equity as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss).cost.

                      Derivative and Financial Instruments

                              Effective January 1, 2001,The Company accounts for these investments as required by the Company adopted Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") Statement No. 133, as amended by FASB Statement No. 149, "Amendment of Statement 133 on Derivative Instruments ASC Topic 815,DerivativesandHedging Activities" ("FAS 133" (“ASC 815”). FAS 133, which requires that all derivative instruments be recognized on the balance sheet at fair value. In addition, FAS 133ASC 815 also provides that, for derivative instruments that qualify for hedge accounting, changes in the fair value are either (a) offset against the change in fair value of the hedged assets, liabilities or firm

                      commitments through earnings or (b) recognized in equity until the hedged item is recognized in earnings, depending on whether the



                      derivative is being used to hedge changes in fair value or cash flows. TheIn addition, the ineffective portion of a derivative'sderivative’s change in fair value is immediately recognized in earnings.

                              As further described in Note 20, the Company issued stock warrants to Time Warner as part of the purchase price of the Acquisition. The Company accounts for these stock warrants in accordance with the provisions of FAS 133. Accordingly, the warrants are reflected as a liability in the accompanying consolidated balance sheet of the Company at fair value. In turn, changes in the fair value of the warrants are reflected in the accompanying consolidated statement of operations of the Company.

                      The carrying value of the Company'sCompany’s financial instruments approximates fair value, except for certain differences relating to long-term, fixed-rate debt (see Note 17) and other financial instruments that are not significant. The fair value of financial instruments is generally determined by reference to market values resulting from trading on a national securities exchange or anover-the-counter market. In cases where quoted market prices are not available, fair value is based on estimates using present value or other valuation techniques.

                      Revenues

                      Recorded Music

                              In accordance with industry practice and as is customary in many territories, certain products (such as CDs and cassettes) are sold to customers with the right to return unsold items. Revenues from such sales are recognized when the products are shipped based on gross sales less a provision for future estimated returns.

                      Music Publishing

                              Revenues are earned from the receipt of royalties relating to the licensing of rights in musical compositions, and for the sale of published sheet music and songbooks.

                              The receipt of royalties principally relates to amounts earned from the public performance of copyrighted material, the mechanical reproduction of copyrighted material on recorded media, and the use of copyrighted material in synchronization with visual images. Consistent with industry practice, music-publishing royalties generally are recognized as revenue when received.

                              Revenues from the sale of published sheet music and songbooks are recognized upon shipment of product.

                      Gross Versus Net Revenue Classification

                              In the normal course of business, the Company acts as an intermediary or agent with respect to certain payments received from third parties. For example, the Company distributes music product on behalf of third-party record labels. Pursuant to Emerging Issues Task Force ("EITF") No. 99-19, "Reporting Revenue Gross as a Principal versus Net as an Agent," such transactions are recorded on a "gross" or "net" basis depending on whether the Company is acting as the "principal" in the transaction or acting as an "agent" in the transaction. The Company serves as the principal in transactions in which it has substantial risks and rewards of ownership and, accordingly, revenues are recorded on a gross basis. For those transactions in which the Company does not have substantial risks



                      and rewards of ownership, the Company is considered an agent in the transactions and, accordingly, revenues are recorded on a net basis.

                              To the extent revenues are recorded on a gross basis, any participations and royalties paid to third parties are recorded as expenses so that the net amount (gross revenues less expenses) flows through operating income. To the extent revenues are recorded on a net basis, revenues are reported based on the amounts received, less participations and royalties paid to third parties. Either way, the impact on operating income is the same whether the Company records the revenues on a gross or net basis.

                              Based on an evaluation of the individual terms of each contract and whether the Company is acting as principal or agent, the Company generally records revenues from the distribution of recorded music product on behalf of third-party record labels on a gross basis. However, revenues are recorded on a net basis for recorded music compilations distributed by other record companies where the Company has a right to participate in the profits.

                      Royalty Advances and Royalty Costs

                              In accordance with FASB Statement No. 50, "Financial Reporting in the Record and Music Industry," advances to artists, songwriters and co-publishers are capitalized as an asset when the current popularity and past performance of the artist, songwriter and co-publisher, as the case may be, provide a sound basis for estimating the probable future recoupment of such advances from earnings otherwise payable to them. Advances are recognized as an expense as subsequent royalties are earned by the artist, songwriter and co-publisher. Any portion of capitalized advances not deemed to be recoverable from future royalties is expensed during the period in which the loss becomes evident. All advances that do not meet the above capitalization criteria, otherwise known as unproven advances, are expensed as paid.

                              Royalties earned by artists, songwriters, co-publishers, other copyright holders and trade unions are recognized as an expense in the period in which the sale of the product takes place, less an adjustment for future estimated returns.

                      Inventories

                              Inventories consist of CDs, cassettes and related music products, as well as published sheet music and songbooks. Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or estimated realizable value. Cost is determined using first-in, first-out ("FIFO") and average cost methods, which approximate cost under the FIFO method. Returned goods included in inventory are valued at estimated realizable value, but not in excess of cost.

                      Advertising

                              In accordance with American Institute of Certified Public Accountants ("AICPA") Statement of Position ("SOP") No. 93-7, "Reporting on Advertising Costs," advertising costs, including costs to produce music videos used for promotional purposes, are expensed as incurred. Advertising expense amounted to approximately $94 million for the seven months ended September 30, 2004, $53 million for the three months ended February 29, 2004, $202 million for the year ended November 30, 2003 and $209 million for the year ended November 30, 2002. Deferred advertising costs, which principally relate



                      to advertisements that have not been exhibited or services that have not been received, were approximately $4 million and $6 million at September 30, 2004 and November 30, 2003, respectively.

                      Concentration of Credit Risk

                              In the recorded music business, the Company has 15 key customers that generate significant sales volume. For the ten months ended September 30, 2004, each of these customers contributed a range of 1% to 6% of all recorded-music revenues, and approximately 43% in the aggregate.

                              In the music publishing business, the Company collects a significant portion of its royalties from copyright collection societies around the world. Collection societies and associations generally are not-for-profit organizations that represent composers, songwriters and music publishers. These organizations seek to protect the rights of their members by licensing, collecting license fees and distributing royalties for the use of their works. Accordingly, the Company does not believe there is any significant collection risk from such societies.

                      Shipping and Handling

                              The costs associated with shipping goods to customers are recorded as cost of revenues. Shipping and handling charges billed to customers are included in revenues.

                      Investments

                              Investments in companies in which the Company has significant influence, but less than a controlling voting interest, are accounted for using the equity method. This is generally presumed to exist when the Company owns between 20% and 50% of the investee. However, as a matter of policy, if the Company had a greater than 50% ownership interest in an investee and the minority shareholders held certain rights that allowed them to participate in the day-to-day operations of the business, the Company would also use the equity method of accounting.

                              Under the equity method, only the Company's investment in and amounts due to and from the equity investee are included in the consolidated balance sheet; only the Company's share of the investee's earnings (losses) is included in the consolidated operating results; and only the dividends, cash distributions, loans or other cash received from the investee, additional cash investments, loan repayments or other cash paid to the investee are included in the consolidated cash flows.

                              Investments in companies in which the Company does not have a controlling interest or is unable to exert significant influence are accounted for at market value if the investments are publicly traded and there are no resale restrictions greater than one year ("available-for-sale investments"). If there are resale restrictions greater than one year, or if the investment is not publicly traded, then the investment is accounted for at cost.

                      Property, Plant and Equipment

                      Property, plant and equipment existing at the date of the Merger or acquired in conjunction with subsequent business combinations are recorded at fair value. All other additions are recorded at historical cost. Depreciation is calculated using the straight-line method based upon the estimated useful lives of depreciable assets as follows: five to tenseven years for furniture and fixtures, periods of up to five years for computer equipment and periods of up



                      to seventhirteen years for machinery and equipment. Buildings are depreciated over periods of up to fiftyforty years. Leasehold improvements are depreciated over periods up to the life of the lease.lease or estimated useful lives of the improvements, whichever period is shorter.

                      Accounting for Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets

                      In July 2001, theaccordance with FASB issued Statement No. 141, "Business Combinations" and Statement No. 142, "GoodwillASC Topic 350,Intangibles—Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets" ("FAS 142" (“ASC 350”). These standards changed, the accountingCompany accounts for business combinations using the acquisition method of accounting and accordingly, the assets and liabilities of the acquired entities are recorded at their estimated fair values at the acquisition date. Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price over the fair value of net assets, including the amount assigned to identifiable intangible assets. Pursuant to this guidance, the Company does not amortize the goodwill balance and instead, performs an annual impairment test to assess the fair value of goodwill over its carrying value. Identifiable intangible assets with finite lives are amortized over their useful lives.

                      Goodwill is tested annually for impairment as of July 1 and at any time upon the occurrence of certain events or changes in circumstances. The Company has the option to perform a qualitative assessment to determine if an impairment is more likely than not to have occurred. If the Company can support the conclusion that it is not more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, the Company would not need to perform thetwo-step impairment test for that reporting unit. If the Company cannot support such a conclusion or the Company does not elect to perform the qualitative assessment then the first step of the goodwill impairment test is used to identify potential impairment by among other things, prohibitingcomparing the prospective usefair value of pooling-of-interests accounting. In addition, FAS 142 requireda reporting unit with its carrying amount, including goodwill. If the estimated fair value of the reporting unit exceeds its carrying amount, its goodwill is not impaired and the second step of the impairment test is not necessary. If the carrying amount of the reporting unit exceeds its estimated fair value, then the second step of the goodwill impairment test must be performed. The second step of the goodwill impairment test compares the implied fair value of the reporting unit goodwill with its carrying amount to measure the amount of impairment, if any. The implied fair value of goodwill is determined in the same manner as the amount of goodwill recognized in a business combination. If the carrying amount of the reporting unit goodwill exceeds the implied fair value of that goodwill, an impairment is recognized in an amount equal to that excess.

                      The Company performs an annual impairment test of its indefinite-lived intangible assets as of July 1 of each fiscal year, unless events occur which trigger the need for an earlier impairment test. The Company has the option to perform a qualitative assessment to determine if an impairment is more likely than not to have occurred. In the qualitative assessment, the Company must evaluate the totality of qualitative factors, including any recent fair value measurements, that impact whether an indefinite-lived intangible asset other than goodwill has a carrying amount that more likely than not exceeds its fair value. The Company must proceed to conduct a

                      quantitative analysis if the goodwill included inCompany (i) determines that such an impairment is more likely than not to exist or (ii) forgoes the qualitative assessment entirely. Under the quantitative assessment, the impairment test for identifiable indefinite-lived intangible assets consists of a comparison of the estimated fair value of the intangible asset with its carrying value. If the carrying value of investments accounted forthe intangible asset exceeds its fair value, then an impairment loss is recognized in an amount equal to that excess. The Company generally determines the fair value of an indefinite-lived intangible asset using a discounted cash flow (“DCF”) analysis, such as the equityrelief from royalty method, which is used in estimating the fair value of accounting, and certain otherthe Company’s trademarks. Discount rate assumptions are based on an assessment of the risk inherent in the projected future cash flows generated by the respective intangible assets. Also subject to judgment are assumptions about royalty rates, which are based on the estimated rates at which similar trademarks are being licensed in the marketplace.

                      The impairment tests require management to make assumptions about future conditions impacting the value of the indefinite-lived intangible assets, deemed to have an indefinite useful life, cease amortization. The new rules also required that goodwillincluding projected growth rates, cost of capital, effective tax rates, tax amortization periods, royalty rates, market share and certain intangible assets be assessed for impairment using fair value measurement techniques. The Company adopted the provisions of FAS 142 effective as of December 1, 2001. See Note 11 for further discussion on the adoption of FAS 142.others.

                      Internal-Use Software Development Costs

                              In accordance with AICPA SOP No. 98-1, "Accounting for the Costs of Computer Software Developed or Obtained for Internal Use", the Company capitalizes certain external and internal computer software costs incurred during the application development stage. The application development stage generally includes software design and configuration, coding, testing and installation activities. Training and maintenance costs are expensed as incurred, while upgrades and enhancements are capitalized if it is probable that such expenditures will result in additional functionality. Capitalized software costs are depreciated over the estimated useful life of the underlying project on a straight-line basis, generally not exceeding five years.

                      Valuation of Long-Lived Assets

                      The Company periodically reviews the carrying value of its long-lived assets, including finite-lived intangibles, property, plant and equipment and amortizable intangible assets, whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable.recoverable or that the lives assigned may no longer be appropriate. To the extent the estimated future cash inflows attributable to the asset, less estimated future cash outflows, are less than the carrying amount, an impairment loss is recognized in an amount equal to the difference between the carrying value of such asset and its fair value. Assets to be disposed of and for which there is a committed plan to dispose of the assets, whether through sale or abandonment, are reported at the lower of carrying value or fair value less costs to sell. If it is determined that events and circumstances warrant a revision to the remaining period of amortization, an asset’s remaining useful life would be changed, and the remaining carrying amount of the asset would be amortized prospectively over that revised remaining useful life.

                      Stock-Based CompensationForeign Currency Translation

                      Post-AcquisitionThe financial position and operating results of substantially all foreign operations are consolidated using the local currency as the functional currency. Local currency assets and liabilities are translated at the rates of exchange on the balance sheet date, and local currency revenues and expenses are translated at average rates of exchange during the period. Resulting translation gains or losses are included in the accompanying consolidated statements of equity as a component of accumulated other comprehensive loss.

                              Effective March 1, 2004,Revenues

                      Recorded Music

                      As required by FASB ASC Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (“ASC 606”), the Company recognizes revenue when, or as, control of the promised services or goods is transferred to our customers and in connectionan amount that reflects the consideration the Company is contractually due in exchange for those services or goods.

                      Revenues from the sale or license of Recorded Music products through digital distribution channels are typically recognized when usage occurs based on usage reports received from the customer. These licenses typically contain a single performance obligation, which is ongoing access to all intellectual property in an evolving content library, predicated on: (1) the business practice and contractual ability to remove specific content without a requirement to replace the content and without impact to minimum royalty guarantees and (2) the contracts not containing a specific listing of content subject to the license. For certain licenses where the consideration is fixed and the intellectual property being licensed is static, revenue is recognized at the point in time when control of the licensed content is transferred to the customer.

                      Revenues from the sale of Recorded Music products through digital distribution channels are typically recognized when sale or usage occurs based on usage reports received from the customer. Revenues from the sale of physical Recorded Music products are recognized upon delivery, which occurs once the product has been shipped and control has been transferred. In accordance with industry practice and as is customary in many territories, certain products, such as CDs and DVDs, are sold to customers with the Acquisition,right to return unsold items. Revenues from such sales are generally recognized upon shipment based on gross sales less a provision for future estimated returns.

                      Music Publishing

                      Music Publishing revenues are earned from the receipt of royalties relating to the licensing of rights in musical compositions and the sale of published sheet music and songbooks. The receipt of royalties principally relates to amounts earned from the public performance of musical compositions, the mechanical reproduction of musical compositions on recorded media including digital formats and the use of musical compositions in synchronization with visual images. Music publishing royalties, except for synchronization royalties, generally are recognized when the sale or usage occurs. The most common form of consideration for publishing contracts is sales- and usage-based royalties. The collecting societies submit usage reports, typically with payment for royalties due, often on a quarterly or biannual reporting period, in arrears. Royalties are recognized as the sale or usage occurs based upon usage reports and, when these reports are not available, royalties are estimated based on historical data, such as recent royalties reported, company-specific information with respect to changes in repertoire, industry information and other relevant trends. Synchronization revenue is typically recognized as revenue when control of the license is transferred to the customer in accordance with ASC 606.

                      Royalty Advances and Royalty Costs

                      The Company regularly commits to and pays royalty advances to its recording artists and songwriters in respect of future sales. The Company accounts for these advances under the related guidance in FASB ASC Topic 928,Entertainment—Music (“ASC 928”). Under ASC 928, the Company adoptedcapitalizes as assets certain advances that it believes are recoverable from future royalties to be earned by the fair value recognition provisionsrecording artist or songwriter. Advances vary in both amount and expected life based on the underlying recording artist or songwriter.

                      The Company’s decision to capitalize an advance to a recording artist or songwriter as an asset requires significant judgment as to the recoverability of the advance. The recoverability is assessed upon initial commitment of the advance based upon the Company’s forecast of anticipated revenue from the sale of future and existing albums or musical compositions. In determining whether the advance is recoverable, the Company evaluates the current and past popularity of the recording artist or songwriter, the sales history of the recording artist or songwriter, the initial or expected commercial acceptability of the music, the current and past popularity of the genre of music that the product is designed to appeal to, and other relevant factors. Based upon this information, the Company expenses the portion of any advance that it believes is not recoverable. In most cases, advances to recording artists or songwriters without a history of success and evidence of current or past popularity will be expensed immediately. Significant advances are individually assessed for recoverability continuously and at minimum on a quarterly basis. As part of the ongoing assessment of recoverability, the Company monitors the projection of future sales based on the current environment, the recording artist’s or songwriter’s ability to meet their contractual obligations as well as the Company’s intent to support future album releases or musical compositions from the recording artist or songwriter. To the extent that a portion of an outstanding advance is no longer deemed recoverable, that amount will be expensed in the period the determination is made.

                      Advertising

                      As required by the FASB Statement No. 123, "AccountingASC Subtopic720-35,Advertising Costs (“ASC720-35”), advertising costs, including costs to produce music videos used for Stock-Based Compensation" ("FAS 123")promotional purposes, are expensed as incurred. Advertising

                      expense amounted to accountapproximately $108 million, $104 million and $97 million for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2019, September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017, respectively. Deferred advertising costs, which principally relate to advertisements that have been paid for but not been exhibited or services that have not been received, were not material for all stock-basedperiods presented.

                      Share-Based Compensation

                      The Company accounts for share-based payments as required by FASB ASC Topic 718,Compensation—Stock Compensation (“ASC 718”). ASC 718 requires all share-based payments to employees, including grants of employee stock options, to be recognized as compensation plans adopted subsequent to the Acquisition.expense. Under the fair value recognition provisionsprovision of FAS 123, stock-basedASC 718, equity classified share-based compensation cost is measured at the grant date based on the fair value of the award and is recognized as expense over the vesting period.


                      Pre-Acquisition

                              PriorUnder the recognition provision of ASC 718, liability classified share-based compensation costs are measured each reporting date until settlement. The Company’s policy is to measure share-based compensation costs using the Acquisition, certain employeesintrinsic value method instead of Old WMG participated in various Time Warner stock option plans. In accordance with Accounting Principles Board Opinion No. 25, "Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees" ("APB 25") and related interpretations, compensation cost for stock options or other equity-based awards granted to employees was recognized in income based on the excess, if any, of the quoted market price of the stock at the grant date of the award over the amount an employee must pay to acquire the stock. Generally, the exercise price for stock options granted to employees equaled or exceeded the fair market value of Time Warner common stock at the date of grant, thereby resulting in no recognition of compensation expense by Old WMG. For any awards that generated compensation expense as defined under APB 25, Old WMG calculated the amount of compensation expense and recognized the expense over the vesting period of the award.

                              Had compensation cost for Time Warner's stock option plans been determined based on the fair value method set forth in FAS 123, Old WMG's net lossas it is not practical to estimate the volatility of its share price. During fiscal year 2013, the Company initiated a long-term incentive plan that has liability classification for all periods presented priorshare-based compensation awards and continues to the closing of the Acquisition would have been as follows:

                       
                        
                        
                       Years Ended November 30,
                       
                       
                       Predecessor
                       
                       
                       Three Months
                      Ended
                      February 29,
                      2004

                       Ten Months
                      Ended
                      September 30,
                      2003

                       2003
                       2002
                       
                       
                       (audited)

                       (unaudited)

                       (audited)

                       (audited)

                       
                       
                       
                      (in millions)

                       
                      Net loss:             
                       As reported $(32)$(239)$(1,353)$(6,026)
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       Pro forma $(42)$(281)$(1,403)$(6,079)
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       

                              See Note 19 for further information on employee stock-based compensation.be effective through September 30, 2019.

                      Income Taxes

                      Income taxes are provided using the asset and liability method presented by FASB Statement No. 109, "Accounting for ASC Topic 740,Income Taxes" ("FAS 109"Taxes (“ASC 740”). Under this method, income taxes (i.e., deferred tax assets, deferred tax liabilities, taxes currently payable/refunds receivable and tax expense) are recorded based on amounts refundable or payable in the current fiscal year and include the results of any differences between U.S. GAAP and tax reporting. Deferred income taxes reflect the tax effect of net operating loss, capital loss and general business credit carryforwards and the net tax effects of temporary differences between the carrying amount of assets and liabilities for financial statements and income tax purposes, as determined under enacted tax laws and rates. Valuation allowances are established when management determines that it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the entire deferred tax asset will not be realized. The financial effect of changes in tax laws or rates is accounted for in the period of enactment. On December 22, 2017, the U.S. government enacted comprehensive tax legislation commonly referred to as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Tax Act”). In accordance with ASC 740, the Company recorded the impacts in the period of enactment.

                      From time to time, the Company engages in transactions in which the tax consequences may be subject to uncertainty. Significant judgment is required in assessing and estimating the tax consequences of these transactions. The Company prepares and files tax returns based on its interpretation of tax laws and regulations. In the normal course of business, the Company’s tax returns are subject to examination by various taxing authorities. Such examinations may result in future tax and interest assessments by these taxing authorities. In determining the Company’s tax provision for financial reporting purposes, the Company establishes a reserve for uncertain tax positions unless such positions are determined to be more likely than not of being sustained upon examination based on their technical merits. There is considerable judgment involved in determining whether positions taken on the Company’s tax returns are more likely than not of being sustained.

                      New Accounting Pronouncements

                      Adoption of New Revenue Recognition Standard

                      In May 2014, the FASB issued guidance codified in ASC 606 which replaces the guidance in former ASC 605,Revenue Recognition, and ASC928-605,Entertainment—Music. The amendment was the result of a joint effort by the FASB and the International Accounting Standards Board to improve financial reporting by creating common revenue recognition guidance for U.S. GAAP and international financial reporting standards (“IFRS”). The joint project clarifies the principles for recognizing revenue and develops a common revenue standard for U.S. GAAP and IFRS.

                      The Company adopted ASC 606 on October 1, 2018, using the modified retrospective method to all contracts not completed as of the date of adoption. The reported results as of and for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019 reflect the application of the new standard, while the reported results for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 have not been adjusted to reflect the new standard and were prepared under prior revenue recognition accounting guidance.

                      The adoption of ASC 606 resulted in a change in the timing of revenue recognition in the Company’s Music Publishing segment as well as international broadcast rights within the Company’s Recorded Music segment. Under the new revenue recognition rules, revenue is recorded based on best estimates available in the period of sale or usage whereas revenue was previously recorded when cash was received for both the licensing of publishing rights and international Recorded Music broadcast fees. Additionally, for certain licenses where the consideration is fixed and the intellectual property being licensed is static, revenue is recognized at the point in time when control of the licensed content is transferred to the customer. As a result of adopting ASC 606, the Company recorded a decrease to the opening accumulated deficit of approximately $139 million, net of tax, as of October 1, 2018. The Company also reclassified $28 million from accounts receivable to other current liabilities related to estimated refund liabilities for its physical sales.

                      The following table provides the cumulative effect of the changes made to the opening balance sheet, as of October 1, 2018, from the adoption of ASC 606 and which primarily relates to the accrual of licensing revenue in the period of sale or usage.

                       Prior

                         September 30,
                      2018
                         Impact of
                      Adoption
                         October 1,
                      2018
                       
                         (in millions) 

                      Assets

                            

                      Accounts receivable, net

                        $447   $257   $704 
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Total current assets

                         1,176    257    1,433 

                      Other assets

                         78    15    93 
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Total assets

                        $5,344   $272   $5,616 
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Liabilities and Equity

                            

                      Accrued royalties

                        $1,396   $79   $1,475 

                      Accrued liabilities

                         423    (1   422 

                      Deferred revenue

                         208    (27   181 

                      Other current liabilities

                         34    33    67 
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Total current liabilities

                         2,373    84    2,457 

                      Deferred tax liabilities, net

                         165    37    202 

                      Other noncurrent liabilities

                         307    1    308 
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Total liabilities

                        $5,664   $122   $5,786 
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Equity:

                            

                      Accumulated deficit

                         (1,272   139    (1,133

                      Noncontrolling interest

                         14    11    25 
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Total equity

                         (320   150    (170
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Total liabilities and equity

                        $5,344   $272   $5,616 
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      The disclosures of the impact of adoption on the consolidated statement of operations for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019, the consolidated balance sheet as of September 30, 2019, and the consolidated statement of cash flows for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019 are as follows:

                         Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2019 
                         As Reported   Balances without
                      adoption of ASC
                      606
                         Effect of Change 
                         (in millions) 

                      Revenue

                        $4,475   $4,447   $28 
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Cost and expenses:

                            

                      Cost of revenue

                         (2,401   (2,389   (12
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Operating income

                         356    340    16 
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Income before income taxes

                         267    251    16 

                      Income tax expense

                         (9   (5   (4
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Net income

                         258    246    12 
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Less: Income attributable to noncontrolling interest

                         (2   (4   2 
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Net income attributable to Warner Music Group Corp.

                        $256   $242   $14 
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       
                         September 30, 2019 
                         As Reported   Balances without
                      adoption of ASC
                      606
                         Effect of Change 
                         (in millions) 

                      Assets

                            

                      Accounts receivable, net

                        $775   $495   $280 
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Total current assets

                         1,691    1,411    280 

                      Other assets

                         145    135    10 

                      Deferred tax assets, net

                         38    38    —   
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Total assets

                        $6,017   $5,727   $290 
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Liabilities and Equity

                            

                      Accounts payable

                        $260   $261   $(1

                      Accrued royalties

                         1,567    1,474    93 

                      Accrued liabilities

                         492    493    (1

                      Deferred revenue

                         180    216    (36

                      Other current liabilities

                         286    259    27 
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Total current liabilities

                         2,819    2,737    82 

                      Deferred tax liabilities, net

                         172    131    41 

                      Other noncurrent liabilities

                         321    317    4 
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Total liabilities

                         6,286    6,159    127 
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Equity:

                            

                      Accumulated deficit

                         (1,177   (1,331   154 

                      Noncontrolling interest

                         20    11    9 
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Total equity

                         (269   (432   163 
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Total liabilities and equity

                        $6,017   $5,727   $290 
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                         Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2019 
                         As Reported   Balances without
                      adoption of ASC
                      606
                         Effect of Change 
                         (in millions) 

                      Cash flows from operating activities

                            

                      Net income

                        $258   $246   $12 

                      Deferred income taxes

                         (68   (72   4 

                      Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

                            

                      Accounts receivable, net

                         (90   (67   (23

                      Accounts payable and accrued liabilities

                         3    1    2 

                      Royalty advances

                         (110   (124   14 

                      Deferred revenue

                         (4   5    (9

                      Other balance sheet changes

                         (9   (9   —   
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Net cash provided by operating activities

                         400    400    —   
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and equivalents

                         (7   (7   —   
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Net increase in cash and equivalents

                         105    105    —   

                      Cash and equivalents at beginning of period

                         514    514    —   
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Cash and equivalents at end of period

                        $619   $619   $—   
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements

                      In January 2016, the FASB issued ASU2016-01,Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities (“ASU2016-01”). This ASU will require that equity investments, except those investments under the equity method of accounting, are measured at fair value with changes in fair value recognized in net income. The Company may elect to measure equity investments that do not have a readily determinable fair value at cost minus impairment, if any, plus or minus changes resulting from observable prices. The Company adopted ASU2016-01 on October 1, 2018 and has elected to use the measurement alternative to measure its equity investments without readily determinable fair values. This guidance was applied prospectively and did not have a significant impact on the Company’s financial statements. For the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019, there were no observable price change events that were completed related to its equity investments without readily determinable fair values.

                      In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU2016-15,Statement of Cash Flows: Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments (“ASU2016-15”). This ASU provides specific guidance of how certain cash receipts and cash payments should be presented and classified in the statement of cash flows. ASU2016-15 is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods within those years. The Company adopted ASU2016-15 in the first quarter of fiscal 2019 and this adoption did not have a significant impact on the Company’s financial statements.

                      In October 2016, the FASB issued ASU2016-16,Income Taxes: Intra-Entity Transfers of Assets Other Than Inventory (“ASU2016-16”). This ASU requires the recognition of current and deferred income taxes for intra-entity asset transfers when the transaction occurs. ASU2016-16 is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods within those years. The Company adopted ASU2016-16 in the first quarter of fiscal 2019 and this adoption did not have a significant impact on the Company’s financial statements.

                      In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU2017-01,Business Combinations(“ASU2017-01”), to clarify the definition of a business, which establishes a process to determine when an integrated set of assets and activities can be deemed a business combination. The Company adopted ASU2017-01 in the first quarter of fiscal 2019 and this adoption did not have a significant impact on the Company’s financial statements.

                      In February 2018, FASB issued ASU2018-02,Income Statement—Reporting Comprehensive Income (“ASU2018-02”). This ASU allows a reclassification from accumulated other comprehensive income to accumulated deficit for stranded tax effects resulting from the Tax Act. ASU2018-02 is effective for all entities for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018 and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted, including adoption in any interim period. The Company adopted ASU2018-02 in the first quarter of fiscal 2019 and this adoption did not have a significant impact on the Company’s financial statements.

                      Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted

                      In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU2016-02,Leases (“ASU2016-02”), which established a new ASC Topic 842 (“ASC 842”). This ASU establishes aright-of-use (“ROU”) model that requires a lessee to record a ROU asset and a lease liability on the balance sheet for all leases with terms longer than 12 months. Leases will be classified as either finance or operating, with classification affecting the pattern of expense recognition in the statement of operations. ASU2016-02 will be effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018, and interim periods within those years. Earlier adoption is permitted. In July 2018, the FASB issued ASU2018-11,Leases – Targeted Improvements (“ASU2018-11”), which allows for retrospective application with the recognition of a cumulative-effect adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings in the period of adoption. Under this option, entities would not need to apply ASC 842 (along with its disclosure requirements) to the comparative prior periods presented.

                      The Company will adopt ASU2016-02 as of October 1, 2019, using the optional transition method provided by ASU2018-11. The Company is finalizing the evaluation of the adoption impact, but estimates the adoption of ASU2016-02 will result in the recognition of ROU assets and lease liabilities of approximately $360 million upon adoption, primarily related to real estate leases. Additionally, the Company will include expanded disclosures related to the amount, timing and judgments of the Company’s accounting for leases.

                      Upon transition, the Company expects to elect the “package of three” practical expedient provided by ASC 842 and therefore will not (1) reassess whether any expired or existing contracts are or contain a lease, (2) reassess the lease classification for expired or existing leases and (3) reassess initial direct costs for any existing leases. Rather, the Company will retain the conclusions reached for these items under ASC 840.

                      In August 2017, the FASB issued ASU2017-12,Targeted Improvements to Accounting for Hedging Activities (“ASU2017-12”). This ASU improves certain aspects of the hedge accounting model including making more risk management strategies eligible for hedge accounting and simplifying the assessment of hedge effectiveness. ASU2017-12 is effective for all annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018 and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted and requires a prospective adoption with a cumulative-effect adjustment to accumulated deficit as of the beginning of the fiscal year of adoption for existing hedging relationships. The adoption of this standard is not expected to have a significant impact on the Company’s financial statements.

                      3. Revenue Recognition

                      For our operating segments, Recorded Music and Music Publishing, the Company accounts for a contract when it has legally enforceable rights and obligations and collectability of consideration is probable. The Company identifies the performance obligations and determines the transaction price associated with the contract, which is then allocated to each performance obligation, using management’s best estimate of standalone selling price for arrangements with multiple performance obligations. Revenue is recognized when, or as, control of the promised services or goods is transferred to the Company’s customers, and in an amount that reflects the consideration the Company is contractually due in exchange for those services or goods. An estimate of variable consideration is included in the transaction price if, in the Company’s judgment, it is probable that a significant future reversal of cumulative revenue under the contract will not occur. Certain of the Company’s arrangements include licenses of intellectual property with consideration in the form of sales- and usage-based royalties.

                      Royalty revenue is recognized when the subsequent sale or usage occurs using the best estimates available of the amounts that will be received by the Company.

                      Disaggregation of Revenue

                      The Company’s revenue consists of the following categories, which aggregate into the segments – Recorded Music and Music Publishing:

                         For the Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 
                         2019     2018     2017 
                         (in millions) 

                      Revenue by Type

                                

                      Digital

                        $2,343     $2,019     $1,692 

                      Physical

                         559      630      667 
                        

                       

                       

                           

                       

                       

                           

                       

                       

                       

                      Total Physical and Digital

                         2,902      2,649      2,359 

                      Artist services and expanded-rights

                         629      389      385 

                      Licensing

                         309      322      276 
                        

                       

                       

                           

                       

                       

                           

                       

                       

                       

                      Total Recorded Music

                         3,840      3,360      3,020 

                      Performance

                         183      212      197 

                      Digital

                         271      237      187 

                      Mechanical

                         55      72      65 

                      Synchronization

                         120      119      112 

                      Other

                         14      13      11 
                        

                       

                       

                           

                       

                       

                           

                       

                       

                       

                      Total Music Publishing

                         643      653      572 

                      Intersegment eliminations

                         (8     (8     (16
                        

                       

                       

                           

                       

                       

                           

                       

                       

                       

                      Total Revenues

                        $4,475     $4,005     $3,576 
                        

                       

                       

                           

                       

                       

                           

                       

                       

                       

                      Revenue by Geographical Location

                                

                      U.S. Recorded Music

                        $1,656     $1,460     $1,329 

                      U.S. Music Publishing

                         300      294      258 
                        

                       

                       

                           

                       

                       

                           

                       

                       

                       

                      Total U.S.

                         1,956      1,754      1,587 

                      International Recorded Music

                         2,184      1,900      1,691 

                      International Music Publishing

                         343      359      314 
                        

                       

                       

                           

                       

                       

                           

                       

                       

                       

                      Total International

                         2,527      2,259      2,005 

                      Intersegment eliminations

                         (8     (8     (16
                        

                       

                       

                           

                       

                       

                           

                       

                       

                       

                      Total Revenues

                        $4,475     $4,005     $3,576 
                        

                       

                       

                           

                       

                       

                           

                       

                       

                       

                      Recorded Music

                      Recorded Music mainly involves selling, marketing, distribution and licensing of recorded music produced by the Company’s recording artists. Recorded Music revenues are derived from four main sources, which include digital, physical, artist services and expanded-rights and licensing.

                      Digital revenues are generated from the expanded universe of digital partners, including digital streaming services and download services. These licenses typically contain a single performance obligation, which is ongoing access to all intellectual property in an evolving content library, predicated on: (1) the business practice and contractual ability to remove specific content without a requirement to replace the content and without impact to minimum royalty guarantees and (2) the contracts not containing a specific listing of content subject to the license. Digital licensing contracts are generally long-term with consideration in the form of sales- and usage-based royalties that are typically received monthly. Certain contracts containnon-recoupable fixed fees or

                      minimum guarantees, which are recoupable against royalties. Upon contract inception, the Company will assess whether a shortfall or breakage is expected (i.e., where the minimum guarantee will not be recouped through royalties) in order to determine timing of revenue recognition for the fixed fee or minimum guarantee.

                      For fixed fee and minimum guarantee contracts where breakage is expected, the total transaction price (fixed fee or minimum guarantee) is typically recognized on a straight-line basis or by other appropriate measures of progress over the contractual term. The Company updates its assessment of the transaction price each reporting period to see if anticipated royalty earnings exceed the minimum guarantee. For contracts where breakage is not expected, royalties are recognized as revenue as sales or usage occurs based upon the licensee’s usage reports and, when these reports are not available, revenue is based on historical data, industry information and other relevant trends.

                      Additionally, for certain licenses where the consideration is fixed and the intellectual property being licensed is static, revenue is recognized at the point in time when control of the licensed content is transferred to the customer.

                      Physical revenues are generated from the sale of physical products such as vinyl, CDs and DVDs. Revenues from the sale of physical Recorded Music products are recognized upon transfer of control to the customer, which typically occurs once the product has been shipped and the ability to direct use and obtain substantially all of the benefit from the asset have been transferred. In accordance with industry practice and as is customary in many territories, certain products, such as CDs and DVDs, are sold to customers with the right to return unsold items. Revenues from such sales are generally recognized upon shipment based on gross sales less a provision for future estimated returns.

                      Artist services and expanded-rights revenues are generated from artist services businesses and participations in expanded-rights associated with artists, including sponsorship, fan clubs, artist websites, merchandising, touring, concert promotion, ticketing and artist and brand management. Artist services and expanded-rights contracts are generally short term. Revenue is recognized as or when services are provided (e.g., at time of an artist’s event) assuming collectability is probable. In some cases, the Company is reliant on the artist to report revenue generating activities. For certain artist services and expanded-rights contracts, collectability is not considered probable until notification is received from the artist’s management.

                      Licensing revenues represent royalties or fees for the right to use sound recordings in combination with visual images such as in films or television programs, television commercials and video games. In certain territories, the Company may also receive royalties when sound recordings are performed publicly through broadcast of music on television, radio and cable and in public spaces such as shops, workplaces, restaurants, bars and clubs. Licensing contracts are generally short term. Forfixed-fee contracts, revenue is recognized at the point in time when control of the licensed content is transferred to the customer. Royalty based contracts are recognized as the underlying sales or usage occurs.

                      Music Publishing

                      Music Publishing acts as a copyright owner and/or administrator of the musical compositions and generates revenues related to the exploitation of musical compositions (as opposed to recorded music). Music publishers generally receive royalties from the use of the musical compositions in public performances, digital and physical recordings and in combination with visual images. Music publishing revenues are derived from five main sources: mechanical, performance, synchronization, digital and other.

                      Performance revenues are received when the musical composition is performed publicly through broadcast of music on television, radio and cable, live performance at a concert or other venue (e.g., arena concerts and nightclubs) and performance of musical compositions in staged theatrical productions. Digital revenues are generated with respect to the musical compositions being embodied in recordings licensed to digital streaming

                      services and digital download services and for digital performance. Mechanical revenues are generated with respect to the musical compositions embodied in recordings sold in any physical format or configuration such as vinyl, CDs and DVDs. Synchronization revenues represent the right to use the composition in combination with visual images such as in films or television programs, television commercials and video games as well as from other uses such as in toys or novelty items and merchandise. Other revenues represent earnings for use in printed sheet music and other uses. Digital and synchronization revenue recognition is similar for both Recorded Music and Music Publishing, therefore refer to the discussion within Recorded Music.

                      Included in these revenue streams, excluding synchronization and other, are licenses with performing rights organizations or collecting societies (e.g., ASCAP, BMI, SESAC and GEMA), which are long-term contracts containing a single performance obligation, which is ongoing access to all intellectual property in an evolving content library. The most common form of consideration for these contracts is sales- and usage-based royalties. The collecting societies submit usage reports, typically with payment for royalties due, often on a quarterly or biannual reporting period, in arears. Royalties are recognized as the sale or usage occurs based upon usage reports and, when these reports are not available, royalties are estimated based on historical data, such as recent royalties reported, company-specific information with respect to changes in repertoire, industry information and other relevant trends. Also included in these revenue streams are smaller, short-term contracts for specified content, which generally involve a fixed fee. Forfixed-fee contracts, revenue is recognized at the point in time when control of the license is transferred to the customer.

                      The Company excludes from the measurement of transaction price all taxes assessed by governmental authorities that are both (i) imposed on and concurrent with a specific revenue-producing transaction and (ii) collected from customers.

                      Sales Returns and Uncollectible Accounts

                      In accordance with practice in the recorded music industry and as customary in many territories, certain physical revenue products (such as CDs and DVDs) are sold to customers with the right to return unsold items. Revenues from such sales are recognized when the products are shipped based on gross sales less a provision for future estimated returns.

                      In determining the estimate of physical product sales that will be returned, management analyzes vendor sales of product, historical return trends, current economic conditions, changes in customer demand and commercial acceptance of the Company’s products. Based on this information, management reserves a percentage of each dollar of physical product sales that provide the customer with the right of return and records an asset for the value of the returned goods and liability for the amounts expected to be refunded.

                      Similarly, management evaluates accounts receivables to determine if they will ultimately be collected. In performing this evaluation, significant judgments and estimates are involved, including an analysis of specific risks on acustomer-by-customer basis for larger accounts and customers and a receivables aging analysis that determines the percent that has historically been uncollected by aged category. The time between the Company’s issuance of an invoice and payment due date is not significant; customer payments that are not collected in advance of the transfer of promised services or goods are generally due no later than 30 days from invoice date. Based on this information, management provides a reserve for the estimated amounts believed to be uncollectible.

                      Based on management’s analysis of sales returns, refund liabilities of $23 million and $28 million were established at September 30, 2019 and September 30, 2018, respectively.

                      Based on management’s analysis of uncollectible accounts, reserves of $17 million and $17 million were established at September 30, 2019 and September 30, 2018, respectively.

                      Principal versus Agent Revenue Recognition

                      The Company reports revenue on a gross or net basis based on management’s assessment of whether the Company acts as a principal or agent in the transaction. The determination of whether the Company acts as a principal or an agent in a transaction is based on an evaluation of whether the Company controls the good or service before transfer to the customer. When the Company concludes that it controls the good or service before transfer to the customer, the Company is considered a principal in the transaction and records revenue on a gross basis. When the Company concludes that it does not control the good or service before transfer to the customer but arranges for another entity to provide the good or service, the Company acts as an agent and records revenue on a net basis in the amount it earns for its agency service.

                      In the normal course of business, the Company acts as an intermediary with respect to certain payments received from third parties. For example, the Company distributes music content on behalf of third-party record labels. Based on the above guidance, the Company records the distribution of content on behalf of third-party record labels on a gross basis, subject to the terms of the contract, as the Company controls the content before transfer to the customer. Conversely, recorded music compilations distributed by other record companies where the Company has a right to participate in the profits are recorded on a net basis.

                      Deferred Revenue

                      Deferred revenue principally relates to fixed fees and minimum guarantees received in advance of the Company’s performance or usage by the licensee. Reductions in deferred revenue are a result of the Company’s performance under the contract or usage by the licensee.

                      Deferred revenue increased $402 million during the twelve months ended September 30, 2019 related to cash received from customers for fixed fees and minimum guarantees in advance of performance, including amounts recognized in the period. Revenues of $159 million were recognized during the twelve months ended September 30, 2019 related to the balance of deferred revenue at October 1, 2018. There were no other significant changes to deferred revenue during the reporting period.

                      Performance Obligations

                      The Company recognized revenue of $51 million from performance obligations satisfied in previous periods for the twelve month period ended September 30, 2019.

                      Wholly and partially unsatisfied performance obligations represent future revenues not yet recorded under long-term intellectual property licensing contracts. Revenues expected to be recognized in the future related to performance obligations that are unsatisfied at September 30, 2019 are as follows (in millions):

                         FY20   FY21   FY22   Thereafter   Total 
                         (in millions) 

                      Remaining performance obligations

                        $142   $94   $7   $—     $243 
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Total

                        $142   $94   $7   $—     $243 
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      4. Acquisition of EMP

                      On October 10, 2018, Warner Music Group Germany Holding GmbH (“WMG Germany”), a limited liability company under the laws of Germany and an indirect subsidiary of Warner Music Group Corp., closed its previously announced acquisition (the “Acquisition”) of certain shares of E.M.P. Merchandising Handelsgesellschaft mbH, a limited liability company under the laws of Germany, all of the share capital of MIG Merchandising Investment GmbH, a limited liability company under the laws of Germany (“MIG”), certain shares of Large Popmarchandising BVBA, a limited liability company under the laws of Belgium (“Large”) and

                      each of EMP Merchandising Handelsgesellschaft mbH and MIG’s direct and indirect subsidiaries (the “Subsidiaries” and, together with EMP Merchandising Handelsgesellschaft mbH, MIG and Large, “EMP”) from funds associated with Sycamore Partners, pursuant to the Sale and Purchase Agreement, dated as of September 11, 2018, by and between SP Merchandising Holding GmbH & Co. KG, a limited partnership under the laws of Germany, and WMG Germany (“Acquisition Agreement”). The cash consideration paid at closing of the Acquisition was approximately €166 million, which reflects an agreed enterprise value of EMP of approximately €155 million (equivalent to approximately $180 million), as adjusted for, among other items, net debt and estimates of working capital of EMP. The final purchase price paid was determined to be €165 million after finalization of purchase price adjustments, including working capital and other items.

                      The Acquisition was accounted for in accordance with ASC 805, using the taxableacquisition method of accounting. The assets and liabilities of EMP, including identifiable intangible assets, have been measured at their fair value primarily using Level 3 inputs (see Note 17 for additional information on fair value inputs). Determining the fair value of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed requires judgment and involved the use of significant estimates and assumptions, including assumptions with respect to future cash inflows and outflows, discount rates, asset useful lives and market multiples, among other items. The use of different estimates and judgments could yield materially different results.

                      The excess of the purchase price, over the fair value of net assets acquired, including the amount assigned to identifiable intangible assets and deferred tax adjustments, has been recorded to goodwill. The resulting goodwill has been allocated to the Company’s Recorded Music reportable segment. The recognized goodwill will not be deductible for income tax purposes. Any impairment charges made in future periods associated with goodwill will not be tax deductible.

                      The table below presents (i) the Acquisition consideration as it relates to the acquisition of EMP by WMG Germany and (ii) the allocation of the purchase price to the estimated fair values of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed on the closing date of October 10, 2018 (in millions):

                      Purchase Price

                        155 

                      Working Capital

                         10 
                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Final Purchase Price

                        165 

                      Foreign Currency Rate at October 10, 2018

                         1.15 

                      Final Purchase Price in U.S. dollars

                        $190 

                      Fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed

                        

                      Cash and equivalents

                        $7 

                      Accounts receivable, net

                         3 

                      Inventories

                         37 

                      Other current assets

                         5 

                      Property plant and equipment

                         32 

                      Intangible assets

                         81 

                      Accounts payable

                         (18

                      Other current liabilities

                         (11

                      Deferred revenue

                         (7

                      Deferred tax liabilities

                         (25

                      Other noncurrent liabilities

                         (3
                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed

                         101 

                      Goodwill recorded

                         89 
                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total purchase price allocated

                        $190 
                        

                       

                       

                       

                      During fiscal 2019, the Company performed a preliminary allocation in the first and third quarters, which was finalized as of September 30, 2019. The acquisition accounting was based on final determinations of fair

                      value and allocations of purchase price to the identifiable assets and liabilities acquired, including determination of the final working capital adjustment made pursuant to the mechanism set forth in the Acquisition Agreement.

                      Pro Forma Financial Information

                      The following unaudited pro forma information has been presented as if the Acquisition occurred on October 1, 2017. This information is based on historical results of Old WMG wereoperations, adjusted to give effect to pro forma events that are (i) directly attributable to the Acquisition; (ii) factually supportable; and (iii) expected to have a continuing impact on the Company’s combined results. The pro forma information as presented below is for informational purposes only and is not indicative of the results of operations that would have been achieved if the Acquisition had taken place at the beginning of fiscal 2018.

                         Fiscal Year Ended
                      September 30,
                      2019
                         Fiscal Year Ended
                      September 30,
                      2018
                       
                         (in millions) 

                      Revenue

                        $4,480   $4,239 

                      Operating income

                         356    215 

                      Net income attributable to Warner Music Group Corp.

                         256    304 

                      Actual results related to EMP included in the consolidated U.S. federal, and various states, local and foreign income tax returns of Time Warner or its subsidiaries. Also, in certain state, local and foreign jurisdictions, Old WMG filed on a stand-alone basis. The income tax provision reflected in the combined statement of operations of Old WMG is



                      presented as if Old WMG operated on a stand-alone basis, consistent withfor the liability method prescribed by FAS 109. The majority of the temporary differences for pre-Acquisition periods related to non-deductible reserves and adjustmentstwelve months ended September 30, 2019 relate to the carrying valuetransition period from October 10, 2018 to September 30, 2019 and consist of assetsrevenues of $240 million and liabilities established in the accounting for the AOL Time Warner Merger, as well as net operating loss carry forwards in 2002 only.income of $8 million.

                      5. Comprehensive (Loss) Income (Loss)

                      Comprehensive (loss) income, (loss), which is reported in the accompanying consolidated and combined statements of shareholders' and group(deficit) equity, consists of net (loss) income (loss) and other gains and losses affecting equity that, under U.S. GAAP, are excluded from net income (loss). income. For the Company, the components of other comprehensive income (loss)loss primarily consist of foreign currency translation gains and losses, minimum pension liabilities and deferred gains and losses on interest-rate swap andfinancial instruments designated as hedges under ASC 815, which include foreign exchange contracts.

                              For all periods prior to The following summary sets forth the closingchanges in the components of the Acquisition, accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) has been presented as a component of group equity and has not been set forth separately due to the complex nature of preparing acombined set of financial statements for operations that were legally held by multiple subsidiaries of Old WMG and Time Warner. Such historical accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) balances were eliminated as part of the change in accounting basis that occurred effective on March 1, 2004, in connection with the closing of the Acquisition. The following summary set forth the components of other comprehensive income (loss),loss, net of related taxes, that have been accumulated in shareholders' equity since March 1, 2004:

                       
                       Foreign
                      Currency
                      Translation
                      Gain (Losses)

                       Derivative
                      Financial
                      Instruments
                      Gain (Losses)

                       Accumulated
                      Other
                      Comprehensive
                      Income
                      (Losses)

                       
                       (in millions)

                      Balance at March 1, 2004 $ $ $
                      Activity through September 30, 2004  10  (4) 6
                        
                       
                       
                      Balance at September 30, 2004 $10 $(4)$6
                        
                       
                       

                      Net Income (Loss) Per Common Share

                              The Company computes net income (loss) per common share in accordance with FASB Statement No. 128, "Earnings per Share" ("FAS 128"). Under the provisions of FAS 128, basic net income (loss) per common share is computed by dividing the net income (loss) applicable to common shares after preferred dividend requirements, if any, by the weighted average of common shares outstanding during the period. Weighted-average common shares include shares of the Company's Class A and Class L Common Stock. Diluted net income (loss) per common share adjusts basic net income (loss) per common share for the effects of stock options, warrants and other potentially dilutive financial instruments, only in the periods in which such effect is dilutive.



                              The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted net loss per common share (in millions, except per share amounts):

                       
                       Seven Months Ended
                      September 30, 2004

                       
                      Basic and diluted pro forma net loss per common share:    
                       Numerator:    
                        Net loss $(238)
                        
                       
                       Denominator:    
                        Weighted average common shares outstanding  113.6 
                        Less: Weighted average unvested common shares subject to repurchase or cancellation  (6.1)
                        
                       
                          Denominator for basic calculation  107.5 
                        Effect for dilutive securities   
                        
                       
                          Denominator for diluted calculation  107.5 
                        
                       
                       Pro forma net loss per common share — basic and diluted $(2.21)
                        
                       

                              Because the Company recognized a net loss for the seven months ended September 30, 2004, the effects from the exercise of any outstanding stock options or warrants, or the vestiture of shares of restricted stock, during such period would have been antidilutive. Accordingly, they have not been included in the presentation of diluted net income (loss) per common share. See Note 19 for a summary of restricted stock and stock options outstanding during the period and Note 20 for a summary of the terms of the warrants that were issued to Time Warner in connection with the Acquisition.

                      4.    New Accounting Standards

                      Variable Interest Entities

                              In January 2003, the FASB issued FASB Interpretation No. 46, "Consolidation of Variable Interest Entities—an Interpretation of ARB No. 51" ("FIN 46"), which requires a variable interest entity ("VIE") to be consolidated if certain criteria are met.

                              FIN 46 provides that the primary beneficiary of a VIE is required to consolidate the VIE's operations. In determining if an entity is a VIE, FIN 46 requires one to evaluate whether the equity of the entity is sufficient to absorb its expected losses. The evaluation requires the consideration of qualitative factors and various assumptions, including expected future cash flows and funding needs. Even if the entity's equity is determined to be sufficient to absorb expected losses, the rules provide that in certain circumstances there needs to be a qualitative assessment as to whether "substantially all" the benefits of the entity are for thetax benefit of one of the variable interest holders. In such circumstances, the entity would be deemed a VIE.$4 million:

                       The Company adopted the provisions of FIN 46 effective as of November 30, 2003. In particular, the Company consolidated four recorded music ventures, which were previously accounted for under the equity method of accounting. The operations of these ventures principally consist of the discovery


                         Foreign
                      Currency
                      Translation
                      Loss
                         Minimum
                      Pension
                      Liability
                      Adjustment
                         Deferred Gains
                      (Losses) On
                      Derivative
                      Financial
                      Instruments
                         Accumulated
                      Other
                      Comprehensive
                      Loss, net
                       
                         (in millions) 

                      Balance at September 30, 2016

                        $(201  $(17  $—     $(218

                      Other comprehensive income (a)

                         30    8    —      38 

                      Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income

                         —      (1   —      (1
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Balance at September 30, 2017

                        $(171  $(10  $—     $(181

                      Other comprehensive loss (a)

                         (13   1    3    (9
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Balance at September 30, 2018

                        $(184  $(9  $3   $(190

                      Other comprehensive loss (a)

                         (34   (5   (11   (50
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Balance at September 30, 2019

                        $(218  $(14  $(8  $(240
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      (a)

                      Includes historical foreign currency translation related to certain intra-entity transactions that are no longer of a long-term investment nature of $0 million, $0 million and $(19) million during the fiscal years ended September 30, 2019, September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017, respectively.


                      and development of artists and related music products, which are distributed by the Company. As a result of consolidating these ventures, total assets and liabilities each increased by approximately $20 million as of November 30, 2003. As such, the application of FIN 46 did not have a material impact on the Company's financial statements.

                      Other Recently Issued Accounting Standards

                              Over the past two years, there have been many new accounting standards issued. The Company has adopted these standards in accordance with their prescribed effective dates. These new standards include, but are not limited to, (i) FASB Statement No. 143, "Accounting for Asset Retirement Obligations", (ii) FASB Statement No. 144, "Accounting for the Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets," (iii) FASB Statement No 146, "Accounting for Costs Associated with Exit or Disposal Activities", and (iv) FASB Statement No. 150, "Accounting for Certain Financial Instruments with Characteristics of both Liabilities and Equity." The adoption of these and other recently issued accounting standards did not have a material impact on the Company's financial statements.

                      5.    The Acquisition

                              As previously described in Note 1, effective as of March 1, 2004, a subsidiary of the Company acquired Old WMG from Time Warner for approximately $2.6 billion. The initial consideration exchanged consisted of $2.560 billion of cash and $35 million of non-cash consideration in the form of warrants that give Time Warner the right, under certain conditions, to purchase up to 19.9% of the capital stock of the Company (see Note 20). In addition, the Company incurred approximately $78 million of transaction costs in connection with the Acquisition.

                              Pursuant to the terms of the purchase agreement between the Company and Time Warner, the purchase consideration is subject to certain adjustments, generally based on changes in the financial position of Old WMG between the date the purchase agreement was signed and the date the transaction closed. The parties currently are in discussions over the terms of final settlement. Such changes are not expected to be material; however, the purchase price reflected in the accompanying financial statements has been reduced by approximately $24 million on a preliminary basis to reflect a reimbursement by Time Warner to the Company of a portion of the purchase consideration already agreed to by the parties.

                              The $2.638 billion cash portion of the purchase price, including transaction costs, was financed by a $1.250 billion initial capital investment by the Investor Group and aggregate borrowings of $1.388 billion. The $1.250 billion initial capital investment by the Investor Group was comprised of (i) an $85 million contribution in exchange for the issuance of 85,000 shares of Class A Common Stock of the Company, (ii) a $765 million contribution in exchange for the issuance of 9,445 shares of Class L Common Stock of the Company and (iii) a $400 million direct contribution to Holdings in exchange for 40,000 shares of cumulative preferred stock of Holdings. The Company also incurred $262 million of additional indebtedness to pay certain financing-related fees, as well as to fund future working capital requirements that included a portion of the anticipated costs to restructure the business. See Note 15 for a description of the Company's financing arrangements and Note 20 for a description of the aggregate $342 million return of capital paid to the Investor Group subsequent to the Acquisition.



                              The Acquisition was accounted for by the purchase method of accounting for business combinations. Under the purchase method of accounting, the acquisition cost of $2.649 billion, including $78 million of transaction costs and the $24 million reduction in the purchase price described above, was preliminarily allocated to the net assets acquired in proportion to estimates of their respective fair values. The excess of the purchase price over the estimated fair value of the net assets acquired was recorded as goodwill.

                              The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the following preliminary allocation of the purchase price to the net assets acquired: recorded music catalog—$1.216 billion; music publishing copyrights—$808 million; trademarks—$110 million; goodwill—$978 million; other current and noncurrent assets—$1.852 billion; net deferred tax liabilities—$219 million; acquisition-related restructuring liabilities—$307 million; and other current and noncurrent liabilities—$1.789 billion.

                              At this time, most of the valuations and other studies needed to provide a final basis for estimating the fair value of the net assets acquired have been completed. However, the Company is still waiting for certain information in order to finalize the purchase price allocation, including a final settlement of terms with Time Warner. It is not expected that the final allocation of the purchase price to the net assets acquired will differ materially from that reflected in the accompanying financial statements.

                      Pro Forma Financial Information

                              The following unaudited pro forma financial information presents the operating results of the Company as if each of (i) the Acquisition and original financing, (ii) the April 2004 Acquisition Corp. Refinancing (as described under Note 15), and (iii) the transactions with Cinram International Inc. with respect to manufacturing, packaging and physical distribution services (as described under Note 7), had occurred at the beginning of each period presented.

                       
                       Pro Forma
                       
                       
                       Ten Months
                      Ended
                      September 30,
                      2004

                       Twelve Months
                      Ended
                      September 30,
                      2004

                       Year Ended
                      November 30, 2003

                       
                       
                       (in millions)

                       
                      Revenue $2,548 $3,436 $3,361 
                      Impairment of goodwill and other intangible assets    (1,019) (1,019)
                      Depreciation and amortization  (201) (245) (257)
                      Operating income (loss)  16  (929) (1,017)
                      Net loss  (286) (988) (914)

                      2003 Deal-Related and Other Transaction Costs

                              In connection with the Acquisition and the prior pursuit by Time Warner and Old WMG of other strategic ventures or dispositions involving Old WMG's businesses in 2003 that did not occur, Old WMG incurred approximately $70 million of costs, as follows:

                       
                       Year Ended
                      November 30,
                      2003

                       
                       (in millions)

                      Transaction costs, primarily legal, accounting and investment banking fees $30
                      Loss on executive contractual obligations  25
                      Loss on pension plan curtailment  15
                        
                        $70
                        

                              As part of the Acquisition, the Investor Group and Time Warner agreed that Time Warner would retain its obligations to all employees of Old WMG covered under Time Warner's U.S. pension plans; however, employees of Old WMG would no longer be able to earn additional benefits for future services. Accordingly, Old WMG recognized a $15 million loss in 2003 in connection with the probable pension curtailment that ultimately occurred upon the closing of the Acquisition. In addition, Old WMG recorded a $25 million loss in 2003 relating to certain executive contractual obligations that were triggered upon the closing of the Acquisition.

                      6.     AOL Time Warner Merger

                              As previously described in Note 2, the operations of Old WMG were under the control of Time Warner through the end of February 2004. In January 2001, historic Time Warner was acquired by AOL. The AOL Time Warner Merger was accounted for as an acquisition using the purchase method of accounting for business combinations. Under the purchase method of accounting, the acquisition cost of approximately $147 billion, including transaction costs, was allocated to historic Time Warner's underlying net assets, including its interests in Old WMG, based on their respective estimated fair values. The excess of the purchase price over the fair value of the net assets acquired was recorded as goodwill.

                              The principal effects from the allocation of the AOL Time Warner acquisition cost to Old WMG was to recognize the following assets and liabilities: goodwill—$12 billion; recorded music catalog—$2 billion; brands and trademarks—$1.7 billion; music publishing copyrights—$1.0 billion; net deferred tax liabilities—$1.5 billion; and merger-related restructuring liabilities—$478 million.

                              In addition, in connection with Old WMG's initial adoption of FAS 142 effective as of December 1, 2001, a portion of the cost of the AOL Time Warner Merger previously allocated to Old WMG's combined financial statements was reallocated to other segments of Time Warner. The reallocation resulted in a reduction of goodwill of approximately $5.9 billion; goodwill was further reduced by a $4.8 billion charge in connection with the initial adoption of FAS 142 during the first quarter of 2002, a $646 million impairment charge recorded during the fourth quarter of 2002 and a $5 million impairment charge during the fourth quarter of 2003. The carrying value of brands and trademarks was also reduced by an impairment charge of approximately $766 million recorded during the fourth quarter of 2003 and $853 million recorded during the fourth quarter of 2002. Finally, the carrying values of Old WMG's recorded music catalog and other intangible assets were reduced by an impairment charge of approximately $248 million during the fourth quarter of 2003. See Note 11 for further information.


                      7.    Other Acquisitions and Dispositions

                      Sale of Music Manufacturing

                              In October 2003, Time Warner completed its sale of the DVD and CD manufacturing, printing, packaging, physical distribution and merchandising businesses formerly managed by Old WMG for $1.05 billion in cash to Cinram International Inc. ("Cinram"). The sale included the following businesses: WEA Manufacturing Inc., Warner Music Manufacturing Europe GmbH, Ivy Hill Corporation, Giant Merchandising and the physical distribution operations of WEA Corp.

                              In addition, Time Warner and Old WMG entered into exclusive, long-term agreements for Cinram to provide manufacturing, printing, packaging and physical distribution of Time Warner's and the Company's DVDs and CDs in North America and Europe at fair market value-based rates.

                              As previously noted, the physical distribution operations of WEA Corp., which are included in the accompanying financial statements, were included in the sale. Old WMG recognized a $12 million pretax loss in 2003 in connection with the sale, which has been reflected as a component of operating loss in the accompanying statement of operations. For the years ended November 30, 2003 and 2002, Old WMG included in its accompanying statement of operations approximately $15 million of revenues in each year; approximately $11 million and $13 million of operating losses, respectively; approximately $4 million and $5 million of operating losses before depreciation and amortization expense, respectively; and an approximate $7 million and $8 million net loss, respectively, related to the physical distribution operations of WEA Corp.

                      Acquisition of Certain Minority Interests in Maverick Recording Company

                              As of September 30, 2004, the Company had a 50% interest in Maverick Recording Company ("Maverick"). In November 2004, the Company acquired an additional 30% interest in Maverick from its existing partner for approximately $17 million and certain amounts previously owed by such partner to the Company. The transaction will be accounted for under the purchase method of accounting during the first quarter of fiscal 2005. The purchase price will be allocated to the underlying net assets of Maverick in proportion to their estimated fair value, principally artist contracts and recorded music catalog. As part of the transaction, the Company and the remaining partner in Maverick entered into an agreement pursuant to which either party can elect to have the Company purchase the remaining 20% interest in Maverick that it does not own by December 2007.

                      Sale of Warner Bros. Publications

                              In December 2004, the Company entered into an agreement to sell Warner Bros. Publications, which conducts the Company's printed music operations, to Alfred Publishing. As part of the transaction, the Company agreed to license the right to use its music publishing copyrights in the exploitation of printed sheet music and songbooks for a twenty-year period of time. No gain or loss is expected to be recognized on the transaction as the historical book basis of the net assets being sold was adjusted to fair value in connection with the accounting for the Acquisition. The sale is expected to close during spring of 2005 and is subject to customary closing conditions.

                              The sale is not expected to have a material effect on the future operating results and financial condition of the Company. For the ten months ended September 30, 2004, and each of the years ended November 30, 2003 and 2002, the operations being sold generated revenues of approximately



                      $36 million, $56 million and $54 million, respectively; operating (loss) income of approximately $(7) million, $1 million and $3 million, respectively; operating (loss) income before depreciation and amortization expense of $(7) million, $2 million and $4 million, respectively; and net (loss) income of approximately $(8) million, $(2) million and $1 million, respectively.

                      Word Entertainment Acquisition and Related Transactions

                              In January 2002, Old WMG purchased Word Entertainment ("Word") from Gaylord Entertainment Company for approximately $85 million in cash, including transaction costs. Word produces and distributes Christian music products, including recorded music, print and video products. The acquisition was accounted for using the purchase method of accounting for business combinations. Under the purchase method of accounting, the acquisition cost of approximately $85 million was allocated to Word's underlying net assets based on their respective fair values. The excess of the purchase price over the estimated fair values of the net assets acquired was recorded as goodwill.

                              The allocation of the Word purchase price was as follows: recorded music catalog – $20 million; music publishing copyrights – $10 million; goodwill – $30 million; other assets – $42 million; and other liabilities – $17 million.

                              In addition, during the third quarter of 2002, Old WMG exchanged 20% of its interest in Word for certain rights associated with Curb Records ("Curb"), a large independent Nashville-based record label (the "Word/Curb Transaction"). In particular, among other commercial arrangements, Old WMG acquired (i) a right to match an offer for the potential sale of Curb at any time through December 2008 (the "Curb Matching Right"), (ii) a covenant-not-to-compete in the Christian-music business, whereby Curb cannot sign any artist in the Christian-music genre through December 2008 (the "Curb Covenant") and (iii) a six-year extension of its right to provide manufacturing and distribution services to Curb through December 2008. Old WMG allocated the $9 million value associated with these rights in proportion to their underlying fair market values. Of such amount, $6 million has been ascribed to the Curb Matching Right and the Curb Covenant, which are both reflected as intangible assets subject to amortization in the accompanying balance sheet. The remaining $3 million of value was ascribed to the manufacturing and distribution service agreement. No gain or loss was recognized on the transaction.

                      8.    Investments

                              The Company's investments consist of:

                       
                       September 30,
                      2004

                       November 30,
                      2003

                       
                       (in millions)

                      Equity-method investments $8 $2
                      Cost-method investments    8
                        
                       
                        $8 $10
                        
                       

                              As of November 30, 2003, investments included Columbia House (50% owned prior to the sale of 85% of such interest in June 2002), Music Choice Europe (24% owned), Music Choice U.S. (11%



                      owned), Telstar (20% owned), MusicNet (22% owned) and Deston Songs (50% owned). However, in connection with the Acquisition, Old WMG's interests in Columbia House, Music Choice Europe, Music Choice U.S. and MusicNet were transferred to Time Warner. Accordingly, the only significant investments held at September 30, 2004 related to the Company's continuing interest in Deston Songs and a new investment made in 2004 in Royalty Services, L.P. (25% owned) to develop a shared royalty system platform with Universal Music Group, Exigen Group and Lightspeed Venture Partners. Such investments are not material to the Company's overall financial position or operating results.

                      Sale of Columbia House Interest

                              In June 2002, Old WMG and Sony Corporation of America ("Sony") each sold 85% of their respective 50% interests in the Columbia House Company Partnerships ("Columbia House") to Blackstone Capital Partners III LP ("Blackstone"), an affiliate of The Blackstone Group, a private investment bank. Under the terms of the sale agreement, Old WMG received proceeds of approximately $125 million in cash and a subordinated note receivable from Columbia House Holdings, Inc., a majority owned subsidiary of Blackstone, with a face amount of approximately $35 million. The sale resulted in Old WMG recognizing a pre-tax gain of $60 million, which is included in net investment- related gains (losses) in the accompanying statement of operations for the year ended November 30, 2002. In addition, Old WMG deferred an approximate $28 million gain on the sale. The deferred gain primarily related to the estimated fair value of the portion of the proceeds received as a note receivable, which will be deferred until such time as the realization of such note becomes more fully assured. As a result of the sale, Old WMG's interest in Columbia House was reduced to 7.5% and the investment began to be accounted for under the cost method of accounting. As part of the transaction, the Company agreed to continue to license music product to Columbia House at market rates for a five-year period.

                              In addition, prior to the closing of the transaction, Old WMG and Sony recapitalized certain obligations of Columbia House owed to them. In connection with this recapitalization, Old WMG made capital contributions of approximately $930 million and Old WMG and its affiliates received a comparable amount of proceeds relating to the repayment of such obligations. Accordingly, the accompanying statement of cash flows of Old WMG for the year ended November 30, 2002 reflects the effects of the recapitalization, consisting of an increase in investment spending of approximately $930 million, which was offset in part by an increase in investment proceeds of approximately $700 million. The remaining proceeds were received by affiliates of Old WMG that were not a part of the combined reporting group and, as such, those proceeds are not reflected in the accompanying combined statement of cash flows of Old WMG for the year ended November 30, 2002.

                              As previously noted, in connected with the Acquisition, Old WMG's interest in Columbia House was transferred to Time Warner during 2004.

                      Net Investment-Related Gains (Losses)

                              There were no significant investment-related gains or losses recognized in either the seven-month period ended September 30, 2004 or the three-month period ended February 29, 2004.

                              For the year ended November 30, 2003, Old WMG recognized $26 million of net investment-related losses, principally to reduce the carrying value of certain investments, including Old WMG's



                      interest in Telstar. Of such amount, approximately $17 million of net investment-related losses were recognized by Old WMG in the ten-month period ended September 30, 2003.

                              For the year ended November 30, 2002, Old WMG recognized $42 million of net investment-related gains. Such amount consists of (i) a $60 million gain from the sale of Columbia House in 2002, as disclosed previously, offset in part by (ii) an $18 million impairment loss in 2002 to reduce the carrying value of certain investments, principally Old WMG's interests in Strictly Rhythm Records and Music Choice Europe.

                      9.    Inventories

                              Inventories consist of the following:

                       
                       September 30,
                      2004

                       November 30,
                      2003

                       
                       
                       (in millions)

                       
                      Compact discs, cassettes and other music-related products $79 $83 
                      Published sheet music and song books  23  19 
                        
                       
                       
                         102  102 
                      Less reserve for obsolescence  (37) (41)
                        
                       
                       
                        $65 $61 
                        
                       
                       

                      10. Property, Plant and Equipment

                      Property, plant and equipment consist of the following:

                       
                       September 30,
                      2004

                       November 30,
                      2003

                       
                       
                       (in millions)

                       
                      Land $19 $18 
                      Buildings and improvements  109  108 
                      Furniture and fixtures  16  31 
                      Computer hardware and software  78  192 
                      Machinery and equipment  3  3 
                        
                       
                       
                         225  352 
                      Less accumulated depreciation  (36) (131)
                        
                       
                       
                        $189 $221 
                        
                       
                       

                      11.

                         September 30,
                      2019
                         September 30,
                      2018
                       
                         (in millions) 

                      Land

                        $12   $11 

                      Buildings and improvements

                         186    109 

                      Furniture and fixtures

                         25    11 

                      Computer hardware and software

                         337    302 

                      Construction in progress

                         20    42 

                      Machinery and equipment

                         27    11 
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Gross Property, Plant and Equipment

                        $607   $486 

                      Less accumulated depreciation

                         (307   (257
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Net Property, Plant and Equipment

                        $300   $229 
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      7. Goodwill and Intangible Assets

                      Impairment ChargesGoodwill

                              As discussed in Note 3, effective as of December l, 2001, Old WMG adopted FAS 142, which requires companies to cease amortizing goodwill and certain intangible assets with an indefinite useful life. Instead, FAS 142 requires that goodwill and intangible assets deemed to have an indefinite useful



                      life be reviewed for impairment upon adoption of FAS 142 and annually thereafter. Prior to the adoption of FAS 142, Old WMG amortized goodwill over a twenty-year period.

                              Upon the adoption of FAS 142 in the first quarter of fiscal 2002, Old WMG recorded a non-cash charge of approximately $4.8 billion to reduce the carrying value of goodwill arising from the AOL Time Warner Merger. Such charge is non-operational in nature and is reflected as a cumulative effect of a change in accounting principle in the accompanying statement of operations. The amount of the impairment primarily reflected the decline in Time Warner's stock price since the AOL Time Warner Merger was announced and valued for accounting purposes in January 2000, as well as declines in the valuation of music-related businesses since January 2001 due, largely, to the industry-wide effects of piracy.

                              FAS 142 also required that goodwill deemed to be related to an entity as a whole be assigned to all of Time Warner's reporting units instead of only to the businesses of the company acquired, as was the case under existing practice. As a result, approximately $5.9 billion of goodwill generated in the AOL Time Warner Merger that had been previously allocated to Old WMG's financial statements was reallocated to other segments of Time Warner.

                              During the fourth quarter of 2002, Old WMG performed its annual impairment review for goodwill and other intangible assets and recorded an additional charge of $1.5 billion, which is recorded as a component of operating loss in the accompanying statement of operations. The charge consisted of a reduction in the carrying value of goodwill by approximately $646 million and a reduction in the carrying value of brands and trademarks by approximately $854 million. The amount of the impairment primarily reflected the decline in the valuation of music-related businesses due, largely, to the industry-wide effects of piracy.

                              During the fourth quarter of 2003, in connection with Time Warner's agreement to sell Old WMG as described more fully in Note 5, Old WMG recorded an additional $1.019 billion impairment charge. The charge was necessary to reduce the carrying value of Old WMG's intangible assets to fair value, based on the consideration agreed to be exchanged in the transaction. The impairment charge is classified as a component of operating loss in the accompanying statement of operations. The charge consisted of a reduction in the carrying value of goodwill by $5 million, brands and trademarks by $766 million, recorded music catalog by $208 million and other intangible assets by $40 million.

                              All of the impairment charges mentioned above were non-cash in nature and did not affect Old WMG's liquidity.



                      Goodwill

                      The following analysis details the changes in goodwill for each reportable segmentsegment:

                         Recorded
                      Music
                         Music
                      Publishing
                         Total 
                         (in millions) 

                      Balance at September 30, 2017

                        $1,221   $464   $1,685 

                      Acquisitions

                         12    —      12 

                      Other adjustments

                         (5   —      (5
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Balance at September 30, 2018

                        $1,228   $464   $1,692 

                      Acquisitions

                         89    —      89 

                      Other adjustments

                         (20   —      (20
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Balance at September 30, 2019

                        $1,297   $464   $1,761 
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      The increase in goodwill during the ten monthsfiscal year ended September 30, 2004 and2019 primarily relates to the EMP acquisition, which resulted in an increase in goodwill of $89 million. Please refer to Note 4 of our Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion. The increase in goodwill during the fiscal year ended NovemberSeptember 30, 2003:2018 primarily relates to finalizing the purchase accounting allocation for the Spinnin’ Records acquisition, which resulted in an increase in goodwill of $10 million. The other adjustments during both the fiscal years ended September 30, 2019 and September 30, 2018 primarily represent foreign currency movements.

                       
                       Recorded
                      Music

                       Music
                      Publishing

                       Total
                       
                       
                       (in millions)

                       
                      Balance at November 30, 2002 $ $ $ 
                      Acquisition—related activity  5    5 
                      Impairment  (5)   (5)
                        
                       
                       
                       
                      Balance at November 30, 2003       
                      Acquisition of Old WMG  395  583  978 
                        
                       
                       
                       
                      Balance at September 30, 2004 $395 $583 $978 
                        
                       
                       
                       

                      Other The Company performs its annual goodwill impairment test in accordance with ASC 350 during the fourth quarter of each fiscal year as of July 1. The Company may conduct an earlier review if events or circumstances occur that would suggest the carrying value of the Company’s goodwill may not be recoverable. The performance of the annual fiscal 2019 impairment analysis did not result in an impairment of the Company’s goodwill.

                      Intangible Assets

                              Other intangibleIntangible assets consist of the following:

                       
                       September 30,
                      2004

                       November 30,
                      2003

                       
                       
                       (in millions)

                       
                      Intangible assets subject to amortization:       
                       Record music catalog $1,216 $1,906 
                       Music publishing copyrights  811  1,075 
                       Trademarks  10   
                       Other intangible assets  4  6 
                        
                       
                       
                         2,041  2,987 
                       Accumulated amortization  (104) (556)
                        
                       
                       
                      Total net intangible assets subject to amortization  1,937  2,431 
                      Intangible assets not subject to amortization:       
                       Trademarks and brands  100  24 
                        
                       
                       
                      Total net other intangible assets $2,037 $2,455 
                        
                       
                       

                      Amortization

                         Weighted-
                      Average
                      Useful Life
                         September 30,
                      2019
                         September 30,
                      2018
                       
                             (in millions) 

                      Intangible assets subject to amortization:

                            

                      Recorded music catalog

                         10 years   $855   $870 

                      Music publishing copyrights

                         26 years    1,539    1,540 

                      Artist and songwriter contracts

                         13 years    841    864 

                      Trademarks

                         18 years    53    12 

                      Other intangible assets

                         7 years    59    26 
                          

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Total gross intangible assets subject to amortization

                           3,347    3,312 

                      Accumulated amortization

                           (1,624   (1,461
                          

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Total net intangible assets subject to amortization

                           1,723    1,851 

                      Intangible assets not subject to amortization:

                            

                      Trademarks and tradenames

                         Indefinite    151    154 
                          

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Total net other intangible assets

                          $1,874   $2,005 
                          

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      The Company performs its annual indefinite-lived intangible assets impairment test in accordance with ASC 350 during the fourth quarter of each fiscal year as of July 1. The Company may conduct an earlier review if events or circumstances occur that would suggest the carrying value of the Company’s indefinite-lived intangible assets may not be recoverable. The performance of the annual fiscal 2019 impairment analysis did not result in an impairment of the Company’s indefinite-lived intangible assets.

                      The intangible balances presented include the final purchase accounting allocations resulting from the acquisitions of EMP and Spinnin’ Records for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2019 and September 30, 2018, respectively.

                      Amortization

                      Based on the amount of intangible assets subject to amortization at the end of September 2004,30, 2019, the expected amortization for each of the next five fiscal years isand thereafter are as follows:

                       
                       Years Ended
                      September 30,

                       
                       (in millions)

                      2005 $178
                      2006  178
                      2007  178
                      2008  178
                      2009  178
                      Thereafter  1,047
                        
                        $1,937
                        

                         Fiscal Years
                      Ended
                      September 30,
                       
                         (in millions) 

                      2020

                        $182 

                      2021

                         181 

                      2022

                         173 

                      2023

                         138 

                      2024

                         107 

                      Thereafter

                         942 
                        

                       

                       

                       
                        $1,723 
                        

                       

                       

                       

                      The life of all acquired intangible assets is evaluated based on the expected future cash flows associated with the asset. The expected amortization expense above reflects estimated useful lives assigned to the Company'sCompany’s identifiable, finite-lived intangible assets primarily established in the accounting for the Merger and the PLG Acquisition.

                      8. Debt

                      Debt Capitalization

                      Long-term debt, all of which was issued by Acquisition effective as of March 1, 2004 as follows: ten years for recorded music catalog, fifteen years for music publishing copyrights and fifteen years for trademarks.

                              Amortization expense included in Old WMG's statement of operations for eachCorp., consists of the three months ended February 29, 2004following:

                         September 30,
                      2019
                         September 30,
                      2018
                       
                         (in millions) 

                      Revolving Credit Facility (a)

                        $—     $—   

                      Senior Term Loan Facility due 2023 (b)

                         1,313    1,310 

                      5.625% Senior Secured Notes due 2022 (c)

                         —      246 

                      5.000% Senior Secured Notes due 2023 (d)

                         298    297 

                      4.125% Senior Secured Notes due 2024 (e)

                         336    399 

                      4.875% Senior Secured Notes due 2024 (f)

                         218    247 

                      3.625% Senior Secured Notes due 2026 (g)

                         488    —   

                      5.500% Senior Notes due 2026 (h)

                         321    320 
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Total long-term debt, including the current portion (i)

                        $2,974   $2,819 
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      (a)

                      Reflects $180 million of commitments under the Revolving Credit Facility, less letters of credit outstanding of approximately $13 million and $8 million at September 30, 2019 and September 30, 2018, respectively. There were no loans outstanding under the Revolving Credit Facility at September 30, 2019 or September 30, 2018.

                      (b)

                      Principal amount of $1.326 billion less unamortized discount of $3 million and $4 million and unamortized deferred financing costs of $10 million and $12 million at September 30, 2019 and September 30, 2018, respectively.

                      (c)

                      On May 16, 2019, Acquisition Corp. redeemed the remaining $221 million of its outstanding 5.625% Senior Notes due 2022. The Company recorded a loss on extinguishment of debt of approximately $4 million as a result of the debt redemption, which represents the premium paid on early redemption and unamortized deferred financing costs.

                      (d)

                      Principal amount of $300 million less unamortized deferred financing costs of $2 million and $3 million at September 30, 2019 and September 30, 2018, respectively.

                      (e)

                      Face amount of €311 million and €345 million at September 30, 2019 and September 30, 2018, respectively. Above amounts represent the dollar equivalent of such note at September 30, 2019 and September 30, 2018. Principal amount of $340 million and $402 million less unamortized deferred financing costs of $4 million and $3 million at September 30, 2019 and September 30, 2018, respectively.

                      (f)

                      Principal amount of $220 million and $250 million less unamortized deferred financing costs of $2 million and $3 million at September 30, 2019 and September 30, 2018, respectively.

                      (g)

                      Face amount of €445 million at September 30, 2019. Above amounts represent the dollar equivalent of such note at September 30, 2019. Principal amount of $487 million, an additional issuance premium of $8 million, less unamortized deferred financing costs of $7 million at September 30, 2019.

                      (h)

                      Principal amount of $325 million less unamortized deferred financing costs of $4 million and $5 million at September 30, 2019 and September 30, 2018, respectively.

                      (i)

                      Principal amount of debt of $2.998 billion and $2.851 billion, an additional insurance premium of $8 million and nil, less unamortized discount of $3 million and $4 million and unamortized deferred financing costs of $29 million and $28 million at September 30, 2019 and September 30, 2018, respectively.

                      December 2017 Senior Term Loan Credit Agreement Amendment

                      On December 6, 2017, Acquisition Corp. entered into an amendment (the “December 2017 Senior Term Loan Credit Agreement Amendment”) to the Senior Term Loan Credit Agreement, dated November 1, 2012,

                      among Acquisition Corp., the guarantors party thereto, the lenders party thereto and Credit Suisse AG, as administrative agent, governing Acquisition Corp.’s senior secured term loan facility with Credit Suisse AG, as administrative agent, and the years ended November 30, 2003other financial institutions and 2002lenders from time to time party thereto, to, among other things, reduce the pricing terms of its outstanding term loans, change certain incurrence thresholds governing the ability to incur debt and liens, change certain EBITDAadd-backs and increase the thresholds above which the excess cash flow sweep is triggered. The Company recorded a loss on extinguishment of debt of approximately $1 million, which represented the discount and unamortized deferred financing costs related to the prior tranche of debt of the lenders that was based on different estimated useful lives assignedreplaced.

                      New Revolving Credit Agreement

                      On January 31, 2018, the Company entered into a new revolving credit agreement (the “Revolving Credit Agreement”) for its Revolving Credit Facility, and terminated its existing revolving credit agreement (the “Old Revolving Credit Agreement”). The Revolving Credit Agreement differs from the Old Revolving Credit Agreement in that it, among other things, reduces the interest rate margin applicable to Old WMG's identifiable, finite-lived intangible assets. In particular,the loans, extends the maturity date thereunder, provides for the year ended November 30, 2002 estimated useful lives of twenty years were assignedoption to both of Old WMG's recorded music catalogincrease the commitments under the Company’s then existing revolving credit agreement, provides for greater flexibility to amend and music publishing copyrights. In addition,extend the Company’s then existing revolving credit agreement and create additional tranches thereunder, provides for each ofgreater flexibility over future amendments, increases the three months ended February 29, 2004springing financial maintenance covenant to 4.75:1.00 and provides that the year ended November 30, 2003 estimated useful lives of fifteen years were assigned to both of Old WMG's recorded music catalog and music publishing copyrights. The change in estimated useful lives from 2002 to 2003 was implemented in connection with Old WMG's annual impairment review of intangible assetscovenant shall not be tested unless at the end of 2002,a fiscal quarter the outstanding amount of loans and drawings under letters of credit which it was determinedhave not been reimbursed exceeds $54 million and aligns the other negative covenants with those of the Senior Term Loan Credit Agreement. References to “Revolving Credit Facility” below in this Note 8 are to our new revolving credit facility.

                      March 2018 Senior Term Loan Credit Agreement Amendment

                      On March 14, 2018, Acquisition Corp. incurred $320 million of supplemental term loans (the “Supplemental Term Loans”) pursuant to an increase supplement (the “March 2018 Senior Term Loan Credit Agreement Supplement”) to the Senior Term Loan Credit Agreement, dated November 1, 2012, among Acquisition Corp., the guarantors party thereto, the lenders party thereto and Credit Suisse AG, as administrative agent, governing Acquisition Corp.’s senior secured term loan facility with Credit Suisse AG, as administrative agent, and the other financial institutions and lenders from time to time party thereto (as amended, the “Senior Term Loan Credit Agreement”). The principal amount outstanding under the Senior Term Loan Credit Agreement including the Supplemental Term Loans is $1.326 billion.

                      Notes Offering

                      On March 14, 2018, Acquisition Corp. issued $325 million in aggregate principal amount of its 5.500% Senior Notes due 2026. Acquisition Corp. used the net proceeds to pay the consideration in the tender offer for its 6.750% Senior Notes due 2022 (the “6.750% Senior Notes”) and to redeem the remaining 6.750% Senior Notes as described below.

                      Tender Offer and Notes Redemption

                      On March 14, 2018, Acquisition Corp. accepted for purchase in connection with the tender offer for the 6.750% Senior Notes that had been validly tendered and not validly withdrawn at or prior to 5:00 p.m., New York City time on March 13, 2018 thereby reducing the estimated useful livesaggregate principal amount of the 6.750% Senior Notes by $523 million. Acquisition Corp. then issued a notice of redemption on March 14, 2018 with respect to the remaining $112 million of 6.750% Senior Notes outstanding that were shorter than originally anticipated principallynot accepted for payment pursuant to the tender offer. Following payment of the 6.750% Senior Notes tendered at or prior to the expiration time, Acquisition Corp. deposited with the Trustee funds of $119 million to satisfy all obligations under the applicable indenture governing the 6.750% Senior Notes, including call premiums and interest through the date of

                      redemption on April 15, 2018, for the remaining 6.750% Senior Notes not accepted for purchase in the tender offer. On April 15, 2018, Acquisition Corp. redeemed the remaining outstanding 6.750% Senior Notes. The Company recorded a loss on extinguishment of debt in connection with the tender offer of approximately $23 million as a result of the industry-wide effects of music piracy. See Note 5 for a discussion ofpartial debt redemption, which represents the pro forma effects of the Acquisitionpremium paid on the historical operating results of Old WMG, including the effects from the aforementioned changesearly redemption and unamortized deferred financing costs in estimated useful lives.

                      12.    Restructuring Costs

                      March 2018. The Company and Old WMG have recorded restructuring costs over the past few years relating to the Acquisition in 2004, the AOL Time Warner Merger in 2001 and various other non-acquisition related restructuring initiatives. In accordance with U.S. GAAP, restructuring costs incurred in connection with the Acquisition and the AOL Time Warner Merger were capitalized as a portion of the purchase price paid. However, all costs for non-acquisition related restructuring initiatives were expensed either in the period they were incurred or committed to, in accordance with U.S. GAAP. A description of the nature of the restructuring activities and related costs for each of the Acquisition, the AOL Time Warner Merger and other non-acquisition related restructurings follows.


                      Acquisition-Related Restructuring Costs

                              In connection with the Acquisition that was effective as of March 1, 2004, the Company reviewed its operations and implemented several plans to restructure its operations. As part of these restructuring plans, the Company recorded a restructuring liability of approximately $307 million during 2004. This restructuring liability included costs to exit and consolidate certain activities of the Company, as well as costs to terminate employees and certain artist, songwriters and co-publisher contracts. Such liabilities were recognized as part of the cost of the Acquisition.

                              Of the total $307 million restructuring costs recorded by the Company, approximately $164 million related to work-force reductions, including employee termination benefits and relocation costs; approximately $75 million related to costs to terminate certain artist, songwriters and co-publisher contracts; and the balance of approximately $68 million related to other anticipated costs to exit certain leased facilities and operations, such as international distribution operations. The number of employees identified to be involuntarily terminated approximated 1,600.

                              As of September 30, 2004, the Company had approximately $179 million of Acquisition-related restructuring costs recorded in its balance sheet. These liabilities represent estimates of future obligations for all restructuring activities that had been implemented, as well as for all restructuring activities that had been committed to by management but have yet to occur. The outstanding balance of these liabilities primarily relates to extended payment terms for severance obligations and long-term lease obligations for vacated facilities. These remaining obligations are expected to be settled by 2019.

                              Selected information relating to the Acquisition-related restructuring plans is as follows:

                       
                       Employee
                      Terminations

                       Other Exit
                      Costs

                       Total
                       
                       
                       (in millions)

                       
                      Liability as of November 30, 2003 $ $  $  
                      Additions in 2004  164  143  307 
                      Cash paid in 2004  (92) (13) (105)
                      Non-cash reductions in 2004(a)  (1) (22) (23)
                        
                       
                       
                       
                      Liability as of September 30, 2004 $71 $108 $179 
                        
                       
                       
                       

                      (a)
                      Non-cash reductions in 2004 principally relate to changes in foreign currency exchange rates and the non-cash write-off of the carrying value of advances relating to terminating certain artist, songwriter and co-publisher contracts.

                              In addition, in connection with the Acquisition, the Company approved a cost-savings incentive compensation plan during 2004 in order to incentivize management to implement the aforementioned restructuring plans and reduce operating costs. Accordingly, the Company has recognized approximately $26 million of one-time costs in its statement of operations for the seven months ended September 30, 2004, principally related to this cost-savings incentive plan. See Note 13 for further discussion.


                      AOL Time Warner Merger-Related Restructuring Costs

                              In connection with the AOL Time Warner Merger, Old WMG reviewed its operations and implemented several plans to restructure its operations. As part of these restructuring plans, Old WMG recorded a restructuring liability of approximately $478 million during 2001. This restructuring liability included costs to exit and consolidate certain activities of Old WMG, as well as costs to terminate employees and certain artist contracts. Such liabilities were recognized as part of the AOL Time Warner Merger and were allocated to Old WMG's financial statements as part of the AOL Time Warner Merger acquisition cost. See Note 6.

                              Of the total initial restructuring costs recorded by Old WMG, approximately $278 million related to work-force reductions, including employee termination benefits and relocation costs; approximately $100 million related to costs to terminate certain artist contracts; and the balance of approximately $100 million primarily related to other anticipated costs to exit certain leased facilities and operations, such as certain international distribution and music-publishing print operations. The number of employees identified to be involuntarily terminated approximated 2,600. Old WMG reversed approximately $91 million of these merger-related restructuring liabilities in 2002, and recognized a corresponding reduction in goodwill, as either the planned action did not ultimately occur or actual exit costs were less than originally estimated. As of November 30, 2003, there was approximately $70 million of AOL Time Warner Merger-related restructuring costs that had yet to be paid, principally relating to severance obligations and long-term lease obligations for vacated facilities. As part of the Acquisition, Time Warner agreed to assume all unpaid severance obligations from Old WMG and, accordingly, all such liabilities were transferred to Time Warner. In addition, in connection with the Acquisition, the Company reevaluated its global facility requirements and further consolidated its real estate holdings. As part of this reevaluation, the Company remeasured the fair value of its long-term lease obligations for vacated facilities, eliminated the pre-existing $25 million book value of the lease liabilities for vacated facilities and recorded the net impact as an addition to goodwill. See prior discussion of Acquisition-related restructuring costs.



                              Selected information relating to the AOL Time Warner Merger-related restructuring plans is as follows:

                       
                       Employee
                      Terminations

                       Other
                      Exit Costs

                       Total
                       
                       
                       (in millions)

                       
                      Liability as of November 30, 2000 $ $  $  
                       Additions in 2001  278  200  478 
                       Cash paid in 2001  (55) (69) (124)
                       Non-cash reductions in 2001(a)  (43)   (43)
                        
                       
                       
                       
                      Liability as of November 30, 2001  180  131  311 
                       Cash paid in 2002  (77) (42) (119)
                       Non-cash reductions in 2002(b)  (28) (57) (85)
                        
                       
                       
                       
                      Liability as of November 30, 2002  75  32  107 
                       Cash paid in 2003  (30) (6) (36)
                       Non-cash activity in 2003(c)    (1) (1)
                        
                       
                       
                       
                      Liability as of November 30, 2003  45  25  70 
                      2004 activity, primarily adjustments relating to the Acquisition  (45) (25) (70)
                        
                       
                       
                       
                      Liability as of September 30, 2004 $ $ $ 
                        
                       
                       
                       

                      (a)
                      Non-cash reductions in 2001 for employee terminations represent adjustments relating to severance obligations that were satisfied with the payment of benefits from pension plan assets held by Time Warner.

                      (b)
                      Non-cash reductions in 2002 include an aggregate $91 million adjustment to restructuring accruals principally as a result of reversals of excess provisions due to either the planned action not ultimately occurring or actual exit costs being less than originally estimated. Such reversals were offset partially by a non-cash increase in international restructuring provisionsadditional loss on extinguishment of approximately $5 million due to changes in foreign currency exchange rates.

                      (c)
                      Non-cash activity in 2003 relates to changes in foreign currency exchange rates and other miscellaneous adjustments.

                      Other Non-Acquisition Related Restructuring Costs

                              In addition to the costs of restructurings associated with acquisition and merger activities, Old WMG has also recognized restructuring costs that are unrelated to business combinations and are expensed as incurred.

                              Most of these non-acquisition related restructuring initiatives were implemented in 2003. However, during 2002, Old WMG recognized approximately $5 million of income on a net basis related to its restructuring activities. This amountApril 2018 related to the reversal in 2002 of a $12 million restructuring liability that was recognized in a prior period as a result of eitherredemption on the planned action not ultimately occurring or actual costs being less than originally estimated. The $12 million of income was partially offset by other non-acquisition related restructuring charges in 2002 of $7 million relating to various restructuring activities that were individually insignificantremaining 6.750% Senior Notes, which represents the premium paid on early redemption and not considered to be materialunamortized deferred financing costs.

                      June 2018 Senior Term Loan Credit Agreement Amendment

                      On June 7, 2018, Acquisition Corp. entered into an amendment (the “June 2018 Senior Term Loan Credit Agreement Amendment”) to the accompanyingSenior Term Loan Credit Agreement, dated November 1, 2012, among Acquisition Corp., the guarantors party thereto, the lenders party thereto and Credit Suisse AG, as administrative agent, governing Acquisition Corp.’s senior secured term loan facility with Credit Suisse AG, as administrative agent, and the other financial statements.

                              However, during 2003,institutions and lenders from time to time party thereto, to, among other things, reduce the pricing terms of its outstanding term loans, change certain incurrence thresholds governing the ability to incur debt and liens and exclude from the definition of “Senior Secured Indebtedness” certain liens that have junior lien priority on the collateral in relation to the outstanding term loans and the relevant guarantees, as applicable. The Company recorded a continuing effort to reduce costs, Old WMG implemented a seriesloss on extinguishment of more significant restructuring activities. In particular, Old WMG restructured its domestic distribution operations, outsourced its Canadian distribution operations, and continued to reduce its worldwide headcount to adjust to changing economic conditions in various markets. In connection with these initiatives, Old WMG recognized restructuring chargesdebt of approximately $35 million in 2003. Of this amount, approximately $22 million related to work-force reductions, including employee termination benefits and relocation costs, and approximately $13 million related to other anticipated costs to exit certain facilities. The number of employees that were involuntarily terminated approximated 365. All restructuring activities were completed by the end of 2003.

                              As of November 30, 2003, there was approximately $10 million of non-acquisition related restructuring costs that had yet to be paid, principally relating to severance obligations and long-term lease obligations for vacated facilities. As previously noted, in connection with the Acquisition, Time Warner agreed to assume all unpaid severance obligations from Old WMG. Accordingly, all such liabilities were transferred to Time Warner effective as of March 1, 2004. In addition, in connection with the Acquisition, the Company reevaluated its global facility requirements and further consolidated its real estate holdings. As part of this reevaluation, the Company remeasured the fair value of its long-term lease obligations for vacated facilities, eliminated the pre-existing $2 million, book value ofwhich represented the lease obligations for vacated facilitiesdiscount and recorded the net impact as an addition to goodwill. See prior discussion of Acquisition-related restructuring costs.



                              The restructuringunamortized deferred financing costs related to eachthe prior tranche of debt of the Company's business segments, as well as corporate-level employees. Selected information related to the 2003 restructuring plans by business segment is as follows:lenders that was replaced.

                      Employee Terminations3.625% Senior Secured Notes Offerings

                       
                       Recorded
                      Music

                       Music
                      Publishing

                       Corporate
                       Total
                       
                       
                       (in millions)

                       
                      Additions in 2003 $18 $3 $1 $22 
                      Cash paid in 2003  (13) (1)   (14)
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       
                      Liability as of November 30, 2003  5  2  1  8 
                      2004 activity, primarily adjustments relating to the Acquisition  (5) (2) (1) (8)
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       
                      Liability as of September 30, 2004 $ $   $ 
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       

                      Other Exit Costs

                       
                       Recorded
                      Music

                       Music
                      Publishing

                       Corporate
                       Total
                       
                       
                       (in millions)

                       
                      Additions in 2003 $13 $ $ $13 
                      Cash paid in 2003  (10)     (10)
                      Non-cash reductions in 2003  (1)     (1)
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       
                      Liability as of November 30, 2003  2      2 
                      2004 activity, primarily adjustments relating to the Acquisition  (2)     (2)
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       
                      Liability as of September 30, 2004 $ $ $ $ 
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       

                      13.    Other CurrentOn October 9, 2018, Acquisition Corp. issued and Noncurrent Liabilities

                              Other current liabilities consistsold €250 million in aggregate principal amount of 3.625% Senior Secured Notes due 2026 (the “3.625% Secured Notes”). Net proceeds of the following:

                       
                       September 30,
                      2004

                       November 30,
                      2003

                       
                       (in millions)

                      Accrued expenses $159 $141
                      Accrued compensation and benefits  93  116
                      Deferred income  46  41
                      Acquisition and merger-related restructuring liabilities  90  45
                      Fair value of warrants  155  
                      Accrued interest  31  
                      Cost-savings incentive plan payable  10  
                      Other  3  24
                        
                       
                        $587 $367
                        
                       

                              Other noncurrent liabilities consistoffering were used to pay the purchase price of the following:

                       
                       September 30,
                      2004

                       November 30,
                      2003

                       
                       (in millions)

                      Deferred income $25 $20
                      Accrued compensation and benefits  29  20
                      Minority interest  9  9
                      Cost-savings incentive plan payable  10  
                      Acquisition and merger-related restructuring liabilities  89  25
                      Unfavorable and other contractual obligations  135  71
                      Licensing advance payable  8  8
                      Other  28  27
                        
                       
                        $333 $180
                        
                       

                      Cost-Savings Incentive Plan

                              In connection with the Acquisition, the Company implemented several plansacquisition of EMP, to restructure its operations and reduce operating costs. In order to incentivize management to reduce costs, the Company approved a cost-savings incentive compensation plan during the seven months ended September 30, 2004. Under the plan, key employeesredeem €34.5 million of the Company will be entitled4.125% Secured Notes (as described below), purchase $30 million of the Company’s 4.875% Senior Secured Notes (as described above) on the open market and to earn up to $20redeem $26.55 million of the 5.625% Senior Secured Notes (as described below).

                      On April 30, 2019, Acquisition Corp. issued and sold €195 million in aggregate principal amount of additional 3.625% Senior Secured Notes due 2026 (the “Additional Notes”). The Additional Notes and the aggregate based on3.625% Secured Notes were treated as the attainment and maintenance of certain cost-savings targets. Incentive awards under this plan are scheduled to be paid out in two equal annual installments on or about December 31, 2004 and 2005.

                              Based on the level of cost savings actually generated at the end of September 30, 2004, which exceeded the cost-savings targetssame series for all purposes under the plan,indenture that governs the Company determined that it was probable that eligible employees would vest in3.625% Secured Notes and the full benefits under the plan. Accordingly, the Company recorded the full $20 million liability under the plan during the seven months ended September 30, 2004. Such amount, together with $6 million of other restructuring-related costs, have been classified as a one-time



                      reduction of operating income under the caption "restructuring costs" in the accompanying statement of operations.

                      Licensing Advance Payable

                              Other noncurrent liabilities include an $8 million obligation at each of September 30, 2004 and November 30, 2003 to repay an advance received in a prior period under a licensing agreement. Under the termsAdditional Notes. Net proceeds of the original agreement, such amount was subjectoffering were used to repayment if the advance was not recouped from royalties generated under the agreement by November 30, 2003. In June 2003, the parties entered into an amended agreement whereby, in connection with an extensionredeem all of the term5.625% Secured Notes due 2022.

                      Partial Redemption of the original agreement, the Company agreed to repay the advance over a six-year period ended November 30, 2009. Of the total repayment4.125% Senior Secured Notes

                      On October 12, 2018, Acquisition Corp. redeemed €34.5 million aggregate principal amount $2 million was repaid in 2003. The remaining $8 million is repayable as follows: 2006 – $0.5 million; 2007 – $0.5 million; 2008 – $3 million; and 2009 – $4 million.

                      14.    Note Payable to Shareholders

                              In September 2004, the Company declared a $342 million dividend toof its shareholders in the form of a note payable. The note payable was interest-bearing at a rate of 10% per annum. The note payable was paid in October 2004 using proceeds received from a return of capital previously invested in Aquisition Corp. Interest paid to the Company's shareholders under the note payable amounted to approximately $1 million.

                      15.    Debt

                              In connection with the Acquisition, the Company incurred $1.650 billion of indebtedness consisting of (i) $1.150 billion of borrowings under the term loan portion of a senior secured credit facility and (ii) $500 million of borrowings under a senior subordinated bridge loan facility4.125% Senior Secured Notes due 2024 (the "Bridge Loan"“4.125% Secured Notes”). A portion of these borrowings was refinanced by WMG Acquisition Corp., a subsidiary of the Company, in April 2004 (the "Acquisition Corp. Refinancing"). In addition, in December 2004, Holdings redeemed its outstanding shares of cumulative preferred stock using a portion of the proceeds from the issuance of debt (the "Holdings Refinancing"). The following summarizes the Acquisition Corp. Refinancing, the Company's debt capitalization as of September 30, 2004, the principal termsoffering of the Company's financing arrangements and3.625% Secured Notes described above. The redemption price for the Holdings Refinancing.

                      The Acquisition Corp. Refinancing

                              In April 2004, the Company incurred $6974.125% Secured Notes was approximately €36.17 million, of new indebtedness, consistingequivalent to 103% of the issuance by Acquisition Corp. of (i) $465 million principal amount of 7.375% Senior Subordinatedthe 4.125% Secured Notes, due 2014, (ii) 100plus accrued but unpaid interest thereon to, but excluding, the redemption date, which was October 12, 2018. Following the partial redemption of the 4.125% Secured Notes, €310.5 million Sterlingof the 4.125% Secured Notes remain outstanding. The Company recorded a loss on extinguishment of debt of approximately $2 million, which represents the premium paid on early redemption and unamortized deferred financing costs related to the partial redemption of this note.

                      Open Market Purchase

                      On October 9, 2018, Acquisition Corp. purchased, in the open market, $30 million aggregate principal amount of 8.125%its outstanding 4.875% Senior Subordinated Secured Notes due 2024 (the “4.875% Secured Notes”). The acquired

                      notes due 2014 (U.S. dollar equivalentwere subsequently retired. Following retirement of $182 million as of April 2004) and (iii) $50the acquired notes, $220 million of additional borrowingsthe 4.875% Secured Notes remain outstanding. The Company recorded a loss on extinguishment of debt of less than $1 million, which represents the unamortized deferred financing costs related to the open market purchase.

                      Redemption of 5.625% Senior Secured Notes

                      On November 5, 2018, Acquisition Corp. redeemed $26.55 million aggregate principal amount of its 5.625% Senior Secured Notes due 2022 (the “5.625% Secured Notes”). The redemption price for the 5.625% Secured Notes was approximately $27.38 million, equivalent to 102.813% of the principal amount of the 5.625% Secured Notes, plus accrued but unpaid interest thereon to, but excluding, the redemption date, which was November 5, 2018. Following the partial redemption of the 5.625% Secured Notes, $220.95 million of the 5.625% Secured Notes remain outstanding. The Company recorded a loss on extinguishment of debt of approximately $1 million, which represents the premium paid on early redemption and unamortized deferred financing costs related to the partial redemption of this note.

                      On April 16, 2019, the Company issued a conditional notice of redemption for all of its 5.625% Secured Notes due 2022 currently outstanding. Settlement of the called 5.625% Secured Notes occurred on May 16, 2019. The Company recorded a loss on extinguishment of debt of approximately $4 million, which represents the premium paid on early redemption and unamortized deferred financing costs.

                      Interest Rates

                      The loans under the term loan portion of the Company's senior secured credit facility.

                              Together with available cash on hand, such proceeds were used (i) to repay all $500 million of borrowings under the Bridge Loan, (ii) to redeem a portion of the cumulative preferred stock of Holdings in the amount of $202 million and (iii) to pay certain financing-related transaction costs.



                              In connection with this refinancing, the Company incurred a $6 million pretax loss during the seven months ended September 30, 2004 to write off the carrying value of its unamortized debt issuance costs paid in connection with its borrowings under the Bridge Loan.

                      Debt Capitalization

                              As of September 30, 2004, the Company's long-term debt consisted of:

                       
                       September 30,
                      2004

                       
                       
                       (in millions)

                       
                      Senior secured credit facility:    
                       Revolving credit facility $ 
                       Term loan  1,194 
                        
                       
                         1,194 
                      7.375% U.S. dollar-denominated Notes due 2014  465 
                      8.125% Sterling-denominated Notes due 2014  181 
                        
                       
                      Total debt  1,840 
                      Less current portion  (12)
                        
                       
                      Total long term debt $1,828 
                        
                       

                      Senior SecuredRevolving Credit Facility

                              Holdings and bear interest at Acquisition Corp. are party to a senior secured credit facility that was entered into in connection with the Acquisition. The senior secured credit facility consists of a $1.2 billion term loan portion and a $250 million revolving credit portion. The term loan portion of the facility matures in seven years in February 2011. Acquisition Corp. is required to prepay outstanding term loans, subject to certain exceptions and conditions, with excess cash flow or in the event of certain asset sales, casualty and condemnation events and incurrence of debt. Acquisition Corp. is required to make minimum repayments under the term loan portion of the facility in quarterly principal amounts of $3 million for the first six years and nine months, with a remaining balloon payment in February 2011.

                              The revolving credit portion of the senior secured facility matures in six years in February 2010. There are no mandatory reductions in borrowing availability for the revolving credit portion of the facility through its term.

                              Borrowings under both the term loan and revolving credit portion of the senior secured credit facility bear interest’s election at a rate equal to an applicable margin plus, at(i) the Company's option, either (a) a base rate determined by reference to the higher of (1) the prime rate of Bank of America, N.A. and (2) the federal funds rate plus1/2 of 1% or (b) a LIBOR rate determined by reference to the costs of funds for deposits in the borrowing currency of such borrowingin the London interbank market (adjusted for maximum reserves) for the applicable interest period relevant(“Revolving LIBOR”) subject to a zero floor, plus 1.75% per annum or (ii) the base rate, which is the highest of (x) the corporate base rate established by the administrative agent from time to time, (y) 0.50% in excess of the overnight federal funds rate and (z) theone-month Revolving LIBOR plus 1.0% per annum, plus, in each case, 0.75% per annum. If there is a payment default at any time, then the interest rate applicable to overdue principal will be the rate otherwise applicable to such borrowing adjusted for certain additional costs. loan plus 2.0% per annum. Default interest will also be payable on other overdue amounts at a rate of 2.0% per annum above the amount that would apply to an alternative base rate loan.

                      The initial applicable margin for borrowingsloans under the revolving credit facility andSenior Term Loan Facility bear interest at Acquisition Corp.’s election at a rate equal to (i) the term loan facility is 1.75% with respectrate for deposits in U.S. dollars in the London interbank market (adjusted for maximum reserves) for the applicable interest period (“Term Loan LIBOR”) subject to a zero floor, plus 2.125% per annum or (ii) the base rate, borrowings and 2.75% with respectwhich is the highest of (x) the corporate base rate established by the administrative agent as its prime rate in effect at its principal office in New York City from time to LIBOR borrowings. The applicable margins for borrowings under the senior secured credit facility may be reduced, subject to Acquisition Corp. attaining certain leverage ratios.



                              In addition to paying interest on outstanding principal under the senior secured credit facility, Acquisition Corp. is required to pay a commitment fee to the lenders under the revolving credit facilitytime, (y) 0.50% in respectexcess of the unutilized commitments. The initial commitment feeovernight federal funds rate and(z) one-month Term Loan LIBOR, plus 1.00% per annum, plus, in each case, 1.125% per annum. If there is .50%. The commitment feea payment default at any time, then the interest rate mayapplicable to overdue principal and interest will be reduced subjectthe rate otherwise applicable to Acquisition Corp. attaining certain leverage ratios. Acquisition Corp. issuch loan plus 2.0% per annum. Default interest will also requiredbe payable on other overdue amounts at a rate of 2.0% per annum above the amount that would apply to pay customary letter of credit fees, as necessary.an alternative base rate loan.

                              The senior secured credit facility contains a number of covenants that, among other things, restrict, subject to certain exceptions, Acquisition Corp.'s ability and the ability of its subsidiaries to sell assets, incur additional indebtedness or issue preferred stock, repay other indebtedness, pay dividends and distributions or repurchase capital stock, create liens on assets, make investments, loans or advances, make certain acquisitions, engage in mergers or consolidations, engage in certain transactions with affiliates, amend certain material agreements, change the business conducted by itself, its parent company and its subsidiaries, and enter into agreements that restrict dividends from subsidiaries. In addition, the secured credit facility requires Acquisition Corp. to maintain the following financial covenants: a maximum total leverage ratio, a minimum interest coverage ratio and a maximum capital expenditures limitation.

                      Senior Subordinated Notes due 2014

                      The Company has outstanding two tranchesentered into, and in the future may enter into, interest rate swaps to manage interest rate risk. Please refer to Note 14 of our Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion.

                      Maturity of Senior Subordinated notes of Acquisition Corp. due 2014: $465 million principal amount of U.S. dollar-denominated notes (the "U.S. Notes") and 100 million principal amount of Sterling-denominated notes (the "Sterling Notes" and collectively,Term Loan Facility

                      The loans outstanding under the "Subordinated Notes"). The Subordinated NotesSenior Term Loan Facility mature on April 15, 2014.November 1, 2023.

                              InterestMaturity of Revolving Credit Facility

                      The maturity date of the Revolving Credit Facility is payable on the Subordinated Notes on a semi-annual basis at a fixed rateJanuary 31, 2023.

                      Maturities of 7.375% per annum for the U.S.Senior Notes and 8.125% per annum for the Sterling Notes.Senior Secured Notes

                              The Subordinated NotesAs of September 30, 2019, there are redeemable in whole or in part, at the optionno scheduled maturities of Acquisition Corp., at any time at a redemption price defined under the indenture governing the Subordinated Notes (the "Indenture") that generally includes a premium. In addition, upon a change of control of Acquisition Corp. and upon certain asset sales as specified under the Indenture, Acquisition Corp. may be requirednotes until 2023, when $300 million is scheduled to make an offermature. Thereafter, $1.372 billion is scheduled to redeem the Subordinated Notes from the holders at a redemption price defined under the Indenture that includes a premium.mature.

                              The Subordinated Notes are unsecured and subordinated to all of Acquisition Corp.'s existing and future senior indebtedness, including Acquisition Corp.'s obligations under its senior secured credit facility. Each of Acquisition Corp.'s wholly owned domestic subsidiaries that have guaranteed the obligations under Acquisition Corp.'s senior secured credit facility also have guaranteed the Subordinated Notes on a joint, several and unconditional basis.

                              The Indenture limits Acquisition Corp.'s ability and the ability of its restricted subsidiaries to incur additional indebtedness or issue certain preferred shares; to pay dividends on or make other distributions in respect of its capital stock or make other restricted payments; to make certain investments; to sell certain assets; to create liens on certain debt without securing the notes; to consolidate, merge, sell or otherwise dispose off all or substantially all of its assets; to enter into certain transactions with affiliates; and to designate its subsidiaries as unrestricted subsidiaries.

                              Subject to certain exceptions, the Indenture permits Acquisition Corp. and its restricted subsidiaries to incur additional indebtedness, including secured indebtedness.


                      The Holdings Refinancing

                              In December 2004, Holdings issued $847 million principal amount of debt consisting of (i) $250 million principal amount of Floating Rate Senior Notes due 2011 (the "Holdings Floating Rate Notes"), (ii) $397 million principal amount at maturity of 9.5% Senior Discount Notes due 2014, which had an initial issuance discount of $147 million (the "Holdings Discount Notes") and (iii) $200 million principal amount of Floating Rate Senior PIK Notes due 2014 (the "Holdings PIK Notes," and collectively, the "Holdings Notes"). The gross proceeds of $696 million received from the issuance of the Holdings Notes were used to (i) redeem the remaining shares of cumulative preferred stock of Holdings at a redemption price of $209 million, including $9 million of accrued and unpaid dividends, (ii) pay a return of capital to Parent Corp. and its shareholders in the aggregate amount of $472 million, of which all but $50 million was distributed to the Company's shareholders and (iii) pay debt-related issuance costs of approximately $15 million.

                              The Holdings Floating Rate Notes bear interest at a quarterly, floating rate based on three-month LIBOR rates plus a margin equal to 4.375%. Interest is payable quarterly in cash beginning on March 15, 2005. The Holdings Floating Rate Notes mature on December 15, 2011.

                              The Holdings Discount Notes were issued at a discount and have an initial accreted value of $630.02 per $1,000 principal amount at maturity. Prior to December 15, 2009, no cash interest payments are required. However, interest accrues on the Holdings Discount Notes in the form of an increase in the accreted value of such notes such that the accreted value of the Holdings Discount Notes will equal the principal amount at maturity on December 15, 2009. Thereafter, cash interest on the Holdings Discount Notes is payable semi-annually at a fixed rate of 9.5% per annum. The Holdings Discount Notes mature on December 15, 2014.

                              The Holdings PIK Notes bear interest at a semi-annual, floating rate based on six-month LIBOR rates plus a margin equal to 7%. Interest is payable semi-annually beginning on June 15, 2005 either in the form of cash or additional PIK notes at the election of the Company. The Holdings PIK Notes mature on December 15, 2014.

                              The Holdings Notes are redeemable in whole or in part, at the option of Holdings, at any time at a redemption price defined under the Indentures governing the Holdings Notes that generally includes a premium. In addition, upon a change of control and upon certain asset sales as specified under the Indentures, Holdings may be required to make an offer to redeem the Holdings Notes from the holders at a redemption price defined under the Indentures that includes a premium.

                              The Holdings Notes are unsecured and subordinated to all of Holdings' existing and future secured debt, including Holdings' guarantee of borrowings by Acquisition Corp. under the Company's senior secured credit facility. In addition, the Holdings Notes are structurally subordinated to the Subordinated Notes of Acquisition Corp.

                              The Indentures limit Holdings' ability and the ability of its restricted subsidiaries to incur additional indebtedness or issue certain preferred shares; to pay dividends on or make other distributions in respect of its capital stock or make other restricted payments; to make certain investments; to sell certain assets; to create liens on certain debt without securing the notes; to



                      consolidate, merge, sell or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of its assets; to enter into certain transactions with affiliates; and to designate its subsidiaries as unrestricted subsidiaries.

                      Restricted Net Assets

                              The Company is a holding company with no independent operations or assets other than through its interests in its subsidiaries, such as Acquisition Corp. Accordingly, the ability of the Company to obtain funds from its subsidiaries is restricted by the senior secured credit facility of Acquisition Corp., the indenture for the Subordinated Notes issued by Acquisition Corp., and as of December 2004, the indentures for the Holdings Notes.

                      Pre-Acquisition Debt

                              During 2003, the Company incurred approximately $114 million of indebtedness in connection with a recapitalization of certain wholly owned international subsidiaries. The principal amount of 100 million Euros was owed to Societe General and was repaid in 2004 in connection with the Acquisition.

                      Interest Expense, and Maturitiesnet

                      Total interest expense, including amounts payable to Time Warnernet, was $142 million, $138 million and its affiliates for all periods prior to the closing of the Acquisition, was $88$149 million for the seven monthsfiscal years ended September 30, 2004, $3 million for the three months ended February 29, 2004, $47 million for the year ended November2019, September 30, 20032018 and $59 million for the year ended NovemberSeptember 30, 2002.2017, respectively. The weighted-average interest rate of the Company'sCompany’s total debt was 4.3% at September 30, 2004 was 5.75%.

                              Based on the amount of debt outstanding as of September 30, 2004, annual repayments of long-term debt for each of the five years subsequent to September 30, 2004 are $12 million per year.

                      Fair Value of Debt

                              Based on the level of interest rates prevailing2019, 4.7% at September 30, 2004,2018 and 4.9% at September 30, 2017.

                      9. Income Taxes

                      On December 22, 2017, the fair valueU.S. government enacted comprehensive tax legislation commonly referred to as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“Tax Act”). The Tax Act contains significant revisions to U.S. federal corporate income tax provisions, including, but not limited to, a reduction of the Company's fixed-rate debt exceeded its carrying value by approximately $20 million. Unrealized gains or lossesU.S. federal corporate statutory tax rate from 35% to 21%, aone-time transition tax on debt do not resultaccumulated foreign earnings, an income inclusion of global intangiblelow-taxed income (“GILTI”), a deduction against foreign-derived intangible income (“FDII”) and a new minimum tax, the base erosion anti-abuse tax (“BEAT”). In accordance with ASC 740, the Company recorded the effects of the Tax Act during the three months ended December 31, 2017.

                      The reduction in U.S. federal corporate statutory tax rate from 35% to 21% was effective January 1, 2018. The Tax Act requires companies with a fiscal year that begins before and ends after the effective date of the rate change to calculate a blended tax rate based on the pro rata number of days in the realization or expenditure of cashfiscal year before and generally are not recognizedafter the effective date. As a result, for financial reporting purposes unless the debt is retired prior to its maturity.

                      16.    Income Taxes

                      fiscal year ending September 30, 2018, the Company’s U.S. federal statutory income tax rate was 24.5%. For all periods subsequentthe fiscal year ending September 30, 2019, the Company was subject to the closingU.S. federal corporate statutory tax rate of 21%.

                      The reduction in the Acquisition,U.S. federal corporate statutory tax rate required the Company isto adjust its U.S. deferred tax assets and liabilities using the newly enacted tax rate of 21%. As a stand-aloneresult, the Company recorded a U.S. income tax filer. However,expense of $23 million for all periods priorthe reduction of its net U.S. deferred tax assets for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018.

                      The Company has not recorded any income tax liability related to the closing ofone-time transition tax on accumulated foreign earnings (“Transition Tax”) due to an overall deficit in accumulated foreign earnings. GILTI, FDII and BEAT are effective for the Acquisition,Company’s fiscal year ending September 30, 2019. The Company has elected to recognize the taxable results of Old WMG were includedGILTI impact in the consolidated U.S. federal and various state, local and foreign income tax returns of Time Warner or its subsidiaries. Also,specific period in certain state, local and foreign jurisdictions, Old WMG filed on a stand-alone basis. which it occurs.

                      The tax provisions and related balance sheet disclosures for the period prior to the closing of the Acquisition have been prepared assuming Old WMG was a stand-alone taxpayer for the periods presented.



                              Domesticdomestic and foreign pretax income (loss) arefrom continuing operations is as follows:

                       
                       Successor
                        
                        
                        
                       
                       
                       Predecessor
                       
                       
                       
                      Seven
                      Months
                      Ended
                      September 30,
                      2004

                       
                       
                       Three
                      Months
                      Ended
                      February 29,
                      2004

                       Years Ended November 30,
                       
                       
                       2003
                       2002
                       
                       
                       (in millions)

                       
                      Domestic $(246)$(40)$(1,304)$(1,600)
                      Foreign  38  25  (13) 30 
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       
                      Total  (208) (15)$(1,317)$(1,570)
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       

                       

                         Fiscal Year Ended
                      September 30,
                      2019
                         Fiscal Year Ended
                      September 30,
                      2018
                         Fiscal Year Ended
                      September 30,
                      2017
                       
                         (in millions) 

                      Domestic

                        $84   $347   $(37

                      Foreign

                         183    95    35 
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Total

                        $267   $442   $(2
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Current and deferred income taxes (tax benefits)tax expense (benefit) provided are as follows:

                       
                       Successor
                        
                        
                        
                       
                       
                       Predecessor
                       
                       
                       
                      Seven
                      Months
                      Ended
                      September 30,
                      2004

                       
                       
                       Three
                      Months
                      Ended
                      February 29,
                      2004

                       Years Ended November 30,
                       
                       
                       2003
                       2002
                       
                       
                       (in millions)

                       
                      Federal:             
                       Current $ $  $  $ 
                       Deferred    (2) (36) (320)

                      Foreign:

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       
                       Current(a)  21  21  52  52 
                       Deferred  8  (2) 111  3 

                      State:

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       
                       Current  1    3  2 
                       Deferred      (94) (77)
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       
                      Total $30 $17 $36 $(340)
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       

                      (a)
                      Includes cash withholding taxes of $9 million, $5 million, $19 million and $20 million for the seven months ended September 30, 2004, the three months ended February 29, 2004, and the years ended November 30, 2003 and 2002, respectively.

                       

                        Fiscal Year Ended
                      September 30,
                      2019
                        Fiscal Year Ended
                      September 30,
                      2018
                        Fiscal Year Ended
                      September 30,
                      2017
                       
                        (in millions) 

                      Federal:

                         

                      Deferred

                        (49  91   (169

                      Foreign:

                         

                      Current (a)

                        74   58   41 

                      Deferred

                        (18  (26  (12

                      U.S. State:

                         

                      Current

                        3   6   2 

                      Deferred

                        (1  1   (13
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total

                       $9  $130  $(151
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      (a)

                      Includes withholding taxes of $17 million, $15 million and $13 million for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2019, September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017, respectively.

                      The differences between income taxes expected at the U.S. federal statutory income tax rate of 35%21.0%, 24.5% and 35.0% for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2019, September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017, respectively, and income taxes provided are as set forth below:follows:

                       
                       Successor
                        
                        
                        
                       
                       
                       Predecessor
                       
                       
                       
                      Seven
                      Months
                      Ended
                      September 30,
                      2004

                       
                       
                       Three
                      Months
                      Ended
                      February 29,
                      2004

                       Years Ended November 30,
                       
                       
                       2003
                       2002
                       
                       
                        
                        
                       (in millions)

                        
                       
                      Taxes on income at the U.S. federal statutory rate $(73)$(5)$(461)$(550)
                      State and local taxes, net of federal tax benefit  1    (59) (49)
                      Non-deductible impairments of goodwill      2  194 
                      Foreign income taxed at different rates  9  6  38  58 
                      Unrecoverable foreign taxes due to reorganization      46   
                      Current year loss without benefit  46  16  44   
                      Non-deductible loss on warrants  42       
                      Non-deductible loss on minority interest  5       
                      Tax loss carry forward write-off      423   
                      Other      3  7 
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       
                      Total income tax expense (benefit) $30 $17 $36 $(340)
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       

                       

                        Fiscal Year Ended
                      September 30,
                      2019
                        Fiscal Year Ended
                      September 30,
                      2018
                        Fiscal Year Ended
                      September 30,
                      2017
                       
                        (in millions) 

                      Taxes on income at the U.S. federal statutory rate

                       $56  $108  $(1

                      U.S. state and local taxes

                        2   7   3 

                      Foreign income taxed at different rates, including withholding taxes

                        16   19   11 

                      Increase in valuation allowance

                        1   4   18 

                      Release of valuation allowance

                        (65  (14  (134

                      Change in tax rates

                        (4  23   (1

                      Impact of GILTI and FDII

                        (4  —     —   

                      Intergroup transfer

                        —     (30  —   

                      Foreign currency losses on intra-entity loans

                        —     —     (59

                      Non-deductible long term incentive plan

                        6   8   10 

                      Other

                        1   5   2 
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Income tax expense (benefit)

                       $9  $130  $(151
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      During the periodfiscal year ended September 30, 2004,2019, the Company recognized a U.S. tax benefit of $59 million related to the release of a U.S. deferred tax valuation allowance. During the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018, the Company recognized a U.S. tax expense of $23 million related to the reduction of net U.S. deferred tax assets as a result of the Tax Act. In addition, the Company recognized a net tax benefit of $30 million related to a prior-year intergroup transfer. During the fiscal year ended September 30, 2017, the Company released $125 million of the U.S. valuation allowance related to U.S. tax attributes and recognized a U.S. tax benefit of $59 million related to foreign currency losses on intra-entity loans. The foreign currency loss was previously reported in accumulated other comprehensive loss as the intra-entity loans were previously considered long-term in nature.

                      For the fiscal years ended September 30, 2019 and September 30, 2018, the Company incurred losses in the U.S. and certain foreign territories. Theterritories and has offset the tax benefit associated with these losses was offset bywith a valuation allowance as the Company has determined that it is more likely than not that these losses will not be utilized.

                      For the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019, the Company released $59 million of the U.S. valuation allowance related to foreign tax credit carryforwards. Significant components of the Company'sCompany’s net deferred tax assets/(liabilities)liabilities are summarized below. The componentsbelow:

                         September 30,
                      2019
                         September 30,
                      2018
                       
                         (in millions) 

                      Deferred tax assets:

                          

                      Allowances and reserves

                        $27   $26 

                      Employee benefits and compensation

                         79    86 

                      Other accruals

                         17    56 

                      Tax attribute carryforwards

                         203    314 

                      Other

                         3    4 
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Total deferred tax assets

                         329    486 

                      Valuation allowance

                         (91   (206
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Net deferred tax assets

                         238    280 
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Deferred tax liabilities:

                          

                      Intangible assets

                         (372   (434
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Total deferred tax liabilities

                         (372   (434
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Net deferred tax liabilities

                        $(134  $(154
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      During the three months ended September 30, 2019, the Company concluded that the positive evidence relating to the utilization of foreign tax credits outweighs the negative evidence with respect to a portion of the Company'svaluation allowance relating to its foreign tax credit carryovers. This positive evidence includes the utilization of the remaining net operating loss carryforward during the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019, the utilization of current year and carryforward foreign tax credits for the first time during the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019, projections of sufficient future taxable income and foreign source income and the reversal of future taxable temporary differences. As a result, the Company concluded that it is more likely than not that a substantial portion of the Company’s deferred tax assets relating to foreign tax credit carryforwards will be realized. Consequently, the Company released $59 million of its $133 million valuation allowance at September 30, 2018 relating to such deferred tax assets and liabilities are not entirely comparable from period to period due torecognized a corresponding U.S. tax benefit of $59 million during the accounting for the Acquisition. In particular, the Company made a Section 338(h)(10) election underquarter ended September 30, 2019.

                      Proposed regulations issued by the Internal Revenue Code for its domestic net assets. Such election eliminated any historical book-tax basis differences for which deferred taxes were required,Service in November 2018 may result in an increase in the amount of foreign tax credit carryforwards that are more likely than not to be realized and among other things, will allow the Company to deduct, for tax purposes, the annual depreciation and amortization expenses related to such assets:

                       
                       September 30, 2004
                       November 30, 2003
                       
                       
                       (in millions)

                       
                      Current deferred tax assets (liabilities):       
                      Allowances and reserves $4 $193 
                      Employee benefits and compensation  34  28 
                      Deferred income    9 
                        
                       
                       
                      Net current deferred tax assets  38  230 
                        
                       
                       
                      Noncurrent deferred tax assets (liabilities):       
                      Other accruals  87   
                      Assets acquired in business combinations  (232) (843)
                      Unremitted earnings of foreign subsidiaries    (14)
                      Depreciation and amortization  14  (35)
                      Tax attribute carryforwards  157   
                      Foreign deferred taxes    (98)
                      Other  2  38 
                      Valuation allowance(a)  (293)  
                        
                       
                       
                      Net noncurrent deferred tax liabilities  (265) (952)
                        
                       
                       
                      Net deferred tax liabilities $(227)$(722)
                        
                       
                       

                      (a)
                      In connection with the purchase accounting for the Acquisition, deferred tax assets were recorded for the excessthus result in a further release of the historicalCompany’s valuation allowance for foreign tax basis ofcredit carryforwards and a corresponding U.S. tax benefit in the underlying assets and liabilities overperiod in which such regulations are enacted.

                      Of the purchase



                      price in certain foreign jurisdictions. A valuation allowance of approximately $169$91 million was established dueat September 30, 2019, $49 million relates to the uncertaintyU.S. tax attributes, of the realization of a portion of those deferredwhich $33 million relates to foreign tax assets. The tax benefits from the release of this valuation allowance subsequentcredit carryforwards, $12 million relates to the Acquisition date will be appliedU.S. state net operating loss carryforwards and $4 million relates to reduce goodwill. outside basis differences in investments.

                      At September 30, 2004, this initial valuation allowance had not been reduced and was still $169 million.

                              Old WMG had previously recorded a deferred tax asset for net operating losses incurred while it was a member of the Time Warner consolidated tax return. These losses were only available to Old WMG while it remained within the tax consolidation of Time Warner. As a result of the sale of Old WMG, Old WMG ceased being a member of the Time Warner consolidated group. As such, in anticipation of the closing of the Acquisition, Old WMG wrote off the deferred tax asset in 2003, net of any related valuation allowance, through the income tax provision in the statement of operations. Similarly, no tax benefit was recorded for net operating losses generated in the first quarter of 2004.

                              At September 30, 2004,2019, the Company has no remaining U.S. federal tax net operating losses for federal incomeloss carryforwards. The Company also has tax purposes of approximately $81.8 million, which expire in fiscal year 2024. Additionally, the Company has net operating lossesloss carryforwards, with no expiration date, in variousthe U.K., France and Spain of $11 million, $88 million and $32 million, respectively, and other tax net operating loss carryforwards in state, local and foreign jurisdictions expiringthat expire in various periods. TheIn addition, the Company also has foreign tax credit carryforwards for U.S. tax purposes of approximately $9$120 million. Under existing tax law at September 30, 2004 theseThe U.S. foreign tax credit carryforwards wouldcredits will begin to expire in 2009. Subsequent tofiscal year end, a new tax law was enacted extending the carryforward period by five years such that the credits would expire in 2014.2020.

                              U.S.

                      Deferred income and foreign withholding taxes have not been recorded on permanentlyindefinitely reinvested earnings of certain foreign subsidiaries of approximately $281$206 million at September 30, 2004,2019. Distribution of which $200 million is attributablethese earnings may result in foreign withholding taxes and U.S. state taxes. However, variables existing if and when remittance occurs make it impracticable to earnings of certain foreign subsidiaries relating to periods prior to the Acquisition date. Determination ofestimate the amount of unrecognized deferred U.S.the ultimate tax liability, if any, on these accumulated foreign earnings.

                      The Company classifies interest and penalties related to uncertain tax position as a component of income tax liability with respect to such earnings is not practicable.expense. As of September 30, 2019 and September 30, 2018, the Company had accrued $3 million and $2 million of interest and penalties, respectively.

                      A reconciliation of the beginning and ending amount of unrecognized tax benefits, including interest and penalties, are as follows (in millions):

                       Congress recently approved

                      Balance at September 30, 2016

                        $30 
                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Additions for current year tax positions

                         2 

                      Additions for prior year tax positions

                         1 

                      Subtractions for prior year tax positions

                         (14
                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Balance at September 30, 2017

                        $19 
                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Additions for current year tax positions

                         3 

                      Additions for prior year tax positions

                         3 

                      Subtractions for prior year tax positions

                         (7
                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Balance at September 30, 2018

                        $18 
                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Additions for prior year tax positions

                         1 

                      Subtractions for prior year tax positions

                         (7
                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Balance at September 30, 2019

                        $12 
                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Included in the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004 (the "Jobs Creation Act"). The Jobs Creation Act contains a number of provisionstotal unrecognized tax benefits at September 30, 2019 and September 30, 2018 are $12 million and $18 million, respectively, that might affectif recognized, would reduce the Company's future effective income tax rate. The most significant provision would allowCompany’s gross unrecognized tax benefits decreased during the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019 by $7 million primarily due to a tax settlement in Germany and statute lapses. The Company has determined that is reasonably possible that its existing reserve for uncertain tax positions as of September 30, 2019 could decrease by up to electapproximately $1 million related to deduct fromvarious ongoing audits and settlement discussions in various foreign jurisdictions.

                      The Company and its taxablesubsidiaries file income 85% of certain eligible dividends received bytax returns in the U.S. and various foreign jurisdictions. The Company from non-U.S. subsidiaries before the end of 2005 if those dividends are reinvestedhas completed tax audits in the U.S. for eligible purposes.tax years ended through September 30, 2013, in the U.K. for the tax years ended through September 30, 2016, in Canada for tax years ended through September 30, 2013, in Germany for the tax years ended through September 30, 2009 and in Japan for the tax years ended through September 30, 2012. The Company is evaluating the potential impact (if any) of this tax law change on its future effective tax rate.

                      17.    Pensions and Other Postretirement Benefits

                              Prior the Acquisition, Old WMG employeesat various stages in the U.S.tax audit process in certain foreign and U.K. generally participated in defined benefit pension plans sponsored by Time Warner. As part of the Acquisition, Time Warner agreed to retain its obligations related to such employees of Old WMG; however, those employees are no longer eligible to earn additional benefits for future services. As a result, Old WMG recognized a $15 million loss in 2003 in connection with the probable pension curtailment that ultimately occurred upon the closing of the Acquisition.local jurisdictions.

                              Most10. Employee Benefit Plans

                      Certain international employees, such as those in Germany and Japan, participate in locally sponsored defined benefit plans, which are not considered to be material either individually or in the aggregate and have a combined projected benefit obligation of approximately $40$82 million atand $73 million as of September 30, 2004.2019 and September 30, 2018, respectively. Pension benefits under the Plansplans are based on formulas that reflect the employees'employees’ years of service and compensation levels during their employment period. The Company had an aggregateunfunded pension liability



                      liabilities relating to these plans of approximately $23$56 million and $50 million recorded in its balance sheetsheets as of September 30, 2004.

                      2019 and September 30, 2018, respectively. The Company uses a September 30 measurement date for its plans. For each of the seven monthsfiscal years ended September 30, 2004, the three months ended February 29, 20042019, September 30, 2018 and the years ended NovemberSeptember 30, 2003 and 2002,2017, pension expense amounted to $4 million, $3 million, $21 million and $21 million, respectively.million.

                      Certain employees also participate in pre-tax defined contribution plans. The Company'sCompany’s contributions to the defined contribution plans are based upon a percentage of the employees'employees’ elected contributions. The Company'sCompany’s defined contribution plan expense amounted to approximately $2$6 million for the seven monthsfiscal year ended September 30, 2004, $22019, $5 million for the three monthsfiscal year ended February 29, 2004September 30, 2018 and $4$5 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2017.

                      11. Share-Based Compensation Plans

                      Effective January 1, 2013, eligible individuals were invited to participate in eachthe Senior Management Free Cash Flow Plan (as amended, the “Plan”). Eligible individuals include any employee, consultant or officer of the years ended November 30, 2003 and 2002.

                      18.    Minority InterestCompany or any of its affiliates, who is selected by the Company’s Compensation Committee to participate in Preferred Stock of Subsidiary

                              As previously describedthe Plan. In 2017, the Company’s Compensation Committee invited two additional employees to participate in Note 5,the Plan. Under the Plan, participants are allocated a specific portion of the $2.6 billion purchase price for the Acquisition was funded by a $400 million direct contribution by the Investor GroupCompany’s free cash flow to Holdings in exchange for 40,000 shares of cumulative preferred stock of Holdings ("Holdings' Preferred Stock"). Each share of Holdings' Preferred Stock has a liquidation preference of $10,000 per share plus cumulative accrued and unpaid dividends at a rate of 10% per annum, compounded quarterly.

                              As previously described in Note 15, the Company redeemed half of the outstanding shares of Holdings' Preferred Stock as part of the April 2004 Acquisition Corp. Refinancing at a redemption price of $202 million, including $2 million of accrued and unpaid dividends. The remaining shares of Holdings' Preferred Stock were redeemed in December 2004 as part of the Holdings Refinancing at a redemption price of $209 million, including $9 million of accrued and unpaid dividends.

                              As of September 30, 2004, the outstanding shares of Holdings' Preferred Stock had a liquidation preference of $204 million. Such amount has been classified as minority interest in the accompanying consolidated balance sheet of the Company. Cumulative dividends on the Holdings' Preferred Stock, whether paid or unpaid, were $14 million for the seven months ended September 30, 2004 and are classified as minority interest expense in the accompanying consolidated statement of operations of the Company.

                      19.    Stock-Based Compensation Plans

                      Post-Acquisition

                              In connection with the Acquisition, the Company, implemented an equity-based, management compensation plan to align compensation for certain key executives with the performance of the Company. Under this plan, certain key executives were granted a combination of service-based and performance-based stock options or restricted stock. In addition, certain key executives were granted the rightuse to purchase sharesthe equivalent of restrictedCompany stock through the acquisition of deferred equity units. Participants also receive a grant of profit interests in the Company. Similarly, the stock options and shares of restricted stock granted allow such executivesa purposely established LLC holding company (the “LLC”) that represent an economic entitlement to acquire shares of common stock of the Company. A description of each type of equity-based award is described below.

                      Service-Based Awards

                              During the seven months ended September 30, 2004, the Company granted various service-based equity awards to certain key executives of the Company. These awards consisted of approximately 497,893 stock options to purchase shares of common stock of the Company and approximately 796,701 restricted shares of common stock of the Company. The stock option awards become exercisablefuture appreciation over a



                      four-year vesting period tied to the executives' continuing employment and expire ten years from the date of grant. Similarly, the restricted shares vest over a four-year period.

                      Performance-Based Awards

                              During the seven months ended September 30, 2004, the Company granted various performance-based equity awards to certain key executives of the Company. These awards consisted of approximately 995,786 stock options to purchase shares of common stock of the Company and approximately 1,593,402 restricted shares of common stock of the Company. The awards vest over a four-year period tied to the executives' continuing employment and the achievement of certain performance conditions by the Company. In particular, half of the awards have a performance condition based on a 2x liquidity event and the other half of the awards have a performance condition based on a 3x liquidity event (each respectively a "Liquidity Event").

                              As defined in the underlying plan agreements, a 2x or 3x Liquidity Event generally means the occurrence of an event that implies an aggregate value for the equity held by the Investor Group of 2x or 3x, respectively, of its initial value, as adjusted for prior dividends or other returns of capital received by the Investor Group. Such Liquidity Events would include, but not be limited to, an initial public offering of the Company's common stock and a change-in-control transaction under which the Investor Group receives cash and/or marketable securities in exchange for its equity.

                              Performance-based stock option awards expire ten years from the date of grant. In addition, to the extent that the performance condition of an award is not satisfied prior thereto, the performance-based award vests on the seventh anniversary of the date of grant as long as the executive is still employed by the Company.

                      Purchases of Restricted Stock

                              During the seven months ended September 30, 2004, the Company allowed certain key executives to purchase restricted shares of its common stock. To the extent such shares were purchased at a price equal to fair market value at the date of purchase, there is no compensatory element of the transaction. However, to the extent such shares were purchased at a price below fair market value at the date of purchase, the discount has been treated as deferred compensation in the Company's financial statements and is being expensed over the executives' expected service period.

                              During the seven months ended September 30, 2004, an executive of the Company purchased approximately 3,283,944 restricted shares of common stock of the Company at a fair value of $0.88 per share. Certain other executives of the Company purchased approximately 896,208 restricted shares of common stock of the Company at a cost of $0.88 per share, compared to the weighted-average fair value of the stock of $4.24 per share. The aggregate discount of approximately $3 million has been recognized as deferred compensation expense in the Company's financial statements.

                      Black-Scholes Assumptions

                              For purposes of applying FAS 123, the fair value of each stock option grant was estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. The following weighted-average assumptions were used for all grants to the Company's employees in the seven months ended September 30, 2004: dividend yield of 0%; expected volatility of 50%; risk-free interest rate of 3.07%; and expected term to exercise of 5 years.


                      Fair Value of Equity-Based Awards

                              A summary of the fair value of equity-based awards granted during the seven months ended September 20, 2004 is set forth below:

                       
                       Number of Shares
                      Granted

                       Weighted-Average
                      Exercise Price

                       Weighted-Average
                      Fair Value

                      Service-Based Stock Options:        
                       At-market grants 398,315 $0.88 $0.41
                       Below-market grants 99,578  0.88  4.87

                      Performance-Based Stock Options:

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       
                       At-market grants—2x liquidity event 398,315  0.88  0.41
                       Below-market grants—2x liquidity event 99,578  0.88  4.87
                       
                      At-market grants—3x liquidity event

                       

                      398,315

                       

                       

                      0.88

                       

                       

                      0.41
                       Below-market grants—3x liquidity event 99,578  0.88  4.87
                        
                            
                      Total Stock Options 1,493,679 $0.88 $1.30
                        
                            
                      Restricted Stock Grants:        
                       Service-based awards 796,701  N/A $0.88
                       Performance-based 2x liquidity event awards 796,700  N/A  0.88
                       Performance-based 3x liquidity event awards 796,701  N/A  0.88
                        
                            
                      Total Restricted Stock Grants(a) 2,390,102  N/A $0.88
                        
                            

                      (a)
                      Excludes 4,180,152 restricted shares of Class A Common Stock of the Company, which were purchased in 2004 by executives of the Company at prices at or below fair market value. The weighted-average purchase price and weighted-average fair value of such shares were $0.88 per share and $1.60 per share, respectively.

                      Compensation Expense

                              For the seven months ended September 30, 2004, the Company recognized non-cash compensation expense of less than $1 million relating to its stock-based compensation plans.

                      Summary of Stock Option Activity

                              A summary of stock option activity is as follows:

                       
                       Options
                      Outstanding

                       Weighted-Average
                      Exercise Price

                      Balance at November 30, 2003  $
                      Granted 1,493,679  0.88
                      Exercised   
                      Cancelled   
                        
                       
                      Balance at September 30, 2004 1,493,679 $0.88
                        
                       

                              None of the stock options are exercisable as of September 30, 2004.

                      Pre-Acquisition

                              Prior to the closing of the Acquisition, employees of Old WMG were granted options to purchase Time Warner common stock under various Time Warner stock option plans. Such options were granted



                      to employees of Old WMG with exercise prices equal to, or in excess of, fair market value at the date of grant. Accordingly, in accordance with APB 25 and related interpretations, compensation cost generally was not recognized by Time Warner, nor charged to Old WMG, related to such stock option plans. Generally, the options became exercisable over a four-year vesting period and expired ten years from the date of grant. See Note 3 for a summary of the impact on reported net income (loss) had Old WMG recognized compensation cost for employee stock options.

                      Time Warner Black-Scholes Assumptions

                              For purposes of applying FAS 123, the fair value of each option grant was estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model with the following weighted-average assumptions used for grants to Old WMG's employees in the three months ended February 29, 2004, and the years ended November 30, 2003 and 2002: dividend yields of 0% in each period; expected volatility of 35.2%, 52.8% and 52.9%, respectively; risk-free interest rates of 3.1%, 2.6% and 4.1%, respectively; and expected terms to exercise of 1.4 years, 3.1 years and 2.9 years after vesting, respectively.

                      Fair Value of Time Warner Equity-Based Awards

                              The weighted-average fair value of an option granted to the Company's employees was $3.20, $4.33 and $9.35 for the three months ended February 29, 2004 and the years ended November 30, 2003 and 2002, respectively.

                      Summary of Time Warner Stock Option Activity

                              A summary of Time Warner stock option activity with respect to employees of the Company is as follows:

                       
                       Time Warner
                      Options
                      Outstanding

                       Weighted-Average
                      Exercise Price

                      Balance at November 30, 2001 24,584 $35.43

                      2002 Activity

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       
                      Granted 6,978  24.76
                      Exercised (1,058) 9.83
                      Cancelled/transferred(a) (788) 39.76
                        
                         
                      Balance at November 30, 2002 29,716  33.72

                      2003 Activity

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       
                      Granted 6,341  11.72
                      Exercised (196) 12.21
                      Cancelled/transferred(a) (2,379) 23.79
                        
                         
                      Balance at November 30, 2003 33,482  30.39
                        
                         

                      (a)
                      Includes all options cancelled and forfeited during the year, as well as options related to employees who have been transferred out of and into the Company to and from other Time Warner divisions.

                              The following table summarizes information about Time Warner stock options outstanding with respect to employees of the Company at November 30, 2003:

                      Range of Exercise Prices

                       Number
                      Outstanding as
                      of 11/30/03

                       Weighted-
                      Average
                      Remaining
                      Contractual
                      Life

                       Weighted-
                      Average
                      Exercise
                      Price

                       Number
                      Exercisable as
                      of 11/30/03

                       Weighted-
                      Average
                      Exercise Price

                       
                       (in thousands)

                        
                        
                       (in thousands)

                        
                      $10.01 – 15.00 8,654 6.49 $11.53 3,362 $12.63
                      15.01 – 20.00 3,136 6.81  16.08 1,530  16.41
                      20.01 – 30.00 7,225 7.16  25.84 3,500  24.98
                      30.01 – 45.00 3,635 6.23  37.99 3,001  38.31
                      45.01 – 50.00 8,559 6.73  48.43 6,044  48.21
                      50.01 – 64.00 2,273 6.63  56.29 1,990  56.72
                        
                            
                         
                      Total 33,482 6.71  30.39 19,427  34.71
                        
                            
                         

                              Of the approximate 33 million Time Warner stock options held by employees of Old WMG as of the closing date of the Acquisition, approximately 27 million stock options remained outstanding and the balance was cancelled pursuant to the underlying terms of the awards. These stock options remain the obligation of Time Warner and not the Company, and will expire pursuant to the underlying terms of the awards, generally not exceeding three years from the closing date of the Acquisition. In exchange for the cancellation of certain unvested stock option awards as of the Acquisition date, employees of Old WMG received an aggregate $21 million payment funded by Time Warner. This payment was considered in the determination of the fair value of Old WMG's net asset as of November 30, 2003 and, accordingly, has been classified as a component of the impairment charge recognized during the year ended November 30, 2003.

                      Time Warner Restricted Stock Plans

                              Time Warner also had various restricted stock plans for employees and non-employee directors of the board. Under these plans, shares of common stock are granted which do not vest until the end of a restriction period, generally between three to five years. During 2002, Time Warner did not issue any shares of restricted stock to employees of the Company. However, during 2003, Time Warner issued approximately 821,000 shares of restricted stock to employees of Old WMG at a weighted-average fair value of $13 per share.

                              Of the 922,000 unvested shares of Time Warner restricted stock held by employees of Old WMG as of the closing date of the Acquisition, 217,000 shares became vested either pursuant to their original terms or on an accelerated basis, 568,000 shares are still subject to vesting conditions and remain the obligation of Time Warner and the balance was cancelled by Time Warner. Old WMG recognized the cost associated with the vesting of such shares and the anticipated change in employee status of certain executives in 2003 as a component of deal-related transaction and other costs in its statement of operations.

                      20.    Shareholders' Equity

                              The Company's capital stock formerly consisted of two classes of common stock that were issued in connection with the Acquisition. In addition, as part of the purchase price for the Acquisition, the Company issued warrants that gave Time Warner the right, under certain conditions, to purchase up to



                      19.9% of the capital stock of the Company. A summary of the terms of these securities is presented below.

                      Common Stock

                              In connection with the Acquisition, the Company received (i) a $765 million capital contribution in exchange for the issuance of 9,445 shares of Class L Common Stock and (ii) an $85 million capital contribution in exchange for the issuance of 85,000 shares of Class A Common Stock.

                              Shares of Class L Common Stock have identical terms as the shares of Class A Common Stock, except with respect to voting rights, liquidation preferences and conversion features, as follows:

                        Shares of Class L Common Stock are non-voting, whereas each share of Class A Common Stock is entitled to one vote;

                        Each share of Class L Common Stock has a liquidation preference of $81,000 plus an amount equal to accrued and unpaid dividends at a rate of 10% per annum, compounded quarterly. Shares of Class A Common Stock have no liquidation preferences; and

                        Each share of Class L Common Stock is convertible into one share of Class A Common Stock plus an additionalequivalent number of shares of Class A Common Stock determined by dividingCompany stock (“matching units”). The Company’s board of directors authorized the Class L liquidation preferenceissuance of up to 39,225,429.54 shares of the Company’s common stock pursuant to the Plan, 19,612,714.77 in respect of deferred equity units and 19,612,714.77 in respect of matching units, as adjusted in accordance with the Plan. The LLC currently owns approximately 28,685,481 issued and outstanding shares. Each deferred equity unit is equivalent to a share of Company stock. The Company credits units to active participants each Plan year at the datetime that annual free cash flow bonuses for such Plan year are determined (although certain participants have already received their complete allocations) and may grant unallocated units under the Plan to certain members of conversioncurrent or future management. At the time that annual free cash flow bonuses for such Plan year are determined, a participant is credited a number of deferred equity units based on their respective allocation divided by the adjusted marketgrant date intrinsic value of each share of Class A Common Stock as set forth in the certificate of designation governing such shares.

                              As more fully described in Notes 2 and 26, in connection with the Initial Common Stock Offering, the Recapitalization occurred. In connection with the Recapitalization, all shares of Class L Common Stock were converted into shares of Class A Common Stock and, along with all other outstanding shares of Class A Common Stock, were renamed as common stock.

                      Warrants

                              A portionan equal number of the consideration paid to Time Warner in connection with the Acquisition was in the form of two stock warrants that were issued to Time Warner.

                              One of the warrants gives Time Warner the right, under certain conditions related to the occurrence of a major music transaction, to purchase approximately 19.9% of the Class A and Class L Common Stock of Parent and 19.9% of the preferred shares issued by Holdings, after taking into account the exercise of the warrant (the "MMT Warrants"). Time Warner may exercise its rights under the warrants only (i) upon the sale to certain music companies of all or substantially all of the recorded music business or music publishing business conducted by the Company or the acquisition by certain music companies of 35% of the outstanding shares of Parent or Holdings; (ii) the acquisition of all or substantially all of the recorded music business or music publishing business of certain music companies; or (iii) a merger with or the formation of a joint venture or other combination of all or substantially all of the recorded music business or music publishing business with that of certain music companies. If a definitive agreement for such a transactionmatching units is not executed by March 1, 2007, or if the MMT Warrants are not exercised within 90 days of the consummation of such a transaction, the MMT Warrants will expire. Additionally, the MMT Warrants will expire if the Three-Year Warrants (defined below) are exercised in whole or in part.



                      vested. The MMT Warrants provide that Time Warner may elect to pay the exercise price in cash or, in the alternative, may elect to exercise without the payment of cash and receive a reduced number of shares. In such case, the reduction in shares would be based on the number of shares having an aggregate fair market value at that time equal to the exercise price. The exerciseredemption price of the MMT Warrants is based on an equivalent price per share as the cash purchase price paid to Time Warner in connection with the Acquisition effective as of March 1, 2004, as adjusted for the effects of any distributions, redemptions, issuances or recapitalizations occurring subsequent to such date. The exercise price of the MMT Warrants is further increased at an annual compounded rate of 8.5%, which rate will increase to 15% on June 1, 2005.

                              The other warrant gives Time Warner the right to purchase approximately 15% of the Class A and Class L Common Stock of Parent and 15% of the preferred shares issued by Holdings, after taking into account the exercise of the warrant (the "Three-Year Warrants"). Time Warner may exercise its rights under the Three-Year Warrants at any time prior to March 1, 2007, provided that there has not been a publicdeferred equity offering that results in the common and preferred securities of Parent or Holdings to be outstanding; there has not been a sale of a majority of the then-outstanding common and preferred securities of Parent or Holdings to a third party; or the exercise of the MMT Warrants. Any of those events will cause the term of the Three-Year Warrants to expire.

                              The Three-Year Warrants provide that Time Warner may elect to pay the exercise price in cash or, in the alternative, may elect to exercise without the payment of cash and receive a reduced number of shares. In such case, the reduction in shares would be based on the number of shares having an aggregate fair market value at that time equal to the exercise price. The exercise price of the Three-Year Warrants is equal to 75% ofunits equals the fair market value of Parent'sa share of the Company’s stock on the date of the settlement and Holdings' capital stock at the time multipliedredemption price for the matching units equals the excess, if any, of the then fair market value of one Company share over the grant date intrinsic value of one share.

                      The Company accounts for share-based payments as required by ASC 718. ASC 718 requires all share-based payments to employees to be recognized as compensation expense. Under the recognition provision of ASC 718, liability classified share-based compensation costs are measured each reporting date until settlement. The Company’s policy is to measure share-based compensation costs to employees using the intrinsic value method instead of fair value as it is not practical to estimate the volatility of its share price on the grant date.

                      The intrinsic value method utilized by the Company is based on the estimated fair value of equity divided by the number of shares outstanding to determine a price per share. The Company’s estimated fair value of capital stock issuable upon exercise, as adjustedequity is derived from a discounted cash flow model with adjustments fornon-operating assets, less the effectsestimated fair value of any distributions, redemptions, issuances or recapitalizations occurring subsequentdebt.

                      For accounting purposes, the grant date was established at the point the Company and the participant reached a mutual understanding of the key terms and conditions, in this case the date at which the participant accepted the invitation to March 1, 2004. Toparticipate in the extent that any of such adjustments relatingPlan. For accounting purposes, deferred equity units are deemed to generally vest between one and seven years and matching equity units granted under the Plan are deemed to vest two years after the allocation to the Holdings' preferred stock resultparticipant’s account. The deferred and matching equity units have cash settlement dates that began in a reductionDecember 2018. Upon the scheduled settlement in December 2018, the exercise price payable by Time WarnerCompany settled 209,773.90 deferred equity units, including special deferred equity units, in connection with its exercisecash totaling approximately $1 million, 4,127,959.63 in Company shares (which were contributed to the LLC in exchange for Class A units of the Three-Year Warrants, Time Warner can electLLC) with an estimated value of $26 million and 217,312.42 matching equity units in cash totaling approximately $1 million. The deferred units will be settled at the participant’s election for cash equal to receivethe fair market value of one company share or a company share. The matching units will be settled

                      for cash payment fromequal to the Company in lieu of a reduced exerciseredemption price or otherwise reducecompany shares of equivalent value. At the exercise price payable under the warrants.

                      Return of Capital

                              In September 2004, the Company declared a $342 million dividend to its Class L common stockholders in the form of a note payable. The note payable was paid in October 2004 using proceeds received from a return of capital previously invested in WMG Acquisition Corp.

                              In December 2004, in connection with the Holdings Refinancing, the Company paid a $422 million return of capital to the Class L common stockholders.

                      21.    Related Party Transactions

                              The natureend of the Company's related party transactions has changed asapplicable redemption period, all outstanding units become mandatorily redeemable at the then redemption price. Due to this mandatory redemption clause, the Company has migrated fromclassified the awards under the Plan as liability awards. As of September 30, 2019, total liabilities for the vested portion of the plan is $211 million, of which $108 million is eligible for redemption in fiscal 2020 and, therefore a wholly owned operationcurrent liability. Dividend distributions, if any, are also paid out on vested deferred equity units and are calculated on the same basis as the Company’s common shares. The Company has applied a graded(tranche-by-tranche) attribution method and expenses share-based compensation on an accelerated basis over the vesting period of Time Warnerthe share award.

                      The following is a summary of the Company’s share awards:

                        Deferred
                      Equity Units
                        Matching
                      Equity Units
                        Deferred
                      Equity Units
                      Weighted-
                      Average
                      Intrinsic
                      Value
                        Matching
                      Equity Units
                      Weighted-
                      Average
                      Intrinsic
                      Value
                        Deferred Equity
                      Units Weighted-
                      Average Grant-
                      Date Intrinsic
                      Value
                        Matching Equity
                      Units Weighted-
                      Average Grant-
                      Date Intrinsic
                      Value
                       

                      Unvested units at September 30, 2017

                        6,204,154   17,180,734  $5.07  $2.33  $2.93  $—   

                      Granted

                        —     —     —     —     —     —   

                      Vested

                        (3,340,698  (4,295,184  6.37   4.06   2.79   —   

                      Forfeited

                        —     —     —     —     —     —   
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Unvested units at September 30, 2018

                        2,863,456   12,885,551  $6.37  $3.50  $3.12  $—   
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Granted

                        —     —     —     —     —     —   

                      Vested

                        (962,709  (6,204,154  7.71   5.10   3.09   —   

                      Forfeited

                        —     —     —     —     —     —   
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Unvested units at September 30, 2019

                        1,900,747   6,681,397  $7.71  $4.60  $3.13  $—   
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      The weighted-average grant date intrinsic value of deferred equity unit awards for all periods priorthe fiscal year ended September 30, 2019 was $3.13. The fair value of these deferred equity units at September 30, 2019 was $7.71. The weighted-average grant date intrinsic value of deferred equity unit awards for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018 was $3.12. The fair value of these deferred equity units at September 30, 2018 was $6.37. The weighted-average grant date intrinsic value of deferred equity unit awards for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2017 was $2.93. The fair value of these deferred equity units at September 30, 2017 was $5.07.

                      Compensation Expense

                      The Company recognizednon-cash share-based compensation expense of $50 million, free cash flow compensation expense of $15 million and dividend expense related to the closingequity units of $7 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019. The Company recognizednon-cash share-based compensation expense of $62 million, free cash flow compensation expense of $19 million and dividend expense related to the equity units of $27 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018. The Company recognizednon-cash share-based compensation expense of $70 million, free cash flow compensation expense of $30 million and dividend expense related to the equity units of $2 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2017.

                      In addition, at September 30, 2019, September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017, the Company had approximately $16 million, $18 million and $34 million, respectively, of unrecognized compensation costs related to its unvested share awards. As of September 30, 2019, the remaining weighted-average period over which total compensation related to unvested awards is expected to be recognized is 1 year.

                      12. Related Party Transactions

                      Management Agreement

                      Upon completion of the Acquisition to a stand-alone independent company, effectiveMerger, the Company and Holdings entered into the Management Agreement, dated as of March 1, 2004. Accordingly, the following discussionMerger Closing Date, pursuant to which Access provides the Company and its subsidiaries with financial, investment banking, management, advisory and other services. Pursuant to the Management Agreement, the Company pays to Access an annual fee and reimburses Access for certain expenses incurred performing services under the agreement. The annual fee is payable quarterly. The Company and Holdings agreed to indemnify Access and certain of related party transactions highlights the significant related party relationships and transactions that existed both before and after the closingits affiliates against all liabilities arising out of performance of the Acquisition.



                      Post-AcquisitionManagement Agreement.

                      Transition Services Agreements

                              In connection with the Acquisition, the Company entered into a seller administrative services agreement with Time Warner (the "Seller Administrative Services Agreement"). Under the Seller Administrative Services Agreement, Time Warner agreed to provide the Company with certain administrative services, including (i) accounting services, (ii) tax services, (iii) human resources and benefits services, (iv) information technology services, (v) legal services, (vi) treasury services, (vii) payroll services, (viii) travel services, (ix) real estate management services and (x) messenger services. The obligations for Time Warner to provide those services generally expire no later than December 31, 2004. The amounts to be paid under the Seller Administrative Services Agreement generally are based on theSuch costs incurred by Time Warner in providing those administrative services, including Time Warner's employee coststhe Company were approximately $11 million, $16 million and out-of-pocket expenses. For$9 million for the seven monthsfiscal years ended September 30, 2004, the Company incurred $4 million of costs under these administrative arrangements.

                      Management/Monitoring Agreement

                              In connection with the Acquisition, the Company entered into a management agreement with the Investor Group for ongoing consulting and management advisory services. Pursuant to this agreement, the Company paid an aggregate of $75 million to the Investor Group under the management agreement in connection with the Acquisition and related original financing. These fees have been apportioned between direct costs of the Acquisition (and capitalized as part of the allocation of purchase price) and capitalized debt issuance costs. In consideration for ongoing consulting and management advisory services, the management agreement requires the Company to pay (or to cause Holdings or Acquisition Corp. to pay) the Investor Group an aggregate annual fee of $10 million per year ("Periodic Fees"), which is payable quarterly in advance. This annual fee has been prepaid in its entirety through February 2005. For the seven months ended2019, September 30, 2004, the Company has expensed $6 million of this prepaid fee2018 and such amount hasSeptember 30, 2017, respectively. Such amounts have been included as a component of selling, general and administrative expensesexpense in the accompanying statementconsolidated statements of operations.

                              In addition,Lease Arrangements with Related Parties

                      On March 29, 2019, an affiliate of Access acquired the Ford Factory Building, located on 777 S. Santa Fe Avenue in Los Angeles, California from an unaffiliated third party. The building is the case of future services provided in connection with any future acquisition, disposition, or financing transactions involving Acquisition Corp.,Company’s new Los Angeles, California headquarters and as such, the Company or Holdings,is the managementsole tenant of the building acquired by Access. The existing lease agreement requireswas assumed by Access upon purchase of the building and was not modified as a result of the purchase. Rental payments by the Company under the existing lease total approximately $12 million per year, subject to pay (orannual fixed increases. The remaining lease term is approximately 11 years, after which the Company may exercise a single option to cause Holdings or Acquisition Corp. to pay)extend the Investor Group an aggregate fee of one percentterm of the gross transaction value of each such transaction ("Subsequent Fees"). The agreement also requires Acquisition Corp., Warner Music Group and Holdings to pay the reasonable expenses of the Investors in connection with, and indemnify themlease for liabilities arising from, the management agreement, the Acquisition and any related transactions, their equity investment in Acquisition Corp., Warner Music Group or Holdings, their operations, and the services they provide to Acquisition Corp., Warner Music Group and Holdings. The management agreement continues in full force and effect until December 30, 2014, provided, however, that the Investor Group may cause the agreement to terminate at any time upon agreement of the Investor Group. In the event of the termination of the management agreement, the Company, Holdings and Acquisition Corp. shall pay each of the Investor Group (x) any unpaid portion of the Periodic Fees, any Subsequent Fees and any expenses due with respect to periods prior to the date of termination plus (y) the net present value (using10 years thereafter.

                      On July 15, 2016, a discount rate equal to the then yield on U.S. Treasury Securities of



                      like maturity) of the Periodic Fees that would have been payable with respect to the period from the date of termination until December 30, 2014.

                      Other Arrangements with the Investor Group and its Affiliates

                              In the normal course of conducting its business, the Company has entered into various other transactions with the Investor Group and its affiliates. As an example, employees of the Investor Group have filled management roles on an interim basis while the Company has been transitioning to a permanent management team, including the role of Chief Financial Officersubsidiary of the Company, sinceWarner Music Inc., entered into a license agreement with Cooper Investment Partners LLC, for the beginninguse of June 2004. Such employees have not received any compensation fromoffice space in the Company’s corporate headquarters at 1633 Broadway, New York, New York. The license fee of $16,967.21 per month, was based on the per foot lease costs to the Company of its headquarters space, which represented market terms. For the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019, an immaterial amount was recorded as rental income. The space is occupied by Cooper Investment Partners LLC, which is a private equity fund that pursues a wide range of investment opportunities. Mr. Cooper, CEO and director of the Company, is the Managing Partner of Cooper Investment Partners LLC.

                      On August 13, 2015, a subsidiary of the Company, Warner Music Inc., entered into a license agreement with Access for the use of office space in the Company’s corporate headquarters at 1633 Broadway, New York, New York. The license fee of $2,775 per month, plus an IT support fee of $1,000 per month, was based on the per foot lease costs to the Company of its headquarters space, which represented market terms. For the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019, an immaterial amount was recorded as rental income. The space is occupied by The Blavatnik Archive, which is dedicated to the discovery and preservation of historically distinctive and visually compelling artifacts, images and stories that contribute to the study of 20th century Jewish, WWI and WWII history.

                      On July 29, 2014, AI Wrights Holdings Limited, an affiliate of Access, entered into a lease and related agreements with Warner Chappell Music Limited and WMG Acquisition (UK) Limited, subsidiaries of the Company, for such services; however,the lease of 27 Wrights Lane, Kensington, London. The Company had been the tenant of the building which Access acquired. Subsequent to the change in ownership, the parties entered into the lease and related agreements pursuant to which, on January 1, 2015, the rent was increased to £3,460,250 per year and the term was extended for an additional five years from December 24, 2020 to December 24, 2025, with a representative costmarket rate rent review beginning December 25, 2020.

                      License Agreements with Deezer

                      Access owns a controlling equity interest in Deezer S.A., which was formerly known as Odyssey Music Group (“Odyssey”), a French company that controls and operates a music streaming service, formerly through Odyssey’s subsidiary, Blogmusik SAS (“Blogmusik”), under the name Deezer (“Deezer”), and is represented on Deezer S.A.’s Board of Directors. Subsidiaries of the Company have been a party to license arrangements with Deezer since 2008, which provide for the use of the Company’s sound recordings on Deezer’sad-supported and subscription streaming services worldwide (excluding Japan) in exchange for fees paid by Deezer. The Company has also authorized Deezer to include the Company’s sound recordings in Deezer’s streaming services where such services inare offered as a bundle with third-party services or products (e.g., telco services or hardware products), for which Deezer is also required to make payments to the Company. Deezer paid to the Company an aggregate amount of $280,000 has been charged to the statement of operations for the seven months ended September 30, 2004 with a corresponding increase in additional paid-in capital.

                      Pre-Acquisition

                              As previously described, the operations of Old WMG were under the control of Time Warner through the end of February 2004. During this period, in the normal course of conducting its business, Old WMG had various transactions with Time Warner and its affiliates, including the CD and DVD manufacturing and printing operations of Time Warner formerly under the management of Old WMG. The following is a summary of the principal transactions between Old WMG on the one hand, and Time Warner and its affiliates on the other hand.

                      Manufacturing and Printing Services with Time Warner Affiliates

                              Old WMG had an exclusive arrangement with affiliates of Time Warner to receive manufacturing and printing servicesapproximately $49 million in connection with the production of CDs, cassettes and other music-related audio and video products. Amounts included in cost of sales in connection with these services were approximately $216 million forforegoing arrangements during the fiscal year ended NovemberSeptember 30, 2003 and $217 million for the year ended November 30, 2002. Such costs did not reflect terms negotiated on an arm's-length basis between the units.2019. In connection with the sale of Time Warner's manufacturing and printing operations in October 2003, such services were provided on an arm's-length basis by Cinram, effective with the closing date of the sale (see Note 7).

                      Distribution Services with Time Warner and Old WMG Affiliates

                              Old WMG provided distribution services to certain Time Warner affiliates, including Warner Home Video and Time-Life Inc. In addition, Old WMG provided distribution services to other related parties, including companies in which Old WMG had ownership interests therein that allowed for the exercise of significant influence over the operations and financial policies of the investees. Amounts included in revenues in connection with these services were approximately $51 million for the year ended November 30, 2003 and $50 million for the year ended November 30, 2002. Such revenues may not have reflected terms negotiated on an arm's-length basis between the entities. In connection with the sale of Time Warner's manufacturing and printing operations in October 2003, the services for Warner Home Video were provided by Cinram, effective with the closing date of the sale (see Note 7).



                      Licensing Arrangements with Time Warner and Old WMG Affiliates

                              Old WMG periodically licensed its masters and rights in owned or administered musical compositions to affiliates of Time Warner for inclusion in certain movie soundtracks, film and television series, music compilations and other forms of entertainment. Amounts included in revenues in connection with these and other licensing arrangements were approximately $2 million for the three months ended February 29, 2004, $6 million for the year ended November 30, 2003 and $11 million for the year ended November 30, 2002. Such revenues reflect terms resulting from a negotiation between the units that, in management's view, result in a reasonable basis.

                              Old WMG also entered into sub-publishing or administrative agreements with certain Time Warner affiliates, whereby it exploited or administered rights in musical compositions held by such affiliates. Royalty expenses included in cost of revenues in connection with these arrangements, were approximately $2 million for(i) the three months ended February 29, 2004, $19 million forCompany was issued, and currently holds, warrants to purchase shares of Deezer S.A. and (ii) the year ended November 30, 2003 and $14 million for the year ended November 30, 2002. Such amounts reflect terms resulting fromCompany purchased a negotiation between the units that,small number of shares of Deezer S.A., which collectively represent a small minority interest in management's view, result in a reasonable basis.

                      Real Estate and Marketing Arrangements with Time Warner Affiliates

                              Old WMG utilized and paid for certain office space leased by Time Warner and its affiliates. In addition, Old WMG periodically advertised its products in media produced by Time Warner and its affiliates. Amounts included in costs and expenses in connection with these arrangements were approximately $2 million for the three months ended February 29, 2004, $26 million for the year ended November 30, 2003 and $20 million for the year ended November 30, 2002. Such amounts reflect terms resulting from a negotiation between the units that, in management's view, result in a reasonable basis.

                      Financing Arrangements with Time Warner Affiliates

                              As described in Note 3, Old WMG had agreements with Time Warner, whereby all cash received or paid by Old WMG was included in, or funded by, clearing accounts or international cash pools within Time Warner's centralized cash management system. Some of these arrangements were interest bearing and others were not. Net interest income of approximately $1 million for three months ended February 29, 2004 and $10.8 million for the year ended November 30, 2003, and net interest expense of approximately $3.6 million for the year ended November 30, 2002 were recognized from Time Warner and its affiliates or other related parties.

                              In addition, as described in Note 23, Old WMG participated in Time Warner's foreign currency risk-management program and was allocated its proportional share of foreign exchange contract gains and losses. Net foreign exchange contract losses were immaterial for the three months ended February 29, 2004, $17 million for the year ended November 30, 2003 and $4.5 million for the year ended November 30, 2002 were recognized and are classified in other income (expense), net, in the accompanying statement of operations.

                              See Note 25 for a description of the Company's participation in Time Warner's accounts receivable securitization program.


                      Other Costs with Time Warner Affiliates

                              Employees of Old WMG participated in several Time Warner medical, stock option, pension, deferred compensation and other benefit plans for which Old WMG was charged an allocable share of plan expenses, including administrative costs.Deezer S.A. The Company also was covered underhas various Timepublishing agreements with Deezer. Warner insurance policiesChappell has licenses with Deezer for use of repertoire on the service in Europe, which the Company refers to as a PEDL license (referencing the Company’s Pan European Digital Licensing initiative), and was charged an allocable share of such costs. Amounts includedfor territories in expenses in connection with theseLatin America. For the PEDL and other sundry costs, such as communications networking costs, were approximately $8 millionLatin American licenses for the three months ended February 29, 2004, $62 million for thefiscal year ended NovemberSeptember 30, 2003 and $53 million for2019, Deezer paid the year ended November 30, 2002.Company an additional approximately $1 million. Deezer also licenses other publishing rights controlled by Warner Chappell through statutory licenses or through various collecting societies.

                      Affiliated Management ServicesInvestment in Tencent Music Entertainment Group

                              Through February 2004, OldOn October 1, 2018, WMG had general management responsibility over substantially all of Time Warner's music operations, including Time Warner's CD and DVD manufacturing and printing operations. Accordingly, certain general and administrative costs incurred in the management of those operations were allocated to Old China LLC (“WMG including legal, accounting, financial and information technology services. As described previously in Note 2, the allocation of these costs was determined based on Old WMG's pro rata shareChina”), an affiliate of the revenues generatedCompany, entered into a share subscription agreement with Tencent Music Entertainment Group pursuant to which WMG China agreed to purchase 37,162,288 ordinary shares of Tencent Music Entertainment Group for $100 million. WMG China is 80% owned by those collective operations. The costs allocatedAI New Holdings 5 LLC, an affiliate of Access, and 20% owned by the Company. On October 3, 2018, WMG China acquired the shares pursuant to Old WMG are not necessarily indicativethe share subscription agreement.

                      Music Publishing Agreement

                      Val Blavatnik (the son of our director and controlling shareholder, Len Blavatnik) entered into a music publishing contract with Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., dated September 7, 2018, pursuant to which, in fiscal 2019, he was paid $162,500 in advances recoupable from royalties otherwise payable to him from the costs that would have been incurredlicensing of musical compositions written orco-written by him.

                      Loan Agreement with Max Lousada

                      On April 16, 2018, the Company loaned $227,000 to Mr. Lousada in exchange for a promissory note. Mr. Lousada was obligated to repay this loan upon the earliest of specified events, including April 30, 2019, termination of his employment, the event of a default (as specified therein) or if Old WMG had obtained such services independently, nor are they indicativethe Company or one of costs that will be charged or incurred in the future. However, management believes such allocations are reasonable. Amounts included in expenses in connection with these affiliated management service costs were approximately $2 million for the three months ended February 29 2004, $79 million for the year ended Novemberits affiliates becomes an issuer of publicly traded stock. Mr. Lousada repaid this loan prior to April 30, 2003 and $85 million for the year ended November 30, 2002. Such amounts exclude approximately $47 million of costs for the year ended November 30, 2003 and $40 million of costs for the year ended November 30, 2002 that have been separately allocated to Time Warner's former CD and DVD manufacturing and printing operations for comparable management services.2019.

                      22.13. Commitments and Contingencies

                      Leases

                      The Company occupies various facilities and uses certain equipment under many operating leases. Net rent expense was approximately $24$84 million, in$80 million and $62 million for the seven monthsfiscal years ended September 30, 2004, $13 million in the three months ended February 29, 2004, $53 million in the year ended November2019, September 30, 20032018 and $57 million in the year ended NovemberSeptember 30, 2002.2017, respectively.

                      At September 30, 2004,2019, future minimum payments undernon-cancelable operating leases (net of sublease income) are as follows:

                       
                       September 30,
                       
                       (in millions)

                      2005 $49
                      2006  46
                      2007  45
                      2008  40
                      2009  37
                      Thereafter  164
                        
                      Total $381
                        

                      Guaranteed Minimum

                      Years

                        Operating
                      Leases
                       
                         (in millions) 

                      2020

                        $52 

                      2021

                         49 

                      2022

                         48 

                      2023

                         47 

                      2024

                         45 

                      Thereafter

                         207 
                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total

                        $448 
                        

                       

                       

                       

                      The future minimum payments reflect the amounts owed under lease arrangements and do not include any fair market value adjustments that would have been recorded as a result of the Merger.

                      Talent Advances

                      The Company routinely enters into long-term commitments with recording artists, songwriters and co-publisherspublishers for the future delivery of music product. Aggregatemusic. Such commitments generally become due only upon delivery and Company acceptance of albums from the recording artists or future musical compositions from songwriters and publishers. Additionally, such commitments are typically cancelable at the Company’s discretion, generally without penalty. Based on contractual obligations and the Company’s expected release schedule, aggregate firm commitments to such talent approximated $345$428 million atand $340 million as of September 30, 2004. Such commitments are payable principally over a ten-year period, generally upon delivery of albums from the artists or future musical compositions by songwriters2019 and co-publishers.September 30, 2018, respectively.

                      Other

                      Otheroff-balance sheet, firm commitments, which primarily include letters of credit and minimum funding commitments to investees, amounted to approximately $65$10 million and $4 million at September 30, 2004.2019 and September 30, 2018, respectively.

                      Litigation

                      SiriusXM

                      On September 11, 2013, the Company joined with Capitol Records, LLC, Sony Music Entertainment, UMG Recordings, Inc. and ABKCO Music & Records, Inc. in a lawsuit brought in California Superior Court against SiriusXM Radio Inc., alleging copyright infringement for SiriusXM’s use ofpre-1972 sound recordings under California law. A nation-wide settlement was reached on June 17, 2015 pursuant to which SiriusXM paid the plaintiffs, in the aggregate, $210 million on July 29, 2015 and the plaintiffs dismissed their lawsuit with prejudice. The settlement resolved all past claims as to SiriusXM’s use ofpre-1972 recordings owned or controlled by the plaintiffs and enabled SiriusXM, without any additional payment, to reproduce, perform and broadcast such recordings in the United States through December 31, 2017. The allocation of the settlement proceeds among the plaintiffs was determined and the settlement proceeds were distributed accordingly. This resulted in a cash distribution to the Company of $33 million of which $28 million was recognized in revenue during the 2016 fiscal year and $4 million was recognized in revenue during the 2017 fiscal year. The balance of $1 million was recognized in the first quarter of the 2018 fiscal year. The Company is subject to a number of state and federal class action lawsuits, as well as an action brought by a number of state Attorneys General alleging unlawful horizontal and vertical agreements to fix the prices of compact discs by the major record companies. The parties to the federal action commenced by the Attorneys General have entered into a settlement agreement. On July 9, 2003, the Court entered a final judgment approving the settlement. In one of the two remaining lawsuits,Ottinger v. EMI Music, Inc., et al., the Court entered an order granting final approvalsharing its allocation of the settlement proceeds with its artists on January 21, 2004. In the other action,In re Compact Disc. Antitrust Litig.same basis as statutory revenue from SiriusXM is shared, i.e., which was brought the artist share of our allocation will be paid to artists by individual retailersSoundExchange.

                      As part of compact discs alleging unlawful horizontal agreementsthe settlement, plaintiffs agreed to fix the prices of compact discs by the major record companies, on July 29, 2004, the Court denied the parties' motionnegotiate in good faith to grant final approvalSiriusXM a license to publicly perform the plaintiffs’pre-1972 sound recordings for the five-year period running from January 1, 2018 to

                      December 31, 2022. Pursuant to the settlement. On August 30, 2004, plaintiffs filed a Second Amended Consolidated Complaint adding additional individual retailers as named plaintiffs in the litigation, which the Company answered, denying all claims, on September 15, 2004. On October 29, 2004,settlement, if the parties reachedwere unable to reach an agreement on license terms, the termsroyalty rate for each license would be determined by binding arbitration on a willing buyer/willing seller standard. On December 21, 2017, SiriusXM commenced a single arbitration against all of the plaintiffs in California through JAMS to determine the rate for the five-year period. On May 1, 2018, the Company filed a settlement. Thelawsuit against SiriusXM in New York state court to stay the California arbitration and to compel a separate arbitration in New York solely between SiriusXM and the Company. On August 23, 2018, the Company does not expect the final terms of that settlement to differ materially from the settlement agreement previously entered into by the parties. On February 2, 2005, the Court enteredfiled a Stipulation of Dismissal withDiscontinuance without Prejudice ofas to the entire action. In connectionNew York state court action after SiriusXM agreed to participate in a separate arbitration with the aforementioned settlements, Old WMG paid approximately $30 millionCompany in cash and product costs in the aggregate during 2001 and 2002. Such amounts did not affect the statement of operations as the settlements were charged against a pre-existing liability relating to these matters.

                              On September 7, 2004, November 22, 2004 and March 31, 2005, Eliot Spitzer, the Attorney General of the State of New York served Warner Music Group with requestsif the parties were unable to reach an agreement onpre-1972 license terms. On March 28, 2019, the Company and SiriusXM entered into an agreement granting SiriusXM a license to publicly perform the Company’spre-1972 sound recordings for information in the form of subpoenas duces tecum in connection with an industry-wide investigation of the relationship between music companies and radio stations, including the use of independent promoters and accounting for any such payments. In responsefive-year period running from January 1, 2018 to the Attorney General's subpoenas, we have been producing documents and expect to complete our production in May or June. We also understand that this investigation has been expanded to include companies that own radio stations. The investigation is pursuant to New York Executive Law §63(12) and New York General Business Law §349, both of which are consumer fraud statutes. It is too soon to predict the outcome of this investigation, but it has the potential to result in changes in the manner in which the recorded music industry promotes its records or financial penalties, which could adversely affect the Company's business, including its brand value.December 31, 2022.



                      Other Matters

                      In addition to the State of New York investigationmatter discussed above, the Company is involved in various litigation and regulatory proceedings arising in the normal course of business. Where it is determined, in consultation with employment claimscounsel based on litigation and other legalsettlement risks, that a loss is probable and estimable in a given matter, the Company establishes an accrual. In the currently pending proceedings, that are incidental to its normal business activities. Itthe amount of accrual is not material. An estimate of the reasonably possible that an adverse outcome on any of these matters could result in a material effect on the Company's consolidated financial statements. Due to the preliminary status of many of these matters, the Company is unable to predict the outcomeloss or determine a range of loss in excess of the amounts already accrued cannot be made at this time.time due to various factors typical in contested proceedings, including (1) the results of ongoing discovery; (2) uncertain damage theories and demands; (3) a less than complete factual record; (4) uncertainty concerning legal theories and their resolution by courts or regulators; and (5) the unpredictable nature of the opposing party and its demands. However, in the opinionCompany cannot predict with certainty the outcome of any litigation or the potential for future litigation. As such, the Company continuously monitors these proceedings as they develop and adjusts any accrual or disclosure as needed. Regardless of the outcome, litigation could have an adverse impact on the Company, including the Company’s brand value, because of defense costs, diversion of management resources and other factors and it is not likely that the ultimate outcome of these matters willcould have a material effect on the Company's consolidated financial statements.Company’s results of operations for a given reporting period.

                      23.14. Derivative Financial Instruments

                      The Company has exposure to changes in foreign currency exchange rates relating to the cash flows generated by its international operations and exposure to changes in interest rates relating to floating-rate borrowings under its senior secured credit facility. Consequently, the Company uses derivative financial instruments, to manage such risks. The following is a summary of the Company's risk management strategiesprimarily foreign currency forward exchange contracts and the effect of those strategies on the Company's financial statements.

                      Interest Rate Risk Management

                              The Company uses interest rate swap agreements to manageswaps, for the floating to fixed-rate proportionpurposes of its debt portfolio. In particular, under its senior secured credit facility, the Company is required to maintain a fixed-to-floating debt ratio of at least 50% of its actual funded debt through at least April 2007. Consequently, the Company entered intomanaging foreign currency exchange rate risk and interest rate swap agreements with a notional face amount of $300 million in 2004 in order to hedge the variability ofrisk on expected future cash interest payments. Under these interest rate swap agreements,flows. However, the Company agreedmay choose not to receive floating-rate payments (based on three-month LIBOR rates) in exchange for fixed-rate paymentshedge certain exposures for a fixed termvariety of three years through May 2007.

                              The interest rate swap agreements have been designated as a cash flow hedge of the associated variability in future interest payments. As such, the agreements have been recorded at fair value in the accompanying balance sheetreasons including, but not limited to, accounting considerations and the related gains or losses onprohibitive economic cost of hedging particular exposures. There can be no assurance the agreements are deferred in shareholder's equity (ashedges will offset more than a component of comprehensive income). These deferred gains and losses are recognized as an adjustment to interest expense in the period in which the related interest payments being hedged are made and recognized in income. However, to the extent that any of these contracts are not considered to be perfectly effective in offsetting the change in the amount of the interest payments being hedged, any changes in fair value relating to the ineffective portion of these contracts are immediately recognized in income.

                              For the seven months ended September 30, 2004, the Company recognized approximately $2 million of losses on its interest rate swap agreements, which have been classified as a component of interest expense in the accompanying statement of operations. The Company did not recognize any material gains or losses during the period relating to the ineffective portion of the agreements. At September 30, 2004, the Company had deferred approximately $4 million of losses on itsfinancial impact resulting from movements in foreign currency exchange or interest rate swap agreements in shareholder's equity, of which approximately $1 million is expected to be recognized in income over the next twelve months.rates.

                      The Company monitors its positions with, and the credit quality of, the financial institutions that are party to any of its financial transactions. Credit risk related to interest rate swaps is considered low



                      because swaps are enteredenters into with strong creditworthy counterparties and are limited to the net interest payments due/payable for the remaining life of the swap.

                      Foreign Currency Risk Management

                              Historically, the Company has used foreign currency forward exchange contracts primarily to hedge the risk that unremitted or future royalties and license fees owed to its domesticU.S. companies for the sale or anticipated sale,licensing of U.S.-copyrighted productsU.S.-based music and merchandise abroad may be adversely affected by changes in foreign currency exchange rates. However, in connection with the Acquisition, new management is in the process of evaluating its hedging practices and alternatives and no significant foreign exchange contracts had been entered into as of September 30, 2004.

                              Prior to the closing of the Acquisition, Old WMG and Time Warner used foreign exchange contracts principally to manage the risk that changes in exchange rates would affect the amount of unremitted or future royalties and license fees to be received from the sale of U.S.-copyrighted products abroad.

                              Foreign exchange contracts were used primarily by Old WMG and Time Warner to hedge the risk that unremitted or future royalties and license fees owed to Old WMG's domestic companies for the sale, or anticipated sale, of U.S.-copyrighted products abroad might be adversely affected by changes in foreign currency exchange rates. As part of its overall strategy to manageThe Company focuses on managing the level of exposure to the risk of foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations primarily exposure to changes inon its major currencies, which include the value of theEuro, British Pound,pound sterling, Japanese Yenyen, Canadian dollar, Swedish krona, Australian dollar, Brazilian real, Korean won and Euros, Time Warner hedged a portion of Old WMG's combinedNorwegian krone. The foreign currency exposures anticipated over the ensuing fifteen-month period (the "Hedging Period"). The Hedging Period for royalties and license fees covered revenues expected to be recognized over the ensuing twelve-month period; however, there was often a lag between the time that revenue was recognized and the transfer of foreign-denominated revenues back into U.S. dollars. Therefore, the Hedging Period covered a fifteen-month period.

                              To hedge this exposure, Time Warner used foreignforward exchange contracts that generally had maturities of three months to fifteen months to provide continuing coverage throughout the Hedging Period. Time Warner reimbursed, or was reimbursed by, Old WMG for contract gains and losses related to Old WMG's foreign currency exposure. At November 30, 2002, Time Warner had effectively hedged approximately 75% of Old WMG's estimated net foreign currency exposures that principally related to anticipated cash flows for royalties are designated and license fees to be remitted to the U.S. over the ensuing Hedging Period. In connection with the anticipated closing of the Acquisition, all positions were unwoundqualify as of the end of December 2003. In connection with the discontinuance of such cash flow hedges Old WMG recognized approximately $5 million of losses duringunder the fourth quarter of 2003. No significant cash flow hedges were discontinuedcriteria prescribed in 2002 because, at that time, it was probable that the original forecasted transactions would occur within the specified time period.

                      ASC 815. The Company records foreign exchangethese contracts at fair value inon its balance sheet and the related gains or losses on these contracts are deferred in shareholder's equity (as a component of comprehensive income)loss). These deferred gains and losses are recognized in income in the period in which the related royalties and license fees being hedged are received and recognized in income. However, to the extent that any of these contracts are not considered to be perfectly effective in offsetting the change in the value of the royalties and license fees being hedged, any changes in fair value relating to the ineffective portion of these contracts are immediately recognized in income. Oldthe consolidated statement of operations.



                      WMG didThe Company may at times choose to hedge foreign currency risk associated with financing transactions such as third-party debt and other balance sheet items. The foreign currency forward exchange contracts related to balance sheet items denominated in foreign currency are reviewed on acontract-by-contract basis and are designated accordingly. If these foreign currency forward exchange contracts do not recognize any significantqualify for hedge accounting, then the Company records these contracts at fair value on its balance sheet and the related gains and losses are immediately recognized in the consolidated statement of operations where there is an equal and offsetting entry related to the underlying exposure.

                      The Company has entered into, and in the future may enter into, interest rate swaps to manage interest rate risk. These instruments may offset a portion of changes in income or expense, or changes in fair value of the Company’s long-term debt. The interest rate swap instruments are designated and qualify as cash flow hedges under the criteria prescribed in ASC 815. The Company records these contracts at fair value on its balance sheet and gains or losses due to ineffective hedgeson these contracts are deferred in 2002. However, excluding the aforementioned losses on the discontinuance of cash flow hedges, Old WMG recognized a $694,000 gain in 2003 due to the ineffective portion of certain foreign exchange contracts. Gains and losses on foreign exchange contracts generally are included asequity (as a component of comprehensive loss).

                      The fair value of foreign currency forward exchange contracts is determined by using observable market transactions of spot and forward rates (i.e., Level 2 inputs) which is discussed further in Note 17. Additionally, netting provisions are provided for in existing International Swap and Derivative Association Inc. agreements in situations where the Company executes multiple contracts with the same counterparty. As a result, net assets or liabilities resulting from foreign exchange derivatives subject to these netting agreements are classified within other current assets or other current liabilities in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets.

                      The Company’s hedged interest rate transactions as of September 30, 2019 are expected to be recognized within five years. The fair value of interest rate swaps is based on dealer quotes of market rates (i.e., Level 2 inputs) which is discussed further in Note 17. Interest income or expense related to interest rate swaps is recognized in interest income, net in the same period as the related expense is recognized. The ineffective portions of interest rate swaps are recognized in other income/(expense), net in the Company's statement of operations.period measured.

                              At the end of fiscal year 2003, Time Warner had contracts for the sale of $3.605 billionThe Company monitors its positions with, and the purchase of $2.016 billion of foreign currencies at fixed rates. Of Time Warner's $1.589 billion net sale contract position, approximately $49 million of foreign exchange sale contracts and $70 million of foreign exchange purchase contracts related to Old WMG's foreign currency exposure, including net contracts for the purchase of 278 thousand of Japanese Yen, 18.6 million of Euros, and 354 thousandcredit quality of, the British Pound.financial institutions that are party to any of its financial transactions.

                              TheAs of September 30, 2019, the Company had no significantoutstanding hedge contracts and no deferred net gains or losses onin comprehensive loss related to foreign exchange hedging. As of September 30, 2018, the Company had no outstanding hedge contracts and no deferred gains or losses in comprehensive loss related to foreign exchange hedging.

                      As of September 30, 2019, the Company had outstanding $820 million inpay-fixed receive-variable interest rate swaps with $8 million of unrealized deferred losses in comprehensive income related to the interest rate swaps. As of September 30, 2018, the Company had outstanding $320 million inpay-fixed receive-variable interest rate swaps with $3 million of unrealized deferred gains in comprehensive income related to the interest rate swaps.

                      Thepre-tax losses of the Company’s derivative interest rate swaps designated as cash flow hedges recorded in other comprehensive income and the Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income during the twelve months ended September 30, 2019 was $11 million, net. Thepre-tax gains of the Company’s derivative interest rate swaps designated as cash flow hedges recorded in other comprehensive income and the Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income during the twelve months ended September 30, 2018 was $4 million.

                      The following is a summary of amounts recorded in the Consolidated Balance Sheets pertaining to the Company’s designated cash flows hedges at September 30, 20042019 and NovemberSeptember 30, 2003. For the years ended November 30, 2003 and 2002, Old WMG recognized $12 million and $7 million in losses, respectively, on foreign exchange contracts which were largely offset by corresponding decreases and increases, respectively, in the dollar value of foreign currency royalty payments that have been received in cash from the sale of U.S.-copyrighted products abroad.2018:

                      24.

                         September 30,
                      2019 (a)
                         September 30,
                      2018 (b)
                       
                         (in millions) 

                      Other noncurrent assets

                        $2   $4 

                      Other noncurrent liabilities

                         (13   —   

                      (a)

                      $2 million and $13 million of interest rate swaps in asset and liability positions, respectively.

                      (b)

                      $4 million of interest rate swap in an asset position.

                      15. Segment Information

                      As discussed more fully in Note 1, based on the nature of its products and services, the Company classifies its business interests into two fundamental areas: recorded musicoperations: Recorded Music and music publishing.Music Publishing, which also represent the reportable segments of the Company. Information as to each of these operations is set forth below. The Company evaluates performance based on several factors, of which the primary financial measure is operating income (loss) beforenon-cash depreciation of tangible assets andnon-cash amortization of intangible assets and non-cash impairment charges to reduce the carrying value of goodwill and intangible assets ("OIBDA"(“OIBDA”). The Company has supplemented its analysis of OIBDA results by segment with an analysis of operating income (loss) by segment.

                      The accounting policies of the Company'sCompany’s business segments are the same as those described in the summary of significant accounting policies included elsewhere herein. The Company accounts for intersegment sales at fair value as if the sales were to third parties. While intercompany transactions are treated like third-party transactions to determine segment performance, the revenues (and corresponding expenses recognized by the segment that is counterparty to the transaction) are eliminated in consolidation, or combination and therefore, do not themselves impact consolidated or combined results.

                       During 2004,

                         Recorded Music   Music
                      Publishing
                         Corporate
                      expenses and
                      eliminations
                         Total 
                         (in millions) 

                      2019

                              

                      Revenues

                        $3,840   $643   $(8  $4,475 

                      Operating income (loss)

                         439    92    (175   356 

                      Amortization of intangible assets

                         139    69    —      208 

                      Depreciation of property, plant and equipment

                         45    5    11    61 
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      OIBDA

                         623    166    (164   625 

                      Total assets

                         2,217    2,581    1,219    6,017 

                      Capital expenditures

                         29    3    72    104 

                      2018

                              

                      Revenues

                        $3,360   $653   $(8  $4,005 

                      Operating income (loss)

                         307    84    (174   217 

                      Amortization of intangible assets

                         138    68    —      206 

                      Depreciation of property, plant and equipment

                         35    7    13    55 
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      OIBDA

                         480    159    (161   478 

                      Total assets

                         1,999    2,423    922    5,344 

                      Capital expenditures

                         20    3    51    74 

                      2017

                              

                      Revenues

                        $3,020   $572   $(16  $3,576 

                      Operating income (loss)

                         283    81    (142   222 

                      Amortization of intangible assets

                         136    65    —      201 

                      Depreciation of property, plant and equipment

                         32    6    12    50 
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      OIBDA

                         451    152    (130   473 

                      Capital expenditures

                         21    5    18    44 

                      Revenues relating to operations in connection with the Acquisition, the Company changed its methodology for allocating certain corporate costs and assets to its business segments. Accordingly, the Company has



                      restated its operating performance and asset measures for all prior periods to reflect its new cost-allocation methodology on a consistent basis.

                       
                       Successor
                       Predecessor
                       
                       
                       Seven
                      Months
                      Ended
                      September 30,
                      2004

                       Three
                      Months
                      Ended
                      February 29,
                      2004

                       Ten
                      Months
                      Ended
                      September 30,
                      2003

                       Years Ended November 30,
                       
                       
                       2003
                       2002
                       
                       
                       (Unaudited)
                      (in millions)

                       
                      Revenues                
                      Recorded music $1,429 $630 $2,039 $2,839 $2,752 
                      Music publishing  348  157  467  563  563 
                      Intersegment elimination  (8) (8) (19) (26) (25)
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                      Total revenues $1,769 $779 $2,487 $3,376 $3,290 
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       Successor
                       Predecessor
                       
                       
                       Seven
                      Months
                      Ended
                      September 30,
                      2004

                       Three
                      Months
                      Ended
                      February 29,
                      2004

                       Ten
                      Months
                      Ended
                      September 30,
                      2003

                       Years Ended November 30,
                       
                       
                       2003
                       2002
                       
                       
                       (Unaudited)
                      (in millions)

                       
                      OIBDA(a)                
                      Recorded music $120 $38 $8 $116 $173 
                      Music publishing  87  38  88  107  88 
                      Corporate expenses(b)  (49) (15) (21) (34) (54)
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                      Total OIBDA $158 $61 $75 $189 $207 
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       

                      (a)
                      The comparability of OIBDA by business segment for all periods presented has been affected by certain significant transactions. SeeTransactions Affecting the Comparability of Operating Results presented hereinafter.

                      (b)
                      Corporate expenses for all 2003 and prior periods were reduced by an allocation of costs to Time Warner's former CD and DVD manufacturing operations that were managed by Old WMG. Such operations were sold by Time Warner in October 2003, and accordingly, no such cost allocations were madedifferent geographical areas are set forth below for the 2004 periods. See Note 21 for further reference.

                       
                       Successor
                       Predecessor
                       
                       Seven
                      Months
                      Ended
                      September 30,
                      2004

                       Three
                      Months
                      Ended
                      February 29,
                      2004

                       Ten
                      Months
                      Ended
                      September 30,
                      2003

                       Years Ended November 30,
                       
                       2003
                       2002
                       
                       (Unaudited)
                      (in millions)

                      Depreciation of Property, Plant and Equipment               
                      Recorded music $23 $11 $51 $62 $52
                      Music publishing  3  1  6  7  6
                      Corporate  10  4  14  17  9
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       
                      Total depreciation $36 $16 $71 $86 $67
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       

                       
                       Successor
                       Predecessor
                       
                       Seven
                      Months
                      Ended
                      September 30,
                      2004

                       Three
                      Months
                      Ended
                      February 29,
                      2004

                       Ten
                      Months
                      Ended
                      September 30,
                      2003

                       Years Ended November 30,
                       
                       2003
                       2002
                       
                       (Unaudited)
                      (in millions)

                      Amortization of Intangible Assets               
                      Recorded music $73 $36 $138 $165 $124
                      Music publishing  31  20  63  77  58
                      Corporate          
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       
                      Total amortization $104 $56 $201 $242 $182
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       Successor
                       Predecessor
                       
                       Seven
                      Months
                      Ended
                      September 30,
                      2004

                       Three
                      Months
                      Ended
                      February 29,
                      2004

                       Ten
                      Months
                      Ended
                      September 30,
                      2003

                       Years Ended November 30,

                       

                       

                      2003


                       

                      2002

                       
                       (Unaudited)
                      (in millions)

                      Impairment of Goodwill and Other Intangibles               
                      Recorded music $ $ $ $1,019 $1,203
                      Music publishing          297
                      Corporate          
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       
                      Total impairment $ $ $ $1,019 $1,500
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       Successor
                       Predecessor
                       
                       
                       Seven
                      Months
                      Ended
                      September 30,
                      2004

                       Three
                      Months
                      Ended
                      February 29,
                      2004

                       Ten
                      Months
                      Ended
                      September 30,
                      2003

                       Years Ended November 30,
                       

                       

                       

                      2003


                       

                      2002


                       
                       
                       (Unaudited)
                      (in millions)

                       
                      Operating Income (Loss)(a)                
                      Recorded music $24 $(9)$(181)$(1,130)$(1,206)
                      Music publishing  53  17  19  23  (273)
                      Corporate  (59) (19) (35) (51) (63)
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                      Total operating income (loss) $18 $(11)$(197)$(1,158)$(1,542)
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       

                      (a)
                      The comparability of operating income (loss) by business segment for all periods presented has been affected by certain significant transactions. SeeTransactions Affecting the Comparability of Operating Results presented hereinafter.

                       
                        
                       Predecessor
                       
                       
                       Successor
                        
                        
                       Years Ended November 30,
                       
                       
                       Seven Months Ended
                      September 30, 2004

                       Three Months Ended
                      February 29, 2004

                       Ten Months Ended
                      September 30, 2003

                       
                       
                       2003
                       2002
                       
                       
                       (Unaudited)

                       
                       
                       (in millions)

                       
                      Reconciliation of OIBDA to Operating Income (Loss)                
                      OIBDA $158 $61 $75 $189 $207 
                      Depreciation expense  (36) (16) (71) (86) (67)
                      Amortization expense  (104) (56) (201) (242) (182)
                      Impairment of goodwill and other intangible assets        (1,019) (1,500)
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                      Operating income (loss) $18 $(11)$(197)$(1,158)$(1,542)
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       

                      Transactions Affecting the Comparability of Operating Results

                              The comparability of OIBDAfiscal years ended September 30, 2019, September 30, 2018 and operating income (loss) by business segment for all periods presented has been affected by certain transactions, consisting of restructuring activities in all periods, the sale of Old WMG's physical distribution assets in 2003, and significant impairment charges in 2003 and 2002 relating to Old WMG's intangible assets. The effect of such transactions that was included in OIBDA and operating income (loss) by business segment is summarized below:

                       
                       Seven Months Ended September 30, 2004
                       
                       
                       Recorded
                      Music

                       Music
                      Publishing

                       Corporate
                       Total
                       
                       
                       (in millions)

                       
                      Restructuring costs-related decrease in OIBDA and operating income $(17)$(1)$(8)$(26)
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       Ten Months Ended September 30, 2003
                       
                       
                       Recorded
                      Music

                       Music
                      Publishing

                       Corporate
                       Total
                       
                       
                       (Unaudited)

                       
                       
                       (in millions)

                       
                      Restructuring costs $(24)$(3)$ $(27)
                      Loss on sale of physical distribution assets  (12)     (12)
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       
                      Decrease in OIBDA and operating income  (36) (3)   (39)
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       

                       
                       Year Ended November 30, 2003
                       
                       
                       Recorded
                      Music

                       Music
                      Publishing

                       Corporate
                       Total
                       
                       
                        
                       (in millions)

                        
                       
                      Restructuring costs $(31)$(3)$(1)$(35)
                      Loss on sale of physical distribution assets  (12)     (12)
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       
                      Decrease in OIBDA  (43) (3) (1) (47)
                      Impairment of goodwill and other intangible assets  (1,019)     (1,019)
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       
                      Decrease in operating income $(1,062)$(3)$(1)$(1,066)
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       
                       Year Ended November 30, 2002
                       
                       
                       Recorded
                      Music

                       Music
                      Publishing

                       Corporate
                       Total
                       
                       
                        
                       (in millions)

                        
                       
                      Restructuring income $5 $ $ $5 
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       
                      Increase in OIBDA  5      5 
                      Impairment of goodwill and other intangible assets  (1,203) (297)   (1,500)
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       
                      Decrease in operating income $(1,198)$(297)$ $(1,495)
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       

                      September 30, 2017. Total assets and capital expenditures by business segment are presented below:

                       
                       September 30,
                      2004

                       November 30,
                      2003

                       
                       (in millions)

                      Assets      
                      Recorded music $2,649 $2,749
                      Music publishing  1,754  1,418
                      Corporate(a)  687  317
                        
                       
                      Total assets $5,090 $4,484
                        
                       

                      (a)
                      Primarily includes deferred tax assets and fixed assets.

                       
                        
                       Predecessor
                       
                       Successor
                        
                        
                       Years Ended November 30,
                       
                       Seven Months Ended
                      September 30, 2004

                       Three Months Ended
                      February 29, 2004

                       Ten Months Ended
                      September 30, 2003

                       
                       2003
                       2002
                       
                       (Unaudited)

                       
                       (in millions)

                      Capital Expenditures               
                      Recorded music $11 $2 $14 $29 $40
                      Music publishing  1    3  3  6
                      Corporate  3  1  13  19  42
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       
                      Total capital expenditures $15 $3 $30 $51 $88
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       

                              Revenues and total assets relating to operations in different geographical areas are set forth below:

                       
                        
                        
                        
                       Years Ended November 30,
                       
                       Successor
                       Predecessor
                       
                       Seven Months Ended
                      September 30, 2004

                       Three Months Ended
                      February 29, 2004

                       Ten Months Ended
                      September 30, 2003

                       2003
                       2002
                       
                        
                        
                       (Unaudited)

                        
                        
                       
                       (in millions)

                      Revenues(a)               
                      United States $848 $334 $1,211 $1,505 $1,537
                      United Kingdom  221  111  287  407  371
                      Germany  124  43  158  210  229
                      Japan  105  41  144  202  228
                      France  112  55  154  217  173
                      Italy  56  37  85  108  101
                      Other international  303  158  448  727  651
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       
                      Total revenues $1,769 $779 $2,487 $3,376 $3,290
                        
                       
                       
                       
                       

                      (a)
                      Revenues are attributed to countries based on the location of customer.

                       
                       September 30,
                      2004

                       November 30,
                      2003

                       
                       (in millions)

                      Assets      
                      United States $3,164 $3,002
                      United Kingdom  512  307
                      Germany  269  174
                      Japan  252  91
                      France  280  150
                      Italy  98  109
                      Other international  515  651
                        
                       
                      Total assets $5,090 $4,484
                        
                       

                              The Company's assets include a significant amount of intangible assets, principally related to recorded music catalog and music publishing copyrights. Historically, Old WMG did not allocate the value of these intangible assets across all of its domestic and international territories. Rather, such amounts were largely recorded centrally in the U.S. and reflected as a U.S.-based asset abovebelow as of NovemberSeptember 30, 2003. 2019 and September 30, 2018.

                         2019   2018   2017 
                         Revenue   Long-lived
                      Assets
                         Revenue   Long-lived
                      Assets
                         Revenue 
                         (in millions) 

                      United States

                        $1,956   $201   $1,754   $156   $1,587 

                      United Kingdom

                         596    20    593    23    522 

                      All other territories

                         1,923    79    1,658    50    1,467 
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Total

                        $4,475   $300   $4,005   $229   $3,576 
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Customer Concentration

                      In 2004, in connection with the Acquisition,fiscal year ended September 30, 2019, the Company had valuation analyses preparedtwo customers, Spotify and allocatedApple, that individually represented 10% or more of total revenues, whereby Spotify represented 14%, and Apple represented 13% of total revenues. In the valuefiscal year ended September 30, 2018, the Company had two customers, Apple and Spotify, that individually represented 10% or more of total revenues, whereby Apple represented 15%, and Spotify represented 14% of total revenues. In the fiscal year ended September 30, 2017, the Company had one customer, Apple, that individually represented 14% of total revenues. These customers’ revenues are included in both the Company’s Recorded Music and Music Publishing segments and the Company expects that the Company’s license agreements with these customers will be renewed in the normal course of its tangible and intangible assets to domestic and international territories. Accordingly, the 2004 and 2003 asset information presented above is not entirely comparable.business.


                      25.16. Additional Financial Information

                      Time Warner Accounts Receivable Securitization Facility

                              Prior to the Acquisition, Old WMG, through its WEA Corp. subsidiary, participated in one of Time Warner's accounts receivable securitization facilities. Such facility provided for the accelerated receipt of approximately $450 million of cash, in the aggregate, on available accounts receivable. As of November 30, 2003, Time Warner and Old WMG had no unused capacity under this facility. In connection with this securitization facility, Old WMG sold, on a revolving and nonrecourse basis, certain of its accounts receivable ("Pooled Receivables") to a qualifying Special Purpose Entity ("SPE") which, in turn, sold a percentage ownership interest in the Pooled Receivables to third-party commercial paper conduits sponsored by a financial institution. The receivables were sold to the SPE at net realizable value, after any loss due to uncollectibility was recorded by Old WMG. These securitization transactions were accounted for as a sale in accordance with FASB Statement No. 140, "Accounting for Transfers and Servicing of Financial Assets and Extinguishment of Liabilities," because Old WMG relinquished control of the receivables. Accordingly, accounts receivable sold under these facilities were excluded from receivables in the accompanying balance sheet as of November 30, 2003.

                              When the receivables were sold to the SPE, Old WMG recorded a retained beneficial interest in the SPE and an intercompany receivable from Time Warner representing the cash portion of the proceeds received by Time Warner on the sale for which there was no obligation to repay. The intercompany receivable from Time Warner had been reflected as a reduction of group equity in the accompanying balance sheet as of November 30, 2003. The retained beneficial interest, which was adjusted to reflect the portion of receivables that was not expected to be collectible, accrued interest at a rate that varied with prevailing market interest rates. For this reason, and because the accounts receivables underlying the retained ownership interests that were sold to the qualifying SPE were generally short-term in nature, the fair value of the retained beneficial interest approximated its carrying value at November 30, 2003. The cost of the retained interest, offset in part by the related interest income earned on the retained interest, was borne by Time Warner. The retained interest at November 30, 2003 of approximately $196 million, was classified as a component of accounts receivable in the accompanying balance sheet. In December 2003, in anticipation of the closing of the sale of Old WMG that occurred effective as of March 1, 2004, Old WMG's participation in Time Warner's securitization facility ceased. Accordingly, the receivables sold to the SPE were re-purchased by Time Warner and transferred to Old WMG in satisfaction of the retained interest and intercompany receivable.

                      Cash Interest and Taxes

                      The Company made interest payments of approximately $56$138 million, $148 million and $138 million during the seven monthsfiscal years ended September 30, 20042019, September 30, 2018 and $3 million during the three months ended February 29, 2004.September 30, 2017, respectively. The Company paid approximately $31$63 million, $49 million and $27$40 million of foreign income and withholding taxes, innet of refunds, for the seven monthsfiscal years ended September 30, 20042019, September 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017, respectively.

                      Dividends

                      The Company’s ability to pay dividends is restricted by covenants in the indentures governing its notes and in the credit agreements for the Senior Term Loan Facility and the three months ended February 29, 2004, respectively. TheRevolving Credit Facility.

                      On September 23, 2019, the Company’s board of directors declared a cash dividend of $206.25 million which was paid to stockholders on October 4, 2019 and recorded as an accrual as of September 30, 2019. For fiscal year 2019, the Company received $2paid an aggregate of $93.75 million and $1in cash dividends to stockholders. For fiscal year 2018, the Company paid an aggregate of $925 million in cash dividends to stockholders, which reflected proceeds from the sale of foreign income tax refundsSpotify shares acquired in the seven monthsordinary course of business. For fiscal year 2017, the Company paid an aggregate of $84 million in cash dividends to stockholders.

                      In the first quarter of fiscal year 2019, the Company instituted a regular quarterly dividend policy whereby it intends to pay a modest regular quarterly dividend in each fiscal quarter and a variable dividend for the fourth fiscal quarter in an amount commensurate with cash expected to be generated from operations in such fiscal year, in each case, after taking into account other potential uses for cash, including acquisitions, investment in our business and repayment of indebtedness. The declaration of each dividend will continue to be at the discretion of the Board.

                      Spotify Share Sale

                      During the fiscal year ended September 30, 20042018, the Company sold all of its shares of common stock in Spotify Technology S.A. (“Spotify”) for cash proceeds of $504 million. In February 2016, the Company publicly announced that it would pay royalties in connection with these proceeds. The sale of shares resulted in an estimatedpre-tax gain, net of the estimated royalty expense and the three months ended February 29, 2004, respectively.

                              Old WMG made interest paymentsother related costs, of approximately $10$382 million, and $8 million during 2003 and 2002, respectively. Old WMG paid approximately $80 million and $55 million of foreignwhich was recorded as other income and withholding taxes in the years ended November 30, 2003 and 2002, respectively, and received



                      approximately $8 million and $22 million of foreign income tax refunds in the years ended November 30, 2003 and 2002, respectively. Old WMG did not reimburse Time Warner and its affiliated companies for any payments of federal, state and local income taxes made during the years ended November 30, 2003 and 2002.

                      Noncash Transactions

                              Significant non-cash investing activities(expense) for the seven monthsfiscal year ended September 30, 2004 included2018. As of September 30, 2018, the allocationestimated royalty expense and other related costs had been accrued, and were subsequently paid. The processing of the purchase price paidroyalty expense resulted in advance recoveries of previously expensed royalty advances. The Company calculated the advance recoveries to be $12 million, and recorded these advance recoveries as a credit within operating expense for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2018. The Company also recorded estimated tax expense of $77 million associated with the net income on the sale of shares in fiscal year ended September 30, 2018.

                      Additionally, the cash proceeds received in connection with the Acquisition,sale of shares have been reflected as more fully described in Note 5. In addition, significant non-cash financing activitiesan investing activity on the statement of cash flows within proceeds from the sale of investments for the seven monthsfiscal year ended September 30, 2004 included2018.

                      17. Fair Value Measurements

                      ASC 820,Fair Value Measurement (“ASC 820”) defines fair value as the declarationprice that would be received upon sale of an asset or paid upon transfer of a $342 million dividendliability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date and in the principal or most advantageous market for that asset or liability. The fair value should be calculated based on assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability, not on assumptions specific to the Company's shareholdersentity.

                      In addition to defining fair value, ASC 820 expands the disclosure requirements around fair value and establishes a fair value hierarchy for valuation inputs. The hierarchy prioritizes the inputs into three levels based on the extent to which inputs used in measuring fair value are observable in the formmarket. Each fair value measurement is reported in one of a note payable, as more fully described in Note 14.

                              Significant non-cash investing and financing activities during the three months ended February 29, 2004 includedlevels which is determined by the non-cash recapitalization of certain intercompany receivables and payables between Old WMG and Time Warner, as disclosedlowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement in the statement of shareholders' and group equity. There were no significant non-cash investing and financing activities during the year ended November 30, 2003.its entirety. These levels are:

                       Non-cash investing activities

                      Level 1—inputs are based upon unadjusted quoted prices for the year ended November 30, 2002 consisted of the Word/Curb Transaction as describedidentical instruments traded in Note 7. Non-cash financing activitiesactive markets.

                      Level 2—inputs are based upon quoted prices for the year ended November 30, 2002 consisted of the reversal of net excess AOL Time Warner merger-related liabilities of WMG manufacturing subsidiariessimilar instruments in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not includedactive and model-based valuation techniques for which all significant assumptions are observable in the market or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities.

                      Level 3—inputs are generally unobservable and typically reflect management’s estimates of assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability. The fair values are therefore determined using model-based techniques that include option pricing models, discounted cash flow models and similar techniques.

                      In accordance with the fair value hierarchy, described above, the following table shows the fair value of the Company’s financial instruments that are required to be measured at fair value as part of Old WMG's combined reporting group, which has been reflectedSeptember 30, 2019 and September 30, 2018.

                         Fair Value Measurements as of September 30, 2019 
                         (Level 1)   (Level 2)   (Level 3)   Total 
                         (in millions) 

                      Other Current Liabilities:

                              

                      Contractual Obligations (a)

                        $—     $—     $(9  $(9

                      OtherNon-Current Assets:

                              

                      Equity Method Investment (c)

                         —      40    —      40 

                      Interest Rate Swap (b)

                         —      2    —      2 

                      OtherNon-Current Liabilities:

                              

                      Interest Rate Swap (b)

                         —      (13   —      (13
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Total

                        $—     $29   $(9  $20 
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       
                         Fair Value Measurements as of September 30, 2018 
                         (Level 1)   (Level 2)   (Level 3)   Total 
                         (in millions) 

                      Other Current Liabilities:

                              

                      Contractual Obligations (a)

                        $—     $—     $(2  $(2

                      Other Noncurrent Assets

                              

                      Interest Rate Swaps

                         —      4    —      4 

                      OtherNon-Current Liabilities:

                              

                      Contractual Obligations (a)

                         —      —      (6   (6
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Total

                        $—     $4   $(8  $(4
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      (a)

                      This represents purchase obligations and contingent consideration related to the Company’s various acquisitions. This is based on a probability weighted performance approach and it is adjusted to fair value on a recurring basis and any adjustments are included as a component of operating income in the consolidated statements of operations. These amounts were mainly calculated using unobservable inputs such as future earnings performance of the Company’s various acquisitions and the expected timing of the payment.

                      (b)

                      The fair value of the interest rate swaps is based on dealer quotes of market forward rates and reflects the amount that the Company would receive or pay as of September 30, 2019 for contracts involving the same attributes and maturity dates.

                      (c)

                      The fair value of equity method investment represents an equity method investment acquired during the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019 whereby the Company has elected the fair value option under ASC 825,Financial Instruments(“ASC 825”). The valuation is based upon quoted prices in active markets and model-based valuation techniques to determine fair value.

                      The following table reconciles the beginning and ending balances of net assets and liabilities classified as Level 3:

                         Total 
                         (in millions) 

                      Balance at September 30, 2018

                        $(8

                      Additions

                         (2

                      Payments

                         1 
                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Balance at September 30, 2019

                        $(9
                        

                       

                       

                       

                      F-47


                      The majority of the Company’snon-financial instruments, which include goodwill, intangible assets, inventories and property, plant and equipment, are not required to bere-measured to fair value on a recurring basis. These assets are evaluated for impairment if certain triggering events occur. If such evaluation indicates that impairment exists, the asset is written down to its fair value. In addition, an impairment analysis is performed at least annually for goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets.

                      Equity Investments Without Readily Determinable Fair Value

                      The Company evaluates its equity investments without readily determinable fair values for impairment if factors indicate that a significant decrease in groupvalue has occurred. Beginning in October 2018, the Company prospectively adopted a new accounting standard on the accounting for equity ininvestments that do not have readily determinable fair values. Refer to Note 2, “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies,” for further details. Under the accompanying financial statements.

                      26.    Subsequent Events

                      Recapitalization

                              In March 2005,new standard, the Company's Board of Directors approved a registration statement on Form S-1Company has elected to use the measurement alternative to fair value that will allow these investments to be filed withrecorded at cost, less impairment, and adjusted for subsequent observable price changes. The Company did not record any impairment charges on these investments during the Securities and Exchange Commission in connection withfiscal year ended September 30, 2019. In addition, there were no observable price changes events that were completed during the Initial Common Stock Offering.fiscal year ended September 30, 2019.

                              In connection withFair Value of Debt

                      Based on the Initial Common Stock Offering, on April    , 2005,level of interest rates prevailing at September 30, 2019, the Company's Board of Directors approved (i) to convert allfair value of the outstanding sharesCompany’s debt was $3.080 billion. Based on the level of Class L Common Stock into shares of Class A Common Stock, (ii) to rename allinterest rates prevailing at September 30, 2018, the fair value of the outstanding shares of Class A Common Stock as common stock, which will have the effect of eliminating from the Company's authorized capital stock the Class L Common Stock and Class A Common Stock and (iii) to authorize a 1,139 for 1 splitCompany’s debt was $2.862 billion. The fair value of the Company's common stock (collectively,Company’s debt instruments are determined using quoted market prices from less active markets or by using quoted market prices for instruments with identical terms and maturities; both approaches are considered a Level 2 measurement.

                      F-48


                      WARNER MUSIC GROUP CORP.

                      2019 QUARTERLY FINANCIAL INFORMATION

                      (unaudited)

                      The following table sets forth the "Recapitalization").

                              Accordingly, these historical financial statements have been restated to reflect the Recapitalizationquarterly information for all periods occurring after the Acquisition that was effective as of March 1, 2004. Such restatement primarily related to common stock and equivalent shares information, net (loss) per common share computations and stock-based compensation disclosures.



                      Warner Music Group Corp.
                      (formerly known as WMG Parent Corp.)

                      Schedule I—Condensed Balance Sheets

                      (Parent Only)

                       
                       September 30, 2004
                       
                       
                       (in millions)

                       
                      Assets    
                      Cash and equivalents   
                      Investments in and advances to/from consolidated subsidiaries  762 
                        
                       
                      Total assets $762 
                        
                       
                      Liabilities and Shareholders' Equity    
                      Current liabilities:    
                       Note payable to shareholders $342 
                       Liability for warrants  140 
                        
                       
                      Total current liabilities  482 
                        
                       
                      Shareholders' equity:    
                       Common stock ($0.001 par value; 500,000,000 shares
                      authorized; 114,115,176 shares issued and outstanding)
                         
                       Additional paid-in capital  512 
                       Retained earnings (deficit)  (238)
                       Accumulated other comprehensive income, net  6 
                        
                       
                      Total shareholders' equity  280 
                        
                       
                      Total liabilities and shareholders' equity $762 
                        
                       

                      See accompanying notes.



                         Three months ended 
                         September 30,
                      2019
                        June 30, 2019  March 31, 2019  December 31,
                      2018
                       
                         (in millions) 

                      Revenues

                        $1,124  $1,058  $1,090  $1,203 

                      Costs and expenses:

                           

                      Cost of revenue

                         (639  (577  (559  (626

                      Selling, general and administrative expenses (a)

                         (408  (372  (354  (376

                      Amortization expense

                         (48  (51  (55  (54
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total costs and expenses

                         (1,095  (1,000  (968  (1,056
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Operating income

                         29   58   122   147 

                      Loss on extinguishment of debt

                         —     (4  —     (3

                      Interest expense, net

                         (34  (36  (36  (36

                      Other income (expense)

                         19   (16  29   28 
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Income before income taxes

                         14   2   115   136 

                      Income tax benefit (expense)

                         77   12   (48  (50
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Net income

                         91   14   67   86 

                      Less: Income attributable to noncontrolling interest

                         (1  (1  —     —   
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Net income attributable to Warner Music Group Corp.

                        $90  $13  $67  $86 
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      (a) Includes depreciation expense of:

                        $(18 $(15 $(14 $(14
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Quarterly operating results can be disproportionately affected by a particularly strong or weak quarter. Therefore, these quarterly operating results are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the full fiscal year.

                      WARNER MUSIC GROUP CORP.

                      2018 QUARTERLY FINANCIAL INFORMATION

                      (unaudited)

                      The following table sets forth the quarterly information for Warner Music Group Corp.
                      (formerly known as WMG Parent Corp.)

                      Schedule I—Condensed Statement

                         Three months ended 
                         September 30,
                      2018
                        June 30,
                      2018
                        March 31,
                      2018
                        December 31,
                      2017
                       
                         (in millions) 

                      Revenues

                        $1,039  $958  $963  $1,045 

                      Costs and expenses:

                           

                      Cost of revenue

                         (583  (531  (488  (569

                      Selling, general and administrative expenses (a)

                         (398  (343  (337  (333

                      Amortization expense

                         (42  (56  (55  (53
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total costs and expenses

                         (1,023  (930  (880  (955
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Operating income

                         16   28   83   90 

                      Loss on extinguishment of debt

                         —     (7  (23  (1

                      Interest expense, net

                         (33  (33  (36  (36

                      Other income (expense)

                         2   394   (6  4 
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      (Loss) income before income taxes

                         (15  382   18   57 

                      Income tax benefit (expense)

                         2   (61  (19  (52
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Net (loss) income

                         (13  321   (1  5 

                      Less: Income attributable to noncontrolling interest

                         (1  (1  (2  (1
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Net (loss) income attributable to Warner Music Group Corp.

                        $(14 $320  $(3 $4 
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      (a) Includes depreciation expense of:

                        $(14 $(15 $(14 $(12
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Quarterly operating results can be disproportionately affected by a particularly strong or weak quarter. Therefore, these quarterly operating results are not necessarily indicative of Operations

                      (Parent Only)
                      the results that may be expected for the full fiscal year.

                       
                       Seven Months Ended
                      September 30, 2004

                       
                       
                       (in millions)

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       
                      Revenues $ 

                      Operating costs and expenses

                       

                       


                       

                      Equity in undistributed net loss of consolidated subsidiaries

                       

                       

                      (122

                      )

                      Unrealized loss on warrants

                       

                       

                      (116

                      )
                        
                       

                      Loss before income taxes

                       

                       

                      (238

                      )

                      Income tax (expense) benefit

                       

                       


                       
                        
                       

                      Net loss

                       

                      $

                      (238

                      )
                        
                       

                      See accompanying notes.

                      WARNER MUSIC GROUP CORP.


                      Supplementary Information


                      Warner Music Group Corp.
                      (formerly known as WMG Parent Corp.)

                      Schedule I—Condensed Statement of Cash Flows

                      (Parent Only)

                       
                       Seven Months Ended
                      September 30, 2004

                       
                       
                       (in millions)

                       
                      Cash flows from operating activities    
                      Net loss $(238)
                      Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net
                      cash provided by (used in) operating activities:
                          
                       Equity in undistributed net income of consolidated subsidiaries  122 
                       Unrealized loss on warrants  116 
                        
                       
                      Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities   
                        
                       

                      Cash flows from investing activities

                       

                       

                       

                       
                      Investment in and advances to/from consolidated subsidiaries  (853)
                        
                       
                      Net cash used in investing activities  (853)
                        
                       

                      Cash flows from financing activities

                       

                       

                       

                       
                      Proceeds from sale of Class A Common Stock  85 
                      Proceeds from sale of Class L Common Stock  765 
                      Proceeds from sale of restricted shares of Class A Common Stock  3 
                        
                       
                      Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities  853 
                        
                       
                      Effect of foreign currency exchange rate changes on cash   
                        
                       
                      Net increase in cash and equivalents   
                      Cash and equivalents at beginning of period   
                        
                       
                      Cash and equivalents at end of period $ 
                        
                       

                      See accompanying notes.



                      Warner Music Group Corp.
                      (formerly known as WMG Parent Corp.)

                      Schedule I—Notes to CondensedConsolidating Financial Statements

                      (Parent Only)

                      Note 1—BackgroundThe Company is the direct parent of Holdings, which is the direct parent of Acquisition Corp. As of September 30, 2019 Acquisition Corp. had issued and Basis of Presentationoutstanding the 5.000% Senior Secured Notes due 2023, the 4.125% Senior Secured Notes due 2024, the 4.875% Senior Secured Notes due 2024, the 3.625% Senior Secured Notes due 2026 and the 5.500% Senior Notes due 2026 (together, the “Acquisition Corp. Notes”).

                              Warner Music GroupThe Acquisition Corp. ("Warner Music Group") is a holding company that conducts substantiallyNotes are guaranteed by the Company and, in addition, are guaranteed by all of its business operations through itsAcquisition Corp.’s domestic wholly-owned subsidiaries. Warner Music Group Corp. was formedThe secured notes are guaranteed on November 21, 2003 in anticipationa senior secured basis and the unsecured notes are guaranteed on an unsecured senior basis. The Company’s guarantee of the March 1, 2004 acquisitionAcquisition Corp. Notes is full and unconditional. The guarantee of the Acquisition Corp. Notes by its subsidiary, WMGAcquisition Corp.’s domestic wholly-owned subsidiaries is full, unconditional and joint and several. The following condensed consolidating financial statements are also presented for the information of the holders of the Acquisition Corp. Notes and present the results of operations, financial position and cash flows of (i) Acquisition Corp., which is the issuer of the recorded musicAcquisition Corp. Notes, (ii) the guarantor subsidiaries of Acquisition Corp., (iii) thenon-guarantor subsidiaries of Acquisition Corp. and music publishing businesses of Time Warner. Warner Music Group(iv) the eliminations necessary to arrive at the information for Acquisition Corp. had no operations prior to March 1, 2004, and accordingly, its operating results and cash flows have only been presented for the post-acquisition, seven-month period ended September 30, 2004.

                              There are significant restrictions over Warner Music Group Corp.'s ability to obtain funds from any of its subsidiaries through dividends, loans or advances. Accordingly, these condensed financial statements have been presented on a "parent-only"consolidated basis. Under a parent-only presentation, Warner Music Group Corp.'s investmentsInvestments in its consolidated subsidiaries are presented under the equity method of accounting. These parent-only financial statements should be read in conjunction with Warner Music GroupThere are no restrictions on Acquisition Corp.'s audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere herein.’s ability to obtain funds from any of its wholly-owned subsidiaries through dividends, loans or advances.

                      Note 2—Recapitalization

                              As described further in Note 26,The Company and Holdings are holding companies that conduct substantially all of their business operations through Acquisition Corp. Accordingly, the Company's Board of Directors approved a registration statement on Form S-1 to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission in connection with an initial public offeringability of the Company's common stock (the "Initial Common Stock Offering").

                              In connection withCompany and Holdings to obtain funds from their subsidiaries is restricted by the Initial Common Stock Offering, the Company's Board of Directors approved (i) to convert all of the outstanding shares of Class L Common Stock into shares of Class A Common Stock, (ii) to rename all of the outstanding shares of Class A Common Stock as common stock, which will have the effect of eliminating from the Company's authorized capital stock the Class L Common Stock and Class A Common Stock and (iii) to authorize a 1,139indentures for 1 split of the Company's common stock (collectively, the "Recapitalization").

                              Accordingly, these historical, parent-only financial statements have been restated to reflect the Recapitalization for all periods occurring after the Acquisition that was effective as of March 1, 2004. Such restatement primarily related to common stock shares information.Corp. Notes and the credit agreements for the Acquisition Corp. Senior Credit Facilities, including the Revolving Credit Facility and the Senior Term Loan Facility.

                      Note 3—Debt

                      Consolidating Balance Sheet

                              Warner Music Group Corp. has no direct debt obligations, but its subsidiaries do. For a discussion of the debt obligations of Warner Music Group Corp.'s subsidiaries, see Note 15—Debt in the audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere herein.

                      Note 4—Commitments and Contingencies

                              Warner Music Group Corp. has no direct commitments and contingencies, but its subsidiaries do. For a discussion of the commitments and contingencies of Warner Music Group Corp.'s subsidiaries, see Note 21—Commitments and Contingencies in the audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere herein.



                      Note 5—Dividends

                              During the seven months ended September 30, 2004, Warner Music Group Corp. received no dividends from its subsidiaries. In October 2004, Warner Music Group Corp. received a return2019

                        WMG
                      Acquisition
                      Corp.
                      (issuer)
                        Guarantor
                      Subsidiaries
                        Non-
                      Guarantor
                      Subsidiaries
                        Eliminations  WMG
                      Acquisition
                      Corp.
                      Consolidated
                        WMG
                      Holdings
                      Corp.
                        Warner
                      Music
                      Group
                      Corp.
                        Eliminations  Warner
                      Music
                      Group Corp.
                      Consolidated
                       
                        (in millions) 

                      Assets

                               

                      Current assets:

                               

                      Cash and equivalents

                       $—    $386  $233  $—    $619  $—    $—    $—    $619 

                      Accounts receivable, net

                        —     334   441   —     775   —     —     —     775 

                      Inventories

                        —     11   63   —     74   —     —     —     74 

                      Royalty advances expected to be recouped within one year

                        —     112   58   —     170   —     —     —     170 

                      Prepaid and other current assets

                        —     12   41   —     53   —     —     —     53 
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total current assets

                        —     855   836   —     1,691   —     —     —     1,691 

                      Due from (to) parent companies

                        458   (531  73   —     —     —     —     —     —   

                      Investments in and advances to consolidated subsidiaries

                        2,272   2,567   —     (4,839  —     878   878   (1,756  —   

                      Royalty advances expected to be recouped after one year

                        —     137   71   —     208   —     —     —     208 

                      Property, plant and equipment, net

                        —     200   100   —     300   —     —     —     300 

                      Goodwill

                        —     1,370   391   —     1,761   —     —     —     1,761 

                      Intangible assets subject to amortization, net

                        —     884   839   —     1,723   —     —     —     1,723 

                      Intangible assets not subject to amortization

                        —     71   80   —     151   —     —     —     151 

                      Deferred tax assets, net

                        —     30   8   —     38   —     —     —     38 

                      Other assets

                        7   115   23   —     145   —     —     —     145 
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total assets

                       $2,737  $5,698  $2,421  $(4,839 $6,017  $878  $878  $(1,756 $6,017 
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Liabilities and Equity

                               

                      Current liabilities:

                               

                      Accounts payable

                       $—    $160  $100  $—    $260  $—    $—    $—    $260 

                      Accrued royalties

                        4   813   750   —     1,567   —     —     —     1,567 

                      Accrued liabilities

                        —     266   226   —     492   —     —     —     492 

                      Accrued interest

                        34   —     —     —     34   —     —     —     34 

                      Deferred revenue

                        —     42   138   —     180   —     —     —     180 

                      Other current liabilities

                        —     221   65   —     286   —     —     —     286 
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total current liabilities

                        38   1,502   1,279   —     2,819   —     —     —     2,819 

                      Long-term debt

                        2,974   —     —     —     2,974   —     —     —     2,974 

                      Deferred tax liabilities, net

                        —     —     172   —     172   —     —     —     172 

                      Other noncurrent liabilities

                        14   200   107   —     321   —     —     —     321 
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total liabilities

                        3,026   1,702   1,558   —     6,286   —     —     —     6,286 
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total Warner Music Group Corp. (deficit) equity

                        (289  3,992   847   (4,839  (289  878   878   (1,756  (289

                      Noncontrolling interest

                        —     4   16   —     20   —     —     —     20 
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total equity

                        (289  3,996   863   (4,839  (269  878   878   (1,756  (269
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total liabilities and equity

                       $2,737  $5,698  $2,421  $(4,839 $6,017  $878  $878  $(1,756 $6,017 
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      F-52


                      Consolidating Balance Sheet

                      September 30, 2018

                        WMG
                      Acquisition
                      Corp.
                      (issuer)
                        Guarantor
                      Subsidiaries
                        Non-
                      Guarantor
                      Subsidiaries
                        Eliminations  WMG
                      Acquisition
                      Corp.
                      Consolidated
                        WMG
                      Holdings
                      Corp.
                        Warner
                      Music
                      Group
                      Corp.
                        Eliminations  Warner
                      Music
                      Group Corp.
                      Consolidated
                       
                        (in millions) 

                      Assets

                               

                      Current assets:

                               

                      Cash and equivalents

                       $—    $169  $345  $—    $514  $—    $—    $—    $514 

                      Accounts receivable, net

                        —     262   185   —     447   —     —     —     447 

                      Inventories

                        —     18   24   —     42   —     —     —     42 

                      Royalty advances expected to be recouped within one year

                        —     79   44   —     123   —     —     —     123 

                      Prepaid and other current assets

                        —     15   35   —     50   —     —     —     50 
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total current assets

                        —     543   633   —     1,176   —     —     —     1,176 

                      Due from (to) parent companies

                        488   (214  (274  —     —     —     —     —     —   

                      Investments in and advances to consolidated subsidiaries

                        2,018   2,192   —     (4,210  —     675   675   (1,350  —   

                      Royalty advances expected to be recouped after one year

                        —     93   60   —     153   —     —     —     153 

                      Property, plant and equipment, net

                        —     155   74   —     229   —     —     —     229 

                      Goodwill

                        —     1,370   322   —     1,692   —     —     —     1,692 

                      Intangible assets subject to amortization, net

                        —     956   895   —     1,851   —     —     —     1,851 

                      Intangible assets not subject to amortization

                        —     71   83   —     154   —     —     —     154 

                      Deferred tax assets, net

                        —     —     11   —     11   —     —     —     11 

                      Other assets

                        12   55   11   —     78   —     —     —     78 
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total assets

                       $2,518  $5,221  $1,815  $(4,210 $5,344  $675  $675  $(1,350 $5,344 
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Liabilities and Equity

                               

                      Current liabilities:

                               

                      Accounts payable

                       $—    $200  $81  $—    $281  $—    $—    $—    $281 

                      Accrued royalties

                        —     869   527   —     1,396   —     —     —     1,396 

                      Accrued liabilities

                        —     195   228   —     423   —     —     —     423 

                      Accrued interest

                        31   —     —     —     31   —     —     —     31 

                      Deferred revenue

                        —     94   114   —     208   —     —     —     208 

                      Other current liabilities

                        —     2   32   —     34   —     —     —     34 
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total current liabilities

                        31   1,360   982   —     2,373   —     —     —     2,373 

                      Long-term debt

                        2,819   —     —     —     2,819   —     —     —     2,819 

                      Deferred tax liabilities, net

                        —     3   162   —     165   —     —     —     165 

                      Other noncurrent liabilities

                        2   197   108   —     307   —     —     —     307 
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total liabilities

                        2,852   1,560   1,252   —     5,664   —     —     —     5,664 
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total Warner Music Group Corp. (deficit) equity

                        (334  3,656   554   (4,210  (334  675   675   (1,350  (334

                      Noncontrolling interest

                        —     5   9   —     14   —     —     —     14 
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total equity

                        (334  3,661   563   (4,210  (320  675   675   (1,350  (320
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total liabilities and equity

                       $2,518  $5,221  $1,815  $(4,210 $5,344  $675  $675  $(1,350 $5,344 
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      F-53


                      Consolidating Statement of capitalOperations

                      For The Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2019

                        WMG
                      Acquisition
                      Corp.
                      (issuer)
                        Guarantor
                      Subsidiaries
                        Non-
                      Guarantor
                      Subsidiaries
                        Eliminations  WMG
                      Acquisition
                      Corp.
                      Consolidated
                        WMG
                      Holdings
                      Corp.
                        Warner
                      Music
                      Group
                      Corp.
                        Eliminations  Warner
                      Music
                      Group Corp.
                      Consolidated
                       
                        (in millions) 

                      Revenues

                       $—    $2,041  $2,804  $(370 $4,475  $—    $—    $—    $4,475 

                      Costs and expenses:

                               

                      Cost of revenue

                        —     (1,109  (1,603  311   (2,401  —     —     —     (2,401

                      Selling, general and administrative expenses

                        —     (765  (804  59   (1,510  —     —     —     (1,510

                      Amortization of intangible assets

                        —     (97  (111  —     (208  —     —     —     (208
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total costs and expenses

                        —     (1,971  (2,518  370   (4,119  —     —     —     (4,119
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Operating income

                        —     70   286   —     356   —     —     —     356 

                      Loss on extinguishment of debt

                        (7  —     —     —     (7  —     —     —     (7

                      Interest expense, net

                        (71  (50  (21  —     (142  —     —     —     (142

                      Equity gains from consolidated subsidiaries

                        311   185   —     (496  —     256   256   (512  —   

                      Other income (expense), net

                        32   56   (28  —     60   —     —     —     60 
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Income before income taxes

                        265   261   237   (496  267   256   256   (512  267 

                      Income tax (expense) benefit

                        (9  12   (51  39   (9  —     —     —     (9
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Net income

                        256   273   186   (457  258   256   256   (512  258 

                      Less: Income attributable to noncontrolling interest

                        —     —     (2  —     (2  —     —     —     (2
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Net income attributable to Warner Music Group Corp.

                       $256  $273  $184  $(457 $256  $256  $256  $(512 $256 
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      F-54


                      Consolidating Statement of $344 million from its direct subsidiary, WMG Holdings Corp. In addition, in December 2004, Warner Music Group Corp. received an additional $472 million returnOperations

                      For The Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2018

                        WMG
                      Acquisition
                      Corp.
                      (issuer)
                        Guarantor
                      Subsidiaries
                        Non-
                      Guarantor
                      Subsidiaries
                        Eliminations  WMG
                      Acquisition
                      Corp.
                      Consolidated
                        WMG
                      Holdings
                      Corp.
                        Warner
                      Music
                      Group
                      Corp.
                        Eliminations  Warner
                      Music
                      Group Corp.
                      Consolidated
                       
                        (in millions) 

                      Revenues

                       $—    $2,284  $2,245  $(524 $4,005  $—    $—    $—    $4,005 

                      Costs and expenses:

                               

                      Cost of revenue

                        —     (1,090  (1,442  361   (2,171  —     —     —     (2,171

                      Selling, general and administrative expenses

                        —     (1,040  (534  163   (1,411  —     —     —     (1,411

                      Amortization of intangible assets

                        —     (96  (110  —     (206  —     —     —     (206
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total costs and expenses

                        —     (2,226  (2,086  524   (3,788  —     —     —     (3,788
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Operating income

                        —     58   159   —     217   —     —     —     217 

                      Loss on extinguishment of debt

                        (31  —     —     —     (31  —     —     —     (31

                      Interest (expense) income, net

                        (116  4   (26  —     (138  —     —     —     (138

                      Equity gains from consolidated subsidiaries

                        207   122   —     (329  —     307   307   (614  —   

                      Other income, net

                        377   7   10   —     394   —     —     —     394 
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Income before income taxes

                        437   191   143   (329  442   307   307   (614  442 

                      Income tax expense

                        (130  (130  (39  169   (130  —     —     —     (130
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Net income

                        307   61   104   (160  312   307   307   (614  312 

                      Less: Income attributable to noncontrolling interest

                        —     (1  (4  —     (5  —     —     —     (5
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Net income attributable to Warner Music Group Corp.

                       $307  $60  $100  $(160 $307  $307  $307  $(614 $307 
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      F-55


                      Consolidating Statement of capital from WMG Holdings Corp.Operations

                      For The Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2017

                        WMG
                      Acquisition
                      Corp.
                      (issuer)
                        Guarantor
                      Subsidiaries
                        Non-
                      Guarantor
                      Subsidiaries
                        Eliminations  WMG
                      Acquisition
                      Corp.
                      Consolidated
                        WMG
                      Holdings
                      Corp.
                        Warner
                      Music
                      Group
                      Corp.
                        Eliminations  Warner
                      Music
                      Group Corp.
                      Consolidated
                       
                        (in millions) 

                      Revenues

                       $—    $1,978  $2,008  $(410 $3,576  $—    $—    $—    $3,576 

                      Costs and expenses:

                               

                      Cost of revenue

                        —     (922  (1,275  266   (1,931  —     —     —     (1,931

                      Selling, general and administrative expenses

                        (1  (900  (464  143   (1,222  —     —     —     (1,222

                      Amortization of intangible assets

                        —     (100  (101  —     (201  —     —     —     (201
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total costs and expenses

                        (1  (1,922  (1,840  409   (3,354  —     —     —     (3,354
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Operating income (loss)

                        (1  56   168   (1  222   —     —     —     222 

                      Loss on extinguishment of debt

                        (35  —     —     —     (35  —     —     —     (35

                      Interest (expense) income, net

                        (95  2   (56  —     (149  —     —     —     (149

                      Equity gains from consolidated subsidiaries

                        124   87   —     (210  1   143   143   (286  1 

                      Other expense, net

                        (1  (17  (23  —     (41  —     —     —     (41
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      (Loss) income before income taxes

                        (8  128   89   (211  (2  143   143   (286  (2

                      Income tax benefit (expense)

                        151   154   (30  (124  151   —     —     —     151 
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Net income

                        143   282   59   (335  149   143   143   (286  149 

                      Less: Income attributable to noncontrolling interest

                        —     (1  (5  —     (6  —     —     —     (6
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Net income attributable to Warner Music Group Corp.

                       $143  $281  $54  $(335 $143  $143  $143  $(286 $143 
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      F-56



                      Consolidating Statement of Comprehensive Income

                      For The Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2019

                        WMG
                      Acquisition
                      Corp.
                      (issuer)
                        Guarantor
                      Subsidiaries
                        Non-
                      Guarantor
                      Subsidiaries
                        Eliminations  WMG
                      Acquisition
                      Corp.
                      Consolidated
                        WMG
                      Holdings
                      Corp.
                        Warner
                      Music
                      Group
                      Corp.
                        Eliminations  Warner
                      Music
                      Group Corp.
                      Consolidated
                       
                        (in millions) 

                      Net income

                       $256  $273  $186  $(457 $258  $256  $256  $(512 $258 

                      Other comprehensive (loss) income, net of tax:

                               

                      Foreign currency adjustment

                        (34  —     34   (34  (34  (36  (36  72   (34

                      Deferred loss on derivative financial instruments

                        (11  —     (11  11   (11  (11  (11  22   (11

                      Minimum pension liability

                        (5  —     —     —     (5  (5  (5  10   (5
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Other comprehensive (loss) income, net of tax

                        (50  —     23   (23  (50  (52  (52  104   (50
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total comprehensive income

                        206   273   209   (480  208   204   204   (408  208 

                      Less: Income attributable to noncontrolling interest

                        —     —     (2  —     (2  —     —     —     (2
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Comprehensive income attributable to Warner Music Group Corp.

                       $206  $273  $207  $(480 $206  $204  $204  $(408 $206 
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      F-57


                      Consolidating Statement of Comprehensive Income

                      For The Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2018

                        WMG
                      Acquisition
                      Corp.
                      (issuer)
                        Guarantor
                      Subsidiaries
                        Non-
                      Guarantor
                      Subsidiaries
                        Eliminations  WMG
                      Acquisition
                      Corp.
                      Consolidated
                        WMG
                      Holdings
                      Corp.
                        Warner
                      Music
                      Group
                      Corp.
                        Eliminations  Warner
                      Music
                      Group Corp.
                      Consolidated
                       
                        (in millions) 

                      Net income

                       $307  $61  $104  $(160 $312  $307  $307  $(614 $312 

                      Other comprehensive (loss) income, net of tax:

                               

                      Foreign currency adjustment

                        (13  —     13   (13  (13  (13  (13  26   (13

                      Deferred gain on derivative financial instruments

                        3   —     3   (3  3   3   3   (6  3 

                      Minimum pension liability

                        1   —     1   (1  1   1   1   (2  1 
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Other comprehensive (loss) income, net of tax

                        (9  —     17   (17  (9  (9  (9  18   (9
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total comprehensive income

                        298   61   121   (177  303   298   298   (596  303 

                      Less: Income attributable to noncontrolling interest

                        —     (1  (4  —     (5  —     —     —     (5
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Comprehensive income attributable to Warner Music Group Corp.

                       $298  $60  $117  $(177 $298  $298  $298  $(596 $298 
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      F-58


                      Consolidating Statement of Comprehensive Income

                      For The Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2017

                        WMG
                      Acquisition
                      Corp.
                      (issuer)
                        Guarantor
                      Subsidiaries
                        Non-
                      Guarantor
                      Subsidiaries
                        Eliminations  WMG
                      Acquisition
                      Corp.
                      Consolidated
                        WMG
                      Holdings
                      Corp.
                        Warner
                      Music
                      Group
                      Corp.
                        Eliminations  Warner
                      Music
                      Group Corp.
                      Consolidated
                       
                        (in millions) 

                      Net income

                       $143  $282  $59  $(335 $149  $143  $143  $(286 $149 

                      Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax:

                               

                      Foreign currency adjustment

                        30   —     (30  30   30   32   32   (64  30 

                      Deferred loss on derivative financial instruments

                        —     (1  —     1   —     —     —     —     —   

                      Minimum pension liability

                        7   —     7   (7  7   7   7   (14  7 
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax

                        37   (1  (23  24   37   39   39   (78  37 
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total comprehensive income

                        180   281   36   (311  186   182   182   (364  186 

                      Less: Income attributable to noncontrolling interest

                        —     (1  (5  —     (6  —     —     —     (6
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Comprehensive income attributable to Warner Music Group Corp.

                       $180  $280  $31  $(311 $180  $182  $182  $(364 $180 
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      F-59


                      Consolidating Statement of Cash Flows

                      For The Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2019

                        WMG
                      Acquisition
                      Corp.
                      (issuer)
                        Guarantor
                      Subsidiaries
                        Non-
                      Guarantor
                      Subsidiaries
                        Eliminations  WMG
                      Acquisition
                      Corp.
                      Consolidated
                        WMG
                      Holdings
                      Corp.
                        Warner
                      Music
                      Group
                      Corp.
                        Eliminations  Warner
                      Music
                      Group Corp.
                      Consolidated
                       
                        (in millions) 

                      Cash flows from operating activities

                               

                      Net income

                       $256  $273  $186  $(457 $258  $256  $256  $(512 $258 

                      Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:

                               

                      Depreciation and amortization

                        —     138   131   —     269   —     —     —     269 

                      Unrealized (gains) losses and remeasurement of foreign-denominated loans

                        (43  —     15   —     (28  —     —     —     (28

                      Deferred income taxes

                        —     —     (68  —     (68  —     —     —     (68

                      Loss on extinguishment of debt

                        7   —     —     —     7   —     —     —     7 

                      Net gain on divestitures and investments

                        —     (18  (2  —     (20  —     —     —     (20

                      Non-cash interest expense

                        6   —     —     —     6   —     —     —     6 

                      Equity-based compensation expense

                        —     50   —     —     50   —     —     —     50 

                      Equity gains, including distributions

                        (311  (185  —     496   —     (256  (256  512   —   

                      Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

                               

                      Accounts receivable, net

                        —     10   (100  —     (90  —     —     —     (90

                      Inventories

                        —     7   (4  —     3   —     —     —     3 

                      Royalty advances

                        —     (77  (33  —     (110  —     —     —     (110

                      Accounts payable and accrued liabilities

                        —     315   (273  (39  3   —     —     —     3 

                      Royalty payables

                        —     (68  198   —     130   —     —     —     130 

                      Accrued interest

                        3   —     —     —     3   —     —     —     3 

                      Deferred revenue

                        —     (53  49   —     (4  —     —     —     (4

                      Other balance sheet changes

                        8   (41  24   —     (9  —     —     —     (9
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities

                        (74  351   123   —     400   —     —     —     400 
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Cash flows from investing activities

                               

                      Acquisition of music publishing rights and music catalogs, net

                        —     (24  (17  —     (41  —     —     —     (41

                      Capital expenditures

                        —     (85  (19  —     (104  —     —     —     (104

                      Investments and acquisitions of businesses, net of cash received

                        —     (42  (189  —     (231  —     —     —     (231

                      Advance to Issuer

                        (111  —     —     111   —     —     —     —     —   
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Net cash used in investing activities

                        (111  (151  (225  111   (376  —     —     —     (376
                       

                       

                      ��

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Cash flows from financing activities

                               

                      Dividend by Acquisition Corp. to Holdings Corp.

                        —     (94  —     —     (94  —     —     —     (94

                      Proceeds from issuance of Acquisition Corp. 3.625% Senior Notes due 2026

                        514   —     —     —     514   —     —     —     514 

                      Repayment of Acquisition Corp. 4.125% Senior Secured Notes

                        (40  —     —     —     (40  —     —     —     (40

                      Repayment of Acquisition Corp. 4.875% Senior Secured Notes

                        (30  —     —     —     (30  —     —     —     (30

                      Repayment of Acquisition Corp. 5.625% Senior Secured Notes

                        (247  —     —     —     (247  —     —     —     (247

                      Call premiums paid on early redemption of debt

                        (5  —     —     —     (5  —     —     —     (5

                      Deferred financing costs paid

                        (7  —     —     —     (7  —     —     —     (7

                      Distribution to noncontrolling interest holder

                        —     —     (3  —     (3  —     —     —     (3

                      Change in due to (from) issuer

                        —     111   —     (111  —     —     —     —     —   
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities

                        185   17   (3  (111  88   —     —     —     88 
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and equivalents

                        —     —     (7  —     (7  —     —     —     (7
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Net increase (decrease) in cash and equivalents

                        —     217   (112  —     105   —     —     —     105 

                      Cash and equivalents at beginning of period

                        —     169   345   —     514   —     —     —     514 
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Cash and equivalents at end of period

                       $—    $386  $233  $—    $619  $—    $—    $—    $619 
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      F-60


                      Consolidating Statement of Cash Flows

                      For The Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2018

                        WMG
                      Acquisition
                      Corp.
                      (issuer)
                        Guarantor
                      Subsidiaries
                        Non-
                      Guarantor
                      Subsidiaries
                        Eliminations  WMG
                      Acquisition
                      Corp.
                      Consolidated
                        WMG
                      Holdings
                      Corp.
                        Warner
                      Music
                      Group
                      Corp.
                        Eliminations  Warner
                      Music
                      Group Corp.
                      Consolidated
                       
                        (in millions) 

                      Cash flows from operating activities

                               

                      Net income

                       $307  $61  $104  $(160 $312  $307  $307  $(614 $312 

                      Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:

                               

                      Depreciation and amortization

                        —     136   125   —     261   —     —     —     261 

                      Unrealized gains/losses and remeasurement of foreign-denominated loans

                        (3  —     —     —     (3  —     —     —     (3

                      Deferred income taxes

                        —     —     66   —     66   —     —     —     66 

                      Loss on extinguishment of debt

                        31   —     —     —     31   —     —     —     31 

                      Net loss (gain) on divestitures and investments

                        (504  78   37   —     (389  —     —     —     (389

                      Non-cash interest expense

                        6   —     —     —     6   —     —     —     6 

                      Equity-based compensation expense

                        —     62   —     —     62   —     —     —     62 

                      Equity losses (gains), including distributions

                        (207  (122  —     329   —     (307  (307  614   —   

                      Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

                               

                      Accounts receivable, net

                        —     (48  5   —     (43  —     —     —     (43

                      Inventories

                        —     (5  2   —     (3  —     —     —     (3

                      Royalty advances

                        —     24   7   —     31   —     —     —     31 

                      Accounts payable and accrued liabilities

                        —     449   (198  (169  82   —     —     —     82 

                      Royalty payables

                        —     48   (26  —     22   —     —     —     22 

                      Accrued interest

                        (10  —     —     —     (10  —     —     —     (10

                      Deferred revenue

                        —     (48  44   —     (4  —     —     —     (4

                      Other balance sheet changes

                        —     89   (85  —     4   —     —     —     4 
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities

                        (380  724   81   —     425   —     —     —     425 
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Cash flows from investing activities

                               

                      Acquisition of music publishing rights, net

                        —     (11  (3  —     (14  —     —     —     (14

                      Capital expenditures

                        —     (60  (14  —     (74  —     —     —     (74

                      Investments and acquisitions of businesses, net

                        —     (17  (6  —     (23  —     —     —     (23

                      Divestitures, net

                        504   12   —     —     516   —     —     —     516 

                      Advance to Issuer

                        (99  —     —     99   —     —     —     —     —   
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities

                        405   (76  (23  99   405   —     —     —     405 
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Cash flows from financing activities

                               

                      Dividend by Acquisition Corp. to Holdings Corp.

                        —     (925  —     —     (925  —     —     —     (925

                      Proceeds from issuance of Acquisition Corp. 5.500% Senior Notes

                        325   —     —     —     325   —     —     —     325 

                      Proceeds from issuance of Acquisition Corp. Senior Term Loan Facility

                        320   —     —     —     320   —     —     —     320 

                      Repayment of Acquisition Corp. 6.750% Senior Secured Notes

                        (635  —     —     —     (635  —     —     —     (635

                      Call premiums paid on early redemption of debt

                        (23  —     —     —     (23  —     —     —     (23

                      Deferred financing costs paid

                        (12  —     —     —     (12  —     —     —     (12

                      Distribution to noncontrolling interest holder

                        —     —     (5  —     (5  —     —     —     (5

                      Change in due (from) to issuer

                        —     99   —     (99  —     —     —     —     —   
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Net cash used in financing activities

                        (25  (826  (5  (99  (955  —     —     —     (955
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and equivalents

                        —     —     (8  —     (8  —     —     —     (8
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Net increase in cash and equivalents

                        —     (178  45   —     (133  —     —     —     (133

                      Cash and equivalents at beginning of period

                        —     347   300   —     647   —     —     —     647 
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Cash and equivalents at end of period

                       $—    $169  $345  $—    $514  $—    $—    $—    $514 
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      F-61


                      Consolidating Statement of Cash Flows

                      For The Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2017

                        WMG
                      Acquisition
                      Corp.
                      (issuer)
                        Guarantor
                      Subsidiaries
                        Non-
                      Guarantor
                      Subsidiaries
                        Eliminations  WMG
                      Acquisition
                      Corp.
                      Consolidated
                        WMG
                      Holdings
                      Corp.
                        Warner
                      Music
                      Group
                      Corp.
                        Eliminations  Warner
                      Music
                      Group Corp.
                      Consolidated
                       
                        (in millions) 

                      Cash flows from operating activities

                               

                      Net income

                       $143  $282  $59  $(335 $149  $143  $143  $(286 $149 

                      Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:

                               

                      Depreciation and amortization

                        —     137   114   —     251   —     —     —     251 

                      Unrealized gains/losses and remeasurement of foreign-denominated loans

                        27   —     (3  —     24   —     —     —     24 

                      Deferred income taxes

                        2   —     (194  —     (192  —     —     —     (192

                      Loss on extinguishment of debt

                        35   —     —     —     35   —     —     —     35 

                      Net loss (gain) on divestitures and investments

                        —     33   (16  —     17   —     —     —     17 

                      Non-cash interest expense

                        8   —     —     —     8   —     —     —     8 

                      Equity-based compensation expense

                        —     70   —     —     70   —     —     —     70 

                      Equity losses (gains), including distributions

                        (124  (86  —     210   —     (143  (143  286   —   

                      Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

                               

                      Accounts receivable, net

                        —     (37  (23  —     (60  —     —     —     (60

                      Inventories

                        —     2   (1  —     1   —     —     —     1 

                      Royalty advances

                        —     2   15   —     17   —     —     —     17 

                      Accounts payable and accrued liabilities

                        (120  (4  47   125   48   —     —     —     48 

                      Royalty payables

                        —     126   10   —     136   —     —     —     136 

                      Accrued interest

                        3   —     —     —     3   —     —     —     3 

                      Deferred revenue

                        —     (6  28   —     22   —     —     —     22 

                      Other balance sheet changes

                        5   (204  205   —     6   —     —     —     6 
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities

                        (21  315   241   —     535   —     —     —     535 
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Cash flows from investing activities

                               

                      Acquisition of music publishing rights, net

                        —     (9  (7  —     (16  —     —     —     (16

                      Capital expenditures

                        —     (31  (13  —     (44  —     —     —     (44

                      Investments and acquisitions of businesses, net

                        —     (6  (133  —     (139  —     —     —     (139

                      Divestitures, net

                        —     42   31   —     73   —     —     —     73 

                      Advance to Issuer

                        60   —     —     (60  —     —     —     —     —   
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities

                        60   (4  (122  (60  (126  —     —     —     (126
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Cash flows from financing activities

                               

                      Dividend by Acquisition Corp. to Holdings Corp.

                        —     (84  —     —     (84  84   —     —     —   

                      Proceeds from issuance of Acquisition Corp. 4.125% Senior Secured Notes

                        380   —     —     —     380   —     —     —     380 

                      Proceeds from issuance of Acquisition Corp. 4.875% Senior Secured Notes

                        250   —     —     —     250   —     —     —     250 

                      Proceeds from issuance of Acquisition Corp. Senior Term Loan Facility

                        22   —     —     —     22   —     —     —     22 

                      Repayment of Acquisition Corp. 6.000% Senior Secured Notes

                        (450  —     —     —     (450  —     —     —     (450

                      Repayment of Acquisition Corp. 6.250% Senior Secured Notes

                        (173  —     —     —     (173  —     —     —     (173

                      Repayment of Acquisition Corp. 5.625% Senior Secured Notes

                        (28  —     —     —     (28  —     —     —     (28

                      Call premiums paid on early redemption of debt

                        (27  —     —     —     (27  —     —     —     (27

                      Deferred financing costs paid

                        (13  —     —     —     (13  —     —     —     (13

                      Distribution to noncontrolling interest holder

                        —     —     (5  —     (5  —     —     —     (5

                      Dividends paid

                        —     —     —     —     —     (84  —     —     (84

                      Change in due (from) to issuer

                        —     (60  —     60   —     —     —     —     —   
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities

                        (39  (144  (5  60   (128  —     —     —     (128
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and equivalents

                        —     —     7   —     7   —     —     —     7 
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Net increase in cash and equivalents

                        —     167   121   —     288   —     —     —     288 

                      Cash and equivalents at beginning of period

                        —     180   179   —     359   —     —     —     359 
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Cash and equivalents at end of period

                       $—    $347  $300  $—    $647  $—    $—    $—    $647 
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      F-62


                      WARNER MUSIC GROUP CORP.


                      Warner Music Group Corp.
                      (formerly known as WMG Parent Corp.)

                      Schedule II—Valuation and Qualifying Accounts
                      Seven Months Ended September 30, 2004,
                      Three Months Ended February 29, 2004 and
                      Years Ended November 30, 2003 and 2002

                      Description

                       Balance at
                      Beginning
                      of Period

                       Additions
                      Charged to
                      Cost and
                      Expenses

                       Deductions
                       Balance at
                      End of
                      Period

                       
                       (in millions)

                      Seven Months Ended September 30, 2004            
                      Reserve deducted from accounts receivable            
                       Allowance for doubtful accounts $69 $7 $(18)$58
                       Reserves for sales returns and allowances  200  278  (314) 164
                      Allowance for deferred tax asset    293    293
                        
                       
                       
                       
                        $269 $578 $(332)$515
                        
                       
                       
                       

                      Three Months Ended February 29, 2004

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       
                      Reserve deducted from accounts receivable            
                       Allowance for doubtful accounts $67 $2 $ $69
                       Reserves for sales returns and allowances  224  128  (152) 200
                      Allowance for deferred tax asset        
                        
                       
                       
                       
                        $291 $130 $(152)$269
                        
                       
                       
                       

                      Year Ended November 30, 2003

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       
                      Reserve deducted from accounts receivable            
                       Allowance for doubtful accounts $68 $9 $(10)$67
                       Reserves for sales returns and allowances  213  585  (574) 224
                      Allowance for deferred tax asset  21    (21) 
                        
                       
                       
                       
                        $302 $594 $(605)$291
                        
                       
                       
                       

                      Year Ended November 30, 2002

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       
                      Reserve deducted from accounts receivable            
                       Allowance for doubtful accounts $99 $17 $(48)$68
                       Reserves for sales returns and allowances  233  526  (546) 213
                      Allowance for deferred tax asset    21    21
                        
                       
                       
                       
                        $332 $564 $(594)$302
                        
                       
                       
                       

                      Description

                        Balance at
                      Beginning
                      of Period
                         Additions
                      Charged to
                      Cost and
                      Expenses
                         Deductions  Balance at
                      End of
                      Period
                       
                         (in millions) 

                      Year Ended September 30, 2019

                             

                      Allowance for doubtful accounts

                        $18   $3   $(4 $17 

                      Reserves for sales returns

                         28    88    (93  23 

                      Allowance for deferred tax asset

                         206    4    (119  91 

                      Year Ended September 30, 2018

                             

                      Allowance for doubtful accounts

                        $18   $4   $(4 $18 

                      Reserves for sales returns

                         33    108    (113  28 

                      Allowance for deferred tax asset

                         193    33    (20  206 

                      Year Ended September 30, 2017

                             

                      Allowance for doubtful accounts

                        $19   $3   $(4 $18 

                      Reserves for sales returns

                         33    119    (119  33 

                      Allowance for deferred tax asset

                         310    23    (140  193 



                      Warner Music Group Corp.
                      (formerly known as WMG Parent Corp.)

                      Consolidated Balance Sheets
                      (Unaudited)

                       
                       December 31,
                      2004

                       September 30,
                      2004

                       
                       
                       (unaudited)

                       (audited)

                       
                       
                       (in millions)

                       
                      Assets       
                      Current assets:       
                       Cash and equivalents(a) $306 $555 
                       Accounts receivable, less allowances of $284 and $222 million  821  571 
                       Inventories  65  65 
                       Royalty advances expected to be recouped within one year  204  223 
                       Deferred tax assets  48  38 
                       Other current assets  74  86 
                        
                       
                       
                      Total current assets  1,518  1,538 

                      Royalty advances expected to be recouped after one year

                       

                       

                      204

                       

                       

                      223

                       
                      Investments  9  8 
                      Property, plant and equipment, net  180  189 
                      Goodwill  966  978 
                      Intangible assets subject to amortization, net  1,925  1,937 
                      Intangible assets not subject to amortization  100  100 
                      Other assets  121  117 
                        
                       
                       
                      Total assets $5,023 $5,090 
                        
                       
                       

                      Liabilities and Shareholders' Equity

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       
                      Current liabilities:       
                       Accounts payable $223 $226 
                       Accrued royalties  1,166  1,003 
                       Taxes and other withholdings  32  10 
                       Current portion of long-term debt  12  12 
                       Note payable to shareholders    342 
                       Other current liabilities  622  587 
                        
                       
                       
                      Total current liabilities  2,055  2,180 

                      Long-term debt

                       

                       

                      2,534

                       

                       

                      1,828

                       
                      Deferred tax liabilities, net  272  265 
                      Other noncurrent liabilities  287  333 
                      Minority interest in preferred stock of subsidiary    204 
                        
                       
                       
                      Total liabilities  5,148  4,810 
                        
                       
                       

                      Shareholders' equity:

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       
                       Common stock, ($0.001 par value; 500,000,000 shares authorized; 115,491,830 shares issued and outstanding)     
                       Additional paid-in capital(a)  93  512 
                       Retained earnings (deficit)  (202) (238)
                       Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net  (16) 6 
                        
                       
                       
                      Total shareholders' equity(a)  (125) 280 
                        
                       
                       
                      Total liabilities and shareholders' equity $5,023 $5,090 
                        
                       
                       

                      (a)
                      Subsequent to September 30, 2004, a dividend was declared and paid, which had the effect of reducing each of cash and equivalents and shareholders' equity by $43 million. After giving effect to this subsequent payment, cash and equivalents, additional paid-in-capital and shareholders' equity reflected in the above balance sheet at September 30, 2004 were $263 million, $50 million and $(168) million, respectively. Further, prior to the completion of the initial public offering of the Company's common stock as discussed in Note 12, the Company intends to declare dividends of $157 million, of which $10 million relates to dividends on unvested shares of restricted stock which will be paid at a later date when, and if, such respected stock vests. When such dividends are declared and paid, it would have the effect of further reducing cash and equivalents, additional paid-in-capital and shareholders' equity by $157 million.

                         March 31,
                              2020        
                        September 30,
                      2019
                       
                         (in millions, except share data) 

                      Assets

                         

                      Current assets:

                         

                      Cash and equivalents

                        $484 $619

                      Accounts receivable, net of allowances of $21 million and $17 million

                         763  775

                      Inventories

                         65  74

                      Royalty advances expected to be recouped within one year

                         189  170

                      Prepaid and other current assets

                         82  53
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total current assets

                         1,583  1,691

                      Royalty advances expected to be recouped after one year

                         232  208

                      Property, plant and equipment, net

                         294  300

                      Operating leaseright-of-use assets, net

                         281  —   

                      Goodwill

                         1,761  1,761

                      Intangible assets subject to amortization, net

                         1,644  1,723

                      Intangible assets not subject to amortization

                         151  151

                      Deferred tax assets, net

                         55  38

                      Other assets

                         123  145
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total assets

                        $6,124 $6,017
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Liabilities and Deficit

                         

                      Current liabilities:

                         

                      Accounts payable

                        $246 $260

                      Accrued royalties

                         1,591  1,567

                      Accrued liabilities

                         564  492

                      Accrued interest

                         34  34

                      Operating lease liabilities, current

                         39   

                      Deferred revenue

                         167  180

                      Other current liabilities

                         91  286
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total current liabilities

                         2,732  2,819

                      Long-term debt

                         2,983  2,974

                      Operating lease liabilities, noncurrent

                         312   

                      Deferred tax liabilities, net

                         154  172

                      Other noncurrent liabilities

                         228  321
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total liabilities

                        $6,409 $6,286
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Equity:

                         

                      Common A stock ($0.001 par value; 1,000,000,000 shares authorized; 0 and 0 shares issued and outstanding as of March 31, 2020 and September 30, 2019, respectively)

                        $—   $—  

                      Common B stock ($0.001 par value; 1,000,000,000 shares authorized; 510,000,000 and 505,830,022 issued and outstanding as of March 31, 2020 and September 30, 2019, respectively)

                         1  1

                      Additionalpaid-in capital

                         1,127  1,127

                      Accumulated deficit

                         (1,166  (1,177

                      Accumulated other comprehensive loss, net

                         (268  (240
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total Warner Music Group Corp. deficit

                         (306  (289

                      Noncontrolling interest

                         21  20
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total deficit

                         (285  (269
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total liabilities and deficit

                        $6,124 $6,017
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      See accompanying notes.notes



                      Warner Music Group Corp.
                      (formerly known as WMG Parent Corp.)

                      Consolidated and Combined Statements of Operations (Unaudited)

                       
                        
                       Successor
                       Predecessor
                       
                       
                        
                       Three Months
                      Ended
                      December 31, 2004

                       Three Months
                      Ended
                      December 31, 2003

                       
                       
                        
                       (in millions, except per share amounts)

                       
                      Revenues(b) $1,088 $1,178 
                      Costs and expenses:       
                       Cost of revenues(a)(b)  (581) (648)
                       Selling, general and administrative expenses(a)(b)  (331) (391)
                       Impairment of goodwill and other intangible assets    (1,019)
                       Amortization of intangible assets  (46) (60)
                       Restructuring costs    (8)
                          
                       
                       
                      Total costs and expenses  (958) (2,126)
                          
                       
                       
                      Operating income (loss)  130  (948)

                      Interest expense, net(b)

                       

                       

                      (38

                      )

                       

                      (3

                      )
                      Net investment-related losses    (9)
                      Equity in the losses of equity-method investees, net  (1) (9)
                      Deal-related transaction and other costs    (63)
                      Unrealized loss on warrants  (22)  
                      Other income (expense), net(b)  4  (7)
                      Minority interest expense  (5)  
                          
                       
                       
                      Income (loss) before income taxes  68  (1,039)
                      Income tax expense  (32) (107)
                          
                       
                       
                      Net income (loss) $36 $(1,146)
                          
                       
                       
                      Pro forma net income (loss) per common share:       
                       Basic $0.33    
                          
                          
                       Diluted $0.31    
                          
                          
                      Pro forma average common shares:       
                       Basic  107.5    
                          
                          
                       Diluted  115.3    
                          
                          

                             
                      (a) Includes depreciation expense of: $(14)$(20)
                          
                       
                       
                      (b) Includes the following income (expenses) resulting from transactions with related companies:       
                        Revenues $ $32 
                        Cost of revenues    (66)
                        Selling, general and administrative expenses  (3) (45)
                        Interest expense, net  (1) 3 
                        Other expense, net    11 
                        Minority interest expense  (5)  

                         Three Months Ended
                      March 31,
                        Six Months Ended
                      March 31,
                       
                         2020  2019  2020  2019 
                         (in millions, except share and per share data) 

                      Revenue

                        $1,071 $1,090 $2,327 $2,293

                      Costs and expenses:

                           

                      Cost of revenue

                         (535  (559  (1,200  (1,185

                      Selling, general and administrative expenses (a)

                         (538  (354  (917  (730

                      Amortization expense

                         (47  (55  (94  (109
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total costs and expenses

                         (1,120  (968  (2,211  (2,024
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Operating (loss) income

                         (49  122  116  269

                      Loss on extinguishment of debt

                         —     —     —     (3

                      Interest expense, net

                         (33  (36  (66  (72

                      Other (expense) income

                         (4  29  (9  57
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      (Loss) income before income taxes

                         (86  115  41  251

                      Income tax benefit (expense)

                         12  (48  7  (98
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Net (loss) income

                         (74  67  48  153

                      Less: Income attributable to noncontrolling interest

                         —     —     (2  —   
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Net (loss) income attributable to Warner Music Group Corp.

                        $(74 $67 $46 $153
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      (a) Includes depreciation expense:

                        $(14 $(14 $(38 $(28
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Net (loss) income per share attributable to Warner Music Group Corp.’s stockholders:

                           

                      Basic and Diluted

                        $(0.15 $0.13 $0.09 $0.30
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Weighted average common shares:

                           

                      Basic and Diluted

                         501,991,944  501,991,944  501,991,944   501,991,944 

                      See accompanying notes.notes



                      Warner Music Group Corp.
                      (formerly known as WMG Parent

                      Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Unaudited)

                         Three Months Ended
                      March 31,
                        Six Months Ended
                      March 31,
                       
                             2020          2019          2020          2019     
                         (in millions) 

                      Net (loss) income

                        $(74 $67 $48 $153

                      Other comprehensive loss, net of tax:

                           

                      Foreign currency adjustment

                         (15  (10  (8  (26

                      Deferred loss on derivative financial instruments

                         (23  (3  (20  (9
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Other comprehensive loss, net of tax

                         (38  (13  (28  (35
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total comprehensive (loss) income

                         (112  54  20  118

                      Less: Income attributable to noncontrolling interest

                         —     —     (2  —   
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Comprehensive (loss) income attributable to Warner Music Group Corp.

                        $(112 $54 $18 $118
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      See accompanying notes

                      Warner Music Group Corp.)

                      Consolidated and Combined Statements of Cash Flows
                      (Unaudited)

                       
                       Successor
                       Predecessor
                       
                       
                       Three Months
                      Ended
                      December 31, 2004

                       Three Months
                      Ended
                      December 31, 2003

                       
                       
                       (in millions)

                       
                      Cash flows from operating activities       
                      Net income (loss) $36 $(1,146)
                      Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by operating activities:       
                       Impairment of goodwill and other intangible assets    1,019 
                       Depreciation and amortization  60  80 
                       Deferred taxes  (3) 103 
                       Non-cash interest expense  10  3 
                       Net investment-related losses    9 
                       Equity in the losses of equity-method investees, including distributions  1  9 
                       Non-cash, stock-based compensation expense  2   
                       Unrealized loss on warrants  22   
                       Minority interest expense  5   
                       Changes in operating assets and liabilities:       
                        Accounts receivable  (220) (271)
                        Inventories  2  (7)
                        Royalty advances  15  118 
                        Accounts payable and accrued liabilities  115  85 
                        Other balance sheet changes  18  29 
                        
                       
                       
                      Net cash provided by operating activities  63  31 
                        
                       
                       
                      Cash flows from investing activities       
                      Investments and acquisitions  (20) (18)
                      Investment proceeds  1  38 
                      Capital expenditures  (6) (27)
                        
                       
                       
                      Net cash used in investing activities  (25) (7)
                        
                       
                       
                      Cash flows from financing activities       
                      Borrowings  696   
                      Financing costs of borrowings  (17)  
                      Debt repayments  (3)  
                      Proceeds from the issuance of restricted shares of Class A Common Stock  1   
                      Repurchase of subsidiary preferred stock  (209)  
                      Dividends and returns of capital paid(a)  (764) (68)
                      Decrease (increase) in amounts due from Time Warner-affiliated companies    84 
                      Principal payments on capital leases     
                        
                       
                       
                      Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities  (296) 16 
                        
                       
                       
                      Effect of foreign currency exchange rate changes on cash  9  5 
                        
                       
                       
                      Net increase in cash and equivalents  (249) 45 
                      Cash and equivalents at beginning of period  555  81 
                        
                       
                       
                      Cash and equivalents at end of period $306 $126 
                        
                       
                       

                      (a)
                      Includes the repayment of a $342 million note payable to shareholders, which was issued in September 2004 as part of a return of capital.

                         Six Months Ended
                      March 31,
                       
                             2020          2019     
                         (in millions) 

                      Cash flows from operating activities

                         

                      Net income

                        $48 $153

                      Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:

                         

                      Depreciation and amortization

                         132  137

                      Unrealized gains and remeasurement of foreign-denominated loans and foreign currency forward exchange contracts

                         (7  (24

                      Deferred income taxes

                         (31  27

                      Loss on extinguishment of debt

                         —     3

                      Net loss (gain) on divestitures and investments

                         15  (32

                      Non-cash interest expense

                         3  3

                      Equity-based compensation expense

                         160  14

                      Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

                         

                      Accounts receivable, net

                         6  (90

                      Inventories

                         9  13

                      Royalty advances

                         (47  (61

                      Accounts payable and accrued liabilities

                         (109  (100

                      Royalty payables

                         38  46

                      Accrued interest

                         —     1

                      Operating lease liabilities

                         (2  —   

                      Deferred revenue

                         (14  (19

                      Other balance sheet changes

                         (37  28
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Net cash provided by operating activities

                         164  99
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Cash flows from investing activities

                         

                      Acquisition of music publishing rights and music catalogs, net

                         (18  (16

                      Capital expenditures

                         (28  (59

                      Investments and acquisitions of businesses, net of cash received

                         (5  (218
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Net cash used in investing activities

                         (51  (293
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Cash flows from financing activities

                         

                      Proceeds from issuance of Acquisition Corp. 3.625% Senior Secured Notes

                         —     287

                      Repayment of Acquisition Corp. 4.125% Senior Secured Notes

                         —     (40

                      Repayment of Acquisition Corp. 4.875% Senior Secured Notes

                         —     (30

                      Repayment of Acquisition Corp. 5.625% Senior Secured Notes

                         —     (27

                      Call premiums paid and deposit on early redemption of debt

                         —     (2

                      Deferred financing costs paid

                         —     (4

                      Distribution to noncontrolling interest holder

                         (1  (2

                      Dividends paid

                         (244  (31
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities

                         (245  151
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and equivalents

                         (3  (1
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Net decrease in cash and equivalents

                         (135  (44

                      Cash and equivalents at beginning of period

                         619  514
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Cash and equivalents at end of period

                        $484 $470
                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      See accompanying notes.notes



                      Warner Music Group Corp.
                      (formerly known as WMG Parent Corp.)

                      Consolidated and Combined Statements of Shareholders' and Group Equity
                      Deficit (Unaudited)

                       
                       Successor
                       Predecessor
                       
                       
                       Three Months
                      Ended
                      December 31, 2004

                       Three Months
                      Ended
                      December 31, 2003

                       
                       
                       (in millions)

                       
                      Balance at beginning of period $280 $2,635 

                      Comprehensive loss:

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       

                       
                       Net income (loss)(a)  36  (1,146)
                       Foreign currency translation adjustment  (25) 33 
                       Deferred losses on derivative financial instruments  3   
                        
                       
                       
                      Total comprehensive income (loss)  14  (1,113)
                        
                       
                       
                      Dividends and returns of capital paid  (422) (68)
                      Issuance of stock options and restricted shares of Class A Common Stock  3   
                      Decrease in amounts due from Time Warner-affiliated companies, net    242 
                        
                       
                       
                      Balance at end of period $(125)$1,696 
                        
                       
                       

                      (a)
                      Net loss for the three months ended December

                      Six Months Ended March 31, 2003 includes an approximate $1.019 billion impairment charge to reduce the carrying value of goodwill, trademarks and other intangible assets.
                      2020

                        Class A
                      Common Stock
                        Class B
                      Common Stock
                        Additional
                      Paid-in
                      Capital
                        Accumulated
                      Deficit
                        Accumulated
                      Other
                      Comprehensive
                      Loss
                        Total
                      Warner Music
                      Group Corp.
                      Deficit
                        Noncontrolling
                      Interest
                        Total
                      Deficit
                       
                        Shares  Value  Shares  Value 
                        (in millions, except share and per share data) 

                      Balance at September 30, 2019

                        —    $—    505,830,022 $1 $1,127 $(1,177 $(240 $(289 $20 $(269

                      Cumulative effect of ASC 842 adoption

                        —     —     —     —     —     7  —     7  —     7

                      Cumulative effect of ASC 718 accounting policy change

                        —     —     —     —     —     33  —     33  —     33

                      Net income

                        —     —     —     —     —     46  —     46  2  48

                      Other comprehensive loss, net of tax

                        —     —     —     —     —     —     (28  (28  —     (28

                      Dividends ($0.15 per share)

                        —     —     —     —     —     (75  —     (75  —     (75

                      Distribution to noncontrolling interest holders

                        —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     (1  (1

                      Other

                        —     —     4,169,978  —     —     —     —     —     —     —   
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Balance at March 31, 2020

                        —    $—    510,000,000 $1 $1,127 $(1,166 $(268 $(306 $21 $(285
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Three Months Ended March 31, 2020

                        Class A
                      Common Stock
                        Class B
                      Common Stock
                        Additional
                      Paid-in
                      Capital
                        Accumulated
                      Deficit
                        Accumulated
                      Other
                      Comprehensive
                      Loss
                        Total
                      Warner Music
                      Group Corp.
                      Deficit
                        Noncontrolling
                      Interest
                        Total
                      Deficit
                       
                        Shares  Value  Shares  Value 
                        (in millions, except share and per share data) 

                      Balance at December 31, 2019

                        —    $—    510,000,000 $1 $1,127 $(1,088 $(230 $(190 $21 $(169

                      Cumulative effect of ASC 718 accounting policy change

                        —     —     —     —     —     33  —     33  —     33

                      Net loss

                        —     —     —     —     —     (74  —     (74  —     (74

                      Other comprehensive loss, net of tax

                        —     —     —     —     —     —     (38  (38  —     (38

                      Dividends ($0.07 per share)

                        —     —     —     —     —     (37  —     (37  —     (37

                      Distribution to noncontrolling interest holders

                        —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —   

                      Other

                        —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —   
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Balance at March 31, 2020

                        —    $—    510,000,000 $1 $1,127 $(1,166 $(268 $(306 $21 $(285
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Six Months Ended March 31, 2019

                        Class A
                      Common Stock
                        Class B
                      Common Stock
                        Additional
                      Paid-in
                      Capital
                        Accumulated
                      Deficit
                        Accumulated
                      Other
                      Comprehensive
                      Loss
                        Total
                      Warner Music
                      Group Corp.
                      Deficit
                        Noncontrolling
                      Interest
                        Total
                      Deficit
                       
                        Shares  Value  Shares  Value 
                        (in millions, except share and per share data) 

                      Balance at September 30, 2018

                        —    $—    501,991,944 $1 $1,127 $(1,272 $(190 $(334 $14 $(320

                      Cumulative effect of ASC 606 adoption

                        —     —     —     —     —     139  —     139  11  150

                      Net income

                        —     —     —     —     —     153  —     153  —     153

                      Other comprehensive loss, net of tax

                        —     —     —     —     —     —     (35  (35  —     (35

                      Dividends ($0.12 per share)

                        —     —     —     —     —     (63  —     (63  —     (63

                      Distribution to noncontrolling interest holders

                        —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     (2  (2

                      Other

                        —     —     3,838,078  —     —     —     —     —     (3  (3
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Balance at March 31, 2019

                        —    $—    505,830,022 $1 $1,127 $(1,043 $(225 $(140 $20 $(120
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Three Months Ended March 31, 2019

                        Class A
                      Common Stock
                        Class B
                      Common Stock
                        Additional
                      Paid-in
                      Capital
                        Accumulated
                      Deficit
                        Accumulated
                      Other
                      Comprehensive
                      Loss
                        Total
                      Warner Music
                      Group Corp.
                      Deficit
                        Noncontrolling
                      Interest
                        Total
                      Deficit
                       
                        Shares  Value  Shares  Value 
                        (in millions, except share and per share data) 

                      Balance at December 31, 2018

                        —    $—    505,830,022 $1 $1,127 $(1,078 $(212 $(162 $23 $(139

                      Net income

                        —     —     —     —     —     67  —     67  —     67

                      Other comprehensive loss, net of tax

                        —     —     —     —     —     —     (13  (13  —     (13

                      Dividends ($0.06 per share)

                        —     —     —     —     —     (32  —     (32  —     (32

                      Distribution to noncontrolling interest holders

                        —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —   

                      Other

                        —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     (3  (3
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Balance at March 31, 2019

                        —    $—    505,830,022 $1 $1,127 $(1,043 $(225 $(140 $20 $(120
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      See accompanying notes.notes



                      Warner Music Group Corp.
                      (formerly known as WMG Parent Corp.)

                      Notes to Consolidated and Combined Interim Financial Statements (Unaudited)

                      1. Description of Business

                      Warner Music Group Corp. (formerly known as WMG Parent Corp.) (the "Company" or "Parent"“Company”) was formed by a private equity consortium of Investors (the "Investor Group") on November 21, 2003. The Company is the direct parent of WMG Holdings Corp. ("Holdings"(“Holdings”), which is the direct parent of WMG Acquisition Corp. ("New WMG" or "Acquisition(“Acquisition Corp."). New WMGAcquisition Corp. is one of the world'sworld’s major music companies and the successorentertainment companies.

                      Acquisition of Warner Music Group by Access Industries

                      Pursuant to the interestsAgreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of May 6, 2011 (the “Merger Agreement”), by and among the Company, AI Entertainment Holdings LLC (formerly Airplanes Music LLC), a Delaware limited liability company (“Parent”) and an affiliate of Access Industries, Inc. (“Access”), and Airplanes Merger Sub, Inc., a Delaware corporation and a wholly owned subsidiary of Parent (“Merger Sub”), on July 20, 2011 (the “Merger Closing Date”), Merger Sub merged with and into the Company with the Company surviving as a wholly owned subsidiary of Parent (the “Merger”). In connection with the Merger, the Company delisted its common stock from the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”).

                      The Company continues to voluntarily file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) current and periodic reports that would be required to be filed with the SEC pursuant to Section 15(d) of the recorded music and music publishing businessesSecurities Exchange Act of Time Warner Inc. ("Time Warner"1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Such predecessor interests formerly as provided for in certain covenants contained in the instruments covering its outstanding indebtedness. All of the Company’s common stock is owned by Time Warner are hereinafter referred toaffiliates of Access.

                      On February 6, 2020, the Company filed a FormS-1 registration statement with the SEC for an initial public offering (“IPO”). The completion of the proposed IPO will depend on, among other things, the SEC review process and customary regulatory approvals, as "Old WMG" orwell as market conditions. There can be no assurance that the "Predecessor". Effective March 1, 2004, WMG Acquisition Corp. acquired Old WMG from Time Warner for approximately $2.6 billion (the "Acquisition").proposed IPO will occur.

                              The Company classifies its business interests into two fundamental areas: recorded music and music publishing. A brief description of those operations is presented below.

                      Recorded Music Operations

                              The Company's recorded music operations consistOur Recorded Music business primarily consists of the discovery and development of recording artists and the related marketing, promotion, distribution, sale and distributionlicensing of music created by such recording artists. We play an integral role in virtually all aspects of the recorded music produced by such artists. value chain from discovering and developing talent to producing, distributing and selling music to marketing and promoting recording artists and their music.

                      In the United States, the Company's operations areour Recorded Music business is conducted principally through itsour major record labels—Warner Bros. Records, The Atlantic Records and Warner Records. In October 2018, we launched Elektra Music Group and Word Entertainment. Internationally, the Company's recorded music operations are conducted through its Warner Music International division ("WMI") in over 50 countries outside the United States through various subsidiaries, affiliatesas a standalone label group, which comprises the Elektra, Fueled by Ramen and non-affiliated licensees. The Company's current roster of recording artistsRoadrunner labels. Our Recorded Music business also includes among others, Cher, Enya, Eric Clapton, Faith Hill, Josh Groban, Kid Rock, Linkin Park, Luis Miguel, Madonna, matchbox twenty, Metallica, Phil Collins and Red Hot Chili Peppers.

                              The Company's recorded music operations also includeRhino Entertainment, a catalog division called Warner Strategic Marketing ("WSM"). WSMthat specializes in marketing the Company'sour recorded music catalog through compilations, and reissuances of previously released music and video titles as welland releasing previously unreleased material from our vault. We also conduct our Recorded Music business through a collection of additional record labels including Asylum, Big Beat, Canvasback, East West, Erato, FFRR, Nonesuch, Parlophone, Reprise, Sire, Spinnin’, Warner Classics and Warner Music Nashville.

                      Outside the United States, our Recorded Music business is conducted in more than 70 countries through various subsidiaries, affiliates andnon-affiliated licensees. Internationally, we engage in the same activities as in the licensingUnited States: discovering and signing artists and distributing, selling, marketing and promoting their music. In most cases, we also market, promote, distribute and sell the music of tracks to/from third partiesthose recording artists for various uses, including filmwhom our domestic record labels have international rights. In certain smaller markets, we license the right to distribute and television soundtracks.sell our music tonon-affiliated third-party record labels.

                              The Company's principal recorded-music

                      Our Recorded Music business’ distribution operations include Warner-Elektra-Atlantic Corporation ("(“WEA Corp."), which primarily markets, distributes and distributessells music and video products to retailers and wholesale distributors in the United States; a 90% interest indistributors; Alternative Distribution Alliance an(“ADA”), which markets, distributes and sells the products of independent distribution company;labels to retail and wholesale distributors; and various distribution centers and ventures operated internationally;internationally.

                      In addition to our music being sold in physical retail outlets, our music is also sold in physical form to online physical retailers, such as Amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com and bestbuy.com, and distributed in digital form to an 80% interestexpanded universe of digital partners, including streaming services such as those of Amazon, Apple, Deezer, SoundCloud, Spotify, Tencent Music Entertainment Group and YouTube, radio services such as iHeart Radio and SiriusXM and download services.

                      We have integrated the marketing of digital content into all aspects of our business, including artist and repertoire (“A&R”) and distribution. Our business development executives work closely with A&R departments to ensure that while music is being produced, digital assets are also created with all distribution channels in Word Entertainment, whosemind, including streaming services, social networking sites, online portals and music-centered destinations. We also workside-by-side with our online and mobile partners to test new concepts. We believe existing and new digital businesses will be a significant source of growth and will provide new opportunities to successfully monetize our assets and create new revenue streams. The proportion of digital revenues attributable to each distribution operations specializechannel varies by region and proportions may change as the introduction of new technologies continues. As one of the world’s largest music entertainment companies, we believe we are well positioned to take advantage of growth in digital distribution and emerging technologies to maximize the value of our assets.

                      We have diversified our revenues beyond our traditional businesses by entering into expanded-rights deals with recording artists in order to partner with such artists in other aspects of their careers. Under these agreements, we provide services to and participate in recording artists’ activities outside the traditional recorded music business such as touring, merchandising and sponsorships. We have built and acquired artist services capabilities and platforms for marketing and distributing this broader set of music-related rights and participating more widely in the distributionmonetization of music productsthe artist brands we help create. We believe that entering into expanded-rights deals and enhancing our artist services capabilities in the Christian retail marketplace.areas such as merchandising, VIP ticketing, fan clubs, concert promotion and management has permitted us to diversify revenue streams and capitalize on other revenue opportunities. This provides for improved long-term relationships with our recording artists and allows us to more effectively connect recording artists and fans.

                              The principal recorded-music revenue sources to the Company are sales of CDs, digital downloads and other recorded music products, and license fees received for the ancillary uses of its recorded music catalog.

                      Music Publishing Operations

                      While Recorded Music is focused on marketing, promoting, distributing and licensing a particular recording of a musical composition, Music Publishing is an intellectual property business focused on generating revenue from uses of the musical composition itself. In return for promoting, placing, marketing and administering the creative output of a songwriter, or engaging in those activities for other rightsholders, our Music Publishing business garners a share of the revenues generated from use of the musical compositions.

                      The Company'soperations of our Music Publishing business are conducted principally through Warner Chappell Music, our global music publishing company headquartered in Los Angeles with operations include Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.in over 70 countries through various subsidiaries, affiliates, and its wholly owned subsidiaries,non-affiliated licensees and certain other music-publishing affiliates of the Company. The Company ownssub-publishers. We own or controls thecontrol rights to more than one1.4 million musical compositions, including numerous pop music hits, American standards, folk songs and motion picture and theatrical compositions. ItsAssembled over decades, our award-winning catalog includes works fromover 80,000 songwriters and composers and a diverse range of artistsgenres including pop, rock, jazz, classical, country, R&B,hip-hop, rap, reggae, Latin, folk, blues, symphonic, soul, Broadway, techno, alternative and composers, including Barry Gibb, Cole Porter, Dido,



                      Madonna, Moby, Nickelback, R.E.M. and Staind. The Companygospel. Warner Chappell Music also administers the music and soundtracks of several third-party television and motion picture companies, including Lucasfilm, Ltd.film producers and Hallmark Entertainment.studios. We have an extensive production music catalog collectively branded as Warner Chappell Production Music.

                              The Company's music publishing operations include Warner Bros. Publications U.S. Inc. ("Warner Bros. Publications"), one

                      2. Summary of the world's largest publishers of printed music. Warner Bros. Publications markets publications throughout the world containing works of such artists as Shania Twain, The Grateful Dead and Led Zeppelin. However, in December 2004, the Company entered into an agreement to sell its printed music business to Alfred Publishing Co., Inc. ("Alfred Publishing"). The sale is expected to close in spring 2005 and is subject to customary closing conditions. See Note 3 for additional information.Significant Accounting Policies

                              The principal music-publishing revenue sources to the Company are royalties for the use of its compositions on CDs and DVDs, in television commercials, ring tones, music videos and the Internet; license fees received for the use of its musical compositions on radio, television, in motion pictures and in other public performances; and sales of published sheet music and songbooks.Interim Financial Statements

                      2.    Basis of Presentation

                      New Basis of Presentation

                      The accompanying unaudited consolidated and combined financial statements present separately the financial position, results of operations, cash flows and changes in equity for both the Company and its predecessor, Old WMG. Old WMG was acquired by the Investor Group effective as of March 1, 2004. In connection with the Acquisition, a new accounting basis was established for the Company as of the acquisition date based upon an allocation of the purchase price to the underlying net assets acquired. Financial information for the pre- and post-acquisition periods have been separated by a vertical line on the face of the consolidated and combined financial statements to highlight the fact that the financial information for such periods have been prepared under two different historical-cost bases of accounting.

                      Old Basis of Presentation

                              As previously described, the operations of the Company were under the control of Time Warner through the end of February 2004. In January 2001, historic Time Warner was acquired by America Online Inc. ("AOL"in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”) in a transaction hereinafter referred to as the "AOL Time Warner Merger". The AOL Time Warner Merger was accounted for under the purchase method of accounting. Under the purchase method of accounting, the basis of the historical net assets included in the accompanying combined financial statements of the predecessor was adjusted, effective as of January 1, 2001, to reflect an allocable portion of the purchase price relating to the AOL Time Warner Merger.

                              For all periods prior to the closing of the Acquisition, the accompanying combined financial statements of the Predecessor reflect all assets, liabilities, revenues, expenses and cash flows directly attributable to Old WMG. In addition, the accompanying combined financial statements include allocations of certain costs of Time Warner and Old WMG deemed reasonable by the Company's management, in order to present the results of operations, financial position, changes in group equity and cash flows of Old WMG on a stand-alone basis. The principal allocation methodologies are described below. Theinterim financial information included herein doesand with the instructions to Form10-Q and Article 10 of RegulationS-X. Accordingly, they do not necessarily reflectinclude all the resultsinformation and notes required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements. In the opinion of operations, financial position, changes in group equity and cash flowsmanagement, all adjustments (consisting of Old WMG in the future or



                      what wouldnormal recurring accruals) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been reflected had Old WMG been a separate, stand-alone entity during the periods presented. The income tax benefits and provisions, related tax payments and deferred tax balances have been prepared as if Old WMG operated as a stand-alone taxpayerincluded. Operating results for the periods presented.

                              For all periods prior to the closing of the Acquisition, certain generalthree and administrative costs incurred by Time Warner have been allocated to the combined financial statements of Old WMG, including pension and other benefit-related costs, insurance-related costs and other general and administrative costs. These cost allocations were determined based on a combination of factors, as appropriate, including Old WMG's pro rata share of the revenues under the management of Old WMG and other more directly attributable methods, such as claim experience for insurance costs and employee-related attributes for pension costs. The costs allocated to the Companysix months ended March 31, 2020 are not necessarily indicative of the costsresults that would have been incurred if Old WMG had obtained such services independently, nor are they indicative of costs that willmay be charged or incurred inexpected for the future. However, management believes that such allocations are reasonable.

                      Fiscal Year

                              In fiscal year 2004, in connection with the Acquisition, the Company changed its fiscal year-end toending September 30, from November 30. As such, the Company restated its prior quarters starting October 1, 2003, under the new fiscal year format, to enhance comparability between periods.2020.

                      Interim Financial Statements

                      The accompanying consolidated financial statements are unaudited but, in the opinion of management, contain all the adjustments (consisting of those of a normal recurring nature) considered necessary to present fairly the financial position and the results of operations and cash flows for the periods presented in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States applicable to interim periods. The accompanying consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction withbalance sheet at September 30, 2019 has been derived from the audited consolidated financial statements ofat that date but does not include all the Company, included elsewhere in this registration statement.information and notes required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements.

                      Recapitalization

                              As describedFor further in Note 12,information, refer to the Company's Board of Directors approved a registration statement on Form S-1 to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission in connection with an initial public offering of the Company's common stock (the "Initial Common Stock Offering").

                              In connection with the Initial Common Stock Offering, the Company's Board of Directors approved (i) to convert all of the outstanding shares of Class L Common Stock into shares of Class A Common Stock, (ii) to rename all of the outstanding shares of Class A Common Stock as common stock, which will have the effect of eliminating from the Company's authorized capital stock the Class L Common Stock and Class A Common Stock and (iii) to authorize a 1,139 for 1 split of the Company's common stock (collectively, the "Recapitalization").

                              Accordingly, these historicalconsolidated financial statements have been restated to reflectand notes thereto included in our Annual Report on Form10-K for the Recapitalization for all periods occurring after the Acquisition that was effective as of March 1, 2004. Such restatement primarily related to common stock and equivalent shares information, net income (loss) per common share computations and stock-based compensation disclosures.fiscal year ended September 30, 2019 (FileNo. 001-32502).



                      Basis of Consolidation and Combination

                              Prior to the closing of the Acquisition, the recorded music and music publishing operations of the Company were legally held by multiple subsidiaries and affiliates of Old WMG and Time Warner. As such, theThe accompanying financial statements present thecombined consolidated accounts of such businesses for all periods prior to the Acquisition. After the closing of the Acquisition, New WMG acquired the stock or net assets of those predecessor businesses. Accordingly, the accompanying financial statements present theconsolidated accounts of such businesses for all periods after the closing of the Acquisition. The consolidated accounts include 100% of the assets, liabilities, revenues, expenses, income, losses and cash flows of the Company and all entities in which the Company has a controlling voting interest and/or variable interest entities required to be consolidated in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States ("U.S. GAAP").GAAP. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidationeliminated.

                      Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 810,Consolidation (“ASC 810”) requires the Company first evaluate its investments to determine if any investments qualify as a variable interest entity (“VIE”). A VIE is consolidated if the Company is deemed to be the primary beneficiary of the VIE, which is the party involved with the VIE that has both (i) the power to control the most significant activities of the VIE and combination.

                      Reclassifications

                              Certain reclassifications have been made(ii) either the obligation to absorb losses or the right to receive benefits that could potentially be significant to the prior period's financial informationVIE. If an entity is not deemed to be a VIE, the Company consolidates the entity if the Company has a controlling voting interest.

                      The Company maintains a52-53 week fiscal year ending on the last Friday in order to conform to the current period's presentation.

                      Amounts Due To/From Time Warner-Affiliated Companies

                              Prior to the closing of the Acquisition that was effective in March 2004, Old WMG had various commercial and financing arrangements with Time Warner and its affiliates. To illustrate, Old WMG distributed home video product for Time Warner's filmed entertainment division and the Old WMG's financing requirements were funded by Time Warner. Given the intercompany nature of these and other arrangements, the related payables and receivables generally were not settled through periodic cash payments and receipts. Accordingly, except as noted below for income taxes, the net amounts due from all transactions with Time Warner-affiliated companies were classified as a reduction of group equity in the combined balance sheet for all periods prior to March 2004.

                              With respect to income taxes for all periods prior to the closing of the Acquisition that was effective in March 2004, the income tax benefits and provisions, related tax payments and deferred tax balances have been prepared as if Old WMG operated as a stand-alone taxpayer. As such, while generally owed to Time Warner or its subsidiaries because Old WMG's taxable results were included in the consolidated income tax returns of Time Warner or its subsidiaries, all current and deferred tax liabilities for those periods were classified as liabilities in the combined balance sheet for all periods prior to March 2004.

                              In connection with the Acquisition, substantially all of the intercompany receivables and payables between Old WMG and Time Warner and its affiliates were settled, and any receivables and payables that existed between the parties as of September 30, 2004 and December 31, 2004 have been presented as third-party balances in the accompanying consolidated balance sheet. In addition, with respect to taxes, Time Warner assumed all of the underlying tax obligations of Old WMG for all periods prior to the closing of the Acquisition.each reporting period. As such, all historical currentreferences to March 31, 2020 and deferred tax assetsMarch 31, 2019 relate to the periods ended March 27, 2020 and liabilities that existedMarch 29, 2019, respectively. For convenience purposes, the Company continues to date its second-quarter financial statements as of March 31. The fiscal year ended September 30, 2019 ended on September 27, 2019.

                      The Company has performed a review of all subsequent events through the closing date the financial statements were issued and has determined that no additional disclosures are necessary.

                      Common Stock

                      On February 28, 2020, the Company amended its certificate of incorporation to increase its authorized capital stock to 2,100,000,000 shares, consisting of 1,000,000,000 shares of Class A common stock, par value $0.001 per share, 1,000,000,000 shares of Class B common stock, par value $0.001 per share, and 100,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $1.00 per share. In addition, the February 28, 2020 amendment to the Company’s certificate of incorporation also gave effect to the reclassification and477,242.614671815-for-1 stock split of the Acquisition were transferred to Time Warner. Current and deferred tax assets and liabilities that existed as of September 30, 2004 and December 31, 2004 are third-party in nature and have been presented as such in the accompanying consolidated balance sheet.



                      Cash and Equivalents

                              Prior to the closing of the Acquisition, Old WMG had agreements with Time Warner, whereby all cash received or paid by Old WMG was included in, or funded by, clearing accounts or international cash pools within Time Warner's centralized cash management system. The average monthly balance of amounts due from Time Warner and its affiliates was $783 million for the three-month period ended December 31, 2003.

                      Stock-Based Compensation

                      Post-Acquisition

                              Effective March 1, 2004, in connection with the Acquisition, the Company adopted the fair value recognition provisions of FASB Statement No. 123, "Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation" ("FAS 123") to account for all stock-based compensation plans adopted subsequent to the Acquisition. Under the fair value recognition provisions of FAS 123, stock-based compensation cost is measured at the grant date based on the fair value of the award and is recognized as expense over the vesting period.

                      Pre-Acquisition

                              Prior to the Acquisition, certain employees of Old WMG participated in various Time Warner stock option plans. In accordance with Accounting Principles Board Opinion No. 25, "Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees" ("APB 25") and related interpretations, compensation cost for stock options or other equity-based awards granted to employees was recognized in income based on the excess, if any, of the quoted market price of the stock at the grant date of the award over the amount an employee must pay to acquire the stock. Generally, the exercise price for stock options granted to employees equaled or exceeded the fair market value of Time WarnerCompany’s existing common stock atoutstanding into 510,000,000 shares of Class B common stock. This stock split has been retrospectively presented throughout the dateinterim financial statements.

                      Earnings per Share

                      The consolidated statements of grant, thereby resulting in no recognition of compensation expense by Old WMG. For any awards that generated compensation expense as defined under APB 25, Old WMG calculated the amount of compensation expenseoperations present basic and recognized the expense over the vesting period of the award.

                              Had compensation cost for Time Warner's stock option plans been determined based on the fair value method set forth in FAS 123, Old WMG's net loss for all periods presented prior to the closing of the Acquisition would have been as follows:

                       
                       Three Months
                      Ended
                      December 31, 2003

                       
                       
                       (in millions)

                       
                      Net loss:    
                       As reported $(1,146)
                        
                       
                       Pro forma $(1,158)
                        
                       

                      Net Income (Loss) Per Common Share

                              The Company computes net incomediluted earnings per share (“EPS”). Basic and diluted earnings (loss) per common share in accordance with FASB Statement No. 128, "Earnings per Share" ("FAS 128"). Under the provisions of FAS 128, basic net income (loss) per common share is computed by dividing the net income (loss) applicableavailable to common shares afterstockholders by



                      preferred dividend requirements, if any, by the weighted average number of outstanding common shares outstanding during the period. Weighted-average commonless shares include shares of the Company's Class A and Class L Common Stock. Diluted net income (loss) per common share adjusts basic net income (loss) per common shareissued for the effects of stock options, warrants and other potentially dilutive financial instruments, only in the periods in which such effect is dilutive.

                              The following table sets forth the computation of pro forma basic and diluted net income per common share (in millions, except per share amounts):

                       
                       Three Months
                      Ended
                      December 31, 2004

                       
                      Basic and diluted pro forma net income per common share:    
                       Numerator:    
                        Net income $36 
                        
                       
                       
                      Denominator:

                       

                       

                       

                       
                        Weighted average common shares outstanding  114.6 
                        Less: Weighted average unvested common shares subject to repurchase or cancellation  (7.1)
                        
                       
                          Denominator for basic calculation  107.5 
                        Effect for dilutive securities:    
                        Add: Weighted average stock options, warrants and unvested common shares subject to repurchase or cancellation  7.8 
                        
                       
                          Denominator for diluted calculation  115.3 
                        
                       
                       Pro forma net income per common share—basic $0.33 
                        
                       
                       Pro forma net income per common share—diluted $0.31 
                        
                       

                              As the effects from the exercise of the warrantsdeferred equity units. The deferred equity units are mandatorily redeemable and as such are excluded from the denominator of the basic and diluted EPS calculation. The Company did not have any dilutive securities for the three and six months ended March 31, 2020 and March 31, 2019.

                      Share-Based Compensation

                      The Company accounts for share-based payments as required by ASC 718,Compensation—Stock Compensation (“ASC 718”). Under the recognition provision of ASC 718, the Company’s liability classified share-based compensation costs are measured each reporting date until settlement. In February 2020, the Company filed a FormS-1 registration statement with the SEC for a proposed IPO, which required a change in accounting policy during the quarter from the intrinsic value method to fair value method in determining the basis of measurement of its share-based compensation liability.

                      In determining fair value, the Company utilized an option pricing model for those awards with an option-likepay-off, which includes various inputs for volatility, term to exit, discount for lack of marketability, expected dividend yield and risk-free rates. For awards with an equity-likepay-off, inputs for discount of lack of marketability andnon-performance risk were considered. The Company continued to use an income approach using a discounted cash flow model to determine itsper-share value input within the model. As a result of this change in accounting policy, the Company recorded a decrease to its share-based compensation liability of $38 million, which resulted in a decrease of $33 million, net of tax, to accumulated deficit as of March 31, 2020.

                      Income Taxes

                      The Company uses the estimated annual effective tax rate method in computing its interim tax provision. Certain items, including those deemed to be unusual and infrequent are excluded from the estimated annual effective tax rate. In such cases, the actual tax expense or benefit is reported in the same period as the related item. Certain tax effects are also not reflected in the estimated annual effective tax rate, primarily certain changes in the realizability of deferred tax assets and uncertain tax positions.

                      New Accounting Pronouncements

                      Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements

                      In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU2016-02,Leases (“ASU2016-02”), which established a new ASC Topic 842 (“ASC 842”) that introduces aright-of-use (“ROU”) model that requires a lessee to record a ROU asset and a lease liability on the balance sheet for all leases with terms longer than 12 months. Leases are classified as either finance or operating, with classification affecting the pattern of expense recognition in the statement of operations. In July 2018, the FASB issued ASU2018-11,Leases — Targeted Improvements (“ASU2018-11”), which allows for retrospective application with the recognition of a cumulative-effect adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings in the period of adoption. Under this option, entities do not need to apply ASC 842 (along with its disclosure requirements) to the comparative prior periods presented. The Company adopted ASU2016-02 on October 1, 2019, using the modified retrospective transition method provided by ASU2018-11. The adoption of ASU2016-02 resulted in the recognition of operating lease liabilities of $366 million and ROU assets of $297 million, which is net of the historical deferred rent liability balance of $69 million, primarily related to real estate leases. The Company also recorded a decrease to opening accumulated deficit of $7 million, net of taxes, related to previously deferred gains related to sale-leaseback transactions.

                      Upon transition, the Company adopted the “package of three” practical expedient provided by ASC 842 and therefore has not (1) reassessed whether any expired or existing contracts are or contain a lease, (2) reassessed the lease classification for expired or existing leases and (3) reassessed initial direct costs for any existing leases. Rather, the Company will retain the conclusions reached for these items under ASC 840.

                      In August 2017, the FASB issued ASU2017-12,Targeted Improvements to Accounting for Hedging Activities (“ASU2017-12”). This ASU improves certain aspects of the hedge accounting model including making more risk management strategies eligible for hedge accounting and simplifying the assessment of hedge effectiveness. ASU2017-12 is effective for all annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018 and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted and requires a prospective adoption with a cumulative-effect adjustment to accumulated deficit as of the beginning of the fiscal year of adoption for existing hedging relationships. The Company adopted ASU2017-12 in the first quarter of fiscal 2020 and this adoption did not have a significant impact on the Company’s financial statements.

                      Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted

                      In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU2016-13,Financial Instruments—Credit Losses: Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments (“ASU2016-13”). ASU2016-13 requires that expected credit losses relating to financial assets measured on an amortized cost basis andavailable-for-sale debt securities be recorded through an allowance for credit losses. ASU2016-13 limits the amount of credit losses to be recognized foravailable-for-sale debt securities to the amount by which carrying value exceeds fair value and also requires the reversal of previously recognized credit losses if fair value increases. ASU2016-13 will be effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2019, and interim periods within those fiscal years. Earlier adoption is permitted. The Company is evaluating the impact of the adoption of this standard on its consolidated financial statements.

                      In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU2019-12,Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes (“ASU2019-12”). This ASU eliminates certain exceptions to the general principles in ASC 740,Income Taxes. Specifically, it eliminates the exception to (1) the incremental approach for intraperiod tax allocation when there is a loss from continuing operations, and income or a gain from other items; (2) the requirement to recognize a deferred tax liability for equity method investments when a foreign subsidiary becomes an equity method investment; (3) the ability not to recognize a deferred tax liability for a foreign subsidiary when a foreign equity method investment becomes a subsidiary; and (4) the general methodology for calculating income taxes in an interim period when ayear-to-date loss exceeds the anticipated loss for the year. ASU2019-12 also simplifies U.S. GAAP by making other changes. ASU2019-12 will be effective for the annual periods beginning after December 15, 2021, and for interim periods beginning after December 15, 2022. Earlier adoption is permitted. The Company is evaluating the impact of the adoption of this standard on its consolidated financial statements.

                      3. Revenue Recognition

                      For our operating segments, Recorded Music and Music Publishing, the Company accounts for a contract when it has legally enforceable rights and obligations and collectability of consideration is probable. The Company identifies the performance obligations and determines the transaction price associated with the contract, which is then allocated to each performance obligation, using management’s best estimate of standalone selling price for arrangements with multiple performance obligations. Revenue is recognized when, or as, control of the promised services or goods is transferred to the Company’s customers, and in an amount that reflects the consideration the Company is contractually due in exchange for those services or goods. An estimate of variable consideration is included in the transaction price if, in the Company’s judgment, it is probable that a significant future reversal of cumulative revenue under the contract will not occur. Certain of the Company’s arrangements include licenses of intellectual property with consideration in the form of sales- and usage-based royalties. Royalty revenue is recognized when the subsequent sale or usage occurs using the best estimates available of the amounts that will be received by the Company.

                      Disaggregation of Revenue

                      The Company’s revenue consists of the following categories, which aggregate into the segments – Recorded Music and Music Publishing:

                         For the Three
                      Months Ended
                      March 31,
                         For the Six
                      Months Ended
                      March 31,
                       
                         2020   2019   2020   2019 
                         (in millions)   (in millions) 

                      Revenue by Type

                              

                      Digital

                        $626  $597  $1,259  $1,160

                      Physical

                         94   130   278   361
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Total Digital and Physical

                         720   727   1,537   1,521

                      Artist services and expanded-rights

                         115   134   303   300

                      Licensing

                         72   72   151   153
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Total Recorded Music

                         907   933   1,991   1,974

                      Performance

                         41   46   87   99

                      Digital

                         74   65   147   130

                      Mechanical

                         15   13   30   28

                      Synchronization

                         34   31   70   60

                      Other

                         2   3   5   6
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Total Music Publishing

                         166   158   339   323

                      Intersegment eliminations

                         (2   (1   (3   (4
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Total Revenues

                        $1,071  $1,090  $2,327  $2,293
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Revenue by Geographical Location

                              

                      U.S. Recorded Music

                        $380  $410  $833  $841

                      U.S. Music Publishing

                         87   75   168   148
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Total U.S.

                         467   485   1,001   989

                      International Recorded Music

                         527   523   1,158   1,133

                      International Music Publishing

                         79   83   171   175
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Total International

                         606   606   1,329   1,308

                      Intersegment eliminations

                         (2   (1   (3   (4
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Total Revenues

                        $1,071  $1,090  $2,327  $2,293
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Recorded Music

                      Recorded Music mainly involves selling, marketing, distribution and licensing of recorded music produced by the Company’s recording artists. Recorded Music revenues are derived from four main sources, which include digital, physical, artist services and expanded-rights and licensing.

                      Digital revenues are generated from the expanded universe of digital partners, including digital streaming services and download services. These licenses typically contain a single performance obligation, which is ongoing access to all intellectual property in an evolving content library, predicated on: (1) the business practice and contractual ability to remove specific content without a requirement to replace the content and without impact to minimum royalty guarantees and (2) the contracts not containing a specific listing of content subject to the license. Digital licensing contracts are generally long-term with consideration in the form of sales- and usage-based royalties that are typically received monthly. Certain contracts containnon-recoupable fixed fees or minimum guarantees, which are recoupable against royalties. Upon contract inception, the Company will assess

                      whether a shortfall or breakage is expected (i.e., where the minimum guarantee will not be recouped through royalties) in order to determine timing of revenue recognition for the fixed fee or minimum guarantee.

                      For fixed fee and minimum guarantee contracts where breakage is expected, the total transaction price (fixed fee or minimum guarantee) is recognized proportionately over the contract term using an appropriate measure of progress which is typically based on the Company’s digital partner’s subscribers or streaming activity as these are measures of access to an evolving catalog, or on a straight-line basis. The Company updates its assessment of the transaction price each reporting period to see if anticipated royalty earnings exceed the minimum guarantee. For contracts where breakage is not expected, royalties are recognized as revenue as sales or usage occurs based upon the licensee’s usage reports and, when these reports are not available, revenue is based on historical data, industry information and other relevant trends.

                      Additionally, for certain licenses where the consideration is fixed and the intellectual property being licensed is static, revenue is recognized at the point in time when control of the licensed content is transferred to the customer.

                      Physical revenues are generated from the sale of physical products such as vinyl, CDs and DVDs. Revenues from the sale of physical Recorded Music products are recognized upon transfer of control to the customer, which typically occurs once the product has been shipped and the ability to direct use and obtain substantially all of the benefit from the asset have been transferred. In accordance with industry practice and as is customary in many territories, certain products, such as CDs and DVDs, are sold to customers with the right to return unsold items. Revenues from such sales are generally recognized upon shipment based on gross sales less a provision for future estimated returns.

                      Artist services and expanded-rights revenues are generated from artist services businesses and participations in expanded-rights associated with artists, including sponsorship, fan clubs, artist websites, merchandising, touring, concert promotion, ticketing and artist and brand management. Artist services and expanded-rights contracts are generally short term. Revenue is recognized as or when services are provided (e.g., at time of an artist’s event) assuming collectability is probable. In some cases, the Company is reliant on the artist to report revenue generating activities. For certain artist services and expanded-rights contracts, collectability is not considered probable until notification is received from the artist’s management.

                      Licensing revenues represent royalties or fees for the right to use sound recordings in combination with visual images such as in films or television programs, television commercials and video games. In certain territories, the Company may also receive royalties when sound recordings are performed publicly through broadcast of music on television, radio and cable and in public spaces such as shops, workplaces, restaurants, bars and clubs. Licensing contracts are generally short term. Forfixed-fee contracts, revenue is recognized at the point in time when control of the licensed content is transferred to the customer. Royalty based contracts are recognized as the underlying sales or usage occurs.

                      Music Publishing

                      Music Publishing acts as a copyright owner and/or administrator of the musical compositions and generates revenues related to the exploitation of musical compositions (as opposed to recorded music). Music publishers generally receive royalties from the use of the musical compositions in public performances, digital and physical recordings and in combination with visual images. Music publishing revenues are derived from five main sources: mechanical, performance, synchronization, digital and other.

                      Performance revenues are received when the musical composition is performed publicly through broadcast of music on television, radio and cable, live performance at a concert or other venue (e.g., arena concerts and nightclubs) and performance of musical compositions in staged theatrical productions. Digital revenues are generated with respect to the musical compositions being embodied in recordings licensed to digital streaming

                      services and digital download services and for digital performance. Mechanical revenues are generated with respect to the musical compositions embodied in recordings sold in any physical format or configuration such as vinyl, CDs and DVDs. Synchronization revenues represent the right to use the composition in combination with visual images such as in films or television programs, television commercials and video games as well as from other uses such as in toys or novelty items and merchandise. Other revenues represent earnings for use in printed sheet music and other uses. Digital and synchronization revenue recognition is similar for both Recorded Music and Music Publishing, therefore refer to the discussion within Recorded Music.

                      Included in these revenue streams, excluding synchronization and other, are licenses with performing rights organizations or collecting societies (e.g., ASCAP, BMI, SESAC and GEMA), which are long-term contracts containing a single performance obligation, which is ongoing access to all intellectual property in an evolving content library. The most common form of consideration for these contracts is sales- and usage-based royalties. The collecting societies submit usage reports, typically with payment for royalties due, often on a quarterly or biannual reporting period, in arrears. Royalties are recognized as the sale or usage occurs based upon usage reports and, when these reports are not available, royalties are estimated based on historical data, such as recent royalties reported, company-specific information with respect to changes in repertoire, industry information and other relevant trends. Also included in these revenue streams are smaller, short-term contracts for specified content, which generally involve a fixed fee. Forfixed-fee contracts, revenue is recognized at the point in time when control of the license is transferred to the customer.

                      The Company excludes from the measurement of transaction price all taxes assessed by governmental authorities that are both (i) imposed on and concurrent with a specific revenue-producing transaction and (ii) collected from customers.

                      Sales Returns and Uncollectible Accounts

                      In accordance with practice in the recorded music industry and as customary in many territories, certain physical revenue products (such as CDs and DVDs) are sold to customers with the right to return unsold items. Revenues from such sales are recognized when the products are shipped based on gross sales less a provision for future estimated returns.

                      In determining the estimate of physical product sales that will be returned, management analyzes vendor sales of product, historical return trends, current economic conditions, changes in customer demand and commercial acceptance of the Company’s products. Based on this information, management reserves a percentage of each dollar of physical product sales that provide the customer with the right of return and records an asset for the value of the returned goods and liability for the amounts expected to be refunded.

                      Similarly, management evaluates accounts receivables to determine if they will ultimately be collected. In performing this evaluation, significant judgments and estimates are involved, including an analysis of specific risks on acustomer-by-customer basis for larger accounts and customers and a receivables aging analysis that determines the percent that has historically been uncollected by aged category. The time between the Company’s issuance of an invoice and payment due date is not significant; customer payments that are not collected in advance of the transfer of promised services or goods are generally due no later than 30 days from invoice date. Based on this information, management provides a reserve for the estimated amounts believed to be uncollectible.

                      Based on management’s analysis of sales returns, refund liabilities of $23 million and $23 million were established at March 31, 2020 and September 30, 2019, respectively.

                      Based on management’s analysis of uncollectible accounts, reserves of $21 million and $17 million were established at March 31, 2020 and September 30, 2019, respectively.

                      Principal versus Agent Revenue Recognition

                      The Company reports revenue on a gross or net basis based on management’s assessment of whether the Company acts as a principal or agent in the transaction. The determination of whether the Company acts as a principal or an agent in a transaction is based on an evaluation of whether the Company controls the good or service before transfer to the customer. When the Company concludes that it controls the good or service before transfer to the customer, the Company is considered a principal in the transaction and records revenue on a gross basis. When the Company concludes that it does not control the good or service before transfer to the customer but arranges for another entity to provide the good or service, the Company acts as an agent and records revenue on a net basis in the amount it earns for its agency service.

                      In the normal course of business, the Company acts as an intermediary with respect to certain payments received from third parties. For example, the Company distributes music content on behalf of third-party record labels. Based on the above guidance, the Company records the distribution of content on behalf of third-party record labels on a gross basis, subject to the terms of the contract, as the Company controls the content before transfer to the customer. Conversely, recorded music compilations distributed by other record companies where the Company has a right to participate in the profits are recorded on a net basis.

                      Deferred Revenue

                      Deferred revenue principally relates to fixed fees and minimum guarantees received in advance of the Company’s performance or usage by the licensee. Reductions in deferred revenue are a result of the Company’s performance under the contract or usage by the licensee.

                      Deferred revenue increased by $172 million during the six months ended March 31, 2020 related to cash received from customers for fixed fees and minimum guarantees in advance of performance, including amounts recognized in the period. Revenues of $100 million were recognized during the six months ended March 31, 2020 related to the balance of deferred revenue at September 30, 2019. There were no other significant changes to deferred revenue during the reporting period.

                      Performance Obligations

                      The Company recognized revenue of $30 million and $35 million from performance obligations satisfied in previous periods for the six months ended March 31, 2020 and March 31, 2019, respectively.

                      Wholly and partially unsatisfied performance obligations represent future revenues not yet recorded under long-term intellectual property licensing contracts containing fixed fees, advances and minimum guarantees. Revenues expected to be recognized in the future related to performance obligations that are unsatisfied at March 31, 2020 are as follows:

                         Rest of FY20   FY21   FY22   Thereafter   Total 
                         (in millions) 

                      Remaining performance obligations

                        $360  $767  $59  $—    $1,186
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Total

                        $360  $767  $59  $—    $1,186
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      4. Comprehensive Income

                      Comprehensive income, which is reported in the accompanying consolidated statements of deficit, consists of net income and other gains and losses affecting equity that, under U.S. GAAP, are excluded from net income. For the Company, the components of other comprehensive income primarily consist of foreign currency translation gains and losses, minimum pension liabilities, and deferred gains and losses on financial instruments designated as hedges under ASC 815,Derivatives and Hedging, which include foreign exchange contracts. The following summary sets forth the changes in the components of accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of related tax benefit of approximately $6 million:

                         Foreign
                      Currency
                      Translation
                      Loss (a)
                         Minimum
                      Pension
                      Liability
                      Adjustment
                         Deferred Gains
                      (Losses) On
                      Derivative
                      Financial
                      Instruments
                         Accumulated
                      Other
                      Comprehensive
                      Loss, net
                       
                         (in millions) 

                      Balance at September 30, 2019

                        $(218  $(14  $(8  $(240

                      Other comprehensive loss

                         (8   —      (20   (28
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Balance at March 31, 2020

                        $(226  $(14  $(28  $(268
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      (a)

                      Includes historical foreign currency translation related to certain intra-entity transactions.

                      5. Leases

                      The Company’s lease portfolio consists operating real estate leases for its corporate offices and, to a lesser extent, storage and other equipment. Under ASC 842, a contract is or contains a lease when (1) an explicitly or implicitly identified asset has been deployed in the contract and (2) the customer obtains substantially all of the economic benefits from the use of that underlying asset and directs how and for what purpose the asset is used during the term of the contract. The Company determines if an arrangement is or contains a lease at inception of the contract. For all leases (finance and operating), other than those that qualify for the short-term recognition exemption, the Company will recognize on the balance sheet a lease liability for its obligation to make lease payments arising from the lease and a corresponding ROU asset representing its right to use the underlying asset over the period of use based on the present value of lease payments over the lease term as of the lease commencement date. ROU assets are adjusted for initial direct costs, lease payments made and incentives. As the rates implicit in our leases are not readily determinable, the Company uses its incremental borrowing rate based on the information available at the lease commencement date in determining the present value of lease payments. This rate is based on the estimated rate of interest for collateralized borrowing over a similar term of the lease payments. The lease term used to calculate the lease liability will include options to extend or terminate the lease when the option to extend or terminate is at the Company’s discretion and it is reasonably certain that the Company will exercise the option. Fixed payments are recognized as lease expense on a straight-line basis over the lease term. For leases with a term of one year or less (“short-term leases”), the lease payments are recognized in the consolidated statement of operations on a straight-line basis over the lease term.

                      ASC 842 requires that only limited types of variable payments be included in the determination of lease payments, which affects lease classification and measurement. Variable lease costs, if any, are recognized as incurred and such costs are excluded from lease balances recorded on the consolidated balance sheet. The initial measurement of the lease liability and ROU asset are determined based on both the fixed lease payments and any variable lease payments that depend on an index or a rate (such as the Consumer Price Index or a market interest rate). The Company initially measures these variable lease payments using the index or rate at lease commencement (i.e., the spot or gross index or rate applied to the base rental amount). All other variable lease payments are recognized in the period in which the payments are incurred.

                      The Company’s operating ROU assets are included in operating leaseright-of-use assets and the Company’s current andnon-current operating lease liabilities are included in operating lease liabilities, current and operating lease liabilities, noncurrent, respectively, in the Company’s balance sheet.

                      Operating lease liabilities are amortized using the effective interest method. That is, in each period, the liability will be increased to reflect the interest that is accrued on the related liability by using the appropriate discount rate and decreased by the lease payments made during the period. The subsequent measurement of the ROU asset is linked to the amount recognized as the lease liability. Accordingly, the ROU asset is measured as the lease liability adjusted by (1) accrued or prepaid rents (i.e., the aggregate difference between the cash payment and straight-line lease cost), (2) remaining unamortized initial direct costs and lease incentives, and (3) impairments of the ROU asset. Operating lease costs are included in Selling, general and administrative expenses.

                      For lease agreements that contain both lease andnon-lease components, the Company has elected the practical expedient provided by ASC 842 that permits the accounting for these components as a single lease component (rather than separating the lease from thenon-lease components and accounting for the components individually).

                      The Company enters into operating leases for buildings, office equipment, production equipment, warehouses, and other types of equipment. Our leases have remaining lease terms of 1 year to 11 years, some of which include options to extend the leases for up to 10 years, and some of which include options to terminate the leases within 1 year.

                      Among the Company’s operating leases are its leases for the Ford Factory Building, located at 777 S. Santa Fe Avenue in Los Angeles, California, and for 27 Wrights Lane, Kensington, London. The landlord for both leases is an affiliate of Access. As of March 31, 2020, the aggregate lease liability related to these leases was $139 million.

                      There are no restrictions or covenants, such as those relating to dividends or incurring additional financial obligations, relating to our lease portfolio, and residual value guarantees are not significant.

                      The components of lease expense were as follows:

                         Three Months Ended
                      March 31, 2020
                         Six Months Ended
                      March 31, 2020
                       
                         (in millions) 

                      Lease Cost

                          

                      Operating lease cost

                        $12  $26

                      Short-term lease cost

                         —      —   

                      Variable lease cost

                         2   5

                      Sublease income

                         —      —   
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Total lease cost

                        $14  $31
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Supplemental cash flow information related to leases was as follows:

                         Six Months Ended
                      March 31, 2020
                       
                         (in millions) 

                      Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of operating lease liabilities

                        $28

                      Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for operating lease obligations

                         9

                      Supplemental balance sheet information related to leases was as follows:

                         March 31,
                      2020
                       
                         (in millions) 

                      Operating Leases

                        

                      Operating leaseright-of-use assets

                        $281

                      Operating lease liabilities, current

                        $39

                      Operating lease liabilities, noncurrent

                         312
                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total operating lease liabilities

                        $351
                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Weighted Average Remaining Lease Term

                        

                      Operating leases

                         9 years 

                      Weighted Average Discount Rate

                        

                      Operating leases

                         4.57

                      Maturities of lease liabilities were as follows:

                      Years

                        Operating
                      Leases
                       
                         (in millions) 

                      2020

                        $40

                      2021

                         53

                      2022

                         50

                      2023

                         47

                      2024

                         47

                      Thereafter

                         190
                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total lease payments

                         427

                      Less imputed interest

                         (76
                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total

                        $351
                        

                       

                       

                       

                      As of March 31, 2020, there have been no leases entered into that have not yet commenced.

                      6. Goodwill and Intangible Assets

                      Goodwill

                      The following analysis details the changes in goodwill for each reportable segment:

                         Recorded
                      Music
                         Music
                      Publishing
                         Total 
                         (in millions) 

                      Balance at September 30, 2019

                        $1,297  $464  $1,761

                      Acquisitions

                         —      —      —   

                      Other adjustments

                         —      —      —   
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Balance at March 31, 2020

                        $1,297  $464  $1,761
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      The Company performs its annual goodwill impairment test in accordance with ASC 350,Intangibles—Goodwill and Other (“ASC 350”) during the fourth quarter of each fiscal year as of July 1. The Company may conduct an earlier review if events or circumstances occur that would suggest the carrying value of the Company’s goodwill may not be recoverable. No indicators of impairment were identified during the current period that required the Company to perform an interim assessment or recoverability test.

                      Intangible Assets

                      Intangible assets consist of the following:

                         

                      Weighted-
                      Average
                      Useful Life

                        March 31,
                      2020
                        September 30,
                      2019
                       
                            (in millions) 

                      Intangible assets subject to amortization:

                           

                      Recorded music catalog

                        10 years  $851 $855

                      Music publishing copyrights

                        26 years   1,551  1,539

                      Artist and songwriter contracts

                        13 years   835  841

                      Trademarks

                        18 years   53  53

                      Other intangible assets

                        7 years   62  59
                          

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total gross intangible asset subject to amortization

                           3,352  3,347

                      Accumulated amortization

                           (1,708  (1,624
                          

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total net intangible assets subject to amortization

                           1,644  1,723

                      Intangible assets not subject to amortization:

                           

                      Trademarks and tradenames

                        Indefinite   151  151
                          

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total net intangible assets

                          $1,795 $1,874
                          

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      7. Debt

                      Debt Capitalization

                      Long-term debt, all of which was issued by Acquisition Corp., consists of the following:

                         March 31,
                      2020
                         September 30,
                      2019
                       
                         (in millions) 

                      Revolving Credit Facility (a)

                        $—    $—  

                      Senior Term Loan Facility due 2023 (b)

                         1,315   1,313

                      5.000% Senior Secured Notes due 2023 (c)

                         298   298

                      4.125% Senior Secured Notes due 2024 (d)

                         339   336

                      4.875% Senior Secured Notes due 2024 (e)

                         218   218

                      3.625% Senior Secured Notes due 2026 (f)

                         492   488

                      5.500% Senior Notes due 2026 (g)

                         321   321
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Total long-term debt, including the current portion (h)

                        $2,983  $2,974
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      (a)

                      Reflects $180 million of commitments under the Revolving Credit Facility, less letters of credit outstanding of approximately $13 million at both March 31, 2020 and September 30, 2019. There were no loans outstanding under the Revolving Credit Facility at March 31, 2020 or September 30, 2019. On April 3, 2020, Acquisition Corp. entered into an amendment to the Revolving Credit Facility which, among other things, increased the commitments under the Revolving Credit Facility from an aggregate principal amount of $180 million to an aggregate principal amount of $300 million. For a more detailed description of the changes effected by the amendment, see Note 14.

                      (b)

                      Principal amount of $1.326 billion at both March 31, 2020 and September 30, 2019 less unamortized discount of $3 million and $3 million and unamortized deferred financing costs of $8 million and $10 million at March 31, 2020 and September 30, 2019, respectively.

                      (c)

                      Principal amount of $300 million less unamortized deferred financing costs of $2 million at both March 31, 2020 and September 30, 2019, respectively.

                      (d)

                      Face amount of €311 million at both March 31, 2020 and September 30, 2019. Above amounts represent the dollar equivalent of such note at March 31, 2020 and September 30, 2019. Principal amount of $342 million and $340 million less unamortized deferred financing costs of $3 million and $4 million at March 31, 2020 and September 30, 2019, respectively.

                      (e)

                      Principal amount of $220 million less unamortized deferred financing costs of $2 million at both March 31, 2020 and September 30, 2019, respectively.

                      (f)

                      Face amount of €445 million at both March 31, 2020 and September 30, 2019. Above amounts represent the dollar equivalent of such note at March 31, 2020 and September 30, 2019. Principal amount of $491 million and $487 million at March 31, 2020 and September 30, 2019, respectively, an additional issuance premium of $7 million, less unamortized deferred financing costs of $6 million at both March 31, 2020 and September 30, 2019.

                      (g)

                      Principal amount of $325 million less unamortized deferred financing costs of $4 million at both March 31, 2020 and September 30, 2019.

                      (h)

                      Principal amount of debt of $3.004 billion and $2.998 billion, an additional issuance premium of $7 million and $8 million, less unamortized discount of $3 million and $3 million and unamortized deferred financing costs of $25 million and $29 million at March 31, 2020 and September 30, 2019, respectively.

                      3.625% Senior Secured Notes Offerings

                      On October 9, 2018, Acquisition Corp. issued and sold €250 million in aggregate principal amount of 3.625% Senior Secured Notes due 2026 (the “3.625% Secured Notes”). Net proceeds of the offering were used to pay the purchase price of the acquisition of EMP, to redeem €34.5 million of the 4.125% Secured Notes (as described below), purchase $30 million of the Company’s 4.875% Senior Secured Notes (as described above) on the open market and to redeem $26.55 million of the 5.625% Senior Secured Notes (as described below).

                      On April 30, 2019, Acquisition Corp. issued and sold €195 million in aggregate principal amount of additional 3.625% Senior Secured Notes due 2026 (the “Additional Notes”). The Additional Notes and the 3.625% Secured Notes were treated as the same series for all purposes under the indenture that governs the 3.625% Secured Notes and the Additional Notes. Net proceeds of the offering were used to redeem all of the 5.625% Secured Notes due 2022.

                      Partial Redemption of 4.125% Senior Secured Notes

                      On October 12, 2018, Acquisition Corp. redeemed €34.5 million aggregate principal amount of its 4.125% Senior Secured Notes due 2024 (the “4.125% Secured Notes”) using a portion of the proceeds from the offering of the 3.625% Secured Notes described above. The redemption price for the 4.125% Secured Notes was approximately €36.17 million, equivalent to 103% of the principal amount of the 4.125% Secured Notes, plus accrued but unpaid interest thereon to, but excluding, the redemption date, which was October 12, 2018. Following the partial redemption of the 4.125% Secured Notes, €310.5 million of the 4.125% Secured Notes remain outstanding. The Company recorded a loss on extinguishment of debt of approximately $2 million, which represents the premium paid on early redemption and unamortized deferred financing costs related to the partial redemption of this note.

                      Open Market Purchase

                      On October 9, 2018, Acquisition Corp. purchased, in the open market, $30 million aggregate principal amount of its outstanding 4.875% Senior Secured Notes due 2024 (the “4.875% Secured Notes”). The acquired notes were subsequently retired. Following retirement of the acquired notes, $220 million of the 4.875% Secured Notes remain outstanding. The Company recorded a loss on extinguishment of debt of less than $1 million, which represents the unamortized deferred financing costs related to the open market purchase.

                      Redemption of 5.625% Senior Secured Notes

                      On November 5, 2018, Acquisition Corp. redeemed $26.55 million aggregate principal amount of its 5.625% Senior Secured Notes due 2022 (the “5.625% Secured Notes”). The redemption price for the 5.625% Secured Notes was approximately $27.38 million, equivalent to 102.813% of the principal amount of the 5.625% Secured Notes, plus accrued but unpaid interest thereon to, but excluding, the redemption date, which was November 5, 2018. Following the partial redemption of the 5.625% Secured Notes, $220.95 million of the 5.625% Secured Notes remain outstanding. The Company recorded a loss on extinguishment of debt of approximately $1 million, which represents the premium paid on early redemption and unamortized deferred financing costs related to the partial redemption of this note.

                      On April 16, 2019, the Company issued a conditional notice of redemption for all of its 5.625% Secured Notes due 2022 currently outstanding. Settlement of the called 5.625% Secured Notes occurred on May 16, 2019. The Company recorded a loss on extinguishment of debt of approximately $4 million, which represents the premium paid on early redemption and unamortized deferred financing costs.

                      Interest Rates

                      The loans under the Revolving Credit Facility bear interest at Acquisition Corp.’s election at a rate equal to (i) the rate for deposits in the borrowing currency in the London interbank market (adjusted for maximum reserves) for the applicable interest period (“Revolving LIBOR”) subject to a zero floor, plus 1.75% per annum in the case of Initial Revolving Loans (as defined in the Revolving Credit Agreement), or 1.875% per annum in the case of 2020 Revolving Loans (as defined in the Revolving Credit Agreement), or (ii) the base rate, which is the highest of (x) the corporate base rate established by the administrative agent from time to time, (y) 0.50% in excess of the overnight federal funds rate and (z) theone-month Revolving LIBOR plus 1.0% per annum, plus, in each case, 0.75% per annum in the case of Initial Revolving Loans, or 0.875% per annum in the case of 2020 Revolving Loans;provided that, in respect of 2020 Revolving Loans, the applicable margin with respect to such loans is subject to adjustment as set forth in the pricing grid in the Revolving Credit Agreement. Based on the Senior Secured Indebtedness to EBITDA Ratio of 3.22x at March 31, 2020, the applicable margin for Eurodollar loans would be 1.625% instead of 1.875% and the applicable margin for ABR loans would be 0.625% instead of 0.875% in the case of 2020 Revolving Loans. If there is a payment default at any time, then the interest rate applicable to overdue principal will be the rate otherwise applicable to such loan plus 2.0% per annum. Default interest will also be payable on other overdue amounts at a rate of 2.0% per annum above the amount that would apply to an alternative base rate loan.

                      The loans under the Senior Term Loan Facility bear interest at Acquisition Corp.’s election at a rate equal to (i) the rate for deposits in U.S. dollars in the London interbank market (adjusted for maximum reserves) for the applicable interest period (“Term Loan LIBOR”) subject to a zero floor, plus 2.125% per annum or (ii) the base rate, which is the highest of (x) the corporate base rate established by the administrative agent as its prime rate in effect at its principal office in New York City from time to time, (y) 0.50% in excess of the overnight federal funds rate and(z) one-month Term Loan LIBOR, plus 1.00% per annum, plus, in each case, 1.125% per annum. If there is a payment default at any time, then the interest rate applicable to overdue principal and interest will be the rate otherwise applicable to such loan plus 2.0% per annum. Default interest will also be payable on other overdue amounts at a rate of 2.0% per annum above the amount that would apply to an alternative base rate loan.

                      The Company has entered into, and in the future may enter into, interest rate swaps to manage interest rate risk. Please refer to Note 10 of our consolidated financial statements for further discussion.

                      Maturity of Senior Term Loan Facility

                      The loans outstanding under the Senior Term Loan Facility mature on November 1, 2023.

                      Maturity of Revolving Credit Facility

                      As of March 31, 2020, the maturity date of the Revolving Credit Facility was January 31, 2023. On April 3, 2020, Acquisition Corp. entered into an amendment to the Revolving Credit Facility which, among other things, extended the final maturity date of the Revolving Credit Facility from January 31, 2023 to April 3, 2025. For a more detailed description of the changes effected by the amendment, see Note 14.

                      Maturities of Senior Notes and Senior Secured Notes

                      As of March 31, 2020, there are no scheduled maturities of notes until 2023, when $300 million is scheduled to mature. Thereafter, $1.378 billion is scheduled to mature.

                      Interest Expense, net

                      Total interest expense, net was $33 million and $36 million for the three months ended DecemberMarch 31, 2004 were antidilutive, it has not been included2020 and March 31, 2019, respectively. Total interest expense was $66 million and $72 million for the six months ended March 31, 2020 and March 31, 2019. The weighted-average interest rate of the Company’s total debt was 4.2% at March 31, 2020, 4.3% at September 30, 2019 and 4.7% at March 31, 2019.

                      8. Commitments and Contingencies

                      From time to time the Company is involved in claims and legal proceedings that arise in the presentationordinary course of diluted net income (loss) per common share. See Note 20 in the Company's consolidated financial statement for the seven months ended September 30, 2004 for a summary of the terms of the warrants that were issuedbusiness. The Company is currently subject to Time Warner in connection with the Acquisition.

                      3.    Acquisitionsseveral such claims and Dispositions

                      Maverick

                              In November 2004,legal proceedings. Based on currently available information, the Company acquired an additional 30% interest in Maverick Recording Company ("Maverick") from its existing partner for approximately $17 million and certain amounts previously owed by such partner to the Company. The transaction was accounted for under the purchase method of accounting and the purchase price has been allocated to the underlying net assets of Maverick in proportion to the estimated fair value, principally artist contracts and recorded music catalog. As part of the transaction, the Company and the remaining partner in Maverick entered into



                      an agreement pursuant to which either party can elect to have the Company purchase the remaining 20% interest in Maverick that it does not own by December 2007.

                      Salebelieve that resolution of Warner Bros. Publications

                              In December 2004, the Company entered into an agreement to sell Warner Bros. Publications, which conducts the Company's printed music operations, to Alfred Publishing. As partpending matters will have a material adverse effect on its financial condition, cash flows or results of the transaction, the Company agreed to license the right to use its music publishing copyrights in the exploitation of printed sheet music and songbooks for a twenty-year period of time. No gain or loss is expected to be recognized on the transaction as the historical book basis of the net assets being sold was adjusted to fair value in connection with the accounting for the Acquisition. The sale is expected to close in spring 2005 andoperations. However, litigation is subject to customary closing conditions.

                              The sale isinherent uncertainties, and there can be no assurances that the Company’s defenses will be successful or that any such lawsuit or claim would not expected to have a material effectadverse impact on the future operating results andCompany’s business, financial condition, cash flows and results of operations in a particular period. Any claims or proceedings against the Company, whether meritorious or not, can have an adverse impact because of defense costs, diversion of management and operational resources, negative publicity and other factors.

                      9. Income Taxes

                      On December 22, 2017, the U.S. government enacted comprehensive tax legislation commonly referred to as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“Tax Act”). The Tax Act significantly revised the U.S. federal corporate income tax provisions, including, but not limited to, an income inclusion of global intangiblelow-taxed income (“GILTI”), a deduction against foreign-derived intangible income (“FDII”) and a new minimum tax, the base erosion anti-abuse tax (“BEAT”). GILTI, FDII and BEAT were effective for the Company’s fiscal year ending September 30, 2019. The Company has elected to recognize the GILTI impact in the specific period in which it occurs.

                      As a result of final regulations regarding the interest expense allocation rules issued by the Internal Revenue Service in December 2019, the Company concluded that it is more likely than not that the entire amount of the Company. Company’s deferred tax assets relating to foreign tax credit carryforwards will be realized. Consequently, the Company released its $33 million valuation allowance at September 30, 2019 relating to such deferred tax assets and recognized a corresponding U.S. tax benefit of $33 million during the quarter ended December 31, 2019. The Company will continue to weigh the evidence including the projections of sufficient future taxable income, foreign source income and the reversal of future taxable temporary differences to assess the future realization of our foreign tax credits.

                      For the three and six months ended March 31, 2020, the Company recorded an income tax benefit of $12 million and $7 million, respectively. The income tax benefit of $12 million for the three months ended DecemberMarch 31, 20042020 is lower than the expected tax benefit at the statutory tax rate of 21% primarily due tonon-deductible expenses of our Senior Management Free Cash Flow Plan. The income tax benefit of $7 million for

                      the six months ended March 31, 2020 is lower than the expected tax at the statutory tax rate of 21% primarily due to tax benefit of the valuation allowance release relating to foreign tax credit carryforwards and 2003,FDII, offset bynon-deductible expenses of our Senior Management Free Cash Flow Plan, U.S. state and local taxes, foreign income taxed at rates higher than the operations being sold generated revenuesU.S. statutory tax rate, withholding taxes and foreign losses with no tax benefit.

                      For the three and six months ended March 31, 2019, the Company recorded an income tax expense of approximately $15$48 million and $16$98 million, respectively; operatingrespectively. The income tax expense for the three and six months ended March 31, 2019 is higher than the expected tax at the statutory tax rate of 21% primarily due to GILTI,non-deductible expenses of our Senior Management Free Cash Flow Plan, U.S. state and local taxes, foreign income taxed at rates higher than the U.S. statutory tax rate, withholding taxes and foreign losses with no tax benefit offset by the tax benefit of a reduction in foreign income tax rates.

                      The Company has determined that it is reasonably possible that the gross unrecognized tax benefits as of March 31, 2020 could decrease by up to approximately $1 million related to various ongoing audits and $2 million, respectively; operating income before depreciationsettlement discussions in various foreign jurisdictions during the next twelve months.

                      10. Derivative Financial Instruments

                      The Company uses derivative financial instruments, primarily foreign currency forward exchange contracts and amortization expenseinterest rate swaps, for the purposes of $1 millionmanaging foreign currency exchange rate risk and $2 million, respectively;interest rate risk on expected future cash flows. However, the Company may choose not to hedge certain exposures for a variety of reasons including, but not limited to, accounting considerations and net incomethe prohibitive economic cost of approximately $1 million and $2 million, respectively.

                      4.    Inventories

                              Inventories consisthedging particular exposures. There can be no assurance the hedges will offset more than a portion of the following:

                       
                       December 31,
                      2004

                       September 30,
                      2004

                       
                       
                       (in millions)

                       
                      Compact discs, cassettes and other music-related products $82 $79 
                      Published sheet music and song books  23  23 
                        
                       
                       
                         105  102 
                      Less reserve for obsolescence  (40) (37)
                        
                       
                       
                        $65 $65 
                        
                       
                       

                      5.    Restructuring Costsfinancial impact resulting from movements in foreign currency exchange or interest rates.

                      Acquisition-Related Restructuring Costs

                              In connection withThe Company enters into foreign currency forward exchange contracts primarily to hedge the Acquisitionrisk that was effective asunremitted or future royalties and license fees owed to its U.S. companies for the sale or licensing of March 1, 2004, the Company reviewed its operationsU.S.-based music and implemented several plans to restructure its operations. As part of these restructuring plans, the Company recorded a restructuring liability of approximately $307 million during 2004. This restructuring liability included costs to exit and consolidate certain activities of the Company, as well as costs to terminate employees and certain artist, songwriters and co-publisher contracts. Such liabilities were recognized as part of the cost of the Acquisition.

                              As of December 31, 2004, the Company had approximately $135 million of Acquisition-related restructuring costs recorded in its balance sheet. These liabilities represent estimates of future cash obligations for all restructuring activities that had been implemented, as well as for all restructuring



                      activities that had been committed tomerchandise abroad may be adversely affected by management but have yet to occur. The outstanding balance of these liabilities primarily relates to extended payment terms for severance obligations and long-term lease obligations for vacated facilities. These remaining obligations are expected to be settled by 2019.

                       
                       Employee
                      Terminations

                       Other
                      Exit Costs

                       Total
                       
                       
                       (in millions)

                       
                      Initial accrual in 2004 $164 $143 $307 
                      Cash paid in 2004  (92) (13) (105)
                      Non-cash reduction in 2004  (1) (22) (23)
                        
                       
                       
                       
                      Liability as of September 30, 2004  71  108  179 
                      Cash paid in the three months ended December 31, 2004  (18) (18) (36)
                      Non-cash reductions and foreign currency exchange movements in the three months ended December 31, 2004(a)  2  (10) (8)
                        
                       
                       
                       
                      Liability as of December 31, 2004 $55 $80 $135 
                        
                       
                       
                       

                      (a)
                      Principally relates to changes in foreign currency exchange rates and the non-cash write-off of the carrying value of advances relating to terminating certain artist, songwriter and co-publisher contracts.

                              In addition, in connection with the Acquisition, therates. The Company approved a cost-savings incentive compensation plan during 2004 in order to incentivize management to implement the aforementioned restructuring plans and reduce operating costs. Under the plan, key employees of the Company will be entitled to earn up to $20 million in the aggregate basedfocuses on the attainment and maintenance of certain cost-savings targets. Based onmanaging the level of cost savings actually generatedexposure to the risk of foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations on its major currencies, which include the Euro, British pound sterling, Japanese yen, Canadian dollar, Swedish krona, Australian dollar, Brazilian real, Korean won and Norwegian krone. The Company also may at times choose to hedge foreign currency risk associated with financing transactions such as third-party debt and other balance sheet items. The Company’s foreign currency forward exchange contracts have not been designated as hedges under the endcriteria prescribed in ASC 815. The Company records these contracts at fair value on its balance sheet and the related gains and losses are immediately recognized in the consolidated statement of operations where there is an offsetting entry related to the underlying exposure.

                      In prior periods, certain foreign currency forward exchange contracts were designated and qualified as cash flow hedges under the criteria prescribed in ASC 815. The Company recorded these contracts at fair value on its balance sheet and gains or losses on these contracts were deferred in equity (as a component of comprehensive loss). These deferred gains and losses were recognized in income in the period in which the related royalties and license fees being hedged were received and recognized in income. However, to the extent that any of these contracts were not considered to be perfectly effective in offsetting the change in the value of the royalties and license fees being hedged, any changes in fair value relating to the ineffective portion of these contracts were immediately recognized in the consolidated statement of operations.

                      The Company has entered into, and in the future may enter into, interest rate swaps to manage interest rate risk. These instruments may offset a portion of changes in income or expense, or changes in fair value of the Company’s long-term debt. The interest rate swap instruments are designated and qualify as cash flow hedges under the criteria prescribed in ASC 815. The Company records these contracts at fair value on its balance sheet and gains or losses on these contracts are deferred in equity (as a component of comprehensive loss).

                      The fair value of foreign currency forward exchange contracts is determined by using observable market transactions of spot and forward rates (i.e., Level 2 inputs) which is discussed further in Note 13. Additionally, netting provisions are provided for in existing International Swap and Derivative Association Inc. agreements in situations where the Company executes multiple contracts with the same counterparty. As a result, net assets or liabilities resulting from foreign exchange derivatives subject to these netting agreements are classified within other current assets or other current liabilities in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets.

                      The Company’s hedged interest rate transactions as of March 31, 2020 are expected to be recognized within 4 years. The fair value of interest rate swaps is based on dealer quotes of market rates (i.e., Level 2 inputs) which is discussed further in Note 13. Interest income or expense related to interest rate swaps is recognized in interest income, net in the same period as the related expense is recognized. The ineffective portions of interest rate swaps are recognized in other income/(expense), net in the period measured.

                      The Company monitors its positions with, and the credit quality of, the financial institutions that are party to any of its financial transactions.

                      As of March 31, 2020, the Company had outstanding hedge contracts for the sale of $243 million and the purchase of $142 million of foreign currencies at fixed rates that will be settled by September 2020. As of March 31, 2020, the Company had no unrealized deferred gains or losses in comprehensive loss related to foreign exchange hedging. As of September 30, 2004, which exceeded the cost-savings targets under the plan,2019, the Company determined that it was probable that eligible employees would vesthad no outstanding hedge contracts and no deferred gains or losses in the full benefits under the plan. Accordingly,comprehensive loss related to foreign exchange hedging.

                      As of March 31, 2020, the Company recordedhad outstanding $820 million inpay-fixed receive-variable interest rate swaps with $28 million of unrealized deferred losses in comprehensive income related to the full $20 million liability under the plan, along with other restructuring-related costs of $6 million, during the seven months ended September 30, 2004. Out of the aggregate $26 million liability, $16 million has been paid during the three months ended December 31, 2004.

                      6.    Minority Interest

                              Minority interest asrate swaps. As of September 30, 2004 includes2019, the Company had outstanding preferred stock issued by one$820 million inpay-fixed receive-variable interest rate swaps with $8 million of unrealized deferred losses in comprehensive income related to the interest rate swaps.

                      The Company recorded realizedpre-tax losses of $2 million and unrealizedpre-tax gains of $3 million related to its foreign currency forward exchange contracts in the consolidated statement of operations as other (expense) income for the six months ended March 31, 2020. The Company recorded realizedpre-tax gains of $1 million and unrealizedpre-tax gains of $4 million related to its foreign currency forward exchange contracts in the consolidated statement of operations as other income for the six months ended March 31, 2019. The unrealizedpre-tax losses of the Company's subsidiaries of $204Company’s foreign exchange forward contracts recorded in other comprehensive income were $2 million including unpaid dividends of $4 million. This balance, along with accrued dividends for the period from October 1, 2004 to December 21, 2004, was redeemed at a cost of $209 million using the proceeds from a new debt issuance discussed in Note 7.


                      six months ended March 31, 2019.

                      7.    Debt

                      The Company's long-term debt consists of:

                       
                       December 31,
                      2004

                       September 30,
                      2004

                       
                       
                       (in millions)

                       
                      Senior secured credit facility:       
                       Revolving credit facility $ $ 
                       Term loan  1,191  1,194 
                        
                       
                       
                         1,191  1,194 
                      7.375% U.S. dollar-denominated Notes due 2014  465  465 
                      8.125% Sterling-denominated Notes due 2014  193  181 
                      Floating rate senior notes due 2011  250   
                      9.5% Senior discount notes due 2014  251   
                      Floating rate senior PIK notes due 2014  196   
                        
                       
                       
                      Total debt  2,546  1,840 
                      Less current portion  (12) (12)
                        
                       
                       
                      Total long-term debt $2,534 $1,828 
                        
                       
                       

                      unrealizedThe Holdings Refinancingpre-tax

                              In December 2004, Holdings issued $847 million principal amount of debt consisting of (i) $250 million principal amount of Floating Rate Senior Notes Due 2011 (the "Holdings Floating Rate Notes"), (ii) $397 million principal amount at maturity of 9.5% Senior Discount Notes due 2014, which had an initial issuance discount of $147 million (the "Holdings Discount Notes"), and (iii) $200 million principal amount of Floating Rate Senior PIK Notes due 2014 (the "Holdings PIK Notes", and collectively, the "Holdings Notes"). The gross proceeds of $696 million received from the issuance losses of the Holdings NotesCompany’s derivative interest rate swaps designated as cash flow hedges recorded in other comprehensive income during the six months ended March 31, 2020 were used to (i) redeem$25 million. The unrealizedpre-tax losses of the remaining sharesCompany’s derivative interest rate swaps designated as cash flow hedges recorded in other comprehensive income during the six months ended March 31, 2019 were $9 million.

                      The following is a summary of cumulative preferred stock of Holdings at a redemption price of $209 million, including $9 million of accrued and unpaid dividends, (ii) pay a return of capital to Parent Corp. and its shareholdersamounts recorded in the aggregate amount of $472 million, of which all but $50 million was distributedconsolidated balance sheets pertaining to the Company's shareholders, and (iii) pay debt-related issuance costs of approximately $15 million.

                              The Holdings Floating Rate Notes bear interestCompany’s derivative instruments at a quarterly, floating rate based on three-month LIBOR rates plus a margin equal to 4.375%. Interest is payable quarterly in cash beginning on March 15, 2005. The Holdings Floating Rate Notes Mature on December 15, 2011.

                              The Holdings Discount Notes were issued at a discount and have an initial accreted value of $630.02 per $1000 principal amount at maturity. Prior to December 15, 2009, no cash interest payments are required. However, interest accrues on the Holdings Discount Notes in the form of an increase in the accreted value of such notes such that the accreted value of the Holdings Discount Notes will equal the principal amount at maturity on December 15, 2009. Thereafter, cash interest on the Holdings Discount Notes is payable semi-annually at a fixed rate of 9.5% per annum. The Holdings Discount Notes mature on December 15, 2014.



                              The Holdings PIK Notes bear interest at a semi-annual floating rate based on six-month LIBOR rates plus a margin equal to 7%. Interest is payable semi-annually beginning on June 15, 2005 either in the form of cash or additional PIK notes at the election of the Company. The Holdings PIK Notes mature on December 15, 2014.

                              The Holdings Notes are redeemable in whole or in part, at the option of Holdings, at any time at a redemption price defined under the Indentures governing the Holdings Notes that generally includes a premium. In addition, upon a change of control and upon certain asset sales as specified under the indentures, Holdings may be required to make an offer to redeem the Holdings Notes from the holders at a redemption price defined under the indentures that includes a premium.

                              The Holdings Notes are unsecured and subordinated to all of Holdings' existing and future secured debt, including Holdings' guarantee of borrowing by Acquisition Corp. under the Company's senior secured credit facility. In addition, the Holdings Notes are structurally subordinated to the Subordinated Notes of Acquisition Corp.

                              The Indentures limit Holdings' ability and the ability of its restricted subsidiaries to incur additional indebtedness or issue certain preferred shares; to pay dividends on or make other distributions in respect of its capital stock or make other restricted payments; to make certain investments; to sell certain assets; to create liens on certain debt without securing the notes; to consolidate, merge, sell or otherwise dispose off all or substantially all of its assets; to enter into certain transactions with affiliates; and to designate its subsidiaries as unrestricted subsidiaries.

                      Restricted Net Assets

                              The Company is a holding company with no independent operations or assets other than through its interests in its subsidiaries, such as Acquisition Corp. Accordingly, the ability of the Company to obtain funds from its subsidiaries is restricted by the senior secured facility of Acquisition Corp., and as of December 2004, the indentures for the Holdings Notes.

                      8.    Shareholders' Equity

                      Return of Capital

                              In September 2004, the Company declared a $342 million dividend to its Class L common shareholders in the form of a note payable. The note payable was paid in October 2004 using proceeds received from a return of capital previously invested in WMG Acquisition Corp.

                              In December 2004, in connection with the Holdings Refinancing, the Company paid a $422 million return of capital to Class L common shareholders.

                      Long-Term Incentive Plan

                              In December 2004, the Board of Directors of the Company approved a long-term incentive plan (the "LTIP Plan") for employees, directors or consultants of the Company and any of its affiliates. 1,355,066 shares of common stock were authorized under the plan. During the three months ended December 31, 2004, pursuant to certain contractual arrangements or in connection with the LTIP Plan, the Company granted 1,138,404 service-based stock options and 2,276,807 performance-based options to



                      purchase shares of its common stock to certain key executives of the Company. In addition, during the three months ended December 31, 2004, the Company allowed certain key executives to purchase 1,376,653 restricted shares of its common stock.

                      9.    Commitments and Contingencies

                      Litigation

                              The Company is subject to a number of state and federal class action lawsuits, as well as an action brought by a number of state Attorneys General alleging unlawful horizontal and vertical agreements to fix the prices of compact discs by the major record companies. The parties to the federal action commenced by the Attorneys General have entered into a settlement agreement. On July 9, 2003, the Court entered a final judgment approving the settlement. In one of the two remaining lawsuits,Ottinger v. EMI Music, Inc., et al., the Court entered an order granting final approval of the settlement on January 21, 2004. In the other action,In re Compact Disc. Antitrust Litig., which was brought by individual retailers of compact discs alleging unlawful horizontal agreements to fix the prices of compact discs by the major record companies, on July 29, 2004, the Court denied the parties' motion to grant final approval to the settlement. On August 30, 2004, plaintiffs filed a Second Amended Consolidated Complaint adding additional individual retailers as named plaintiffs in the litigation, which the Company answered, denying all claims, on September 15, 2004. On October 29, 2004, the parties reached an agreement on the terms of a settlement. The Company does not expect the final terms of that settlement to differ materially from the settlement agreement previously entered into by the parties. On February 2, 2005, the Court entered a Stipulation of Dismissal with Prejudice of the entire action.

                              On September 7, 2004, November 22, 2004 and March 31, 2005, Eliot Spitzer, the Attorney General of the State of New York, served Warner Music Group with requests for information in the form of subpoenas duces tecum in connection with an industry-wide investigation of the relationship between music companies2020 and radio stations, including the use of independent promoters and accounting for any such payments. In response to the Attorney General's subpoenas, we have been producing documents and expect to complete our production in May or June. We also understand that this investigation has been expanded to include companies that own radio stations. The investigation is pursuant to New York Executive Law §63(12) and New York General Business Law §349, both of which are consumer fraud statutes. It is too soon to predict the outcome of this investigation but it has the potential to result in changes in the manner in which the recorded music industry promotes its records or financial penalties, which could adversely affect the Company's business, including its brand value.September 30, 2019:

                       In addition to the State of New York investigation discussed above, the Company is involved with employment claims and other legal proceedings that are incidental to its normal business activities. It is reasonably possible that an adverse outcome on any of these matters could result in a material effect on the Company's consolidated financial statements. Due to the preliminary status of many of these matters, the Company is unable to predict the outcome or determine a range of loss at this time. However, in the opinion of management, it is not likely that the ultimate outcome of these matters will have a material effect on the Company's consolidated financial statements.

                         March 31,
                      2020 (a)
                         September 30,
                      2019 (b)
                       
                         (in millions) 

                      Other current assets

                        $3  $—  

                      Other current liabilities

                         —      —   

                      Other noncurrent assets

                         —      2

                      Other noncurrent liabilities

                         (36   (13

                      (a)

                      $8 million and $5 million of foreign exchange derivative contracts in asset and liability positions, respectively, and $36 million of interest rate swaps in liability positions.

                      (b)

                      $2 million and $13 million of interest rate swaps in asset and liability positions, respectively.



                      10.11. Segment Information

                      As discussed more fully in Note 1, based on the nature of its products and services, the Company classifies its business interests into two fundamental areas: recorded musicoperations: Recorded Music and music publishing.Music Publishing, which also represent the reportable segments of the Company. Information as to each of these operations is set forth below.

                      The Company evaluates performance based on several factors, of which the primary financial measure is operating income (loss) beforenon-cash depreciation of tangible assets andnon-cash amortization of intangible assets and non-cash impairment charges to reduce the carrying value of goodwill and intangible assets ("OIBDA"(“OIBDA”). The Company has supplemented its analysis of OIBDA results by segment with an analysis of operating income (loss) by segment.

                      The accounting policies of the Company'sCompany’s business segments are the same as those described in the summary of significant accounting policies included elsewhere herein. The Company accounts for intersegment sales at fair value as if the sales were to third parties. While intercompany transactions are treated like third-party transactions to determine segment performance, the revenues (and corresponding expenses recognized by the segment that is counterparty to the transaction) are eliminated in consolidation, or combination and therefore, do not themselves impact consolidated or combined results.

                       During 2004, in connection with the Acquisition, the Company changed its methodology for allocating certain corporate costs to its business segments. Accordingly, the Company has restated its operating performance measures for the prior period to reflect its new cost-allocation methodology on a consistent basis.

                         Recorded
                      Music
                         Music
                      Publishing
                         Corporate
                      expenses and
                      eliminations
                         Total 
                      Three Months Ended  (in millions) 

                      March 31, 2020

                              

                      Revenues

                        $907  $166  $(2  $1,071

                      Operating income (loss)

                         36   30   (115   (49

                      Amortization of intangible assets

                         30   17   —      47

                      Depreciation of property, plant and equipment

                         10   1   3   14
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      OIBDA

                         76   48   (112   12

                      March 31, 2019

                              

                      Revenues

                        $933  $158  $(1  $1,090

                      Operating income (loss)

                         134   27   (39   122

                      Amortization of intangible assets

                         37   18   —      55

                      Depreciation of property, plant and equipment

                         9   2   3   14
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      OIBDA

                         180   47   (36   191
                         Recorded
                      Music
                         Music
                      Publishing
                         Corporate
                      expenses and
                      eliminations
                         Total 
                      Six Months Ended  (in millions) 

                      March 31, 2020

                              

                      Revenues

                        $1,991  $339  $(3  $2,327

                      Operating income (loss)

                         227   44   (155   116

                      Amortization of intangible assets

                         59   35   —      94

                      Depreciation of property, plant and equipment

                         31   2   5   38
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      OIBDA

                         317   81   (150   248

                      March 31, 2019

                              

                      Revenues

                        $1,974  $323  $(4  $2,293

                      Operating income (loss)

                         297   49   (77   269

                      Amortization of intangible assets

                         75   34   —      109

                      Depreciation of property, plant and equipment

                         19   3   6   28
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      OIBDA

                         391   86   (71   406

                       
                       Successor
                       Predecessor
                       
                       
                       Three Months Ended
                      December 31, 2004

                       Three Months Ended
                      December 31, 2003

                       
                       
                       (in millions)

                       
                      Revenues       
                      Recorded music $940  1,028 
                      Music publishing  155  159 
                      Intersegment elimination  (7) (9)
                        
                       
                       
                      Total revenues $1,088 $1,178 
                        
                       
                       
                              
                       
                       Successor
                       Predecessor
                       
                       
                       Three Months Ended
                      December 31, 2004

                       Three Months Ended
                      December 31, 2003

                       
                       
                       (in millions)

                       
                      OIBDA       
                      Recorded music $194 $141 
                      Music publishing  24  27 
                      Corporate expenses  (28) (17)
                        
                       
                       
                      Total OIBDA $190 $151 
                        
                       
                       
                              

                       
                       Successor
                       Predecessor
                       
                       Three Months Ended
                      December 31, 2004

                       Three Months Ended
                      December 31, 2003

                       
                       (in millions)

                      Depreciation of Property, Plant and Equipment      
                      Recorded music $9 $15
                      Music publishing  1  1
                      Corporate  4  4
                        
                       
                      Total depreciation $14 $20
                        
                       
                             
                       
                       Successor
                       Predecessor
                       
                       Three Months Ended
                      December 31, 2004

                       Three Months Ended
                      December 31, 2003

                       
                       (in millions)

                      Amortization of Intangibles Assets      
                      Recorded music $33 $40
                      Music publishing  13  20
                      Corporate    
                        
                       
                      Total amortization $46 $60
                        
                       
                             
                       
                       Successor
                       Predecessor
                       
                       Three Months Ended
                      December 31, 2004

                       Three Months Ended
                      December 31, 2003

                       
                       (in millions)

                      Impairment of Goodwill and Other Intangibles      
                      Recorded music $ $1,019
                      Music publishing    
                      Corporate    
                        
                       
                      Total impairment $ $1,019
                        
                       
                             
                       
                       Successor
                       Predecessor
                       
                       
                       Three Months Ended
                      December 31, 2004

                       Three Months Ended
                      December 31, 2003

                       
                       
                       (in millions)

                       
                      Operating Income (Loss)       
                      Recorded music $152 $(933)
                      Music publishing  10  6 
                      Corporate  (32) (21)
                        
                       
                       
                      Total operating income (loss) $130 $(948)
                        
                       
                       
                              

                       
                       Successor
                       Predecessor
                       
                       
                       Three Months Ended
                      December 31, 2004

                       Three Months Ended
                      December 31, 2003

                       
                       
                       (in millions)

                       
                      Reconciliation of OIBDA to Operating Income (Loss)       
                      OIBDA $190 $151 
                      Depreciation expense  (14) (20)
                      Amortization expense  (46) (60)
                      Impairment of goodwill and other intangible assets    (1,019)
                        
                       
                       
                      Operating income (loss) $130 $(948)
                        
                       
                       
                              

                      11.12. Additional Financial Information

                      Cash Interest and Taxes

                      The Company made interest payments of approximately $42$21 million and $28 million during the three months ended DecemberMarch 31, 20042020 and $6March 31, 2019, respectively. The Company made interest payments of approximately $65 million and $70 million during the six months ended March 31, 2020 and March 31, 2019, respectively. The Company paid approximately $20 million and $11 million of income and withholding taxes, net of refunds, for the three months ended DecemberMarch 31, 2003.2020 and March 31, 2019, respectively. The Company paid approximately $8$40 million and $18 million of foreign income and withholding taxes, net of refunds, during the six months ended March 31, 2020 and March 31, 2019, respectively.

                      Dividends

                      The Company’s ability to pay dividends is restricted by covenants in the indentures governing its notes and in the credit agreements for the Senior Term Loan Facility and the Revolving Credit Facility.

                      In the first quarter of fiscal year 2019, the Company instituted a regular quarterly dividend policy whereby it intends to pay a modest regular quarterly dividend in each of the first three fiscal quarters and a variable dividend for the fourth fiscal quarter in an amount commensurate with cash expected to be generated from operations in such fiscal year, in each case, after taking into account other potential uses for cash, including acquisitions, investment in our business and repayment of indebtedness. The declaration of each dividend will continue to be at the discretion of the Company’s board of directors.

                      On March 25, 2020, the Company’s board of directors declared a cash dividend of $37.5 million which was paid to stockholders on April 17, 2020 and recorded as an accrual as of March 31, 2020. On September 23, 2019, the Company’s board of directors declared a cash dividend of $206 million which was paid to stockholders on October 4, 2019 and recorded as an accrual as of September 30, 2019. On March 26, 2019, the Company’s board of directors declared a cash dividend of $31.25 million which was accrued as of March 31, 2019 and paid to stockholders on April 5, 2019.

                      Depreciation Expense

                      During the six months ended DecemberMarch 31, 20042020, the Company recorded depreciation expense of $38 million, which included aone-time charge of $10 million representing the difference between the net book value of a building and its expected recoverable value.

                      COVID-19 Pandemic

                      On March 11, 2020, theCOVID-19 outbreak was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization. Government-imposed mandates limiting public assembly and requiring thatnon-essential businesses close have adversely impacted the Company’s operations, including touring and physical product distribution, for the three and six months ended DecemberMarch 31, 2003. 2020. It is unclear how long the government-imposed mandates and restrictions will last and to what extent the global pandemic will impact demand for the Company’s music and related services, even after federal, state, local and foreign governmental restrictions are lifted over time.

                      The Company received $5 millionis not presently aware of any events or circumstances arising from the global pandemic that would require us to update any estimates, judgments or materially revise the carrying value of our assets or liabilities. The Company’s estimates may change, however, as new events occur and $2 million of foreign income tax refundsadditional information is obtained, and any such changes will be recognized in the consolidated financial statements. Actual results could differ from estimates, and any such differences may be material to our consolidated financial statements.

                      13. Fair Value Measurements

                      ASC 820,Fair Value Measurement (“ASC 820”) defines fair value as the price that would be received upon sale of an asset or paid upon transfer of a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date and in the principal or most advantageous market for that asset or liability. The fair value should be calculated based on assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability, not on assumptions specific to the entity.

                      In addition to defining fair value, ASC 820 expands the disclosure requirements around fair value and establishes a fair value hierarchy for valuation inputs. The hierarchy prioritizes the inputs into three months ended December 31, 2004 andlevels based on the extent to which inputs used in measuring fair value are observable in the market. Each fair value measurement is reported in one of the three months ended Decemberlevels which is determined by the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement in its entirety. These levels are:

                      Level 1—inputs are based upon unadjusted quoted prices for identical instruments traded in active markets.

                      Level 2—inputs are based upon quoted prices for similar instruments in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active and model-based valuation techniques for which all significant assumptions are observable in the market or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities.

                      Level 3—inputs are generally unobservable and typically reflect management’s estimates of assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability. The fair values are therefore determined using model-based techniques that include option pricing models, discounted cash flow models and similar techniques.

                      In accordance with the fair value hierarchy, described above, the following tables show the fair value of the Company’s financial instruments that are required to be measured at fair value as of March 31, 2003, respectively.

                      Noncash Transactions2020 and September 30, 2019.

                       There were no

                         Fair Value Measurements as of March 31, 2020 
                         (Level 1)   (Level 2)   (Level 3)   Total 
                         (in millions) 

                      Other Current Assets:

                              

                      Foreign Currency Forward Exchange Contracts (a)

                        $—    $3  $—    $3

                      Other Noncurrent Assets:

                              

                      Equity Method Investment (d)

                         —      28   —      28

                      Other Noncurrent Liabilities:

                              

                      Interest Rate Swap (c)

                         —      (36   —      (36
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Total

                        $—    $(5  $—    $(5
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       
                         Fair Value Measurements as of September 30, 2019 
                         (Level 1)   (Level 2)   (Level 3)   Total 
                         (in millions) 

                      Other Current Liabilities:

                              

                      Contractual Obligations (b)

                        $—    $—    $(9  $(9

                      Other Noncurrent Assets:

                              

                      Equity Method Investment (d)

                         —      40   —      40

                      Interest Rate Swap

                         —      2   —      2

                      Other Noncurrent Liabilities:

                              

                      Interest Rate Swap

                         —      (13   —      (13
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      Total

                        $—    $29  $(9  $20
                        

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                         

                       

                       

                       

                      (a)

                      The fair value of foreign currency forward exchange contracts is based on dealer quotes of market forward rates and reflects the amount that the Company would receive or pay at their maturity dates for contracts involving the same currencies and maturity dates.

                      (b)

                      This represents purchase obligations and contingent consideration related to the Company’s various acquisitions. This is based on a probability weighted performance approach and it is adjusted to fair value on a recurring basis and any adjustments are included as a component of operating income in the statement of operations. These amounts were mainly calculated using unobservable inputs such as future earnings performance of the Company’s various acquisitions and the expected timing of the payment.

                      (c)

                      The fair value of the interest rate swaps is based on dealer quotes of market forward rates and reflects the amount that the Company would receive or pay as of March 31, 2020 for contracts involving the same attributes and maturity dates.

                      (d)

                      The fair value of equity method investment represents an equity method investment acquired in fiscal 2019 whereby the Company has elected the fair value option under ASC 825,Financial Instruments (“ASC 825”). The valuation is based upon quoted prices in active markets and model-based valuation techniques to determine fair value.

                      The following table reconciles the beginning and ending balances of net assets and liabilities classified as Level 3:

                         Total 
                         (in millions) 

                      Balance at September 30, 2019

                        $(9

                      Additions

                         —   

                      Reductions

                         7

                      Payments

                         2
                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Balance at March 31, 2020

                        $—  
                        

                       

                       

                       

                      The majority of the Company’snon-financial instruments, which include goodwill, intangible assets, inventories, and property, plant and equipment, are not required to bere-measured to fair value on a recurring basis. These assets are evaluated for impairment if certain triggering events occur. If such evaluation indicates that impairment exists, the asset is written down to its fair value. In addition, an impairment analysis is performed at least annually for goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets.

                      Equity Investments Without Readily Determinable Fair Value

                      The Company evaluates its equity investments without readily determinable fair values for impairment if factors indicate that a significant non-cash investingdecrease in value has occurred. The Company has elected to use the measurement alternative to fair value that will allow these investments to be recorded at cost, less impairment, and financing activitiesadjusted for subsequent observable price changes. The Company did not record any impairment charges on these investments during the three and six months ended DecemberMarch 31, 20042020. In addition, there were no observable price changes events that were completed during the three and 2003.six months ended March 31, 2020.

                      12.Fair Value of Debt

                      Based on the level of interest rates prevailing at March 31, 2020, the fair value of the Company’s debt was $2.890 billion. Based on the level of interest rates prevailing at September 30, 2019, the fair value of the Company’s debt was $3.080 billion. The fair value of the Company’s debt instruments is determined using quoted market prices from less active markets or by using quoted market prices for instruments with identical terms and maturities; both approaches are considered a Level 2 measurement.

                      14. Subsequent Events

                              In March 2005,On April 3, 2020, Acquisition Corp. entered into an amendment (the “Second Amendment”) to the Company's BoardRevolving Credit Agreement, dated January 31, 2018 (as amended by the amendment dated October 9, 2019), among Acquisition Corp., the several banks and other financial institutions party thereto and Credit Suisse AG, as administrative agent, governing Acquisition Corp.’s senior secured revolving credit facility (the “Revolving Credit Facility”) with Credit Suisse AG, as administrative agent, and the other financial institutions and lenders from time to time party thereto. The Second Amendment (among other changes) (i) increases the commitments under the Revolving Credit Facility from an aggregate principal amount of Directors approved$180 million to an aggregate principal amount of $300 million, (ii) extends the final maturity date of the Revolving Credit Facility from January 31, 2023 to April 3, 2025, (iii) reduces the interest margin applicable to the loans upon achievement of certain leverage ratios based on a registration statementleverage-based pricing grid, (iv) reduces the commitment fee based on Form S-1a leverage-based pricing grid and limits commitment fees to be filed withpaid only on unused amounts of commitments, (v) increases the Securitiesmaximum letter of credit exposure permitted under the Revolving Credit Facility from $50 million to $90 million, (vi) increases the springing financial maintenance covenant from a Senior Secured Indebtedness to EBITDA Ratio of 4.75:1.00 to a Senior Secured Indebtedness to EBITDA Ratio of 5.00:1.00 and Exchange Commissionprovides that the covenant shall not be tested unless at the end of a fiscal quarter the outstanding amount of loans and drawings under letters of credit which have not been reimbursed exceeds $105 million, (vii) adds covenant suspension upon achievement of an investment grade rating or a Total Indebtedness to EBITDA Ratio of 3.25:1.00, and (viii) adds certain exceptions and increases certain baskets in connection with Acquisition Corp.’s negative covenants, including those related to the Initial Common Stock Offering.incurrence of indebtedness, liens and restricted payments.

                              Further on April     , 2005

                      WARNER MUSIC GROUP CORP.

                      Supplementary Information

                      Consolidating Financial Statements

                      The Company is the Boarddirect parent of Directors approved (i) to convertHoldings, which is the direct parent of Acquisition Corp. As of March 31, 2020 Acquisition Corp. had issued and outstanding the 5.000% Senior Secured Notes due 2023, the 4.125% Senior Secured Notes due 2024, the 4.875% Senior Secured Notes due 2024, the 3.625% Senior Secured Notes due 2026 and the 5.500% Senior Notes due 2026 (together, the “Acquisition Corp. Notes”).

                      The Acquisition Corp. Notes are guaranteed by the Company and, in addition, are guaranteed by all of Acquisition Corp.’s domestic wholly-owned subsidiaries. The secured notes are guaranteed on a senior secured basis and the outstanding sharesunsecured notes are guaranteed on an unsecured senior basis. The Company’s guarantee of Class L Common Stock into sharesthe Acquisition Corp. Notes is full and unconditional. The guarantee of the Acquisition Corp. Notes by Acquisition Corp.’s domestic wholly-owned subsidiaries is full, unconditional and joint and several. The following condensed consolidating financial statements are also presented for the information of the holders of the Acquisition Corp. Notes and present the results of operations, financial position and cash flows of (i) Acquisition Corp., which is the issuer of the Acquisition Corp. Notes, (ii) the guarantor subsidiaries of Acquisition Corp., (iii) thenon-guarantor subsidiaries of Acquisition Corp. and (iv) the eliminations necessary to arrive at the information for Acquisition Corp. on a consolidated basis. Investments in consolidated subsidiaries are presented under the equity method of accounting. There are no restrictions on Acquisition Corp.’s ability to obtain funds from any of its wholly-owned subsidiaries through dividends, loans or advances.

                      The Company and Holdings are holding companies that conduct substantially all of their business operations through Acquisition Corp. Accordingly, the ability of the Company and Holdings to obtain funds from their subsidiaries is restricted by the indentures for the Acquisition Corp. Notes and the credit agreements for the Acquisition Corp. Senior Credit Facilities, including the Revolving Credit Facility and the Senior Term Loan Facility.

                      Consolidating Balance Sheet (Unaudited)

                      March 31, 2020

                        WMG
                      Acquisition
                      Corp.
                      (issuer)
                        Guarantor
                      Subsidiaries
                        Non-
                      Guarantor
                      Subsidiaries
                        Eliminations  WMG
                      Acquisition
                      Corp.
                      Consolidated
                        WMG
                      Holdings
                      Corp.
                        Warner
                      Music
                      Group
                      Corp.
                        Eliminations  Warner
                      Music
                      Group Corp.
                      Consolidated
                       
                        (in millions) 

                      Assets

                               

                      Current assets:

                               

                      Cash and equivalents

                       $—    $271 $213 $—    $484 $—    $—    $—    $484

                      Accounts receivable, net

                        —     322  441  —     763  —     —     —     763

                      Inventories

                        —     11  54  —     65  —     —     —     65

                      Royalty advances expected to be recouped within one year

                        —     123  66  —     189  —     —     —     189

                      Prepaid and other current assets

                        —     17  65  —     82  —     —     —     82
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total current assets

                        —     744  839  —     1,583  —     —     —     1,583

                      Due from (to) parent companies

                        454  (655  201  —     —     —     —     —     —   

                      Investments in and advances to consolidated subsidiaries

                        2,293  2,813  —     (5,106  —     692  692  (1,384  —   

                      Royalty advances expected to be recouped after one year

                        —     151  81  —     232  —     —     —     232

                      Property, plant and equipment, net

                        —     194  100  —     294  —     —     —     294

                      Operating leaseright-of-use assets, net

                        —     208  73  —     281  —     —     —     281

                      Goodwill

                        —     1,369  392  —     1,761  —     —     —     1,761

                      Intangible assets subject to amortization, net

                        —     855  789  —     1,644  —     —     —     1,644

                      Intangible assets not subject to amortization

                        —     71  80  —     151  —     —     —     151

                      Deferred tax assets, net

                        —     47  8  —     55  —     —     —     55

                      Other assets

                        3  92  28  —     123  —     —     —     123
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total assets

                       $2,750 $5,889 $2,591 $(5,106 $6,124 $692 $692 $(1,384 $6,124
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Liabilities and Equity

                               

                      Current liabilities:

                               

                      Accounts payable

                       $1 $153 $92 $—    $246 $—    $—    $—    $246

                      Accrued royalties

                        —     773  818  —     1,591  —     —     —     1,591

                      Accrued liabilities

                        —     367  197  —     564  —     —     —     564

                      Accrued interest

                        34  —     —     —     34  —     —     —     34

                      Operating lease liabilities, current

                        —     22  17  —     39  —     —     —     39

                      Deferred revenue

                        —     56  111  —     167  —     —     —     167

                      Other current liabilities

                        —     42  49  —     91  —     —     —     91
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total current liabilities

                        35  1,413  1,284  —     2,732  —     —     —     2,732

                      Long-term debt

                        2,983  —     —     —     2,983  —     —     —     2,983

                      Operating lease liabilities, noncurrent

                        —     252  60  —     312  —     —     —     312

                      Deferred tax liabilities, net

                        —     —     154  —     154  —     —     —     154

                      Other noncurrent liabilities

                        38  95  96  (1  228  —     —     —     228
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total liabilities

                        3,056  1,760  1,594  (1  6,409  —     —     —     6,409
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total Warner Music Group Corp. (deficit) equity

                        (306  4,125  980  (5,105  (306  692  692  (1,384  (306

                      Noncontrolling interest

                        —     4  17  —     21  —     —     —     21
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total equity

                        (306  4,129  997  (5,105  (285  692  692  (1,384  (285
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total liabilities and equity

                       $2,750 $5,889 $2,591 $(5,106 $6,124 $692 $692 $(1,384 $6,124
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Consolidating Balance Sheet

                      September 30, 2019

                        WMG
                      Acquisition
                      Corp.
                      (issuer)
                        Guarantor
                      Subsidiaries
                        Non-
                      Guarantor
                      Subsidiaries
                        Eliminations  WMG
                      Acquisition
                      Corp.
                      Consolidated
                        WMG
                      Holdings
                      Corp.
                        Warner
                      Music
                      Group
                      Corp.
                        Eliminations  Warner
                      Music
                      Group Corp.
                      Consolidated
                       
                        (in millions) 

                      Assets

                               

                      Current assets:

                               

                      Cash and equivalents

                       $—    $386 $233 $—    $619 $—    $—    $—    $619

                      Accounts receivable, net

                        —     334  441  —     775  —     —     —     775

                      Inventories

                        —     11  63  —     74  —     —     —     74

                      Royalty advances expected to be recouped within one year

                        —     112  58  —     170  —     —     —     170

                      Prepaid and other current assets

                        —     12  41  —     53  —     —     —     53
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total current assets

                        —     855  836  —     1,691  —     —     —     1,691

                      Due from (to) parent companies

                        458  (531  73  —     —     —     —     —     —   

                      Investments in and advances to consolidated subsidiaries

                        2,272  2,567  —     (4,839  —     878  878  (1,756  —   

                      Royalty advances expected to be recouped after one year

                        —     137  71  —     208  —     —     —     208

                      Property, plant and equipment, net

                        —     200  100  —     300  —     —     —     300

                      Goodwill

                        —     1,370  391  —     1,761  —     —     —     1,761

                      Intangible assets subject to amortization, net

                        —     884  839  —     1,723  —     —     —     1,723

                      Intangible assets not subject to amortization

                        —     71  80  —     151  —     —     —     151

                      Deferred tax assets, net

                        —     30  8  —     38  —     —     —     38

                      Other assets

                        7  115  23  —     145  —     —     —     145
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total assets

                       $2,737 $5,698 $2,421 $(4,839 $6,017 $878 $878 $(1,756 $6,017
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Liabilities and Equity

                               

                      Current liabilities:

                               

                      Accounts payable

                       $—    $160 $100 $—    $260 $—    $—    $—    $260

                      Accrued royalties

                        4  813  750  —     1,567  —     —     —     1,567

                      Accrued liabilities

                        —     266  226  —     492  —     —     —     492

                      Accrued interest

                        34  —     —     —     34  —     —     —     34

                      Deferred revenue

                        —     42  138  —     180  —     —     —     180

                      Other current liabilities

                        —     221  65  —     286  —     —     —     286
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total current liabilities

                        38  1,502  1,279  —     2,819  —     —     —     2,819

                      Long-term debt

                        2,974  —     —     —     2,974  —     —     —     2,974

                      Deferred tax liabilities, net

                        —     —     172  —     172  —     —     —     172

                      Other noncurrent liabilities

                        14  200  107  —     321  —     —     —     321
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total liabilities

                        3,026  1,702  1,558  —     6,286  —     —     —     6,286
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total Warner Music Group Corp. (deficit) equity

                        (289  3,992  847  (4,839  (289  878  878  (1,756  (289

                      Noncontrolling interest

                        —     4  16  —     20  —     —     —     20
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total equity

                        (289  3,996  863  (4,839  (269  878  878  (1,756  (269
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total liabilities and equity

                       $2,737 $5,698 $2,421 $(4,839 $6,017 $878 $878 $(1,756 $6,017
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Consolidating Statement of Operations (Unaudited)

                      For The Three Months Ended March 31, 2020

                        WMG
                      Acquisition
                      Corp.
                      (issuer)
                        Guarantor
                      Subsidiaries
                        Non-
                      Guarantor
                      Subsidiaries
                        Eliminations  WMG
                      Acquisition
                      Corp.
                      Consolidated
                        WMG
                      Holdings
                      Corp.
                        Warner
                      Music
                      Group
                      Corp.
                        Eliminations  Warner
                      Music
                      Group Corp.
                      Consolidated
                       
                        (in millions) 

                      Revenue

                       $—    $484 $662 $(75 $1,071 $—    $—    $—    $1,071

                      Costs and expenses:

                               

                      Cost of revenue

                        —     (248  (369  82  (535  —     —     —     (535

                      Selling, general and administrative expenses

                        —     (360  (171  (7  (538  —     —     —     (538

                      Amortization of intangible assets

                        —     (21  (26  —     (47  —     —     —     (47
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total costs and expenses

                        —     (629  (566  75  (1,120  —     —     —     (1,120
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Operating (loss) income

                        —     (145  96  —     (49  —     —     —     (49

                      Interest (expense) income, net

                        (31  1  (3  —     (33  —     —     —     (33

                      Equity gains from equity method investments

                        (46  62  —     (16  —     (75  (75  150  —   

                      Other (expense) income, net

                        (9  3  2  —     (4  —     —     —     (4
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Income (loss) before income taxes

                        (86  (79  95  (16  (86  (75  (75  150  (86

                      Income tax benefit (expense)

                        12  20  (19  (1  12  —     —     —     12
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Net (loss) income

                        (74  (59  76  (17  (74  (75  (75  150  (74

                      Less: Income attributable to noncontrolling interest

                        —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —   
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Net (loss) income attributable to Warner Music Group Corp.

                       $(74 $(59 $76 $(17 $(74 $(75 $(75 $150 $(74
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Consolidating Statement of Operations (Unaudited)

                      For The Three Months Ended March 31, 2019

                        WMG
                      Acquisition
                      Corp.
                      (issuer)
                        Guarantor
                      Subsidiaries
                        Non-
                      Guarantor
                      Subsidiaries
                        Eliminations  WMG
                      Acquisition
                      Corp.
                      Consolidated
                        WMG
                      Holdings
                      Corp.
                        Warner
                      Music
                      Group
                      Corp.
                        Eliminations  Warner
                      Music
                      Group Corp.
                      Consolidated
                       
                        (in millions) 

                      Revenue

                       $—    $461 $672 $(43 $1,090 $—    $—   $—    $1,090

                      Costs and expenses:

                               

                      Cost of revenue

                        —     (214  (391  46  (559  —     —     —     (559

                      Selling, general and administrative expenses

                        —     (186  (166  (2  (354  —     —     —     (354

                      Amortization of intangible assets

                        —     (25  (30  —     (55  —     —     —     (55
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total costs and expenses

                        —     (425  (587  44  (968  —     —     —     (968
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Operating income

                        —     36  85  1  122  —     —     —     122

                      Loss on extinguishment of debt

                        —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —   

                      Interest (expense) income, net

                        (31  1  (6  —     (36  —     —     —     (36

                      Equity gains from equity method investments

                        130  34  —     (164  —     67  67  (134  —   

                      Other income (expense), net

                        16  51  (38  —     29  —     —     —     29
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Income before income taxes

                        115  122  41  (163  115  67  67  (134  115

                      Income tax expense

                        (48  (49  (26  75  (48  —     —     —     (48
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Net income

                        67  73  15  (88  67  67  67  (134  67

                      Less: Income attributable to noncontrolling interest

                        —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —   
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Net income attributable to Warner Music Group Corp.

                       $67 $73 $15 $(88 $67 $67 $67 $(134 $67
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Consolidating Statement of Operations (Unaudited)

                      For The Six Months Ended March 31, 2020

                        WMG
                      Acquisition
                      Corp.
                      (issuer)
                        Guarantor
                      Subsidiaries
                        Non-
                      Guarantor
                      Subsidiaries
                        Eliminations  WMG
                      Acquisition
                      Corp.
                      Consolidated
                        WMG
                      Holdings
                      Corp.
                        Warner
                      Music
                      Group
                      Corp.
                        Eliminations  Warner
                      Music
                      Group Corp.
                      Consolidated
                       
                        (in millions) 

                      Revenue

                       $—    $1,058 $1,466 $(197 $2,327 $—   $—   $—    $2,327

                      Costs and expenses:

                               

                      Cost of revenue

                        —     (555  (816  171  (1,200  —     —     —     (1,200

                      Selling, general and administrative expenses

                        —     (537  (406  26  (917  —     —     —     (917

                      Amortization of intangible assets

                        —     (43  (51  —     (94  —     —     —     (94
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total costs and expenses

                        —     (1,135  (1,273  197  (2,211  —     —     —     (2,211
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Operating (loss) income

                        —     (77  193  —     116  —     —     —     116

                      Interest (expense) income, net

                        (62  1  (5  —     (66  —     —     —     (66

                      Equity gains from equity method investments

                        108  148  —     (256  —     45  45  (90  —   

                      Other (expense) income, net

                        (7  4  (6  —     (9  —     —     —     (9
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Income before income taxes

                        39  76  182  (256  41  45  45  (90  41

                      Income tax benefit (expense)

                        7  19  (42  23  7  —     —     —     7
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Net income

                        46  95  140  (233  48  45  45  (90  48

                      Less: Income attributable to noncontrolling interest

                        —     —     (2  —     (2  —     —     —     (2
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Net income attributable to Warner Music Group Corp.

                       $46 $95 $138 $(233 $46 $45 $45 $(90 $46
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Consolidating Statement of Operations (Unaudited)

                      For The Six Months Ended March 31, 2019

                        WMG
                      Acquisition
                      Corp.
                      (issuer)
                        Guarantor
                      Subsidiaries
                        Non-
                      Guarantor
                      Subsidiaries
                        Eliminations  WMG
                      Acquisition
                      Corp.
                      Consolidated
                        WMG
                      Holdings
                      Corp.
                        Warner
                      Music
                      Group
                      Corp.
                        Eliminations  Warner
                      Music
                      Group Corp.
                      Consolidated
                       
                        (in millions) 

                      Revenue

                       $—    $942 $1,526 $(175 $2,293 $—    $—    $—    $2,293

                      Costs and expenses:

                               

                      Cost of revenue

                        —     (437  (896  148  (1,185  —     —     —     (1,185

                      Selling, general and administrative expenses

                        —     (375  (383  28  (730  —     —     —     (730

                      Amortization of intangible assets

                        —     (50  (59  —     (109  —     —     —     (109
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total costs and expenses

                        —     (862  (1,338  176  (2,024  —     —     —     (2,024
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Operating income

                        —     80  188  1  269  —     —     —     269

                      Loss on extinguishment of debt

                        (3  —     —     —     (3  —     —     —     (3

                      Interest (expense) income, net

                        (62  2  (12  —     (72  —     —     —     (72

                      Equity gains from equity method investments

                        302  143  —     (445  —     153  153  (306  —   

                      Other income (expense), net

                        14  70  (27  —     57  —     —     —     57
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Income before income taxes

                        251  295  149  (444  251  153  153  (306  251

                      Income tax expense

                        (98  (94  (50  144  (98  —     —     —     (98
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Net income

                        153  201  99  (300  153  153  153  (306  153

                      Less: Income attributable to noncontrolling interest

                        —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —   
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Net income attributable to Warner Music Group Corp.

                       $153 $201 $99 $(300 $153 $153 $153 $(306 $153
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Consolidating Statement of Comprehensive Income (Unaudited)

                      For The Three Months Ended March 31, 2020

                        WMG
                      Acquisition
                      Corp.
                      (issuer)
                        Guarantor
                      Subsidiaries
                        Non-
                      Guarantor
                      Subsidiaries
                        Eliminations  WMG
                      Acquisition
                      Corp.
                      Consolidated
                        WMG
                      Holdings
                      Corp.
                        Warner
                      Music
                      Group
                      Corp.
                        Eliminations  Warner
                      Music
                      Group Corp.
                      Consolidated
                       
                        (in millions) 

                      Net (loss) income

                       $(74 $(59 $76 $(17 $(74 $(75 $(75 $150 $(74

                      Other comprehensive loss, net of tax:

                               

                      Foreign currency adjustment

                        (15  —     15  (15  (15  (15  (15  30  (15

                      Deferred loss on derivative financial instruments

                        (23  —     (23  23  (23  (23  (23  46  (23
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Other comprehensive loss, net of tax

                        (38  —     (8  8  (38  (38  (38  76  (38
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total comprehensive (loss) income

                        (112  (59  68  (9  (112  (113  (113  226  (112

                      Less: Income attributable to noncontrolling interest

                        —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —   
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Comprehensive (loss) income attributable to Warner Music Group Corp.

                       $(112 $(59 $68 $(9 $(112 $(113 $(113 $226 $(112
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Consolidating Statement of Comprehensive Income (Unaudited)

                      For The Three Months Ended March 31, 2019

                        WMG
                      Acquisition
                      Corp.
                      (issuer)
                        Guarantor
                      Subsidiaries
                        Non-
                      Guarantor
                      Subsidiaries
                        Eliminations  WMG
                      Acquisition
                      Corp.
                      Consolidated
                        WMG
                      Holdings
                      Corp.
                        Warner
                      Music
                      Group
                      Corp.
                        Eliminations  Warner
                      Music
                      Group Corp.
                      Consolidated
                       
                        (in millions) 

                      Net income

                       $67 $73 $15 $(88 $67 $67 $67 $(134 $67

                      Other comprehensive (loss) income, net of tax:

                               

                      Foreign currency adjustment

                        (10  —     10  (10  (10  (13  (13  26  (10

                      Deferred loss on derivative financial instruments

                        (3  —     —     —     (3  (3  (3  6  (3
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Other comprehensive (loss) income, net of tax

                        (13  —     10  (10  (13  (16  (16  32  (13
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total comprehensive income

                        54  73  25  (98  54  51  51  (102  54

                      Less: Income attributable to noncontrolling interest

                        —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —   
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Comprehensive income attributable to Warner Music Group Corp.

                       $54 $73 $25 $(98 $54 $51 $51 $(102 $54
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Consolidating Statement of Comprehensive Income (Unaudited)

                      For The Six Months Ended March 31, 2020

                        WMG
                      Acquisition
                      Corp.
                      (issuer)
                        Guarantor
                      Subsidiaries
                        Non-
                      Guarantor
                      Subsidiaries
                        Eliminations  WMG
                      Acquisition
                      Corp.
                      Consolidated
                        WMG
                      Holdings
                      Corp.
                        Warner
                      Music
                      Group
                      Corp.
                        Eliminations  Warner
                      Music
                      Group Corp.
                      Consolidated
                       
                        (in millions) 

                      Net income

                       $46 $95 $140 $(233 $48 $45 $45 $(90 $48

                      Other comprehensive loss, net of tax:

                               

                      Foreign currency adjustment

                        (8  —     8  (8  (8  28  28  (56  (8

                      Deferred loss on derivative financial instruments

                        (20  —     (20  20  (20  (8  (8  16  (20
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Other comprehensive loss, net of tax

                        (28  —     (12  12  (28  25  25  (50  (28
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total comprehensive income

                        18  95  128  (221  20  70  70  (140  20

                      Less: Income attributable to noncontrolling interest

                        —     —     (2  —     (2  —     —     —     (2
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Comprehensive income attributable to Warner Music Group Corp.

                       $18 $95 $126 $(221 $18 $70 $70 $(140 $18
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Consolidating Statement of Comprehensive Income (Unaudited)

                      For The Six Months Ended March 31, 2019

                        WMG
                      Acquisition
                      Corp.
                      (issuer)
                        Guarantor
                      Subsidiaries
                        Non-
                      Guarantor
                      Subsidiaries
                        Eliminations  WMG
                      Acquisition
                      Corp.
                      Consolidated
                        WMG
                      Holdings
                      Corp.
                        Warner
                      Music
                      Group
                      Corp.
                        Eliminations  Warner
                      Music
                      Group Corp.
                      Consolidated
                       
                        (in millions) 

                      Net income

                       $153 $201 $99 $(300 $153 $153 $153 $(306 $153

                      Other comprehensive (loss) income, net of tax:

                               

                      Foreign currency adjustment

                        (26  —     26  (26  (26  (29  (29  58  (26

                      Deferred loss on derivative financial instruments

                        (9  —     (2  2  (9  (9  (9  18  (9
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Other comprehensive (loss) income, net of tax

                        (35  —     24  (24  (35  (38  (38  76  (35
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total comprehensive income

                        118  201  123  (324  118  115  115  (230  118

                      Less: Income attributable to noncontrolling interest

                        —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —   
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Comprehensive income attributable to Warner Music Group Corp.

                       $118 $201 $123 $(324 $118 $115 $115 $(230 $118
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Consolidating Statement of Cash Flows (Unaudited)

                      For The Six Months Ended March 31, 2020

                        WMG
                      Acquisition
                      Corp.
                      (issuer)
                        Guarantor
                      Subsidiaries
                        Non-
                      Guarantor
                      Subsidiaries
                        Eliminations  WMG
                      Acquisition
                      Corp.
                      Consolidated
                        WMG
                      Holdings
                      Corp.
                        Warner
                      Music
                      Group
                      Corp.
                        Eliminations  Warner
                      Music
                      Group Corp.
                      Consolidated
                       
                        (in millions) 

                      Cash flows from operating activities

                               

                      Net income

                       $46 $95 $140 $(233 $48 $45 $45 $(90 $48

                      Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:

                               

                      Depreciation and amortization

                        —     74  58  —     132  —     —     —     132

                      Unrealized gains and remeasurement of foreign-denominated loans and foreign currency forward exchange contracts

                        6  (3  (10  —     (7  —     —     —     (7

                      Deferred income taxes

                        —     —     (31  —     (31  —     —     —     (31

                      Net loss on investments

                        —     15  —     —     15  —     —     —     15

                      Non-cash interest expense

                        3  —     —     —     3  —     —     —     3

                      Equity-based compensation expense

                        —     160  —     —     160  —     —     —     160

                      Equity gains, including distributions

                        (108  (148  —     256  —     (45  (45  90  —   

                      Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

                               

                      Accounts receivable, net

                        —     11  (5  —     6  —     —     —     6

                      Inventories

                        —     —     9  —     9  —     —     —     9

                      Royalty advances

                        —     (26  (21  —     (47  —     —     —     (47

                      Accounts payable and accrued liabilities

                        —     80  (166  (23  (109  —     —     —     (109

                      Royalty payables

                        —     (42  80  —     38  —     —     —     38

                      Accrued interest

                        —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —   

                      Operating lease liabilities

                        —     (2  —     —     (2  —     —     —     (2

                      Deferred revenue

                        —     13  (27  —     (14  —     —     —     (14

                      Other balance sheet changes

                        4  (18  (23  —     (37  —     —     —     (37
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities

                        (49  209  4  —     164  —     —     —     164
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Cash flows from investing activities

                               

                      Acquisition of music publishing rights and music catalogs, net

                        —     (12  (6  —     (18  —     —     —     (18

                      Capital expenditures

                        —     (18  (10  —     (28  —     —     —     (28

                      Investments and acquisitions of businesses, net of cash received

                        —     (1  (4  —     (5  —     —     —     (5

                      Advances from issuer

                        49  —     —     (49  —     —     —     —     —   
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities

                        49  (31  (20  (49  (51  —     —     —     (51
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Cash flows from financing activities

                               

                      Dividend by Acquisition Corp. to Holdings Corp.

                        —     (244  —     —     (244  —     —     —     (244

                      Distribution to noncontrolling interest holder

                        —     —     (1  —     (1  —     —     —     (1

                      Change in due (from) to issuer

                        —     (49  —     49  —     —     —     —     —   
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Net cash used in financing activities

                        —     (293  (1  49  (245  —     —     —     (245
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and equivalents

                        —     —     (3  —     (3  —     —     —     (3
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Net decrease in cash and equivalents

                        —     (115  (20  —     (135  —     —     —     (135

                      Cash and equivalents at beginning of period

                        —     386  233  —     619  —     —     —     619
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Cash and equivalents at end of period

                       $—    $271 $213 $—    $484 $—    $—    $—    $484
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Consolidating Statement of Cash Flows (Unaudited)

                      For The Six Months Ended March 31, 2019

                        WMG
                      Acquisition
                      Corp.
                      (issuer)
                        Guarantor
                      Subsidiaries
                        Non-
                      Guarantor
                      Subsidiaries
                        Eliminations  WMG
                      Acquisition
                      Corp.
                      Consolidated
                        WMG
                      Holdings
                      Corp.
                        Warner
                      Music
                      Group
                      Corp.
                        Eliminations  Warner
                      Music
                      Group Corp.
                      Consolidated
                       
                        (in millions) 

                      Cash flows from operating activities

                               

                      Net income

                       $153 $201 $99 $(300 $153 $153 $153 $(306 $153

                      Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:

                               

                      Depreciation and amortization

                        —     68  69  —     137  —     —     —     137

                      Unrealized gains and remeasurement of foreign-denominated loans and foreign currency forward exchange contracts

                        (20  (5  —     1  (24  —     —     —     (24

                      Deferred income taxes

                        —     —     27  —     27  —     —     —     27

                      Loss on extinguishment of debt

                        3  —     —     —     3  —     —     —     3

                      Net gain on investments

                        —     (30  (2  —     (32  —     —     —     (32

                      Non-cash interest expense

                        3  —     —     —     3  —     —     —     3

                      Equity-based compensation expense

                        —     14  —     —     14  —     —     —     14

                      Equity gains, including distributions

                        (302  (143  —     445  —     (153  (153  306  —   

                      Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

                               

                      Accounts receivable, net

                        —     (16  (74  —     (90  —     —     —     (90

                      Inventories

                        —     4  9  —     13  —     —     —     13

                      Royalty advances

                        —     (37  (24  —     (61  —     —     —     (61

                      Accounts payable and accrued liabilities

                        —     218  (172  (146  (100  —     —     —     (100

                      Royalty payables

                        6  (93  133  —     46  —     —     —     46

                      Accrued interest

                        1  —     —     —     1  —     —     —     1

                      Deferred revenue

                        —     (44  25  —     (19  —     —     —     (19

                      Other balance sheet changes

                        4  41  (17  —     28  —     —     —     28
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities

                        (152  178  73  —     99  —     —     —     99
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Cash flows from investing activities

                               

                      Acquisition of music publishing rights, net

                        —     (11  (5  —     (16  —     —     —     (16

                      Capital expenditures

                        —     (50  (9  —     (59  —     —     —     (59

                      Investments and acquisitions of businesses, net of cash received

                        —     (26  (192  —     (218  —     —     —     (218

                      Proceeds from the sale of investments

                        —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —     —   

                      Advances from issuer

                        (24  —     —     24  —     —     —     —     —   
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Net cash used in investing activities

                        (24  (87  (206  24  (293  —     —     —     (293
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Cash flows from financing activities

                               

                      Dividend by Acquisition Corp. to Holdings Corp.

                        —     (31  —     —     (31  —     —     —     (31

                      Proceeds from issuance of Acquisition Corp. 3.625% Senior Notes due 2026

                        287  —     —     —     287  —     —     —     287

                      Repayment of Acquisition Corp. 4.125% Senior Secured Notes

                        (40  —     —     —     (40  —     —     —     (40

                      Repayment of Acquisition Corp. 4.875% Senior Secured Notes

                        (30  —     —     —     (30  —     —     —     (30

                      Repayment of Acquisition Corp. 5.625% Senior Secured Notes

                        (27  —     —     —     (27  —     —     —     (27

                      Call premiums paid on and redemption deposit for early redemption of debt

                        (2  —     —     —     (2  —     —     —     (2

                      Deferred financing costs paid

                        (4  —     —     —     (4  —     —     —     (4

                      Distribution to noncontrolling interest holder

                        —     (1  (1  —     (2  —     —     —     (2

                      Change in due to (from) issuer

                        —     24  —     (24  —     —     —     —     —   
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities

                        184  (8  (1  (24  151  —     —     —     151
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and equivalents

                        —     —     (1  —     (1  —     —     —     (1
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Net increase (decrease) in cash and equivalents

                        8  83  (135  —     (44  —     —     —     (44

                      Cash and equivalents at beginning of period

                        —     169  345  —     514  —     —     —     514
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Cash and equivalents at end of period

                       $8 $252 $210 $ —    $470 $ —    $ —    $ —    $470
                       

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                        

                       

                       

                       

                      LOGO

                      Uproxx songkick emp warner music Nordics warner music Nashville warner music latin America warner music japan warner music france warner music central Europe warner music asia warner music entertainment warner music warner classics arts music warner chappell production music warner chappell music


                      70,000,000 Shares

                      LOGO

                      Warner Music Group Corp.

                      Class A Common Stock (ii) to rename all of the outstanding shares of Class A Common Stock as common stock, which will have the effect of eliminating from the Company's authorized capital stock the Class L Common Stock

                      Morgan StanleyCredit SuisseGoldman Sachs & Co. LLCBofA SecuritiesCitigroupJ.P. Morgan
                      BarclaysEvercore ISIGuggenheim SecuritiesMacquarie CapitalNomuraRBC Capital Markets
                      SunTrust Robinson HumphreyCIBC Capital MarketsHSBCSOCIETE GENERALE    LionTreeThe Raine Group

                      AmeriVet SecuritiesBancroft CapitalBlaylock Van, LLC

                      C.L. King &

                      Associates

                      Loop Capital Markets
                      Roberts & RyanRamirez & Co., Inc.        Siebert Williams Shank

                      Telsey Advisory

                      Group

                      Tigress Financial Partners

                                          , 2020

                      Through and Class A Common Stock and (iii) to authorize a split of the Company's common stock.

                              Accordingly, these historical financial statements have been restated to reflect the Recapitalization for all periods occurringincluding                 , 2020 (the 25th day after the Acquisition that was effective as of March 1, 2004. Such restatement primarily related to common stock and equivalent shares information and net income (loss) per common share computations.


                      GRAPHIC




                      GRAPHIC

                      Until            , 2005 (25 days after the commencementdate of this offering)prospectus), all dealers effecting transactions inthat buy, sell or trade our Class A common stock, whether or not participating in this offering, may be required to deliver a prospectus. This is in addition to the dealers'dealers’ obligation to deliver a prospectus when acting as underwriters and with respect to their unsold allotments or subscriptions.





                      PART II

                      INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS

                      Item 13.    Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution

                       

                      Item 13.

                      Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution.

                      The following table sets forth the costs andestimated expenses payable by us in connection with the sale and distribution of the securities being registered.registered hereby, other than underwriting discounts or commissions. All amounts are estimatedestimates except for the SecuritiesSEC registration fee and Exchange Commission registrationthe FINRA filing fee.

                      Securities and Exchange Commission Registration Fee $105,902
                      NYSE Listing Fees  250,000
                      Printing and Engraving Expenses  400,000
                      Blue Sky Fees and Expenses  5,000
                      Legal Fees  1,000,000
                      Accounting Fees  500,000
                      Registrar and Transfer Agent Fees  15,500
                      NASD Filing Fee  75,500
                      Miscellaneous Expenses  5,000
                        
                       Total  2,356,902

                      Item 14.    Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

                       

                      SEC Registration Fee

                        $271,672 

                      FINRA Filing Fee

                        $225,500 

                      Listing Fee

                        $295,000 

                      Printing Fees and Expenses

                        $925,000 

                      Accounting Fees and Expenses

                        $768,000 

                      Legal Fees and Expenses

                        $4,027,500 

                      Blue Sky Fees and Expenses

                        $15,000 

                      Transfer Agent Fees and Expenses

                        $10,000 

                      Miscellaneous

                        $200,000 
                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Total:

                        $6,737,672 
                        

                       

                       

                       

                      Item 14.

                      Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

                      Warner Music Group Corp. ("Warner Music Group") is a Delaware corporation. Section 145 ofincorporated under the Delaware General Corporation Lawlaws of the State of Delaware (the "DGCL") grants eachDelaware.

                      Section 145(a) of the DGCL provides that a corporation organized thereunder the power tomay indemnify any person who was or is a party or wasis threatened to be made a director, officer, employee or agent of a corporation or enterprise, against expenses, including attorneys' fees, judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by him in connection withparty to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative other(other than an action by or in the right of the corporation,corporation) by reason of beingthe fact that the person is or having beenwas a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in anysettlement actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with such capacity,action, suit or proceeding if hethe person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe histhe person’s conduct was unlawful.

                      Section 102(b)(7)145(b) of the DGCL enablesprovides that a corporation in its certificate of incorporation or an amendment thereto validly approved by stockholders to limit or eliminate the personal liability of the members of its board of directors for violations of the directors' fiduciary duty of care, except (i) for any breach of the director's duty of loyalty to the corporation or its stockholders, (ii) for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, (iii) pursuant to Section 174 of the DGCL (providing for liability of directors for unlawful payment of dividends or unlawful stock purchases or redemptions) or (iv) for any transaction from which a director derived an improper personal benefit.

                              Article II, Section 15 of Warner Music Group's Bylaws (filed as Exhibit 3.2) will provide that a member of the board of directors, or a member of any committee designated by the board of directors shall, in the performance of his or her duties, be fully protected in relying in good faith upon the records of Warner Music Group and upon such information, opinions, reports or statements presented to Warner Music Group by any of Warner Music Group's officers, employees, agents, committees, or by any other person as to matters the member reasonably believes are within such other person's or persons' professional or expert competence, and who has been selected with reasonable care by or on behalf of Warner Music Group.

                              Article VIII, paragraph A of Warner Music Group's Charter (filed as Exhibit 3.1) will provide that a director of Warner Music Group shall not be personally liable to Warner Music Group or its

                      II-1



                      stockholders for monetary damages for any breach of fiduciary duty as a director, except to the extent that the DGCL prohibits the elimination or limitation of such liability. No amendment to or repeal of this Article VIII or the relevant provisions of the DGCL shall apply to or have any effect on the liability or alleged liability of any director of Warner Music Group for or with respect to any acts or omissions of such director occurring prior to such amendment or repeal.

                              Article VII of Warner Music Group's Charter will provide that, to the fullest extent permitted from time to time under the DGCL, Warner Music Group renounces any interest or expectancy of Warner Music Group in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in business opportunities that are from time to time presented to its officers, directors or stockholders or the affiliates of the foregoing, other than those officers, directors, stockholders or affiliates who are employees of Warner Music Group. No amendment to or repeal of this Article VII or the relevant provisions of the DGCL shall apply to or have any effect on the liability or alleged liability of any such officer, director, stockholder or affiliate for or with respect to any business opportunities of which such officer, director, stockholder or affiliate becomes aware prior to such amendment or repeal.

                              In addition, Article VIII of Warner Music Group's Charter will provide that, in the manner and to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, Warner Music Groupmay indemnify any person who was or is a party subjector is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action or suit by or in the right of the corporation to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that he or shethe person is or was or had agreed to become or is alleged to have been, a director, officer, employee or agent of Warner Music Groupthe corporation, or to have served in a similar capacity for any other entityis or was serving at the request of Warner Music Group, allthe corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against expenses (including court costs and attorneys'attorneys’ fees) and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by him or on his or her behalf and all judgments, damages, fines, penalties and other liabilities actually sustained by him or herthe person in connection with the defense or settlement of such action or suit if the person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in or proceedingnot opposed to the best interests of the corporation and any appeal therefrom. However, Article VIII of Warner Music Group's Charter also providesexcept that no indemnification shall be made in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable to Warner Music Group,the corporation unless and only to the extent that the Delaware Court of Chancery or the court in which such action or suit was brought shall determine upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all of the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity asfor such expenses which the Delaware Court of Chancery or such other court deemsshall deem proper. Warner Music Group

                      Section 145(c) of the DGCL provides that to the extent that a present or former director or officer of a corporation has been successful on the merits or otherwise in defense of any action, suit or proceeding referred to

                      II-1


                      in subsections (a) and (b) of Section 145 of the DGCL, or in defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, such person shall be indemnified against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection therewith.

                      Section 145(e) of the DGCL provides that expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by an officer or director of the corporation in defending any civil, criminal, administrative or investigative action, suit or proceeding may be paid by the corporation in advance of the final disposition of the matter, pay or promptly reimburse any expenses reasonably incurred in investigating and defending or responding to anysuch action, suit or proceeding upon receipt of an undertaking by or investigation. Any repeal or modification of the foregoing provisions shall not adversely affect any right or protection of a director or officer of Warner Music Group with respect to any acts or omissionson behalf of such director or officer occurring prior to repay such amendmentamount if it shall ultimately be determined that such person is not entitled to be indemnified by the corporation as authorized in Section 145 of the DGCL. Such expenses, including attorneys’ fees, incurred by former directors and officers or repeal.

                              Article VIIIother employees and agents of Warner Music Group's Charter will also provide that Warner Music Group shall have the power to purchase and maintain, at its expense, insurance on behalf of any person who iscorporation or was a director, officer, employee or agent of Warner Music Group, or is or wasby persons serving at the request of Warner Music Groupthe corporation as a director, officer, employeedirectors, officers, employees or agentagents of another corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise may be so paid upon such terms and conditions, if any, as the corporation deems appropriate.

                      Section 145(g) of the DGCL specifically allows a Delaware corporation to purchase liability insurance on behalf of its directors and officers and to insure against any expense,potential liability or loss asserted against such person and incurred by such person in any such capacity, or arising out of such person's status as such,directors and officers regardless of whether or not Warner Music Groupthe corporation would have the power to indemnify such persondirectors and officers under Section 145 of the DGCL.

                      Section 102(b)(7) of the DGCL permits a Delaware corporation to include a provision in its certificate of incorporation eliminating or limiting the personal liability of directors to the corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director. This provision, however, may not eliminate or limit a director’s liability (1) for breach of the director’s duty of loyalty to the corporation or its stockholders; (2) for acts or omissions not in good faith or involving intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law; (3) under Section 174 of the DGCL, which provides for liability of directors for unlawful payments of dividends or unlawful stock purchases, redemptions or other distributions; or (4) for any transaction from which the director derived an improper personal benefit.

                      Section 174 of the DGCL provides, among other things, that a director who willfully and negligently approves of an unlawful payment of dividends or an unlawful stock purchase or redemption may be held liable for such actions. A director who was either absent when the unlawful actions were approved or dissented at the time may avoid liability by causing his or her dissent to such actions to be entered in the books containing the minutes of the meetings of the board of directors at the time the action occurred or immediately after the absent director receives notice of the unlawful acts.

                      Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will contain provisions permitted under the DGCL relating to the liability of directors. These provisions will eliminate a director’s personal liability for monetary damages resulting from a breach of fiduciary duty, except in circumstances involving:

                      any breach of the director’s duty of loyalty;

                      acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of the law;

                      unlawful payments of dividends or unlawful stock purchases, redemptions or other distributions; or

                      any transaction from which the director derives an improper personal benefit.

                      Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and our amended and restatedby-laws will require us to indemnify and advance expenses to our directors and officers to the fullest extent not prohibited by the DGCL and other applicable law, except in the case of a proceeding instituted by the director without the approval of our Board. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and our amended and restatedby-laws will provide that we are required to indemnify our directors and officers, to the fullest extent permitted by law, for all judgments, fines, settlements, legal fees and other expenses incurred in connection with pending or threatened

                      II-2


                      legal proceedings because of the director’s or officer’s positions with us or another entity that the director or officer serves at our request, subject to various conditions, and to advance funds to our directors and officers to enable them to defend against such proceedings. To receive indemnification, the director or officer must have acted in good faith and in what was reasonably believed to be our best interest and, with respect to any criminal proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe his or her conduct was unlawful.

                      Indemnification Agreements

                      Prior to the consummation of this offering, we will enter into indemnification agreements with our directors. The indemnification agreements will provide the directors with contractual rights to the indemnification and expense liabilityadvancement rights provided under our amended and restatedby-laws, as well as contractual rights to additional indemnification as provided in the indemnification agreements.

                      The indemnification agreements will provide for the advancement or loss.payment of all expenses to the indemnitee and for reimbursement to us if it is found that such indemnitee is not entitled to such indemnification under applicable law and our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restatedby-laws.

                              Warner Music Group hasDirectors’ and Officers’ Liability Insurance

                      We have obtained officers'directors’ and directorsofficers’ liability insurance whichthat insures against certain liabilities that our directors and officers and the directors and officers of the Warner Music Groupour subsidiaries may, in such capacities, incur.

                      Item 15.    

                      Item 15.

                      Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities.

                      None.

                      Item 16.

                      Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules.

                      (a)    Exhibits.

                      The Exhibits to this Registration Statement on FormS-1 are listed in the Exhibit Index which precedes the signature pages to this Registration Statement and is herein incorporated by reference.

                      (b)    Financial Statement Schedules:

                      Schedule II—Valuation of Qualifying Accounts beginning on pageF-63.

                       Since inception, Warner Music Group Corp. has issued unregistered

                      Item 17.

                      Undertakings.

                      (a)

                      Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question of whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

                      II-3


                      (b)

                      The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that:

                      (1)

                      For purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, the information omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of this registration statement in reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in a form of prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(1) or (4) or 497(h) under the Securities Act shall be deemed to be part of this registration statement as of the time it was declared effective.

                      (2)

                      For the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each post-effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

                      II-4


                      EXHIBIT INDEX

                      In reviewing the agreements included as exhibits to this Registration Statement onForm S-1, please remember that they are included to provide you with information regarding their terms. The agreements contain representations and warranties by each of the parties to the applicable agreement. These representations and warranties were made for the benefit of the other parties to the applicable agreement and (i) were not intended to be treated as categorical statements of fact, but rather as a way of allocating the risk to one of the parties if those statements prove to be inaccurate; (ii) may have been qualified in such agreement by disclosures that were made to the other party in connection with the negotiation of the applicable agreement, which disclosures are not necessarily reflected in the transactions described below. Theseagreement; (iii) may apply contract standards of “materiality” that are different from “materiality” under applicable securities laws; and (iv) were offered and sold in reliance upon the exemptions provided for in Section 4(2)made only as of the Securities Act, relating to sales not involving any public offering, Rule 506date of the Securities Act relatingapplicable agreement or such other date or dates as may be specified in the agreement and are subject to sales to accredited investors and Rule 701 of the Securities Act relating to a compensatory benefit plan. The sales were made without the use of an underwriter and the certificates

                      II-2



                      representing the securities sold contain a restrictive legend that prohibits transfer without registration or an applicable exemption.

                              1.     Through April 19, 2005, Warner Music Group Corp. sold 4,985 pre-split shares of its Class A Common Stock to employees and directors for $5,220,034.

                              2.     In March, 2004, Warner Music Group Corp. and Holdings issued warrants to purchase approximately 19.9% of the Class L Common Stock ofmore recent developments. Additional information about Warner Music Group Corp., 19.9% of the Class A Common Stock of Warner Music Group Corp.its subsidiaries and 19.9% of the preferred securities Holdings held by the Investors and taking into account the exercise of the warrants to Time Warner as part of the purchase price of the business of Warner Music Group Corp.

                              3.     In March, 2004 Warner Music Group Corp. and Holdings issued warrants to purchase up to approximately 15% of the Class L Common Stock of Warner Music Group Corp., 15% of the Class A Common Stock of Warner Music Group Corp. and 15% of the preferred stock of Holdings held by the Investors and taking into account the exercise of the warrants to Time Warner as part of the purchase price of the business of Warner Music Group Corp.

                              4.     In March, 2004, Warner Music Group issued 85,000 shares of its Class A Common Stock and 9,444.44444 shares of its Class L Common Stock to the Investorsaffiliates may be found elsewhere in connection with the acquisition of the business of Warner Music Group Corp. for $850 million.

                      Item 16.    Exhibits and Financialthis Registration Statement Schedules.onForm S-1.

                       (a)   Exhibits

                      Exhibit No.
                      Description

                      1.1

                      Exhibit
                      Number

                        

                      Exhibit Description

                        1.1*Form of Underwriting AgreementAgreement.
                      2.1(2)
                        3.1(1)  Purchase Agreement, dated as of November 24, 2003, between Time Warner Inc. and WMG Acquisition Corp., as amended
                      3.1(6)Form ofThird Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Warner Music Group Corp.
                      3.2(6)
                        3.2(1)  Form ofThird Amended and Restated BylawsBy-Laws of Warner Music Group Corp.
                      4.1(6)
                        3.3(2)  FormCertificate of Amendment to Third Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Warner Music Group Corp.'s common stock, filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware on February 28, 2020.
                      5.1(6)
                        3.4*  OpinionForm of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP,Fourth Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Warner Music Group Corp.
                        3.5*Form of Fourth Amended and RestatedBy-Laws of Warner Music Group Corp.
                        4.1*Form of Common Stock Certificate.
                        4.2(1)Indenture, dated as of April 18, 2005
                      10.1(3)Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated as of April 8, 2004,November  1, 2012, among WMG Acquisition Corp., the Overseas Borrowers from timeguarantors listed on the signature pages thereto, Credit Suisse AG, as Notes Authorized Agent and as Collateral Agent, and Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as Trustee, providing for the issuance of secured notes in series.
                        4.3(1)Fifth Supplemental Indenture, dated as of July  27, 2016, among WMG Acquisition Corp., the guarantors listed on the signature pages thereto and Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as Trustee, relating to time partythe 5.000% Senior Secured Notes due 2023.
                        4.4(1)Sixth Supplemental Indenture, dated as of October  18, 2016, among WMG Acquisition Corp., the guarantors listed on the signature pages thereto and Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as Trustee, relating to the 4.875% Senior Secured Notes due 2024.
                        4.5(1)Seventh Supplemental Indenture, dated as of October  18, 2016, among WMG Acquisition Corp., the guarantors listed on the signature pages thereto and Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as Trustee, relating to the 4.125% Senior Secured Notes due 2024.
                        4.6(1)Eighth Supplemental Indenture, dated as of October  9, 2018, among WMG Acquisition Corp., the guarantors listed on the signature pages thereto and Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as Trustee, relating to the 3.625% Senior Secured Notes due 2026.
                        4.7(1)Ninth Supplemental Indenture, dated as of April  30, 2019, among WMG Acquisition Corp., the guarantors listed on the signature pages thereto and Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as Trustee, relating to the 3.625% Senior Secured Notes due 2026.
                        4.8(1)Indenture, dated as of April  9, 2014, among WMG Acquisition Corp., the guarantors listed on the signature pages thereto and Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as Trustee, providing for the issuance of unsecured senior notes in series.

                      II-5


                      Exhibit
                      Number

                      Exhibit Description

                        4.9(1)Fifth Supplemental Indenture, dated as of March  14, 2018, among WMG Acquisition Corp., the guarantors listed on the signature pages thereto and Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as Trustee, relating to the 5.500% Senior Notes due 2026.
                        4.10(1)Form of Senior Secured Note of WMG Acquisition Corp. (included in Exhibit 4.2 hereto).
                        4.11(1)Form of Senior Note of WMG Acquisition Corp. (included in Exhibit 4.8 hereto).
                        4.12(1)Guarantee, dated July 27, 2016, issued by Warner Music Group Corp., relating to the 5.000% Senior Secured Notes due 2023.
                        4.13(1)Guarantee, dated October  18, 2016, issued by Warner Music Group Corp., relating to the 4.875% Senior Secured Notes due 2024 and 4.125% Senior Secured Notes due 2024.
                        4.14(1)Guarantee, dated March 14, 2018, issued by Warner Music Group Corp., relating to the 5.500% Senior Notes due 2026.
                        4.15(1)Guarantee, dated October 9, 2018, issued by Warner Music Group Corp., relating to the 3.625% Senior Secured Notes due 2026.
                        4.16(1)Guarantee, dated April 30, 2019, issued by Warner Music Group Corp., relating to the 3.625% Senior Secured Notes due 2026.
                        4.17(1)Security Agreement, dated as of November  1, 2012, among WMG Acquisition Corp., WMG Holdings Corp., the guarantors listed on the signature pages thereto and Credit Suisse AG, as collateral agent, term loan authorized representative, revolving authorized representative and indenture authorized representative.
                        4.18(1)Copyright Security Agreement, dated November  1, 2012, made by WMG Acquisition Corp. and the guarantors listed on the signature pages thereto in favor of Credit Suisse, AG, as collateral agent for the Secured First Lien Parties.
                        4.19(1)Patent Security Agreement, dated November  1, 2012, made by WMG Acquisition Corp. and the guarantors listed on the signature pages thereto in favor of Credit Suisse, AG, as collateral agent for the Secured First Lien Parties.
                        4.20(1)Trademark Security Agreement, dated November  1, 2012, made by WMG Acquisition Corp. and the guarantors listed on the signature pages thereto in favor of Credit Suisse, AG, as collateral agent for the Secured First Lien Parties.
                        5.1*Opinion of Debevoise & Plimpton LLP.
                      10.1*Form of Stockholder Agreement between Access Industries, LLC and Warner Music Group Corp.
                      10.2*Form of Registration Rights Agreement between Access Industries, LLC and Warner Music Group Corp.
                      10.3(1)Credit Agreement, dated as of November  1, 2012, among WMG Acquisition Corp., each lender from time to time party thereto, Banc of AmericaCredit Suisse AG, as administrative agent, Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, Barclays Bank PLC, UBS Securities LLC, Macquarie Capital (USA) Inc. and Deutsche BankNomura Securities International, Inc., as Joint Lead Arrangersjoint bookrunners and Joint Book Managers, Lehman Brothers Inc.joint lead arrangers, and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated,Barclays Bank PLC and UBS Securities LLC, as Co-Arrangerssyndication agents, relating to a term loan credit facility.
                      10.4(1)Incremental Commitment Amendment, dated as of May  9, 2013, by and Joint Book Managers, Deutsche Bank Securities Inc.among WMG Acquisition Corp., the other Loan Parties (as defined therein), WMG Holdings Corp., and Lehman Commercial Paper Inc.,the several banks and financial institutions parties thereto as Co-Syndication Agents, Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, as Documentation Agent,Lenders and Bank of America, N.A., asthe Administrative Agent, Swing Line Lender and L/C Issueras defined therein.

                      II-6


                      10.2(3)

                      Exhibit
                      Number

                        

                      Exhibit Description

                      10.5(1)Second Amendment No. 1to Credit Agreement, dated as of July  15, 2016, among WMG Acquisition Corp., the guarantors party thereto, the lenders party thereto and Credit Suisse AG, as administrative agent, relating to the term loan facility.
                      10.6(1)Second Incremental Commitment Amendment, dated as of November  21, 2016, among WMG Acquisition Corp., the guarantors party thereto, the lenders party thereto and Credit Suisse AG, as administrative agent, relating to the term loan facility.
                      10.7(1)Third Incremental Commitment Amendment, dated as of May  22, 2017, among WMG Acquisition Corp., the other Loan Parties (as defined therein) party thereto, WMG Holdings Corp., the Administrative Agent (as defined therein) and Credit Suisse AG Cayman Islands Branch, as Tranche D Term Lender.
                      10.8(1)Fourth Incremental Commitment Amendment, dated as of December  6, 2017, among WMG Acquisition Corp., the other Loan Parties (as defined therein) party hereto, WMG Holdings Corp., the Administrative Agent (as defined therein) and Credit Suisse AG Cayman Islands Branch, as Tranche E Term Lender.
                      10.9(1)Increase Supplement to the Credit Agreement, dated as of September 30, 2004,March  14, 2018, among WMG Acquisition Corp., the Overseas BorrowersLoan Parties (as defined therein) party thereto, WMG Holdings Corp., Credit Suisse AG, Cayman Islands Branch, as increasing lender, and Credit Suisse AG, as administrative agent, relating to the term loan facility.
                      10.10(1)Fifth Incremental Commitment Amendment, dated as of June  7, 2018, among WMG Acquisition Corp., the other Loan Parties (as defined therein) party thereto, WMG Holdings Corp., the lenders party thereto, Banc of America Securities LLCAdministrative Agent (as defined therein) and Deutsche Bank Securities Inc.,Credit Suisse AG Cayman Islands Branch, as joint lead arrangers and joint book managers and various other partiesTranche F Term Lender.
                      10.11(1)  Guarantee Agreement, dated as of November  1, 2012, made by the persons listed on the signature pages thereto under the caption “Subsidiary Guarantors” and the Additional Guarantors in favor of the Secured Parties, relating to the term credit facility.

                      II-3


                      10.3(3)
                      10.12(1)  Amendment No. 2 to the Credit Agreement, dated as of December 6, 2004,January  31, 2018, among WMG Acquisition Corp., the Overseas Borrowerslenders from time to time party thereto, WMG Holdings Corp.,and Credit Suisse AG, as administrative agent, relating to the lenders party thereto, Banc of America Securities LLC and Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., as joint lead arrangers and joint book managers and various other partiesrevolving credit facility.
                      10.4
                      10.13(1)  Form of Proposed Amendment No. 3 to the Credit Agreement
                      10.5(3)Security Agreement, dated as of February 27, 2004, from the Grantors named to therein to Bank of America, N.A.
                      10.6(3)

                      Subsidiary Guaranty, dated as of February 27, 2004, fromJanuary  31, 2018, made by the Guarantors named thereinpersons listed on the signature pages thereto under the caption “Guarantors” and the Additional Guarantors named therein(as defined therein) in favor of the Secured Parties named in(as defined therein), relating to the Credit Agreement referred to thereinrevolving credit facility.

                      10.7(3)
                      10.14(1)  Parent Guaranty, dated as of February 27, 2004, from WMG Holdings Corp. in favor of the Secured Parties named in the

                      First Amendment to Credit Agreement referred to therein

                      10.8(3)Company Guaranty, dated as of February 27, 2004, from WMG Acquisition Corp. in favor of the Secured Parties named in the Credit Agreement referred to therein
                      10.9(3)Deed of Trust, Security Agreement, Assignment of Rents and Leases and Fixture Filing (Tennessee) by and from Warner Bros. Records, Inc. to Kay B. Housch in favor of Bank of America, N.A., dated as of February 29, 2004 (20, 24, 26 Music Square East)
                      10.10(3)Deed of Trust, Security Agreement, Assignment of Rents and Leases and Fixture Filing (Tennessee) by and from Warner Bros. Records, Inc. to Kay B. Housch in favor of Bank of America, N.A., dated as of February 29, 2004 (21 Music Square East)
                      10.11(3)Deed of Trust, Security Agreement, Assignment of Rents and Leases and Fixture Filing (California) by and from Warner Bros. Records, Inc. to MTC Financial Inc. in favor of Bank of America, N.A., dated as of February 29, 2004
                      10.12(3)Trademark Security Agreement, dated as of February 29, 2004, made by the Grantors listed on the signature pages thereto in favor of the Bank of America, N.A.
                      10.13(3)Copyright Security Agreement, dated as of February 29, 2004, made by the Grantors listed on the signature pages thereto in favor of the Bank of America, N.A.
                      10.14(3)Stockholders Agreement, dated as of February 29, 2004, among Warner Music Group Corp. (formerly known as WMG Parent Corp.), WMG Holdings Corp., WMG Acquisition Corp. and Certain Stockholders of Warner Music Group Corp.
                      10.15(3)Amendment No. 1 to Stockholder's Agreement, dated as of July 30, 2004, among Warner Music Group Corp. (formerly known as WMG Parent Corp.), WMG Holdings Corp., WMG Acquisition Corp., and Certain Stockholders of Warner Music Group Corp.
                      10.16(1)Form of Amended and Restated Stockholders Agreement
                      10.17(3)Seller Administrative Services Agreement, dated as of February 29, 2004, between Time Warner Inc. and WMG Acquisition Corp.
                      10.18(3)Amendment No. 1 to Seller Administrative Services Agreement, dated as of July 1, 2004, between Time Warner Inc. and WMG Acquisition Corp.
                      10.19(3)Purchaser Administrative Services Agreement, dated as of February 29, 2004, between Time Warner Inc. and WMG Acquisition Corp.

                      II-4


                      10.20(3)Management Agreement, dated as of February 29, 2004, among Warner Music Group Corp. (formerly known as WMG Parent Corp.), WMG Holdings Corp., WMG Acquisition Corp., THL Managers V, L.L.C., Bain Capital Partners, LLC, Providence Equity Partners IV Inc. and Music Partners Management, LLC
                      10.21Form of Termination Agreement of the Management Agreement
                      10.22(3)Warrant Agreement (MMT Warrants), February 29, 2004, Warner Music Group Corp. (formerly known as WMG Parent Corp.), WMG Holdings Corp. and Historic TW Inc.
                      10.23(3)Warrant Agreement (Three-Year Warrants), February 29, 2004, Warner Music Group Corp. (formerly known as WMG Parent Corp.), WMG Holdings Corp. and Historic TW Inc.
                      10.24(3)Employment Agreement, effective as of March 1, 2004, between WMG Acquisition Corp. and Edgar Bronfman, Jr.
                      10.25(3)Employment Agreement, dated as of January 25, 2004, between WMG Acquisition Corp. and Lyor Cohen
                      10.26(6)Employment Agreement, dated as of November 28, 2002, between Warner Music International Services Ltd. and Paul-René Albertini, assumed by WMG Acquisition Corp. on March 1, 2004, as amended by the amendment dated October 21, 2004, and as further amended by the amendment dated December 17, 2004
                      10.27(3)Employment Agreement, dated as of March 22, 1999, between Warner Music Inc. and Les Bider, as amended, assumed by WMG Acquisition Corp. on March 1, 2004
                      10.28(3)Employment Agreement, dated as of December 15, 1998, between Warner Music Inc. and David H. Johnson, as amended, assumed by WMG Acquisition Corp. on March 1, 2004
                      10.29(3)Office Lease, June 27, 2002, by and between Media Center Development, LLC and Warner Music Inc., as amended
                      10.30(3)Lease, dated as of February 1, 1996, between 1290 Associates, L.L.C. and Warner Communications Inc.
                      10.31(3)*U.S. Pick, Pack and Shipping Services Agreement, dated as of October 24, 2003, between Warner-Elektra-Atlantic Corporation9, 2019, among WMG Acquisition Corp., the lenders from time to time party thereto, and Cinram Distribution LLCCredit Suisse AG, as administrative agent, relating to the revolving credit facility.

                      10.32(3)*
                      10.15†(1)  U.S. Manufacturing and Packaging Agreement, dated as of October 24, 2003, between Warner-Elektra-Atlantic Corporation and Cinram Manufacturing Inc.
                      10.33(3)*International Pick, Pack and Shipping Services Agreement, dated as of October 24, 2003, between WEA International Inc. and Warner Music Manufacturing Europe GmbH Company
                      10.34(3)*International Manufacturing and Packaging Agreement, dated as of October 24, 2003, between WEA International Inc. and Warner Music Manufacturing Europe GmbH Company
                      10.35(3)Lease, dated as of February 29, 2004, between Historical TW Inc. and Warner Music Inc. regarding 75 Rockefeller Plaza
                      10.36(3)Consent to Assignment of Sublease, dated as of October 5, 2001, between 1290 Partners, L.P. and Warner Music Inc.
                      10.37(3)Restricted Stock Award Agreement, dated as of March 1, 2004, between Warner Music Group Corp. (formerly known as WMG Parent Corp.) and Edgar Bronfman, Jr.

                      II-5


                      10.38(3)Restricted Stock Award Agreement, dated as of March 1, 2004, between Warner Music Group Corp. (formerly known as WMG Parent Corp.) and Lyor Cohen
                      10.39(3)Form of WMG Parent Corp. LTIP Stock Option Agreement
                      10.40(3)Employment Agreement, dated as of December 21, 2004, between Warner Music Inc. and Michael D. Fleisher
                      10.41(4)Restricted Stock Award Agreement, dated as of January 28, 2005, between Warner Music Group Corp. (formerly known as WMG Parent Corp.) and David H. Johnson
                      10.42(3)Restricted Stock Award Agreement, dated as of December 31, 2004, between Warner Music Group Corp. (formerly known as WMG Parent Corp.) and Michael D. Fleisher
                      10.43(3)Stock Option Agreement, dated as of October 1, 2004, between Warner Music Group Corp. (formerly known as WMG Parent Corp.) and Paul-Rene Albertini
                      10.44(3)Stock OptionLetter Agreement, dated as of September 30, 2004,2014, between Warner Music Group Corp. (formerly known as WMG Parent Corp.)Inc. and Les BiderEric Levin.
                      10.45(6)
                      10.16†(1)  Restricted Stock AwardLetter Agreement, dated as of October 1, 2004,6, 2015, between Warner Music Group Corp. (formerly known as WMG Parent Corp.)Inc. and Paul-Rene AlbertiniEric Levin.
                      10.46(4)
                      10.17†(1)  SeparationLetter Agreement, dated as of December 2, 2016, between Warner Music Inc. and Release,Eric Levin.
                      10.18†(1)Letter Agreement, dated as of August 4, 2015, between Warner Music Inc. and Paul M. Robinson.
                      10.19†(1)Letter Agreement, dated May 2, 2018, between Warner Music Inc. and Eric Levin.
                      10.20†(1)Letter Agreement, dated May 2, 2018, between Warner Music Inc. and Paul M. Robinson.
                      10.21†(1)

                      Letter Agreement, dated as of January 8, 2019, between Warner Chappell Music, Inc. and Guy Moot.

                      II-7


                      Exhibit
                      Number

                      Exhibit Description

                      10.22†(1)

                      Service Agreement, dated as of January 8, 2019, between Warner Chappell Music Limited and Guy Moot.

                      10.23†(1)Letter Agreement, dated as of March 31, 2005,12, 2018, between Warner Chappell Music, Inc. (fka Warner Music Group Inc.) and Les BiderCarianne Marshall.
                      10.47(3)
                      10.24†(1)  Indenture, dated as of April 8, 2004, among WMG Acquisition Corp., the Guarantors named therein and Wells Fargo Bank, National Association
                      10.48(3)First Supplemental Indenture,Letter Agreement, dated as of November 16, 2004, among WMG Acquisition Corp., Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as Trustee, WEA Urban LLC2018, between Warner Chappell Music, Inc. and WEA Rock LLCCarianne Marshall.
                      10.49(6)
                      10.25†(1)  Indenture,Letter Agreement, dated as of December 23, 2004,January 8, 2019, between WMG Holdings Corp.Warner Chappell Music, Inc. and Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as TrusteeCarianne Marshall.
                      10.50(5)
                      10.26†(1)  EmploymentService Agreement, dated as of March 17, 2005,20, 2017, between Warner/ChappellMax Lousada and Warner Music Inc. and Richard BlackstoneInternational Services Limited.
                      10.51(5)
                      10.27†(1)  Restricted StockWarner Music Group Corp. Deferred Compensation Plan.
                      10.28†(1)Second Amended and Restated Warner Music Group Corp. Senior Management Free Cash Flow Plan.
                      10.29†(1)Form of Election for Warner Music Group Corp. Senior Management Free Cash Flow Plan.
                      10.30†(1)Form of Award Agreement dated asunder Warner Music Group Corp. Senior Management Free Cash Flow Plan.
                      10.31†(1)Form of March 17, 2005,Award Agreement for 2014 Additional Unit Allocation under Warner Music Group Corp. Senior Management Free Cash Flow Plan.
                      10.32†(1)Form of Indemnification Agreement between Warner Music Group Corp. and Richard Blackstoneits directors.
                      10.52
                      10.33†(1)  Second Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of WMG Management Holdings, LLC, dated as of March 10, 2017.
                      10.34(1)Lease, dated as of October  1, 2013, between Paramount Group, Inc., as agent for PGREF I 1633 Broadway Tower, L.P., and WMG Acquisition Corp. (the “Headquarters Lease”).
                      10.35(1)Guaranty of Headquarters Lease, dated as of October 1, 2013.
                      10.36(1)Assurance of Discontinuance, dated November 22, 2005.
                      10.37(1)Management Agreement, made as of July  20, 2011, by and among Warner Music Group Corp., WMG Holdings Corp, and Access Industries, Inc.
                      10.38(1)Lease, dated as of October 7, 2016, between Warner Acquisition Corp. and Sri Ten Santa Fe LLC.
                      10.39†(1)Form of Amendment to Warner Music Group Corp. Senior Management Free Cash Flow Plan.
                      10.40†*Form of Warner Music Group Corp. 2020 Omnibus Incentive Plan.
                      10.41(2)Second Supplemental IndentureAmendment to Credit Agreement, dated as of April  3, 2020, among WMG Acquisition Corp., Wells Fargo Bank, National Association,the several banks and other financial institutions party thereto and Credit Suisse AG, as Trustee, and NonZero LLCadministrative agent, relating to the revolving credit facility.
                      10.53
                      21.1(1)  Warrant Repurchase Agreement, dated asList of April 21, 2005, betweenSubsidiaries of Warner Music Group Corp. and Historic TW Inc.
                      21.1
                      23.1*  ListConsent of SubsidiariesKPMG.
                      23.1(6)
                      23.2*  Consent of Simpson ThacherDebevoise & BartlettPlimpton LLP (included as part of its opinion filed asin Exhibit 5.1 hereto).
                      23.2
                      24.1(1)  Consent of Ernst & Young LLP
                      24.1(6)Powers of Attorney for Warner Music Group Corp.
                      (b)Financial(contained on signature pages to the Registration Statement Schedules
                      Schedule II—Valuation and Qualifying Accountson FormS-1).

                      *

                      Filed herewith.

                      (1)

                      Filed previously on February 6, 2020.

                      (2)

                      Filed previously on May 7, 2020.

                      Identifies each management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement in which directors and/or executive officers are eligible to participate.

                      II-8


                      *
                      Exhibit omits certain information that has been filed separately with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to a confidential treatment request pursuant to Rule 406 promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

                      II-6


                      (1)
                      To be filed by amendment.
                      (2)
                      Incorporated by reference to WMG Acquisition Corp.'s Amendment No. 1 to the Registration Statement on Form S-4 (File No. 333-121322).
                      (3)
                      Incorporated by reference to WMG Acquisition Corp.'s Amendment No. 2 to the Registration Statement on Form S-4 (File No. 333-121322).
                      (4)
                      Incorporated by reference to WMG Acquisition Corp.'s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on April 1, 2005.
                      (5)
                      Incorporated by reference to WMG Acquisition Corp.'s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on April 11, 2005.
                      (6)
                      Previously filed.

                      (a)
                      Schedule I—Warner Music Group Corp. Condensed Financial Statements (Parent only)

                      (b)
                      Schedule II—Valuation and Qualifying Accounts

                      Item 17.    Undertakings.SIGNATURES

                              Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers, or controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrants of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrants in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrants will, unless in the opinion of it counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

                              The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that:

                              (1)   For purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, the information omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of this registration statement in reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in a form of prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(1) or (4)or 497(h) under the Securities Act shall be deemed to be part of this registration statement as of the time it was declared effective.

                              (2)   For the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each post-effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

                              The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to provide to the underwriters at the closing specified in the underwriting agreements certificates in such denominations and registered in such names as required by the underwriters to permit prompt delivery to each purchaser.

                      II-7



                      SIGNATURES

                      Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, Warner Music Group Corp. has duly caused this amendment to the registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the cityCity of New York, stateState of New York on April 22, 2005.May 26, 2020.

                      WARNER MUSIC GROUP CORP.



                      By:

                                          /s/  
                      PAUL ROBINSON      
                      By: 

                      /s/ Stephen Cooper


                      Name: Paul Robinson
                      Stephen Cooper
                      Title: Senior Vice President and
                                   Deputy General CounselChief Executive Officer

                      Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this amendment to the registration statement has been signed on May 26, 2020 by the following persons in the capacities indicated on April 22, 2005.indicated.

                      Signature

                      Title



                      Signature

                      Title

                      *


                      Edgar Bronfman, Jr.

                        Chief Executive Officer; Director (Principal Executive Officer)
                      Stephen Cooper

                      *

                      Eric Levin

                      Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer)

                      *

                      Michael Lynton

                      Chairman
                      of the Board of Directors
                      (Principal Executive Officer)

                      *

                      Michael D. Fleisher


                      Chief Financial Officer
                      (Principal Financial Officer and
                      Principal Accounting Officer)

                      *


                      Len Blavatnik


                        

                      Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors

                      *

                      Lincoln Benet

                      Director

                      *

                      Charles A. Brizius

                      *

                      Alex Blavatnik


                      Director

                      Signature

                      Title

                      *

                      Mathias Döpfner

                      Director

                      *

                      John P. Connaughton

                      *

                      Noreena Hertz


                      Director

                      *

                      Scott L. Jaeckel

                      *

                      Ynon Kreiz


                      Director

                      *

                      Seth W. Lawry

                      *

                      Max Lousada


                      Director

                      *

                      Thomas H. Lee

                        

                      II-8



                      *

                      Thomas H. Lee


                      Director

                      *

                      Ian Loring


                      Director

                      *


                      Jonathan M. Nelson

                      Donald A. Wagner


                        

                      Director

                      *

                      Mark Nunnelly


                      Director

                      *

                      Scott M. Sperling


                      Director

                      *By:


                      /s/  
                      PAUL ROBINSON      
                      Attorney-in-Fact




                      II-9



                      EXHIBIT INDEX

                      Exhibit No.
                      Description

                      1.1

                      *By:

                       Form of Underwriting Agreement
                      2.1(2)

                      /s/ Paul M. Robinson

                      Paul M. Robinson

                      as Attorney-in-Fact

                        Purchase Agreement, dated as of November 24, 2003 between Time Warner Inc. and WMG Acquisition Corp., as amended
                      3.1(6)Form of Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Warner Music Group Corp.
                      3.2(6)Form of Amended and Restated Bylaws of Warner Music Group Corp.
                      4.1(6)Form of Certificate of Warner Music Group Corp.'s common stock
                      5.1(6)Opinion of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, dated as of April 18, 2005
                      10.1(3)Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated as of April 8, 2004, among WMG Acquisition Corp., the Overseas Borrowers from time to time party thereto, WMG Holdings Corp., each lender from time to time party thereto Banc of America Securities LLC and Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., as Joint Lead Arrangers and Joint Book Managers, Lehman Brothers Inc. and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, as Co-Arrangers and Joint Book Managers, Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. and Lehman Commercial Paper Inc., as Co-Syndication Agents, Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, as Documentation Agent, and Bank of America, N.A., as Administrative Agent, Swing Line Lender and L/C Issuer
                      10.2(3)Amendment No. 1 to the Credit Agreement, dated as of September 30, 2004, among WMG Acquisition Corp., the Overseas Borrowers party thereto, WMG Holdings Corp., the lenders party thereto, Banc of America Securities LLC and Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., as joint lead arrangers and joint book managers and various other parties
                      10.3(3)Amendment No. 2 to the Credit Agreement, dated as of December 6, 2004, among WMG Acquisition Corp., the Overseas Borrowers party thereto, WMG Holdings Corp., the lenders party thereto, Banc of America Securities LLC and Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., as joint lead arrangers and joint book managers and various other parties
                      10.4Form of Proposed Amendment No. 3 to the Credit Agreement
                      10.5(3)Security Agreement, dated as of February 27, 2004, from the Grantors named to therein to Bank of America, N.A.
                      10.6(3)Subsidiary Guaranty, dated as of February 27, 2004, from the Guarantors named therein and the Additional Guarantors named therein in favor of the Secured Parties named in the Credit Agreement referred to therein
                      10.7(3)Parent Guaranty, dated as of February 27, 2004, from WMG Holdings Corp. in favor of the Secured Parties named in the Credit Agreement referred to therein
                      10.8(3)Company Guaranty, dated as of February 27, 2004, from WMG Acquisition Corp. in favor of the Secured Parties named in the Credit Agreement referred to therein
                      10.9(3)Deed of Trust, Security Agreement, Assignment of Rents and Leases and Fixture Filing (Tennessee) by and from Warner Bros. Records, Inc. to Kay B. Housch in favor of Bank of America, N.A., dated as of February 29, 2004 (20, 24, 26 Music Square East)
                      10.10(3)Deed of Trust, Security Agreement, Assignment of Rents and Leases and Fixture Filing (Tennessee) by and from Warner Bros. Records, Inc. to Kay B. Housch in favor of Bank of America, N.A., dated as of February 29, 2004 (21 Music Square East)
                      10.11(3)Deed of Trust, Security Agreement, Assignment of Rents and Leases and Fixture Filing (California) by and from Warner Bros. Records, Inc. to MTC Financial Inc. in favor of Bank of America, N.A., dated as of February 29, 2004
                      10.12(3)Trademark Security Agreement, dated as of February 29, 2004, made by the Grantors listed on the signature pages thereto in favor of the Bank of America, N.A.
                      10.13(3)Copyright Security Agreement, dated as of February 29, 2004, made by the Grantors listed on the signature pages thereto in favor of the Bank of America, N.A.
                      10.14(3)Stockholders Agreement, dated as of February 29, 2004, among Warner Music Group Corp. (formerly known as WMG Parent Corp., WMG Holdings Corp., WMG Acquisition Corp. and Certain Stockholders of Warner Music Group Corp.

                      10.15(3)Amendment No. 1 to Stockholder's Agreement, dated as of July 30, 2004, among Warner Music Group Corp. (formerly known as WMG Parent Corp.), WMG Holdings Corp., WMG Acquisition Corp., and Certain Stockholders of Warner Music Group Corp.
                      10.16(1)Form of Amended and Restated Stockholders Agreement
                      10.17(3)Seller Administrative Services Agreement, dated as of February 29, 2004, between Time Warner Inc. and WMG Acquisition Corp.
                      10.18(3)Amendment No. 1 to Seller Administrative Services Agreement, dated as of July 1, 2004, between Time Warner Inc. and WMG Acquisition Corp.
                      10.19(3)Purchaser Administrative Services Agreement, dated as of February 29, 2004, between Time Warner Inc. and WMG Acquisition Corp.
                      10.20(3)Management Agreement, dated as of February 29, 2004, among Warner Music Group Corp. (formerly known as WMG Parent Corp.), WMG Holdings Corp., WMG Acquisition Corp., THL Managers V, L.L.C., Bain Capital Partners, LLC, Providence Equity Partners IV Inc. and Music Partners Management, LLC
                      10.21Form of Termination Agreement of the Management Agreement
                      10.22(3)Warrant Agreement (MMT Warrants), February 29, 2004, Warner Music Group Corp. (formerly known as WMG Parent Corp.), WMG Holdings Corp. and Historic TW Inc.
                      10.23(3)Warrant Agreement (Three-Year Warrants), February 29, 2004, Warner Music Group Corp. (formerly known as WMG Parent Corp.), WMG Holdings Corp. and Historic TW Inc.
                      10.24(3)Employment Agreement, effective as of March 1, 2004, between WMG Acquisition Corp. and Edgar Bronfman, Jr.
                      10.25(3)Employment Agreement, dated as of January 25, 2004, between WMG Acquisition Corp. and Lyor Cohen
                      10.26(6)Employment Agreement, dated as of November 28, 2002, between Warner Music International Services Ltd. and Paul-René Albertini, assumed by WMG Acquisition Corp. on March 1, 2004, as amended by the amendment dated October 21, 2004, and as further amended by the amendment dated December 17, 2004
                      10.27(3)Employment Agreement, dated as of March 22, 1999, between Warner Music Inc. and Les Bider, as amended, assumed by WMG Acquisition Corp. on March 1, 2004
                      10.28(3)Employment Agreement, dated as of December 15, 1998, between Warner Music Inc. and David H. Johnson, as amended, assumed by WMG Acquisition Corp. on March 1, 2004
                      10.29(3)Office Lease, June 27, 2002, by and between Media Center Development, LLC and Warner Music Inc., as amended
                      10.30(3)Lease, dated as of February 1, 1996, between 1290 Associates, L.L.C. and Warner Communications Inc.
                      10.31(3)*U.S. Pick, Pack and Shipping Services Agreement, dated as of October 24, 2003, between Warner-Elektra-Atlantic Corporation and Cinram Distribution LLC
                      10.32(3)*U.S. Manufacturing and Packaging Agreement, dated as of October 24, 2003, between Warner-Elektra-Atlantic Corporation and Cinram Manufacturing Inc.
                      10.33(3)*International Pick, Pack and Shipping Services Agreement, dated as of October 24, 2003, between WEA International Inc. and Warner Music Manufacturing Europe GmbH Company
                      10.34(3)*International Manufacturing and Packaging Agreement, dated as of October 24, 2003, between WEA International Inc. and Warner Music Manufacturing Europe GmbH Company
                      10.35(3)Lease, dated as of February 29, 2004, between Historical TW Inc. and Warner Music Inc. regarding 75 Rockefeller Plaza
                      10.36(3)Consent to Assignment of Sublease, dated as of October 5, 2001, between 1290 Partners, L.P. and Warner Music Inc.
                      10.37(3)Restricted Stock Award Agreement, dated as of March 1, 2004, between Warner Music Group Corp. (formerly known as WMG Parent Corp.) and Edgar Bronfman, Jr.

                      S-2

                      10.38(3)Restricted Stock Award Agreement, dated as of March 1, 2004, between Warner Music Group Corp. (formerly known as WMG Parent Corp.) and Lyor Cohen
                      10.39(3)Form of WMG Parent Corp. LTIP Stock Option Agreement
                      10.40(3)Employment Agreement, dated as of December 21, 2004, between Warner Music Inc. and Michael D. Fleisher
                      10.41(5)Restricted Stock Award Agreement, dated as of January 28, 2005, between Warner Music Group Corp. (formerly known as WMG Parent Corp.) and David H. Johnson
                      10.42(3)Restricted Stock Award Agreement, dated as of December 31, 2004, between Warner Music Group Corp. (formerly known as WMG Parent Corp.) and Michael D. Fleisher
                      10.43(3)Stock Option Agreement, dated as of October 1, 2004, between Warner Music Group Corp. (formerly known as WMG Parent Corp.) and Paul-Rene Albertini
                      10.44(3)Stock Option Agreement, dated as of September 30, 2004, between Warner Music Group Corp. (formerly known as WMG Parent Corp.) and Les Bider
                      10.45(6)Restricted Stock Award Agreement, dated as of October 1, 2004, between Warner Music Group Corp. (formerly known as WMG Parent Corp.) and Paul-Rene Albertini
                      10.46(4)Separation Agreement and Release, dated as of March 31, 2005, between Warner Music Inc. (fka Warner Music Group Inc.) and Les Bider
                      10.47(3)Indenture, dated as of April 8, 2004, among WMG Acquisition Corp., the Guarantors named therein and Wells Fargo Bank, National Association
                      10.48(3)First Supplemental Indenture, dated as of November 16, 2004, among WMG Acquisition Corp., Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as Trustee, WEA Urban LLC and WEA Rock LLC
                      10.49(6)Indenture, dated as of December 23, 2004, between WMG Holdings Corp. and Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as Trustee
                      10.50(5)Employment Agreement, dated as of March 17, 2005, between Warner/Chappell Music, Inc. and Richard Blackstone
                      10.51(5)Restricted Stock Award Agreement, dated as of March 17, 2005, between Warner Music Group Corp. and Richard Blackstone
                      10.52Form of Second Supplemental Indenture among WMG Acquisition Corp., Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as Trustee, and NonZero LLC
                      10.53Warrant Repurchase Agreement, dated as of April 21, 2005, between Warner Music Group Corp. and Historic TW Inc.
                      21.1List of Subsidiaries
                      23.1(6)Consent of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP (included as part of its opinion filed as Exhibit 5.1 hereto)
                      23.2Consent of Ernst & Young LLP
                      24.1(6)Powers of Attorney for Warner Music Group Corp. (included on signature page of the Registration Statement)
                      (b)Financial Statement Schedules
                      Schedule I—Warner Music Group Corp. Condensed Financial Statements (Parent only)
                      Schedule II—Valuation and Qualifying Accounts

                      *
                      Exhibit omits certain information that has been filed separately with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to a confidential treatment request pursuant to Rule 406 promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
                      (1)
                      To be filed by amendment.
                      (2)
                      Incorporated by reference to WMG Acquisition Corp.'s Amendment No. 1 to the Registration Statement on Form S-4 (File No. 333-121322).
                      (3)
                      Incorporated by reference to WMG Acquisition Corp.'s Amendment No. 2 to the Registration Statement on Form S-4 (File No. 333-121322).
                      (4)
                      Incorporated by reference to WMG Acquisition Corp.'s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on
                      April 1, 2005.
                      (5)
                      Incorporated by reference to WMG Acquisition Corp.'s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on
                      April 11, 2005.
                      (6)
                      Previously filed.



                      QuickLinks

                      Common Stock
                      TABLE OF CONTENTS
                      MARKET AND INDUSTRY DATA AND FORECASTS
                      PROSPECTUS SUMMARY
                      THE OFFERING
                      BASIS OF PRESENTATION
                      Risk Factors
                      SUMMARY HISTORICAL AND PRO FORMA FINANCIAL AND OTHER DATA
                      RISK FACTORS
                      Risks Related to the Business
                      Risks Related to our Leverage
                      Risks Related To This Offering
                      SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
                      USE OF PROCEEDS
                      DIVIDEND POLICY
                      CAPITALIZATION
                      DILUTION
                      THE TRANSACTIONS
                      PRO FORMA CONSOLIDATED CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
                      WARNER MUSIC GROUP CORP. PRO FORMA CONSOLIDATED CONDENSED BALANCE SHEET As of December 31, 2004
                      WARNER MUSIC GROUP CORP. PRO FORMA CONSOLIDATED CONDENSED STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS For the Twelve Months Ended September 30, 2004
                      WARNER MUSIC GROUP CORP. NOTES TO THE PRO FORMA CONSOLIDATED CONDENSED STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS
                      WARNER MUSIC GROUP CORP. PRO FORMA CONSOLIDATED CONDENSED STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS For the Three Months Ended December 31, 2004
                      SELECTED HISTORICAL CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL AND OTHER DATA
                      MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
                      INDUSTRY OVERVIEW
                      BUSINESS
                      Representative Worldwide Recorded Music Artists
                      Music Publishing Portfolio Representative Songwriters
                      MANAGEMENT
                      Summary Compensation Table
                      Stock Option Grants in Warner Music Group in the Ten Month Fiscal Year Ended September 30, 2004 (1)
                      PRINCIPAL AND SELLING STOCKHOLDERS
                      CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
                      DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK
                      SHARES ELIGIBLE FOR FUTURE SALE
                      DESCRIPTION OF INDEBTEDNESS
                      CERTAIN U.S. FEDERAL INCOME AND ESTATE TAX CONSEQUENCES TO NON-U.S. HOLDERS
                      UNDERWRITING
                      Paid by the Company
                      Paid by the Selling Stockholders
                      LEGAL MATTERS
                      EXPERTS
                      AVAILABLE INFORMATION
                      WARNER MUSIC GROUP CORP. (formerly known as WMG Parent Corp.) INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED AND COMBINED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
                      Contents
                      Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
                      Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
                      Warner Music Group Corp. (formerly known as WMG Parent Corp.) Consolidated and Combined Balance Sheets
                      See accompanying notes.
                      Warner Music Group Corp. (formerly known as WMG Parent Corp.) Consolidated and Combined Statements of Operations
                      Warner Music Group Corp. (formerly known as WMG Parent Corp.) Consolidated and Combined Statements of Cash Flows
                      See accompanying notes.
                      Warner Music Group Corp. (formerly known as WMG Parent Corp.) Consolidated and Combined Statements of Shareholders' and Group Equity
                      Warner Music Group Corp. (formerly known as WMG Parent Corp.) Notes to Consolidated and Combined Financial Statements
                      Warner Music Group Corp. (formerly known as WMG Parent Corp.) Schedule I—Condensed Balance Sheets (Parent Only)
                      Warner Music Group Corp. (formerly known as WMG Parent Corp.) Schedule I—Condensed Statement of Operations (Parent Only)
                      Warner Music Group Corp. (formerly known as WMG Parent Corp.) Schedule I—Condensed Statement of Cash Flows (Parent Only)
                      Warner Music Group Corp. (formerly known as WMG Parent Corp.) Schedule I—Notes to Condensed Financial Statements (Parent Only)
                      Warner Music Group Corp. (formerly known as WMG Parent Corp.)
                      Schedule II—Valuation and Qualifying Accounts Seven Months Ended September 30, 2004, Three Months Ended February 29, 2004 and Years Ended November 30, 2003 and 2002
                      Warner Music Group Corp. (formerly known as WMG Parent Corp.) Consolidated Balance Sheets
                      Warner Music Group Corp. (formerly known as WMG Parent Corp.) Consolidated and Combined Statements of Operations (Unaudited)
                      Warner Music Group Corp. (formerly known as WMG Parent Corp.) Consolidated and Combined Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited)
                      Warner Music Group Corp. (formerly known as WMG Parent Corp.) Consolidated and Combined Statements of Shareholders' and Group Equity (Unaudited)
                      Warner Music Group Corp. (formerly known as WMG Parent Corp.) Notes to Consolidated and Combined Interim Financial Statements (Unaudited)
                      PART II INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS
                      SIGNATURES
                      EXHIBIT INDEX