FORM 10-Q
Table of Contents

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

FORM 10-Q

 

 

(Mark One)

x QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the quarterly period ended June 30, 2011

OR

 

¨ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Commission File Number 001-32502

 

 

Warner Music Group Corp.

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

 

Delaware   13-4271875

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification No.)

75 Rockefeller Plaza

New York, NY 10019

(Address of principal executive offices)

(212) 275-2000

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

 

 

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes  ¨    No  x

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).    Yes  ¨    No  ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer”, “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

 

Large accelerated filer   ¨    Accelerated filer   ¨
Non-accelerated filer   x  (Do not check if a smaller reporting company)    Smaller reporting company   ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.)    Yes   ¨    No  x

As of August 3, 2011, the number of shares of the Registrant’s common stock, par value $0.001 per share, outstanding was 1,000. All of the Registrant’s common stock is owned by Airplanes Music LLC, which is an affiliate of Access Industries, Inc.

 

 

 


Table of Contents

WARNER MUSIC GROUP CORP.

INDEX

 

          Page  

Part I.

  

Financial Information

  

Item 1.

  

Financial Statements (Unaudited)

     3   
  

Consolidated Balance Sheets as of June 30, 2011 and September 30, 2010

     3   
  

Consolidated Statements of Operations for the Three and Nine Months Ended June 30, 2011 and 2010

     4   
  

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the Nine Months Ended June 30, 2011 and 2010

     5   
  

Consolidated Statement of Deficit for the Nine Months Ended June 30, 2011

     6   
  

Notes to Consolidated Interim Financial Statements

     7   
  

Supplementary Information—Consolidating Financial Statements

     17   

Item 2.

  

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

     24   

Item 3.

  

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

     57   

Item 4.

  

Controls and Procedures

     57   

Part II.

  

Other Information

  

Item 1.

  

Legal Proceedings

     58   

Item 1A.

  

Risk Factors

     59   

Item 2.

  

Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

     68   

Item 3.

  

Defaults Upon Senior Securities

     68   

Item 4.

  

(Removed and Reserved)

     68   

Item 5.

  

Other Information

     68   

Item 6.

  

Exhibits

     69   

Signatures

     71   

 

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Table of Contents
ITEM 1. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Warner Music Group Corp.

Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited)

 

     June 30,
2011
    September 30,
2010
 
     (in millions)  

Assets

    

Current assets:

    

Cash and equivalents

   $ 290      $ 439   

Accounts receivable, less allowances of $83 and $111 million

     357        434   

Inventories

     28        37   

Royalty advances expected to be recouped within one year

     160        143   

Deferred tax assets

     30        30   

Other current assets

     89        78   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total current assets

     954        1,161   

Royalty advances expected to be recouped after one year

     196        189   

Property, plant and equipment, net

     124        121   

Goodwill

     1,087        1,057   

Intangible assets subject to amortization, net

     1,062        1,119   

Intangible assets not subject to amortization

     100        100   

Other assets

     60        64   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total assets

   $ 3,583      $ 3,811   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Liabilities and Deficit

    

Current liabilities:

    

Accounts payable

   $ 141      $ 206   

Accrued royalties

     1,038        1,034   

Accrued liabilities

     226        314   

Accrued interest

     15        59   

Deferred revenue

     132        100   

Other current liabilities

     32        40   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total current liabilities

     1,584        1,753   

Long-term debt

     1,952        1,945   

Deferred tax liabilities

     164        169   

Other noncurrent liabilities

     172        155   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total liabilities

     3,872        4,022   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Commitments and Contingencies (See Note 9)

    

Deficit:

    

Common stock ($0.001 par value; 500,000,000 shares authorized; 156,670,273 and 154,950,776 shares issued and outstanding)

     —         —     

Additional paid-in capital

     627        611   

Accumulated deficit

     (1,031     (929

Accumulated other comprehensive income, net

     66        53   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Warner Music Group Corp. shareholders’ deficit

     (338     (265

Noncontrolling interest

     49        54   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total deficit

     (289     (211
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total liabilities and deficit

   $ 3,583      $ 3,811   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

See accompanying notes.

 

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Table of Contents

Warner Music Group Corp.

Consolidated Statements of Operations (Unaudited)

 

     Three Months
Ended
June 30,
    Nine Months
Ended
June 30,
 
     2011     2010     2011     2010  
     (in millions, except per share data)  

Revenues

   $ 686      $ 652      $ 2,157      $ 2,232   

Costs and expenses:

        

Cost of revenues

     (378     (353     (1,177     (1,193

Selling, general and administrative expenses (a)

     (242     (245     (762     (804

Amortization of intangible assets

     (56     (55     (165     (165
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total costs and expenses

     (676     (653     (2,104     (2,162
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating income (loss)

     10        (1     53        70   

Interest expense, net

     (47     (46     (141     (143

Other income (expense), net

     6        1        5        (2
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Loss before income taxes

     (31     (46     (83     (75

Income tax expense

     (15     (9     (20     (24
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net loss

     (46     (55     (103     (99

Less: loss attributable to noncontrolling interest

     —          —          1        2   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net loss attributable to Warner Music Group Corp.

   $ (46   $ (55   $ (102   $ (97
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net loss per common share attributable to Warner Music Group Corp.:

        
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Basic

   $ (0.30   $ (0.37   $ (0.68   $ (0.65
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Diluted

   $ (0.30   $ (0.37   $ (0.68   $ (0.65
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Weighted average common shares:

        

Basic

     151.8        149.7        150.8        149.6   

Diluted

     151.8        149.7        150.8        149.6   

(a) Includes depreciation expense of:

   $ (11   $ (10   $ (31   $ (28

See accompanying notes.

 

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Table of Contents

Warner Music Group Corp.

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited)

 

     Nine Months
Ended
June 30, 2011
    Nine Months
Ended
June 30, 2010
 
     (in millions)  

Cash flows from operating activities

    

Net loss

   $ (103   $ (99

Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash (used in) provided by operating activities:

    

Depreciation and amortization

     196        193   

Deferred income taxes

     (11     (9

Impairment of cost-method investment

     —         1   

Non-cash interest expense

     9        17   

Non-cash stock-based compensation expense

     10        7   

Other non-cash items

     (2     (5

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

    

Accounts receivable

     93        173   

Inventories

     10        7   

Royalty advances

     (15     2   

Accounts payable and accrued liabilities

     (169     (135

Accrued interest

     (44     (42

Other balance sheet changes

     8        (10
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities

     (18     100   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Cash flows from investing activities

    

Investments and acquisitions of businesses

     (59     (1

Acquisition of publishing rights

     (58     (39

Proceeds from the sale of investments

     —          9   

Capital expenditures

     (34     (30
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net cash used in investing activities

     (151     (61
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Cash flows from financing activities

    

Proceeds from exercise of stock options

     6        —     

Distribution to noncontrolling interest holder

     (1     (2
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities

     5        (2
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and equivalents

     15        (21
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net (decrease) increase in cash and equivalents

     (149     16   

Cash and equivalents at beginning of period

     439        384   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Cash and equivalents at end of period

   $ 290      $ 400   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

See accompanying notes.

 

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Table of Contents

Warner Music Group Corp.

Consolidated Statement of Deficit (Unaudited)

 

    Common Stock     Additional
Paid-in
    Accumulated     Accumulated
Other
Comprehensive
    Total
Warner Music
Group Corp.
Shareholders’
    Noncontrolling     Total
Equity
 
    Shares     Value     Capital     Deficit     Income     Deficit     Interests     (Deficit)  
    (in millions, except number of common shares)  

Balance at September 30, 2010

    154,950,776      $ 0.001      $ 611      $ (929   $ 53      $ (265   $ 54      $ (211

Comprehensive loss:

               

Net loss

    —         —         —         (102     —         (102     (1     (103

Foreign currency translation adjustment

    —         —         —         —         11        11        —         11   

Deferred gains on derivative financial instruments

    —         —         —         —         2        2        —         2   
                                 

Total comprehensive loss

              (89     (1     (90

Noncontrolling interests of acquired businesses

    —         —         —         —         —         —          (4     (4

Stock based compensation

    44,963        —         10        —         —         10        —         10   

Exercises of stock options

    1,674,534        —         6       —         —         6        —          6   
                                                               

Balance at June 30, 2011

    156,670,273      $ 0.001      $ 627      $ (1,031   $ 66      $ (338   $ 49      $ (289
                                                               

See accompanying notes.

 

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Warner Music Group Corp.

Notes to Consolidated Interim Financial Statements (Unaudited)

1. Description of Business

Warner Music Group Corp. (the “Company”) was formed on November 21, 2003. The Company is the direct parent of WMG Holdings Corp. (“Holdings”), which is the direct parent of WMG Acquisition Corp. (“Acquisition Corp.”). Acquisition Corp. is one of the world’s major music-based content companies.

Pursuant to the Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of May 6, 2011 (the “Merger Agreement”), by and among the Company, 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 Airplanes (“Merger Sub”), on July 20, 2011 (the “Closing Date”), Merger Sub merged with and into the Company with the Company surviving as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Parent (the “Merger”).

On July 20, 2011, in connection with the Merger, each outstanding share of common stock of the Company (other than any shares owned by the Company or its wholly-owned subsidiaries, or by Parent and its affiliates, or by any stockholders who were entitled to and who properly exercised appraisal rights under Delaware law, and shares of unvested restricted stock granted under the Company’s equity plan) was cancelled and converted automatically into the right to receive $8.25 in cash, without interest and less applicable withholding taxes (collectively, the “Merger Consideration”).

On July 20, 2011, the Company notified the New York Stock Exchange, Inc. (the “NYSE”) of its intent to remove the Company’s common stock from listing on the NYSE and requested that the NYSE file with the SEC an application on Form 25 to report the delisting of the Company’s common stock from the NYSE. On July 21, 2011, in accordance with the Company’s request, the NYSE filed the Form 25 with the SEC in order to provide notification of such delisting and to effect the deregistration of the Company’s common stock under Section 12(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). On August 2, 2011 the Company filed a Form 15 with the SEC in order to provide notification of a suspension of its duty to file reports under Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act.

Parent funded the Merger Consideration through cash on hand at the Company at closing, equity financing obtained from Parent and debt financing obtained from third party lenders. See Note 14, Subsequent Events.

The Company classifies its business interests into two fundamental operations: Recorded Music and Music Publishing. A brief description of these operations is presented below.

Recorded Music Operations

The Company’s Recorded Music business primarily consists of the discovery and development of artists and the related marketing, distribution and licensing of recorded music produced by such artists.

The Company is also diversifying its revenues beyond its traditional businesses by entering into expanded-rights deals with recording artists in order to partner with artists in other areas of their careers. Under these agreements, the Company provides services to and participates in artists’ activities outside the traditional recorded music business. The Company has built artist services capabilities and platforms for exploiting this broader set of music-related rights and participating more broadly in the monetization of the artist brands it helps create. In developing the Company’s artist services business, the Company has both built and expanded in-house capabilities and expertise and has acquired a number of existing artist services companies involved in artist management, merchandising, strategic marketing and brand management, ticketing, concert promotion, fan clubs, original programming and video entertainment. The Company believes that entering into expanded-rights deals and enhancing its artist services capabilities associated with the Company’s artists and other artists will permit it to diversify revenue streams to better capitalize on the growth areas of the music industry and permit it to build stronger, long-term relationships with artists and more effectively connect artists and fans.

In the U.S., Recorded Music operations are conducted principally through the Company’s major record labels—Warner Bros. Records and The Atlantic Records Group. The Company’s Recorded Music operations also include Rhino, a division that specializes in marketing the Company’s music catalog through compilations and reissuances of previously released music and video titles, as well as in the licensing of recordings to and from third parties for various uses, including film and television soundtracks. Rhino has also become the Company’s primary licensing division focused on acquiring broader licensing rights from certain catalog artists. For example, the Company has an exclusive license with The Grateful Dead to manage the band’s intellectual property and a 50% interest in Frank Sinatra Enterprises, an entity that administers licenses for use of Frank Sinatra’s name and likeness and manages all aspects of his music, film and stage content. The Company also conducts its Recorded Music operations through a collection of additional record labels, including, among others, Asylum, Cordless, East West, Elektra, Nonesuch, Reprise, Roadrunner, Rykodisc, Sire and Word.

 

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Outside the U.S., Recorded Music activities are conducted in more than 50 countries primarily through Warner Music International (“WMI”) and its various subsidiaries, affiliates and non-affiliated licensees. WMI engages in the same activities as the Company’s U.S. labels: discovering and signing artists and distributing, marketing and selling their recorded music. In most cases, WMI also markets and distributes the records of those artists for whom the Company’s U.S. record labels have international rights. In certain smaller markets, WMI licenses to unaffiliated third-party record labels the right to distribute its records. The Company’s international artist services operations also include a network of concert promoters through which WMI provides resources to coordinate tours for the Company’s artists and other artists.

Recorded Music distribution operations include WEA Corp., which markets and sells music and DVD products to retailers and wholesale distributors in the U.S.; ADA, which distributes the products of independent labels to retail and wholesale distributors in the U.S.; various distribution centers and ventures operated internationally; an 80% interest in Word Entertainment, which specializes in the distribution of music products in the Christian retail marketplace and ADA Global, which provides distribution services outside of the U.S. through a network of affiliated and non-affiliated distributors.

The Company plays an integral role in virtually all aspects of the recorded music value chain from discovering and developing talent to producing albums and promoting artists and their products. After an artist has entered into a contract with one of the Company’s record labels, a master recording of the artist’s music is created. The recording is then replicated for sale to consumers primarily in the CD and digital formats. In the U.S., WEA Corp., ADA and Word market, sell and deliver product, either directly or through sub-distributors and wholesalers, to record stores, mass merchants and other retailers. The Company’s recorded music products are also sold in physical form to online physical retailers such as Amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com and bestbuy.com and in digital form to online digital retailers like Apple’s iTunes and mobile full-track download stores such as those operated by Verizon or Sprint. In the case of expanded-rights deals where the Company acquires broader rights in a recording artist’s career, the Company may provide more comprehensive career support and actively develop new opportunities for an artist through touring, fan clubs, merchandising and sponsorships, among other areas. The Company believes expanded-rights deals create better partnerships with its artists, which allow the Company and its artists to work together more closely to create and sustain artistic and commercial success.

The Company has integrated the sale of digital content into all aspects of its Recorded Music and Music Publishing businesses including A&R, marketing, promotion and distribution. The Company’s new media executives work closely with A&R departments to make sure that while a record is being made, digital assets are also created with all of its distribution channels in mind, including subscription services, social networking sites, online portals and music-centered destinations. The Company works side by side with its mobile and online partners to test new concepts. The Company believes existing and new digital businesses will be a significant source of growth for the next several years and will provide new opportunities to monetize its assets and create new revenue streams. As a music-based content company, the Company has assets that go beyond its recorded music and music publishing catalogs, such as its music video library, which it has begun to monetize through digital channels. The proportion of digital revenues attributed to each distribution channel varies by region and since digital music is in the relatively early stages of growth, proportions may change as the roll out of new technologies continues. As an owner of musical content, the Company believes it is well positioned to take advantage of growth in digital distribution and emerging technologies to maximize the value of its assets.

Music Publishing Operations

Where recorded music is focused on exploiting a particular recording of a composition, music publishing is an intellectual property business focused on the exploitation of the composition itself. In return for promoting, placing, marketing and administering the creative output of a songwriter, or engaging in those activities for other rights holders, the Company’s Music Publishing business garners a share of the revenues generated from use of the composition.

The Company’s Music Publishing operations include Warner/Chappell, its global Music Publishing company, headquartered in New York with operations in over 50 countries through various subsidiaries, affiliates and non-affiliated licensees. The Company owns or controls rights to more than one million musical compositions, including numerous pop hits, American standards, folk songs and motion picture and theatrical compositions. Assembled over decades, its award-winning catalog includes over 65,000 songwriters and composers and a diverse range of genres including pop, rock, jazz, country, R&B, hip-hop, rap, reggae, Latin, folk, blues, symphonic, soul, Broadway, techno, alternative, gospel and other Christian music. In January 2011, the Company acquired Southside Independent Music Publishing, a leading independent music publishing company, further adding to its catalog. Warner/Chappell also administers the music and soundtracks of several third-party television and film producers and studios, including Lucasfilm, Ltd., Hallmark Entertainment, Disney Music Publishing and Turner Music Publishing. In 2007, the Company entered the production music library business with the acquisition of Non-Stop Music. The Company has subsequently continued to expand its production music operations with the acquisitions of Groove Addicts Production Music Library and Carlin Recorded Music Library in fiscal 2010 and 615 Music in fiscal 2011.

 

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2. Basis of Presentation

Interim Financial Statements

The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S. (“U.S. GAAP”) for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring accruals) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. Operating results for the three and nine month periods ended June 30, 2011 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2011.

The consolidated balance sheet at September 30, 2010 has been derived from the audited consolidated financial statements at that date but does not include all of the information and footnotes required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements.

For further information, refer to the consolidated financial statements and footnotes thereto included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2010 (File No. 001-32502).

Basis of Consolidation

The accompanying financial statements present the consolidated accounts of all entities in which the Company has a controlling voting interest and/or variable interest entities required to be consolidated in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Significant inter-company balances and transactions have been eliminated. Certain reclassifications have been made to the prior fiscal years’ consolidated financial statements to conform with the current fiscal-year presentation.

The Company maintains a 52-53 week fiscal year ending on the Friday nearest to each reporting date. As such, all references to June 30, 2011 and 2010 relate to the three-month periods June 24, 2011 and June 26, 2010, respectively. For convenience purposes, the Company continues to date its financial statements as of June 30.

The Company has performed a review of all subsequent events through the date the financial statements were issued, and has determined that other than as described in Note 14, no additional disclosures are necessary.

New Accounting Pronouncements

In June 2009, the FASB issued FASB Statement No. 167, “Amendments to FASB Interpretation No. 46(R)” (“FAS 167”) (codified under ASC Topic 810, Consolidation), which amends the consolidation guidance for variable interest entities. The amendments include: (1) the elimination of the exemption from consolidation for qualifying special purpose entities, (2) a new approach for determining the primary beneficiary of a VIE, which requires that the primary beneficiary have both (i) the power to control the most significant activities of the VIE and (ii) either the obligation to absorb losses or the right to receive benefits that could potentially be significant to the VIE and (3) the requirement to continually reassess who should consolidate a variable-interest entity. FAS 167 is effective for the beginning of an entity’s first annual reporting period that begins after November 15, 2009, for interim periods within that first annual reporting period and for interim and annual reporting periods thereafter. The Company has adopted the new standard, effective October 1, 2010, on a prospective basis, which did not have a material impact on its financial statements.

3. Comprehensive (Loss) Income

Comprehensive (loss) income consists of net loss and other gains and losses affecting equity that, under U.S. GAAP, are excluded from net (loss) income. For the Company, the components of other comprehensive (loss) income primarily consist of foreign currency translation gains and losses and deferred gains and losses on financial instruments designated as hedges under FASB ASC Topic 815, Derivatives and Hedging (“ASC 815”), which include foreign exchange contracts. The following summary sets forth the components of accumulated other comprehensive income, net of related taxes (in millions):

 

     Foreign
Currency
Translation
Gain (Losses)
     Minimum
Pension
Liability
Adjustment
    Derivative
Financial
Instruments
Gain (Losses)
    Accumulated
Other
Comprehensive
Income
 
     (in millions)  

Balance at September 30, 2010

   $ 58       $ (3   $ (2   $ 53   
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Activity through June 30, 2011

     11         —          2        13   
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Balance at June 30, 2011

   $ 69       $ (3   $ —        $ 66   
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

4. Net (Loss) Income Per Common Share

The Company computes net (loss) income per common share in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 260, Earnings per Share (“ASC 260”). Under the provisions of ASC 260, basic net (loss) income per common share is computed by dividing the net (loss)

 

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income applicable to common shares after preferred dividend requirements, if any, by the weighted average of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted net (loss) income per common share adjusts basic net (loss) income 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) income per common share (in millions, except per share amounts):

 

     Three Months
Ended
June 30,
2011
    Three Months
Ended
June 30,
2010
    Nine Months
Ended
June 30,
2011
    Nine Months
Ended
June 30,
2010
 

Numerator:

        

Basic and diluted net loss per common share:

        

Net loss attributable to Warner Music Group Corp.

   $ (46   $ (55   $ (102   $ (97
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Denominator:

        

Weighted average common shares outstanding for basic calculation (a)

     151.8        149.7        150.8        149.6   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Dilutive effect of options and restricted stock

     —         —          —         —    
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Weighted average common outstanding shares for diluted calculation

     151.8        149.7        150.8        149.6   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net loss per common share attributable to Warner Music Group Corp.—basic

   $ (0.30   $ (0.37   $ (0.68   $ (0.65
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net loss per common share attributable to Warner Music Group Corp.—diluted

   $ (0.30   $ (0.37   $ (0.68   $ (0.65
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

(a) The denominator excludes the effect of unvested common shares subject to repurchase or cancellation.

The calculation of diluted net loss per share excludes the following weighted average number of stock options and restricted stock because to include them in the calculation would be anti-dilutive:

 

     Three Months
Ended
June 30,
2011
     Three Months
Ended
June 30,
2010
     Nine Months
Ended
June 30,
2011
     Nine Months
Ended
June 30,
2010
 

Stock options

     11.2         13.5         10.3         13.5   

Restricted stock

     0.3         —           —          —    

As a result of the Merger (as described in Note 14), all shares of the Company’s common stock, stock options and restricted shares of common stock were cancelled.

5. Goodwill and Intangible Assets

Goodwill

The following analysis details the changes in goodwill for each reportable segment during the three months ended June 30, 2011 (in millions):

 

     Recorded
Music
     Music
Publishing
     Total  

Balance at September 30, 2010

   $ 463       $ 594       $ 1,057   

Acquisitions

     16         7         23   

Dispositions

     —           —          —    

Other (b)

     7         —          7   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Balance at June 30, 2011

   $ 486       $ 601       $ 1,087   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

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Table of Contents

Intangible Assets

Intangible assets consist of the following (in millions):

 

     September 30,
2010
    Acquisitions (a)      Other (b)      June 30,
2011
 

Intangible assets subject to amortization:

          

Recorded music catalog

   $ 1,376        —          4       $ 1,380   

Music publishing copyrights

     976        82         21         1,079   

Artist contracts

     79        —          1         80   

Trademarks

     31        —          —          31   

Other intangible assets

     9        —          —          9   
  

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
     2,471        82         26         2,579   

Accumulated amortization

     (1,352           (1,517
  

 

 

         

 

 

 

Total net intangible assets subject to amortization

     1,119              1,062   

Intangible assets not subject to amortization:

          

Trademarks and brands

     100              100   
  

 

 

         

 

 

 

Total net other intangible assets

   $ 1,219            $ 1,162   
  

 

 

         

 

 

 

 

(a) The acquisition of music publishing copyrights for the nine months ended June 30, 2011 primarily includes Southside Independent Music Publishing and 615 Music.
(b) Other represents foreign currency translation adjustments.

As a result of the Merger (as described in Note 14), the Company will apply the provisions of ASC 805, Business Combinations and therefore the existing goodwill and intangible asset values are subject to change.

6. Restructuring Costs

Acquisition-Related Restructuring Costs

In 2004, an investor group acquired Warner Music Group from Time Warner Inc. (the “2004 Acquisition”). In connection with the 2004 Acquisition, 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 during 2004, which included costs to exit and consolidate certain activities of the Company, costs to exit certain leased facilities and operations such as international distribution operations, costs to terminate employees and costs to terminate certain artist, songwriter, co-publisher and other contracts. Such liabilities were recognized as part of the cost of the 2004 Acquisition. As of June 30, 2011, the Company had approximately $20 million of liabilities outstanding primarily related to long-term lease obligations for vacated facilities, which are expected to be settled by 2019 and $40 million of liabilities outstanding primarily related to revaluations of artist and other contracts.

As a result of the Merger (as described in Note 14), the Company will apply the provisions of ASC 805, Business Combinations and therefore the existing Acquisition-Related Restructuring Costs values are subject to change.

7. Debt

The Company’s long-term debt consists of (in millions):

 

     June 30,
2011
     September 30,
2010
 

9.5% Senior Secured Notes due 2016—Acquisition Corp (a)

   $ 1,069       $ 1,065   

7.375% U.S. dollar-denominated Senior Subordinated Notes due 2014—Acquisition Corp.

     465         465   

8.125% Sterling-denominated Senior Subordinated Notes due 2014—Acquisition Corp. (b)

     160         157   

9.5% Senior Discount Notes due 2014—Holdings

     258         258   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total long term debt

   $ 1,952       $ 1,945   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

(a) 9.5% Senior Secured Notes due 2016; face amount of $1.1 billion less unamortized discount of $31 million at June 30, 2011 and $35 million at September 30, 2010.
(b) Change represents the impact of foreign currency exchange rates on the carrying value of the £100 million Sterling-denominated notes.

 

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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 Holdings and Acquisition Corp. Accordingly, the ability of the Company to obtain funds from its subsidiaries is restricted by the agreements governing the debt obligations of its subsidiaries. In connection with the Merger, the Company repurchased or called for redemption all of the outstanding Acquisition Corp. Senior Subordinated Notes due 2014 and Holdings Senior Discount Notes due 2014 and have satisfied and discharged all of the Company’s obligations under the indentures governing those notes. The Acquisition Corp. Senior Secured Notes due 2016 have continued to remain outstanding following the Merger. In connection with the Merger, in May 2011, the Company received the requisite consents from holders of the Acquisition Corp. Senior Secured Notes due 2016 to amend the indenture governing the Acquisition Corp. Senior Secured Notes due 2016 such that the Merger would not constitute a “Change of Control” as defined therein. See Note 14, Subsequent Events.

8. Stock-based Compensation

The following table represents the expense recorded by the Company with respect to its stock-based awards for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2011 and 2010 (in millions):

 

     Three Months
Ended
June 30, 2011
     Three Months
Ended
June 30, 2010
     Nine Months
Ended
June 30, 2011
     Nine Months
Ended
June  30, 2010
 

Recorded Music

   $ 2       $ 1       $ 6       $ 4   

Music Publishing

     —           —          
—  
  
     —     

Corporate expenses

     1         1         4         3   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

   $ 3       $ 2       $ 10       $ 7   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

During the nine months ended June 30, 2011, the Company awarded 44,963 shares of restricted stock and 2,160,000 stock options to its employees. During the nine months ended June 30, 2010, the Company awarded 35,309 shares of restricted stock and 185,000 stock options to its employees.

In connection with the consummation of the Merger (as described in Note 14), immediately prior to the effective time of the Merger, each stock option issued by the Company, whether or not then exercisable or vested, was cancelled. Also at the effective time of the Merger, each restricted share of common stock either vested (to the extent not already vested) or was forfeited, in each case in accordance with its terms.

9. Commitments and Contingencies

Pricing of Digital Music Downloads

On December 20, 2005 and February 3, 2006, the Attorney General of the State of New York served the Company with requests for information in connection with an industry-wide investigation as to whether the practices of industry participants concerning the pricing of digital music downloads violate Section 1 of the Sherman Act, New York State General Business Law §§ 340 et seq., New York Executive Law §63(12), and related statutes. On February 28, 2006, the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice served the Company with a request for information in the form of a Civil Investigative Demand as to whether its activities relating to the pricing of digitally downloaded music violate Section 1 of the Sherman Act. Both investigations have now been closed. Subsequent to the announcements of the above governmental investigations, more than thirty putative class action lawsuits concerning the pricing of digital music downloads were filed and were later consolidated for pre-trial proceedings in the Southern District of New York. The consolidated amended complaint, filed on April 13, 2007, alleges conspiracy among record companies to delay the release of their content for digital distribution, inflate their pricing of CDs and fix prices for digital downloads. The complaint seeks unspecified compensatory, statutory and treble damages. All defendants, including the Company, filed a motion to dismiss the consolidated amended complaint on July 30, 2007. On October 9, 2008, the District Court issued an order dismissing the case as to all defendants, including the Company. On November 20, 2008, plaintiffs filed a Notice of Appeal from the order of the District Court to the Circuit Court for the Second Circuit. Oral argument took place before the Second Circuit Court of Appeals on September 21, 2009.

On January 12, 2010, the Second Circuit vacated the judgment of the District Court and remanded the case for further proceedings. On January 27, 2010, all defendants, including the Company, filed a petition for rehearing en banc with the Second Circuit. On March 26, 2010, the Second Circuit denied the petition for rehearing en banc. On August 20, 2010 all defendants including the Company, filed a petition for Certiorari before the Supreme Court. The petition was rejected on January 10, 2011. Upon remand to the District Court, all defendants, including the Company, filed a renewed motion to dismiss challenging, among other things, plaintiffs’ state law claims and standing to bring certain claims based mainly on arguments made but not addressed by the District Court in defendants’ original motion to dismiss. On July 18, 2011, the District Court issued an order granting defendants’ motion to dismiss in part and denying it in part. The case will proceed into discovery, including a determination as to whether class treatment is appropriate, based on a schedule to be determined by the District Court. The Company intends to defend against these lawsuits

 

12


Table of Contents

vigorously, but is unable to predict the outcome of these suits. Any litigation the Company may become involved in as a result of the inquiries of the Attorney General and Department of Justice, regardless of the merits of the claim, could be costly and divert the time and resources of management.

In addition to the matter discussed above, the Company is involved in other litigation arising in the normal course of business. Management does not believe that any legal proceedings pending against the Company will have, individually, or in the aggregate, a material adverse effect on its business. However, the Company cannot predict with certainty the outcome of any litigation or the potential for future litigation. Regardless of the outcome, litigation can have an adverse impact on the Company, including its brand value, because of defense costs, diversion of management resources and other factors.

Income Taxes

The Company is currently under examination by various taxing authorities. The accrual for uncertain tax positions has increased by $21 million from $10 million as of September 30, 2010 to $31 million as of June 30, 2011. The Company expects that $21 million of this total will be paid during the next twelve months, and $17 million of the payment will be reimbursed by Time Warner under the terms of the 2004 Acquisition.

10. Derivative Financial Instruments

The Company uses derivative financial instruments primarily foreign currency forward exchange contracts (“FX Contracts”) for the purpose of managing foreign currency exchange risk by reducing the effects of fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates.

The Company enters into FX Contracts primarily to hedge its royalty payments and balance sheet items denominated in foreign currency. The Company applies hedge accounting to FX Contracts for cash flows related to royalty payments. The Company records these FX Contracts in the consolidated balance sheet at fair value and changes in fair value are recognized in Other Comprehensive Income (“OCI”) for unrealized items and recognized in earnings for realized items. The Company elects to not apply hedge accounting to foreign currency exposures related to balance sheet items. The Company records these FX Contracts in the consolidated balance sheet at fair value and changes in fair value are immediately recognized in earnings. Fair value is determined by using observable market transactions of spot and forward rates (i.e., Level 2 inputs). Refer to Note 13.

Netting provisions are provided for in existing International Swap and Derivative Association Inc. (“ISDA”) 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 balance sheet. The Company monitors its positions with, and the credit quality of, the financial institutions that are party to any of its financial transactions.

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 operations: Recorded Music and Music Publishing. 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) 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 (“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’s business segments are the same as those described in the summary of significant accounting policies included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2010. The Company accounts for intersegment sales at fair value as if the sales were to third parties. While inter-company 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, therefore, do not themselves impact the consolidated results. Segment information consists of the following (in millions):

 

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Table of Contents

Three Months Ended

   Recorded
music
    Music
publishing
    Corporate
expenses  and
eliminations
    Total  

June 30, 2011

        

Revenues

   $ 545      $ 146      $ (5   $ 686   

OIBDA

     84        22        (29     77   

Depreciation of property, plant and equipment

     (7     (1     (3     (11

Amortization of intangible assets

     (37     (19     —         (56
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating income (loss)

   $ 40      $ 2      $ (32   $ 10   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

June 30, 2010

        

Revenues

   $ 519      $ 139      $ (6   $ 652   

OIBDA

     65        18        (19     64   

Depreciation of property, plant and equipment

     (5     (1     (4     (10

Amortization of intangible assets

     (39     (16     —         (55
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating income (loss)

   $ 21      $ 1      $ (23   $ (1
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Nine Months Ended

    

 

Recorded

music

  

  

   

 

Music

publishing

  

  

   

 

 

Corporate

expenses and

eliminations

  

  

  

    Total   

June 30, 2011

        

Revenues

   $ 1,768      $ 403      $ (14   $ 2,157   

OIBDA

     228        90        (69     249   

Depreciation of property, plant and equipment

     (20     (3     (8     (31

Amortization of intangible assets

     (111     (54     —         (165
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating income (loss)

   $ 97      $ 33      $ (77   $ 53   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

June 30, 2010

        

Revenues

   $ 1,836      $ 414      $ (18   $ 2,232   

OIBDA

     227        101        (65     263   

Depreciation of property, plant and equipment

     (17     (3     (8     (28

Amortization of intangible assets

     (115     (50     —         (165
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating income (loss)

   $ 95      $ 48      $ (73   $ 70   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

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Table of Contents

12. Additional Financial Information

Cash Interest and Taxes

The Company made interest payments of approximately $176 million and $169 million during the nine months ended June 30, 2011 and 2010, respectively. The Company paid approximately $27 million and $31 million of income and withholding taxes during the nine months ended June 30, 2011 and 2010, respectively. The Company received $10 million and $11 million of income tax refunds during the nine months ended June 30, 2011 and 2010, respectively.

13. Fair Value Measurements

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 levels 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 levels 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 table shows the fair value of the Company’s financial instruments that are required to be measured at fair value as of June 30, 2011. Derivatives not designated as hedging instruments primarily represent the balances below and the gains and losses on these financial instruments are included as other expense in the statement of operations. Derivatives designated as hedging instruments as of June 30, 2011 are not material to the Company’s financial statements.

 

     Fair Value Measurements as of June 30, 2011  
     (Level 1)      (Level 2)     (Level 3)     Total  
     (in millions)  

Other Current Assets:

  

Foreign Currency Forward Exchange Contracts (a)

   $ —        $ 2      $ —       $ 2   

Other Current Liabilities:

         

Foreign Currency Forward Exchange Contracts (a)

   $ —        $ (3   $ —       $ (3

Other Non-Current Liabilities:

         

Contractual Obligations (b)

   $ —        $ —       $ (12 )   $ (12 )

 

(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 our various acquisitions. This is based on a discounted cash flow (“DCF”) approach and it is adjusted to fair value on a recurring basis.

The majority of the Company’s non-financial instruments, which include goodwill, intangible assets, inventories and property, plant, and equipment, are not required to be remeasured at fair value on a recurring basis. These assets are evaluated for impairment if certain triggering events occur. If such evaluation indicates that an 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.

Fair Value of Debt

Based on the level of interest rates prevailing at June 30, 2011, the fair value of the Company’s fixed-rate debt exceeded the carrying value by approximately $110 million. Unrealized gains or losses on debt do not result in the realization or expenditure of cash and generally are not recognized for financial reporting purposes unless the debt is retired prior to its maturity.

 

15


Table of Contents

14. Subsequent Events

Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, on the Closing Date, Merger Sub merged with and into the Company with the Company surviving as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Parent.

On the Closing Date, in connection with the Merger, each outstanding share of common stock of the Company (other than any shares owned by the Company or its wholly-owned subsidiaries, or by Parent and its affiliates, or by any stockholders who were entitled to and who properly exercised appraisal rights under Delaware law, and shares of unvested restricted stock granted under the Company’s equity plan) was cancelled and converted automatically into the right to receive the Merger Consideration.

Equity contributions totaling $1.1 billion from Parent, together with (i) the proceeds from the sale of (a) $150 million aggregate principal amount of 9.50% Senior Secured Notes due 2016 (the “Secured WMG Notes”) initially issued by WM Finance Corp., (the “Initial OpCo Issuer”), (b) $765 million aggregate principal amount of 11.50% Senior Notes due 2018 initially issued by the Initial OpCo Issuer, (the “Unsecured WMG Notes”) and (c) $150 million aggregate principal amount of 13.75% Senior Notes due 2019 (the “Holdings Notes” and together with the Secured WMG Notes and the Unsecured WMG Notes, the “Notes”) initially issued by WM Holdings Finance Corp., (the “Initial Holdings Issuer”) and (ii) cash on hand at the Company, were used, among other things, to finance the aggregate Merger Consideration, to make payments in satisfaction of other equity-based interests in the Company under the Merger Agreement, to repay certain of the Company’s existing indebtedness and to pay related transaction fees and expenses. On the Closing Date, (i) Acquisition Corp. became the obligor under the Secured WMG Notes and the Unsecured WMG Notes as a result of the merger of Initial OpCo Issuer with and into Acquisition Corp. (the “OpCo Merger”) and (ii) Holdings became the obligor under the Holdings Notes as a result of the merger of Initial Holdings Issuer with and into Holdings (the “Holdings Merger”). On the Closing Date, the Company also entered into, but did not draw under, a new $60 million revolving credit facility.

In connection with the Merger, the Company also refinanced certain of its existing consolidated indebtedness, including (i) the repurchase and redemption by Holdings of its approximately $258 million in fully accreted principal amount outstanding 9.5% Senior Discount Notes due 2014 (the “Existing Holdings Notes”), and the satisfaction and discharge of the related indenture and (ii) the repurchase and redemption by Acquisition Corp. of its $465 million in aggregate principal amount outstanding 7 3/8% Dollar-denominated Senior Subordinated Notes due 2014 and £100 million in aggregate principal amount of its outstanding 8 1/8% Sterling-denominated Senior Subordinated Notes due 2014 (the “Existing Acquisition Corp. Notes” and together with the Existing Holdings Notes, the “Existing Notes”), and the satisfaction and discharge of the related indenture, and payment of related tender offer or call premiums and accrued interest on the Existing Notes.

 

16


Table of Contents

WARNER MUSIC GROUP CORP.

Supplementary Information

Consolidating Financial Statements

The Company is the direct parent of Holdings, which is the direct parent of Acquisition Corp. As of June 30, 2011, Holdings had issued and outstanding the Existing Holdings Notes. The Existing Holdings Notes were, and the Holdings Notes are, guaranteed by the Company on a full, unconditional, joint and several basis. The following consolidating financial statements are presented for the information of the holders of the Existing Holdings Notes and the Holdings Notes and present the results of operations, financial position and cash flows of (i) the Company, which was the guarantor of the Existing Holdings Notes, (ii) Holdings, which was the issuer of the Existing Holdings Notes, (iii) the subsidiaries of Holdings (Acquisition Corp. is the only direct subsidiary of Holdings) and (iv) the eliminations necessary to arrive at the information for the Company on a consolidated basis. Investments in consolidated subsidiaries are presented under the equity method of accounting.

The Company and Holdings are holding companies that conduct substantially all their business operations through Acquisition Corp. Accordingly, the ability of the Company and Holdings to obtain funds from its subsidiaries is restricted by the agreements governing the debt obligations of its subsidiaries.

In connection with the Merger, the Company repurchased or called for redemption all of the outstanding Existing Holdings Notes and have satisfied and discharged all of the Company’s obligations under the indentures governing those notes. See Note 14, Subsequent Events.

 

17


Table of Contents

WARNER MUSIC GROUP CORP.

Supplementary Information

Consolidating Balance Sheet (Unaudited)

June 30, 2011

 

     Warner Music
Group  Corp.
    WMG Holdings
Corp.  (issuer)
    WMG
Acquisition
Corp.
    Eliminations      Warner Music
Group Corp.
Consolidated
 
     (in millions)  

Assets:

           

Current assets:

           

Cash and equivalents

   $ 155      $ —       $ 135      $ —        $ 290   

Accounts receivable, net

     —         —         357        —          357   

Inventories

     —         —         28        —          28   

Royalty advances expected to be recouped within one year

     —         —         160        —          160   

Deferred tax assets

     —         —         30        —          30   

Other current assets

     —         —         89        —          89   
                                         

Total current assets

     155        —         799        —          954   

Royalty advances expected to be recouped after one year

     —         —         196        —          196   

Investments in and advances to (from) consolidated subsidiaries

     (525     (227     —         752         —    

Property, plant and equipment, net

     —         —         124        —          124   

Goodwill

     —         —         1,087        —          1,087   

Intangible assets subject to amortization, net

     —         —         1,062        —          1,062   

Intangible assets not subject to amortization

     —         —         100        —          100   

Other assets

     32        (39     67        —          60   
                                         

Total assets

   $ (338   $ (266   $ 3,435      $ 752       $ 3,583   
                                         

Liabilities and Deficit:

           

Current liabilities:

           

Accounts payable

   $ —       $ —       $ 141      $ —        $ 141   

Accrued royalties

     —         —         1,038        —          1,038   

Accrued liabilities

     —         —         226        —          226   

Accrued interest

     —         1        14        —          15   

Deferred revenue

     —         —         132        —          132   

Other current liabilities

     —         —         32       —          32   
                                         

Total current liabilities

     —         1        1,583        —          1,584   

Long-term debt

     —         258        1,694        —          1,952   

Deferred tax liabilities, net

     —         —         164        —          164   

Other noncurrent liabilities

     —         —         172        —          172   
                                         

Total liabilities

     —         259        3,613        —          3,872   
                                         

Total Warner Music Group Corp. shareholders’ deficit

     (338     (525     (227     752         (338
                                         

Noncontrolling interest

     —         —         49        —          49   

Total deficit

     (338     (525     (178     752         (289
                                         

Total liabilities and deficit

   $ (338   $ (266   $ 3,435      $ 752       $ 3,583   
                                         

 

18


Table of Contents

WARNER MUSIC GROUP CORP.

Supplementary Information

Consolidating Balance Sheet (Unaudited)

September 30, 2010

 

     Warner Music
Group  Corp.
    WMG Holdings
Corp.  (issuer)
    WMG
Acquisition
Corp.
    Eliminations      Warner Music
Group Corp.
Consolidated
 
     (in millions)  

Assets:

           

Current assets:

           

Cash and equivalents

   $ 176      $ —       $ 263      $ —        $ 439   

Accounts receivable, net

     —         —         434        —          434   

Inventories

     —         —         37        —          37   

Royalty advances expected to be recouped within one year

     —         —         143        —          143   

Deferred tax assets

     —         —         30        —          30   

Other current assets

     —         —         78        —          78   
                                         

Total current assets

     176        —         985        —          1,161   

Royalty advances expected to be recouped after one year

     —         —         189        —          189   

Investments in and advances to (from) consolidated subsidiaries

     (454     (174     —         628         —    

Property, plant and equipment, net

     —         —         121        —          121   

Goodwill

     —         —         1,057        —          1,057   

Intangible assets subject to amortization, net

     —         —         1,119        —          1,119   

Intangible assets not subject to amortization

     —         —         100        —          100   

Other assets

     14        (15     65        —          64   
                                         

Total assets

   $ (264   $ (189   $ 3,636      $ 628       $ 3,811   
                                         

Liabilities and Deficit:

           

Current liabilities:

           

Accounts payable

   $ —       $ —       $ 206      $ —        $ 206   

Accrued royalties

     —         —         1,034        —          1,034   

Accrued liabilities

     —         —         314        —          314   

Accrued interest

     —         7        52        —          59   

Deferred revenue

     —         —         100        —          100   

Other current liabilities

     —         —         40        —          40   
                                         

Total current liabilities

     —         7        1,746        —          1,753   

Long-term debt

     —         258        1,687        —          1,945   

Deferred tax liabilities, net

     —         —         169        —          169   

Other noncurrent liabilities

     1        —         154        —          155   
                                         

Total liabilities

     1        265        3,756        —          4,022   
                                         

Total Warner Music Group Corp. shareholders’ deficit

     (265     (454     (174     628         (265
                                         

Noncontrolling interest

     —         —         54        —          54   

Total deficit

     (265     (454     (120     628         (211
                                         

Total liabilities and deficit

   $ (264   $ (189   $ 3,636      $ 628       $ 3,811   
                                         

 

19


Table of Contents

WARNER MUSIC GROUP CORP.

Supplementary Information

Consolidating Statements of Operations (Unaudited)

For The Three Months Ended June 30, 2011 and 2010

 

     Three months ended June 30, 2011  
     Warner Music
Group Corp.
    WMG Holdings
Corp. (issuer)
    WMG
Acquisition
Corp.
    Eliminations      Warner Music
Group Corp.
Consolidated
 
     (in millions)  

Revenues

   $ —       $ —       $ 686      $ —        $ 686   

Costs and expenses:

           

Cost of revenues

     —         —         (378     —          (378

Selling, general and administrative expenses

     —         —         (242     —          (242

Amortization of intangible assets

     —         —         (56     —          (56
                                         

Total costs and expenses

     —         —         (676     —          (676
                                         

Operating income

     —         —         10        —          10   

Interest expense, net

     —         (7     (40     —          (47

Equity (losses) gains from consolidated subsidiaries

     (46     (39     —         85         —    

Other income, net

     —         —         6        —          6   
                                         

Loss before income taxes

     (46     (46     (24     85         (31

Income tax expense

       —         (15     —          (15
                                         

Net loss

     (46     (46     (39     85         (46

Less: loss attributable to noncontrolling interest

     —         —           —       
                                         

Net loss attributable to Warner Music Group Corp.

   $ (46   $ (46   $ (39   $ 85       $ (46
                                         
     Three months ended June 30, 2010  
     Warner Music
Group Corp.
    WMG Holdings
Corp. (issuer)
    WMG
Acquisition
Corp.
    Eliminations      Warner Music
Group Corp.
Consolidated
 
     (in millions)  

Revenues

   $ —       $ —       $ 652      $ —        $ 652   

Costs and expenses:

           

Cost of revenues

     —         —         (353     —          (353

Selling, general and administrative expenses

     —         —         (245     —          (245

Amortization of intangible assets

     —         —         (55     —          (55
                                         

Total costs and expenses

     —         —         (653     —          (653
                                         

Operating loss

     —         —         (1     —          (1

Interest expense, net

     —         (7     (39     —          (46

Equity (losses) gains from consolidated subsidiaries

     (55     (47     —         102         —    

Other (expense) income, net

     —         (1     2        —          1   
                                         

Loss before income taxes

     (55     (55     (38     102         (46

Income tax expense

     —         —         (9     —          (9
                                         

Net loss

     (55     (55     (47     102         (55

Less: loss attributable to noncontrolling interest

     —         —         —          —          —     
                                         

Net loss attributable to Warner Music Group Corp.

   $ (55   $ (55   $ (47   $ 102       $ (55
                                         

 

20


Table of Contents

WARNER MUSIC GROUP CORP.

Supplementary Information

Consolidating Statements of Operations (Unaudited)

For The Nine Months Ended June 30, 2011 and 2010

 

     Nine months ended June 30, 2011  
     Warner Music
Group Corp.
    WMG Holdings
Corp. (issuer)
    WMG
Acquisition
Corp.
    Eliminations      Warner Music
Group Corp.
Consolidated
 
     (in millions)  

Revenues

   $ —       $ —        $ 2,157      $ —        $ 2,157   

Costs and expenses:

           

Cost of revenues

     —         —         (1,177     —          (1,177

Selling, general and administrative expenses

     —         —         (762     —          (762

Amortization of intangible assets

     —         —         (165     —          (165
                                         

Total costs and expenses

     —         —         (2,104     —          (2,104
                                         

Operating income

     —         —         53        —          53   

Interest expense, net

     —         (19     (122     —          (141

Equity (losses) gains from consolidated subsidiaries

     (101     (82     —         183         —    

Other expense, net

     —         —         5        —          5   
                                         

Loss before income taxes

     (101     (101     (64     183         (83

Income tax expense

     (1     —         (19     —          (20
                                         

Net loss

     (102     (101     (83     183         (103

Less: loss attributable to noncontrolling interest

     —         —         1        —          1   
                                         

Net loss attributable to Warner Music Group Corp.

   $ (102   $ (101   $ (82   $ 183       $ (102
                                         
     Nine months ended June 30, 2010  
     Warner Music
Group Corp.
    WMG Holdings
Corp. (issuer)
    WMG
Acquisition
Corp.
    Eliminations      Warner Music
Group Corp.
Consolidated
 
     (in millions)  

Revenues

   $ —       $ —       $ 2,232      $ —        $ 2,232   

Costs and expenses:

           

Cost of revenues

     —         —         (1,193     —          (1,193

Selling, general and administrative expenses

     —         —         (804     —          (804

Amortization of intangible assets

     —         —         (165     —          (165
                                         

Total costs and expenses

     —         —         (2,162     —          (2,162
                                         

Operating income

     —         —         70        —          70   

Interest expense, net

     —         (19     (124     —          (143

Equity (losses) gains from consolidated subsidiaries

     (97     (77     —         174         —    

Other expense, net

     —         (1     (1     —          (2
                                         

Loss before income taxes

     (97     (97     (55     174         (75

Income tax expense

     —         —         (24     —          (24
                                         

Net loss

     (97     (97     (79     174         (99

Less: loss attributable to noncontrolling interest

     —         —         2        —          2   
                                         

Net loss attributable to Warner Music Group Corp.

   $ (97   $ (97   $ (77   $ 174       $ (97
                                         

 

21


Table of Contents

WARNER MUSIC GROUP CORP.

Supplementary Information

Consolidating Statement of Cash Flows (Unaudited)

For The Nine Months Ended June 30, 2011

 

     Warner Music
Group Corp.
    WMG Holdings
Corp. (issuer)
    WMG
Acquisition
Corp.
    Eliminations      Warner Music
Group Corp.
Consolidated
 
     (in millions)  

Cash flows from operating activities

           

Net (loss) income

   $ (102   $ (101   $ (83   $ 183       $ (103

Adjustments to reconcile net (loss) income to net cash (used in) provided by operating activities:

           

Depreciation and amortization

     —         —         196        —          196   

Deferred income taxes

     —         —         (11     —          (11

Non-cash interest expense

     —         —         9        —          9   

Non-cash, stock-based compensation expense

     —         —         10        —          10   

Equity losses (gains) from consolidated subsidiaries

     101        82        —         (183      —    

Other non-cash items

     —         —          (2     —          (2

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

           

Accounts receivable

     —         —         93        —          93   

Inventories

     —         —         10        —          10   

Royalty advances

     —         —         (15     —          (15

Accounts payable and accrued liabilities

     (3 )     —         (166     —          (169

Accrued interest

     —         (6     (38     —          (44

Other balance sheet changes

     (20     25        3        —          8   
                                         

Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities

     (24     —         6        —          (18
                                         

Cash flows from investing activities

           

Investments and acquisitions of businesses

     —         —         (59     —          (59

Acquisition of publishing rights

     —         —         (58     —          (58

Capital expenditures

     —         —         (34     —          (34
                                         

Net cash used in investing activities

     —         —         (151     —          (151
                                         

Cash flows from financing activities

           

Proceeds from exercise of stock options

     3       —         3        —          6   

Distribution to noncontrolling interest holder

     —          —         (1     —          (1
                                         

Net cash provided by financing activities

     3       —         2        —           5   
                                         

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and equivalents

     —         —         15        —          15   
                                         

Net decrease in cash and equivalents

     (21     —         (128     —          (149

Cash and equivalents at beginning of period

     176        —         263        —          439   
                                         

Cash and equivalents at end of period

   $ 155      $ —       $ 135      $ —        $ 290   
                                         

 

22


Table of Contents

WARNER MUSIC GROUP CORP.

Supplementary Information

Consolidating Statement of Cash Flows (Unaudited)

For The Nine Months Ended June 30, 2010

 

     Warner Music
Group Corp.
    WMG Holdings
Corp. (issuer)
    WMG
Acquisition
Corp.
    Eliminations      Consolidated  
     (in millions)  

Cash flows from operating activities

           

Net (loss) income

   $ (99   $ (99   $ (79   $ 178       $ (99

Adjustments to reconcile net (loss) income to net cash provided by operating activities:

           

Depreciation and amortization

     —         —         193        —          193   

Deferred income taxes

     —         —         (9     —          (9

Impairment of cost-method investment

     —         —         1        —          1   

Non-cash interest expense

     —         5        12        —          17   

Non-cash stock-based compensation expense

     —         —         7        —          7   

Equity losses (gains) from consolidated subsidiaries

     99        79        —         (178      —    

Other non-cash items

     —         —         (5     —          (5

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

           

Accounts receivable

     —         —         173        —          173   

Inventories

     —         —         7        —          7   

Royalty advances

     —         —         2        —          2   

Accounts payable and accrued liabilities

     —         —         (135     —          (135

Accrued interest

     —         1        (43     —          (42

Other balance sheet changes

     (12     14        (12     —          (10
                                         

Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities

     (12     —         112        —          100   
                                         

Cash flows from investing activities

           

Investments and acquisitions of businesses

     —         —         (1     —          (1

Acquisition of publishing rights

     —         —         (39     —          (39

Proceeds from the sale of investments

     —         —         9        —          9   

Capital expenditures

     —         —         (30     —          (30
                                         

Net cash used in investing activities

     —         —         (61     —          (61
                                         

Cash flows from financing activities

           

Distribution to noncontrolling interest holder

     —         —         (2     —          (2
                                         

Net cash used in financing activities

     —         —         (2     —          (2
                                         

Effect of foreign currency exchange rate changes on cash

     —         —         (21     —          (21
                                         

Net decrease in cash and equivalents

     (12     —         28        —          16   

Cash and equivalents at beginning of period

     188        —         196        —          384   
                                         

Cash and equivalents at end of period

   $ 176      $ —       $ 224      $ —        $ 400   
                                         

 

23


Table of Contents
ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

You should read the following discussion of our results of operations and financial condition with the unaudited interim financial statements included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended June 30, 2011 (the “Quarterly Report”).

We maintain an Internet site at www.wmg.com. We use our website as a channel of distribution for material company information. Financial and other material information regarding the Company is routinely posted on and accessible at http://investors.wmg.com. In addition, you may automatically receive email alerts and other information about the Company by enrolling your email by visiting the “email alerts” section at http://investors.wmg.com. We make available on our website free of charge our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K as soon as practicable after we electronically file such reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). Our website and the information posted on it or connected to it shall not be deemed to be incorporated by reference into this Quarterly Report.

“SAFE HARBOR” STATEMENT UNDER PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995

This Quarterly Report includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this Quarterly Report, including, without limitation, statements regarding our future financial position, business strategy, budgets, projected costs, cost savings, industry trends and plans and objectives of management for future operations, are forward-looking statements. In addition, forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “intend,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “believe” or “continue” or the negative thereof or variations thereon or similar terminology. Such statements include, among others, statements set forth under “—Factors Affecting Results of Operations and Financial Condition—Additional Targeted Savings” below, statements regarding our ability to develop talent and attract future talent, our ability to reduce future capital expenditures, our ability to monetize our music content, including through new distribution channels and formats to capitalize on the growth areas of the music 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 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, our ability to compete in the highly competitive markets in which we operate, the growth of the music industry and the effect of our and the music industry’s efforts to combat piracy on the industry, our intention to pay dividends or repurchase our outstanding 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. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, we can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to have been correct.

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 Quarterly Report. Additionally, important factors could cause our actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements we make in this Quarterly Report. As stated elsewhere in this Quarterly Report, such risks, uncertainties and other important factors include, among others:

 

   

litigation in respect of the Merger Agreement;

 

   

disruption from the Merger and the transactions related to the Merger making it more difficult to maintain certain strategic relationships;

 

   

risks relating to recent or future ratings agency actions or downgrades as a result of the Merger and the transactions related to the Merger or for any other reason;

 

   

reduced access to capital markets as the result of the delisting of the Company’s common stock on the New York Stock Exchange following consummation of the Merger;

 

   

the impact of our substantial leverage, including the increase associated with additional indebtedness incurred in connection with the Merger and the transactions related to the Merger, 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;

 

   

our ability to achieve expected or targeted cost savings following consummation of the Merger;

 

   

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, Internet peer-to-peer file-sharing and sideloading of unauthorized content;

 

   

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

 

24


Table of Contents
   

the popular demand for particular recording artists and/or songwriters and albums and the timely completion of albums by major recording artists and/or songwriters;

 

   

the diversity 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;

 

   

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

 

   

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

 

   

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 protections of our intellectual property rights and restrictions on the repatriation of capital;

 

   

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

 

   

the reliance on a limited number of online music stores and their ability to significantly influence the pricing structure for online music stores;

 

   

the impact of rate regulations on our Recorded Music and Music Publishing businesses;

 

   

the impact of rates on other income streams that may be set by arbitration proceedings on our business;

 

   

the impact an impairment in the carrying value of goodwill or other intangible and long-lived assets could have on our operating results and shareholders’ deficit;

 

   

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 can be bound under a “personal services” contract;

 

   

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;

 

   

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 including our ability to successfully manage new businesses that we may acquire as we diversify revenue streams within the music industry;

 

   

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;

 

   

the fact that we are outsourcing certain back-office functions, such as IT infrastructure and development and certain finance and accounting functions, which will make us more dependent upon third parties;

 

   

that changes to our information technology infrastructure to harmonize our systems and processes may fail to operate as designed and intended;

 

   

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

 

   

failure to attract and retain key personnel.

There may be other factors not presently known to us or which we currently consider to be immaterial that may cause our actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements.

All forward-looking statements attributable to us or persons acting on our behalf apply only as of the date of this Quarterly Report and are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements included in this Quarterly Report. We disclaim any duty to publicly update or revise forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

 

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INTRODUCTION

Warner Music Group Corp. (the “Company”) was formed on November 21, 2003. The Company is the direct parent of Holdings, which is the direct parent of Acquisition Corp. Acquisition Corp. is one of the world’s major music-based content companies.

Pursuant to the Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of May 6, 2011 (the “Merger Agreement”), by and among the Company, 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 Airplanes (“Merger Sub”), on July 20, 2011 (the “Closing Date”), Merger Sub merged with and into the Company with the Company surviving as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Parent (the “Merger”).

On July 20, 2011, in connection with the Merger, each outstanding share of common stock of the Company (other than any shares owned by the Company or its wholly-owned subsidiaries, or by Parent and its affiliates, or by any stockholders who were entitled to and who properly exercised appraisal rights under Delaware law, and shares of unvested restricted stock granted under the Company’s equity plan) was cancelled and converted automatically into the right to receive $8.25 in cash, without interest and less applicable withholding taxes (collectively, the “Merger Consideration”).

On July 20, 2011, the Company notified the New York Stock Exchange, Inc. (the “NYSE”) of its intent to remove the Company’s common stock from listing on the NYSE and requested that the NYSE file with the SEC an application on Form 25 to report the delisting of the Company’s common stock from the NYSE. On July 21, 2011, in accordance with the Company’s request, the NYSE filed the Form 25 with the SEC in order to provide notification of such delisting and to effect the deregistration of the Company’s common stock under Section 12(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). On August 2, 2011, the Company filed a Form 15 with the SEC in order to provide notification of a suspension of its duty to file reports under Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act.

Parent funded the Merger Consideration through cash on hand at the Company at closing, equity financing obtained from Parent and debt financing obtained from third party lenders. See “Overview - The Merger.”

The Company and Holdings are holding companies that conduct substantially all of their business operations through their subsidiaries. The terms “we,” “us,” “our,” “ours,” and the “Company” refer collectively to Warner Music Group Corp. and its consolidated subsidiaries, except where otherwise indicated.

Management’s discussion and analysis of results of operations and financial condition (“MD&A”) is provided as a supplement to the unaudited financial statements and footnotes included elsewhere herein to help provide an understanding of our financial condition, changes in financial condition and results of our operations. MD&A is organized as follows:

 

   

Overview. This section provides a general description of our business, as well as recent developments that we believe are important in understanding our results of operations and financial condition and in anticipating future trends.

 

   

Results of operations. This section provides an analysis of our results of operations for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2011 and 2010. This analysis is presented on both a consolidated and segment basis.

 

   

Financial condition and liquidity. This section provides an analysis of our cash flows for the nine months ended June 30, 2011 and 2010, as well as a discussion of our financial condition and liquidity as of June 30, 2011. The discussion of our financial condition and liquidity includes (i) a summary of our debt agreements and (ii) a summary of our key debt compliance measures under our debt agreements.

Use of OIBDA

We evaluate our operating performance based on several factors, including our primary financial measure of 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”). 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. 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. Accordingly, OIBDA should be considered in addition to, not as a substitute for, operating income, 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 historical OIBDA to operating income and net income (loss) attributable to Warner Music Group Corp. is provided in our “Results of Operations.”

Use of Constant Currency

As exchange rates are an important factor in understanding period to period comparisons, we believe the presentation of results on a constant-currency basis in addition to reported results helps improve the ability to understand our operating results and evaluate

 

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our performance in comparison to prior periods. Constant-currency information compares results between periods as if exchange rates had remained constant period over period. We use results on a constant-currency basis as one measure to evaluate our performance. We calculate constant currency by calculating prior-year results using current-year foreign currency exchange rates. We generally refer to such amounts calculated on a constant-currency basis as “excluding the impact of foreign currency exchange rates.” These results should be considered in addition to, not as a substitute for, results reported in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Results on a constant-currency basis, as we present them, 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.

OVERVIEW

We are one of the world’s major music-based content companies. 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.

Recorded Music Operations

Our Recorded Music business primarily consists of the discovery and development of artists and the related marketing, distribution and licensing of recorded music produced by such artists.

We are also diversifying our revenues beyond our traditional businesses by entering into expanded-rights deals with recording artists in order to partner with artists in other areas of their careers. Under these agreements, we provide services to and participate in artists’ activities outside the traditional recorded music business. We have built artist services capabilities and platforms for exploiting this broader set of music-related rights and participating more broadly in the monetization of the artist brands we help create. In developing our artist services business, we have both built and expanded in-house capabilities and expertise and have acquired a number of existing artist services companies involved in artist management, merchandising, strategic marketing and brand management, ticketing, concert promotion, fan club, original programming and video entertainment. We believe that entering into expanded-rights deals and enhancing our artist services capabilities with respect to our artists and other artists will permit us to diversify revenue streams to better capitalize on the growth areas of the music industry and permit us to build stronger, long-term relationships with artists and more effectively connect artists and fans.

In the U.S., our Recorded Music operations are conducted principally through our major record labels—Warner Bros. Records and The Atlantic Records Group. Our Recorded Music operations also include Rhino, a division that 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 and from third parties for various uses, including film and television soundtracks. Rhino has also become our primary licensing division focused on acquiring broader licensing rights from certain recording artists. For example, we have an exclusive license with The Grateful Dead to manage the band’s intellectual property and a 50% interest in Frank Sinatra Enterprises, an entity that administers licenses for use of Frank Sinatra’s name and likeness and manages all aspects of his music, film and stage content. We also conduct our Recorded Music operations through a collection of additional record labels, including, among others, Asylum, Cordless, East West, Elektra, Nonesuch, Reprise, Roadrunner, Rykodisc, Sire and Word.

Outside the U.S., our Recorded Music activities are conducted in more than 50 countries primarily through WMI and its various subsidiaries, affiliates and non-affiliated licensees. WMI engages in the same activities as our U.S. labels: discovering and signing artists and distributing, marketing and selling their recorded music. In most cases, WMI also markets and distributes the records of those artists for whom our U.S. record labels have international rights. In certain smaller markets, WMI licenses to unaffiliated third-party record labels the right to distribute its records. Our international artist services operations also include a network of concert promoters through which WMI provides resources to coordinate tours for our artists and other artists.

Our Recorded Music distribution operations include WEA Corp., which markets and sells music and DVD products to retailers and wholesale distributors in the U.S.; ADA, which distributes the products of independent labels to retail and wholesale distributors in the U.S.; various distribution centers and ventures operated internationally; an 80% interest in Word Entertainment, which specializes in the distribution of music products in the Christian retail marketplace; and ADA Global, which provides distribution services outside of the U.S. through a network of affiliated and non-affiliated distributors.

We play an integral role in virtually all aspects of the recorded music value chain from discovering and developing talent to producing albums and promoting artists and their products. After an artist has entered into a contract with one of our record labels, a master recording of the artist’s music is created. The recording is then replicated for sale to consumers primarily in the CD and digital formats. In the U.S., WEA Corp., ADA and Word market, sell and deliver product, either directly or through sub-distributors and wholesalers, to record stores, mass merchants and other retailers. Our recorded music products are also sold in physical form to online physical retailers such as Amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com and bestbuy.com and in digital form to online digital retailers like Apple’s iTunes and mobile full-track download stores such as those operated by Verizon or Sprint. In the case of expanded-rights deals where we acquire broader rights in a recording artist’s career, we may provide more comprehensive career support and actively develop new opportunities for an artist through touring, fan clubs, merchandising and sponsorships, among other areas. We believe expanded-rights deals create better partnerships with our artists, which allow us and our artists to work together more closely to create and sustain artistic and commercial success.

 

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We have integrated the sale of digital content into all aspects of our Recorded Music and Music Publishing businesses including A&R, marketing, promotion and distribution. Our new media executives work closely with A&R departments to make sure that while a record is being made, digital assets are also created with all of our distribution channels in mind, including subscription services, social networking sites, online portals and music-centered destinations. We work side by side with our mobile and online partners to test new concepts. We believe existing and new digital businesses will be a significant source of growth for the next several years and will provide new opportunities to monetize our assets and create new revenue streams. As a music-based content company, we have assets that go beyond our recorded music and music publishing catalogs, such as our music video library, which we have begun to monetize through digital channels. The proportion of digital revenues attributed to each distribution channel varies by region and since digital music is still in the relatively early stages of growth, proportions may change as the roll out of new technologies continues. As an owner of musical content, we believe we are well positioned to take advantage of growth in digital distribution and emerging technologies to maximize the value of our assets.

Recorded Music revenues are derived from three main sources:

 

   

Physical and other: the rightsholder receives revenues with respect to sales of physical products such as CDs and DVDs. We are also diversifying our revenues beyond sales of physical products and receive other revenues from our artist services business and our participation in expanded rights associated with our artists and other artists, including sponsorship, fan club, artist websites, merchandising, touring, ticketing and artist and brand management;

 

   

Digital: the rightsholder receives revenues with respect to online and mobile downloads, mobile ringtones or ringback tones and online and mobile streaming; and

 

   

Licensing: the rightsholder receives royalties or fees for the right to use the sound recording in combination with visual images such as in films or television programs, television commercials and videogames.

The principal costs associated with our Recorded Music operations are as follows:

 

   

Royalty costs and artist and repertoire costs—the costs associated with (i) paying royalties to artists, producers, songwriters, other copyright holders and trade unions, (ii) signing and developing artists, (iii) creating master recordings in the studio and (iv) creating artwork for album covers and liner notes;

 

   

Product costs—the costs to manufacture, package and distribute product to wholesale and retail distribution outlets as well as those principal costs related to expanded rights;

 

   

Selling and marketing costs—the costs associated with the promotion and marketing of artists and recorded music products, including costs to produce music videos for promotional purposes and artist tour support; and

 

   

General and administrative costs—the costs associated with general overhead and other administrative costs.

Music Publishing Operations

Where recorded music is focused on exploiting a particular recording of a composition, music publishing is an intellectual property business focused on the exploitation of the composition itself. In return for promoting, placing, marketing and administering the creative output of a songwriter, or engaging in those activities for other rights holders, the Company’s Music Publishing business garners a share of the revenues generated from use of the composition.

The Company’s Music Publishing operations include Warner/Chappell, its global Music Publishing company, headquartered in New York with operations in over 50 countries through various subsidiaries, affiliates and non-affiliated licensees. The Company owns or controls rights to more than one million musical compositions, including numerous pop hits, American standards, folk songs and motion picture and theatrical compositions. Assembled over decades, its award-winning catalog includes over 65,000 songwriters and composers and a diverse range of genres including pop, rock, jazz, country, R&B, hip-hop, rap, reggae, Latin, folk, blues, symphonic, soul, Broadway, techno, alternative, gospel and other Christian music. In January 2011, the Company acquired Southside Independent Music Publishing, a leading independent music publishing company, further adding to its catalog. Warner/Chappell also administers the music and soundtracks of several third-party television and film producers and studios, including Lucasfilm, Ltd., Hallmark Entertainment, Disney Music Publishing and Turner Music Publishing. In 2007, the Company entered the production music library business with the acquisition of Non-Stop Music. The Company has subsequently continued to expand its production music operations with the acquisitions of Groove Addicts Production Music Library and Carlin Recorded Music Library in fiscal 2010 and 615 Music in fiscal 2011.

Publishing revenues are derived from five main sources:

 

   

Mechanical: the licensor receives royalties with respect to compositions embodied in recordings sold in any physical format or configuration (e.g., CDs and DVDs);

 

   

Performance: the licensor receives royalties if the composition is performed publicly through broadcast of music on television, radio, cable and satellite, live performance at a concert or other venue (e.g., arena concerts, nightclubs), online and mobile streaming and performance of music in staged theatrical productions;

 

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Synchronization: the licensor receives royalties or fees for the right to use the composition in combination with visual images such as in films or television programs, television commercials and videogames as well as from other uses such as in toys or novelty items and merchandise;

 

   

Digital: the licensor receives royalties or fees with respect to online and mobile downloads, mobile ringtones and online and mobile streaming; and

 

   

Other: the licensor receives royalties for use in sheet music.

The principal costs associated with our Music Publishing operations are as follows:

 

   

Artist and 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; and

 

   

General and administration costs—the costs associated with general overhead and other administrative costs.

 

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Factors Affecting Results of Operations and Financial Condition

Market Factors

Since 1999, the recorded music industry has been unstable and the worldwide market has contracted considerably, 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 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. While CD sales still generate most of the recorded music revenues, CD sales continue to decline industry-wide and we expect that trend to continue. While new formats for selling recorded music product have been created, including the legal downloading of digital music using the Internet and the distribution of music on mobile devices, revenue streams from these new formats have not yet reached a level where they fully offset the declines in CD sales. The recorded music industry performance may continue to negatively impact our operating results. In addition, a declining recorded music industry could continue to have an adverse impact on portions of the music publishing business. This is because the music publishing business generates a significant portion of its revenues from mechanical royalties from the sale of music in CD and other physical recorded music formats.

Severance Charges

During the nine months ended June 30, 2011 we took additional actions to further align our cost structure with industry trends. This resulted in severance charges of $28 million for the nine months ended June 30, 2011, compared to $20 million for the nine months ended June 30, 2010.

Additional Targeted Savings

We have targeted cost-savings over the next nine fiscal quarters of $50 million to $65 million based on identified cost-saving initiatives and opportunities, including targeted savings expected to be realized as a result of shifting from a public to a private company, reduced expenses related to finance, legal and information technology and reduced expenses related to certain planned corporate restructuring initiatives. There can be no assurances that these cost-savings will be achieved in full or at all.

LimeWire Settlement

In May 2011, the major record companies reached a global out-of-court settlement of copyright litigation against LimeWire. Under the terms of the settlement, the LimeWire defendants agreed to pay compensation to the record companies that brought the action, including us. In connection with this settlement, we recorded a $12 million benefit to general and administrative expenses in the consolidated statements of operation for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2011. These amounts were recorded net of the estimated amounts payable to our artists in respect of royalties.

Expanding Business Models to Offset Declines in Physical Sales

Digital Sales

A key part of our strategy to offset declines in physical sales is to expand digital sales. New digital models have enabled us to find additional ways to generate revenues from our music content. In the early stages of the transition from physical to digital sales, overall sales have decreased as the increases in digital sales have not yet met or exceeded the decrease in physical sales. Part of the reason for this gap is the shift in consumer purchasing patterns made possible from new digital models. In the digital space, consumers are now presented with the opportunity to not only purchase entire albums, but to “unbundle” albums and purchase only favorite tracks as single-track downloads. While to date, sales of online and mobile downloads have constituted the majority of our digital Recorded Music and Music Publishing revenue, that may change over time as new digital models, such as access models (models that typically bundle the purchase of a mobile device with access to music) and streaming subscription services, continue to develop. In the aggregate, we believe that growth in revenue from new digital models has the potential to offset physical declines and drive overall future revenue growth. In the digital space, certain costs associated with physical products, such as manufacturing, distribution, inventory and return costs, do not apply. Partially eroding that benefit are increases in mechanical copyright royalties payable to music publishers which apply in the digital space. While there are some digital-specific variable costs and infrastructure investments necessary to produce, market and sell music in digital formats, we believe it is reasonable to expect that digital margins will generally be higher than physical margins as a result of the elimination of certain costs associated with physical products. As consumer purchasing patterns change over time and new digital models are launched, we may see fluctuations in contribution margin depending on the overall sales mix.

Expanded-Rights Deals

We have also been seeking to expand our relationships with recording artists as another means to offset declines in physical revenues in Recorded Music. For example, we have been signing recording artists to expanded-rights deals for the last several years. Under these expanded-rights deals, we participate in the recording artist’s revenue streams, other than from recorded music sales, such as live performances, merchandising and sponsorships. We believe that additional revenue from these revenue streams will help to offset declines in physical revenue over time. As we have generally signed newer artists to these deals, increased non-traditional revenue from these deals is expected to come several years after these deals have been signed as the artists become more successful and are able to generate revenue other than from recorded music sales. While non-traditional Recorded Music revenue, which includes revenue from expanded-rights deals as well as revenue from our artist services business, was less than 10% of our total revenue in fiscal 2010, we believe this revenue should continue to grow and represent a larger proportion of our revenue over time. We also

 

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believe that the strategy of entering into expanded-rights deals and continuing to develop our artist services business will contribute to Recorded Music growth over time. Margins for the various non-traditional Recorded Music revenue streams can vary significantly. The overall impact on margins will, therefore, depend on the composition of the various revenue streams in any particular period. For instance, revenue from touring under our expanded-rights deals typically flows straight through to net income with little incremental cost. Revenue from our management business and revenue from sponsorship and touring under expanded-rights deals are all high margin, while merchandise revenue under expanded-rights deals and concert promotion revenue from our concert promotion businesses tend to be lower margin than our traditional revenue streams from recorded music and music publishing.

The Merger

Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, on the Closing Date, Merger Sub merged with and into the Company with the Company surviving as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Parent.

On the Closing Date, in connection with the Merger, each outstanding share of common stock of the Company (other than any shares owned by the Company or its wholly-owned subsidiaries, or by Parent and its affiliates, or by any stockholders who were entitled to and who properly exercised appraisal rights under Delaware law, and shares of unvested restricted stock granted under the Company’s equity plan) was cancelled and converted automatically into the right to receive the Merger Consideration.

Equity contributions totaling $1.1 billion from Parent, together with (i) the proceeds from the sale of (a) $150 million aggregate principal amount of 9.50% Senior Secured Notes due 2016 (the “Secured WMG Notes”) initially issued by WM Finance Corp., (the “Initial OpCo Issuer”), (b) $765 million aggregate principal amount of 11.50% Senior Notes due 2018 initially issued by the Initial OpCo Issuer, (the “Unsecured WMG Notes”) and (c) $150 million aggregate principal amount of 13.75% Senior Notes due 2019 (the “Holdings Notes” and together with the Secured WMG Notes and the Unsecured WMG Notes, the “Notes”) initially issued by WM Holdings Finance Corp., (the “Initial Holdings Issuer”) and (ii) cash on hand at the Company, were used, among other things, to finance the aggregate Merger Consideration, to make payments in satisfaction of other equity-based interests in the Company under the Merger Agreement, to repay certain of the Company’s existing indebtedness and to pay related transaction fees and expenses. On the Closing Date, (i) Acquisition Corp. became the obligor under the Secured WMG Notes and the Unsecured WMG Notes as a result of the merger of Initial OpCo Issuer with and into Acquisition Corp. (the “OpCo Merger”) and (ii) Holdings became the obligor under the Holdings Notes as a result of the merger of Initial Holdings Issuer with and into Holdings (the “Holdings Merger”). On the Closing Date, the Company also entered into, but did not draw under, a new $60 million revolving credit facility.

In connection with the Merger, the Company also refinanced certain of its existing consolidated indebtedness, including (i) the repurchase and redemption by Holdings of its approximately $258 million in fully accreted principal amount outstanding 9.5% Senior Discount Notes due 2014 (the “Existing Holdings Notes”), and the satisfaction and discharge of the related indenture and (ii) the repurchase and redemption by Acquisition Corp. of its $465 million in aggregate principal amount outstanding 7 3/8% Dollar-denominated Senior Subordinated Notes due 2014 and £100 million in aggregate principal amount of its outstanding 8 1/8% Sterling-denominated Senior Subordinated Notes due 2014 (the “Existing Acquisition Corp. Notes” and together with the Existing Holdings Notes, the “Existing Notes”), and the satisfaction and discharge of the related indenture, and payment of related tender offer or call premiums and accrued interest on the Existing Notes.

Approximately $5 million and $7 million of expense was incurred by the Company during the three and nine months ended June 30, 2011, respectively, in connection with the consummation of the Merger.

Management Agreement

Upon completion of the Merger, the Company and Holdings entered into a management agreement with Access, dated as of the Closing Date (the “Management Agreement”), pursuant to which Access will provide the Company and its subsidiaries, with financial, investment banking, management, advisory and other services. Pursuant to the Management Agreement, the Company, or one or more of its subsidiaries, will pay Access a specified annual fee, plus expenses, and a specified transaction fee for certain types of transactions completed by Holdings or one or more of its subsidiaries, plus expenses.

 

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RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Three Months Ended June 30, 2011 Compared with Three Months Ended June 30, 2010

Consolidated Historical Results

Revenues

Our revenues were composed of the following amounts (in millions):

 

     For the Three Months Ended
June 30,
    2011 vs. 2010  
     2011     2010     $ Change     % Change  

Revenue by Type

        

Physical and other

   $ 295      $ 297      $ (2     -1

Digital

     191        169        22        13

Licensing

     59        53        6        11
                          

Total Recorded Music

     545        519        26        5

Mechanical

     38        50        (12     -24

Performance

     59        50        9        18

Synchronization

     30        24        6        25

Digital

     15        13        2        15

Other

     4        2        2        100
                          

Total Music Publishing

     146        139        7        5

Intersegment elimination

     (5     (6     1        -17
                          

Total Revenue

   $ 686      $ 652      $ 34        5
                          

Revenue by Geographical Location

        

U.S. Recorded Music

   $ 227      $ 247      $ (20     -8

U.S. Publishing

     49        54        (5     -9
                          

Total U.S.

     276        301        (25     -8

International Recorded Music

     318        272        46        17

International Publishing

     97        85        12        14
                          

Total International

     415        357        58        16

Intersegment eliminations

     (5     (6     1        -17
                          

Total Revenue

   $ 686      $ 652      $ 34        5
                          

Total Revenue

Total revenues increased by $34 million, or 5%, to $686 million for the three months ended June 30, 2011 from $652 million for the three months ended June 30, 2010. Prior to intersegment eliminations, Recorded Music and Music Publishing revenues represented 79% and 21% of total revenues for the three months ended June 30, 2011 and 2010. Prior to intersegment eliminations, U.S. and international revenues represented 40% and 60% of total revenues for the three months ended June 30, 2011, compared to 46% and 54% of total revenues for the three months ended June 30, 2010. Excluding the favorable impact of foreign currency exchange rates, total revenues decreased $7 million, or 1%.

Total digital revenues after intersegment eliminations increased by $24 million, or 13%, to $203 million for the three months ended June 30, 2011 from $179 million for the three months ended June 30, 2010. Total digital revenues represented 30% and 27% of consolidated revenues for the three months ended June 30, 2011 and 2010, respectively. Prior to intersegment eliminations, total digital revenues for the three months ended June 30, 2011 were comprised of U.S. revenues of $117 million and international revenues of $89 million, or 57% and 43% of total digital revenues, respectively. Prior to intersegment eliminations, total digital revenues for the three months ended June 30, 2010 were comprised of U.S. revenues of $109 million and international revenues of $73 million, or 60% and 40% of total digital revenues, respectively.

Recorded Music revenues increased by $26 million, or 5%, to $545 million for the three months ended June 30, 2011 from $519 million for the three months ended June 30, 2010. Prior to intersegment eliminations, Recorded Music revenues represented 79% of consolidated revenues, for the three months ended June 30, 2011 and 2010. U.S. Recorded Music revenues were $227 million and $247 million, or 42% and 48% of Recorded Music revenues for the three months ended June 30, 2011 and 2010, respectively. International Recorded Music revenues were $318 million and $272 million, or 58% and 52% of consolidated Recorded Music revenues for the three months ended June 30, 2011 and 2010, respectively. The overall revenue growth reflected increases in digital revenue, licensing revenue and revenue from our European concert promotion businesses, partially offset by declines in physical sales.

 

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The increase in digital revenue was driven by the growth in digital downloads in the U.S. and internationally and emerging digital revenue streams such as Spotify and YouTube, partially offset by the continued decline in global mobile revenue primarily related to lower ringtone demand. Licensing revenue growth was driven primarily by increases in the licensing of recorded music assets in film, television and compilations. The increases in our European concert promotion business reflected a stronger touring schedule, mostly in France, as compared with the prior-year quarter. The decline in physical revenue in the current quarter versus the prior year was the result of physical declines reflecting the ongoing impact of the transition from physical to digital sales in the recorded music industry. Excluding the favorable impact of foreign currency exchange rates, total Recorded Music revenues decreased by $3 million, or 1%.

Music Publishing revenues increased by $7 million, or 5%, to $146 million for the three months ended June 30, 2011 from $139 million for the three months ended June 30, 2010. Prior to intersegment eliminations, Music Publishing revenues represented 21% of consolidated revenues, for the three months ended June 30, 2011 and 2010, respectively. U.S. Music Publishing revenues were $49 million and $54 million, or 34% and 39% of Music Publishing revenues for the three months ended June 30, 2011 and 2010, respectively. International Music Publishing revenues were $97 million and $85 million, or 66% and 61% of Music Publishing revenues for the three months ended June 30, 2011 and 2010, respectively.

The growth in Music Publishing revenue was driven primarily by increases in performance revenue, synchronization revenue, digital revenue and other revenue, partially offset by expected decreases in mechanical revenue. The increase in performance revenue was driven by the results of recent acquisitions and the timing of cash collections in Europe and Latin America. Synchronization revenue results reflected the improvement of the U.S. advertising market and renewals on certain licensing deals. The increase in digital revenue reflected growth in global digital downloads and certain streaming services. Other music publishing revenue increased primarily as a result of higher print revenue in the U.S. The expected decrease in mechanical revenue reflected the ongoing impact of the transition from physical to digital sales in the recorded music industry and the prior period benefit from the shift to accrual-based accounting for a U.S.-based collection society. Excluding the favorable impact of foreign currency exchange rates, total Music Publishing revenues decreased by $4 million, or 3%.

Revenue by Geographical Location

U.S. revenues decreased by $25 million, or 8%, to $276 million for the three months ended June 30, 2011 from $301 million for the three months ended June 30, 2010. The overall decrease in the U.S. Recorded Music business reflected the continued decline in mobile revenue primarily related to lower ringtone demand and declines in physical sales in the recorded music industry, partially offset by growth in digital downloads and increases in the licensing of recorded music assets in film, television and compilations. The overall decrease in the U.S. Music Publishing business was driven primarily by an expected decrease in mechanical revenue, partially offset by increases in performance revenue, synchronization revenue, digital revenue and other revenue.

International revenues increased by $58 million, or 16%, to $415 million for the three months ended June 30, 2011 from $357 million for the three months ended June 30, 2010. Excluding the favorable impact of foreign currency exchange rates, total international revenues increased $18 million. The overall increase in the international Recorded Music business reflected growth in global digital downloads and emerging digital streaming services such as Spotify and success from our European concert promotion business which reflected a stronger touring schedule, mostly in France and Italy, as compared with the prior-year quarter. Revenue growth in France and Japan was partially offset by declines in the U.K. and other parts of Europe. The overall increase in the international Music Publishing business was driven by increases in performance revenue, synchronization revenue and digital revenue.

Cost of revenues

Our cost of revenues is composed of the following amounts (in millions):

 

     For the Three Months Ended
June 30,
     2011 vs. 2010  
     2011      2010      $ Change     % Change  

Artist and repertoire costs

   $ 224       $ 228       $ (4     -2

Product costs

     133         106         27        25

Licensing costs

     21         19         2        11
                            

Total cost of revenues

   $ 378       $ 353       $ 25        7
                            

Our cost of revenues increased by $25 million, or 7%, to $378 million for the three months ended June 30, 2011 from $353 million for the three months ended June 30, 2010. Expressed as a percentage of revenues, cost of revenues were 55% for the three months ended June 30, 2011 and 54% for the three months ended June 30, 2010.

Artist and repertoire costs decreased by $4 million, or 2%, to $224 million for the three months ended June 30, 2011 from $228 million for the three months ended June 30, 2010. Expressed as a percentage of revenues, artist and repertoire costs decreased from

 

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35% for the three months ended June 30, 2010 to 33% in the three months ended June 30, 2011, primarily as a result of the timing of artist and repertoire spending and revenue mix.

Product costs increased by $27 million, or 25%, to $133 million for the three months ended June 30, 2011 from $106 million for the three months ended June 30, 2010. Expressed as a percentage of revenues, product costs increased from 16% for the three months ended June 30, 2010 to 19% in the three months ended June 30, 2011. The increase in product costs was driven by higher non-traditional recorded music business costs related to the increase in revenue from our European concert promotion businesses, partially offset by effective supply chain management and the continuing change in mix from physical to digital sales.

Licensing costs increased $2 million, or 11%, to $21 million for the three months ended June 30, 2011 from $19 million for the three months ended June 30, 2010. Licensing costs as a percentage of licensing revenues were 36% for the three months ended June 30, 2011 and 2010. The increase in licensing costs was driven by the increase in licensing revenue and changes in revenue mix.

Selling, general and administrative expenses

Our selling, general and administrative expense is composed of the following amounts (in millions):

 

     For the Three Months Ended
June 30,
     2011 vs. 2010  
     2011      2010      $ Change     % Change  

General and administrative expense (1)

   $ 131       $ 130       $ 1        1

Selling and marketing expense

     98         98         —          —     

Distribution expense

     13         17         (4     -24
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

Total selling, general and administrative expense

   $ 242       $ 245       $ (3     -1
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

(1) Includes depreciation expense of $11 million and $10 million for the three months ended June 30, 2011 and 2010, respectively.

Total selling, general and administrative expense decreased by $3 million, or 1%, to $242 million for the three months ended June 30, 2011 from $245 million for the three months ended June 30, 2010. Expressed as a percentage of revenues, selling, general and administrative expenses decreased from 38% for the three months ended June 30, 2010 to 35% for the three months ended June 30, 2011.

General and administrative expense increased by $1 million, or 1%, to $131 million for the three months ended June 30, 2011 from $130 million for the three months ended June 30, 2010. Expressed as a percentage of revenues, general and administrative expense decreased from 20% for the three months ended June 30, 2010 to 19% for the three months ended June 30, 2011, primarily as a result of the benefit from the LimeWire settlement, partially offset by expenses incurred in connection with the consummation of the Merger.

Selling and marketing expense remained flat at $98 million for the three months ended June 30, 2011 and 2010. Expressed as a percentage of revenues, selling and marketing expense decreased from 15% for the three months ended June 30, 2010 to 14% for the three months ended June 30, 2011.

Distribution expense decreased by $4 million, or 24%, to $13 million for the three months ended June 30, 2011 from $17 million for the three months ended June 30, 2010. The decrease in distribution expense was driven by the ongoing transition from physical to digital sales. Expressed as a percentage of revenues, distribution expense decreased from 3% for the three months ended June 30, 2010 to 2% for the three months ended June 30, 2011.

 

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Reconciliation of Consolidated Historical OIBDA to Operating Income and Net Loss Attributable to Warner Music Group Corp.

As previously described, we use OIBDA as our primary measure of financial performance. The following table reconciles OIBDA to operating income, and further provides the components from operating income to net loss attributable to Warner Music Group Corp. for purposes of the discussion that follows (in millions):

 

     For the Three Months Ended
June 30,
    2011 vs. 2010  
     2011     2010     $ Change     % Change  

OIBDA

   $ 77      $ 64      $ 13        20

Depreciation expense

     (11     (10     (1     10

Amortization expense

     (56     (55     (1     2
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

Operating income (loss)

     10        (1     11        —     

Interest expense, net

     (47     (46     (1     2

Other income, net

     6        1        5        —     
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

Loss before income taxes

     (31     (46     15        -33

Income tax expense

     (15     (9     (6     67
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

Net loss

     (46     (55     9        -16

Less: loss attributable to noncontrolling interest

     —          —          —          —     
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

Net loss attributable to Warner Music Group Corp.

   $ (46   $ (55   $ 9        -16
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

OIBDA

Our OIBDA increased by $13 million to $77 million for the three months ended June 30, 2011 as compared to $64 million for the three months ended June 30, 2010. Expressed as a percentage of revenues, total OIBDA margin increased from 10%, for the three months ended June 30, 2010, to 11% for the three months ended June 30, 2011. Our OIBDA increase was primarily driven by the increase in revenue, the benefit from the LimeWire settlement, lower distribution expense and lower artist and repertoire costs, partially offset by the increase in product costs and by expenses incurred in connection with the consummation of the Merger noted above.

See “Business Segment Results” presented hereinafter for a discussion of OIBDA by business segment.

Depreciation expense

Our depreciation expense increased from $10 million, for the three months ended June 30, 2010, to $11 million for the three months ended June 30, 2011, primarily related to recently completed capital projects.

Amortization expense

Amortization expense increased from $55 million, for the three months ended June 30, 2010, to $56 million for the three months ended June 30, 2011.

Operating income

Our operating income increased $11 million to $10 million, for the three months ended June 30, 2011 as compared to operating loss of $1 million for the three months ended June 30, 2010. The increase in operating income was a result of the increase in OIBDA noted above, partially offset by increases in depreciation and amortization expense.

Interest expense, net

Our interest expense, net, increased $1 million, or 2%, to $47 million for the three months ended June 30, 2011 as compared to $46 million for the three months ended June 30, 2010. The increase was primarily driven by changes in foreign currency exchange rates related to our sterling denominated notes.

See “—Financial Condition and Liquidity” for more information.

Other income, net

Other income for the three months ended June 30, 2011 and 2010 included net hedging gains on foreign exchange contracts, which represent currency exchange movements associated with inter-company receivables and payables that are short term in nature, offset by equity in earnings on our share of net income on investments recorded in accordance with the equity method of accounting for an unconsolidated investee. In addition, other income increased as a result of the settlement of an income tax audit in Germany reimbursable to us by Time Warner under the terms of the 2004 Acquisition.

 

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Income tax expense

Income tax expense increased to $15 million for the three months ended June 30, 2011 from $9 million for the three months ended June 30, 2010. The increase in income tax expense was primarily due to an increase in tax reserves relating to the settlement of an income tax audit in Germany.

We are currently under examination by various taxing authorities. The accrual for uncertain tax positions has increased by $15 million for the three months ended June 30, 2011 to $31 million as a result of the German income tax audit. We expect that $21 million of this total will be paid during the next twelve months, and $17 million of the payment will be reimbursed by Time Warner under the terms of the 2004 Acquisition.

Net loss

Our net loss decreased by $9 million, to a net loss of $46 million for the three months ended June 30, 2011 as compared to net loss of $55 million for the three months ended June 30, 2010. The improvement was a result of increase in OIBDA and the increase in other income, partially offset by an increase in income tax expense.

Business Segment Results

Revenue, OIBDA and operating income (loss) by business segment are as follows (in millions):

 

     For the Three Months Ended
June 30,
    2011 vs. 2010  
     2011     2010     $ Change     % Change  

Recorded Music

        

Revenue

   $ 545      $ 519      $ 26        5

OIBDA

     84        65        19        29

Operating income

   $ 40      $ 21        19        90

Music Publishing

        

Revenue

   $ 146      $ 139      $ 7        5

OIBDA

     22        18        4        22

Operating income

   $ 2      $ 1        1        100

Corporate expenses and eliminations

        

Revenue

   $ (5   $ (6   $ 1        17

OIBDA

     (29     (19     (10     53

Operating loss

   $ (32   $ (23     (9     39

Total

        

Revenue

   $ 686      $ 652      $ 34        5

OIBDA

     77        64        13        20

Operating income (loss)

   $ 10      $ (1     11        —     

Recorded Music

Revenues

Recorded Music revenues increased by $26 million, or 5%, to $545 million for the three months ended June 30, 2011 from $519 million for the three months ended June 30, 2010. Prior to intersegment eliminations, Recorded Music revenues represented 79% of consolidated revenues, for the three months ended June 30, 2011 and 2010. U.S. Recorded Music revenues were $227 million and $247 million, or 42% and 48% of Recorded Music revenues for the three months ended June 30, 2011 and 2010, respectively. International Recorded Music revenues were $318 million and $272 million, or 58% and 52% of consolidated Recorded Music revenues for the three months ended June 30, 2011 and 2010, respectively. The overall revenue growth reflected increases in digital revenue, licensing revenue and revenue from our European concert promotion businesses, partially offset by declines in physical sales. The increase in digital revenue was driven by the growth in digital downloads in the U.S. and internationally and emerging digital revenue streams such as Spotify and YouTube, partially offset by the continued decline in global mobile revenue primarily related to lower ringtone demand. Licensing revenue growth was driven primarily by increases in the licensing of recorded music assets in film, television and compilations. The increases in our European concert promotion business reflected a stronger touring schedule, mostly in France and Italy, as compared with the prior-year quarter. The decline in physical revenue in the current quarter versus the prior year was the result of physical declines reflecting the ongoing impact of the transition from physical to digital sales in the recorded music industry. Excluding the favorable impact of foreign currency exchange rates, total Recorded Music revenues decreased by $3 million, or 1%.

 

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Cost of revenues

Recorded Music cost of revenues is composed of the following amounts (in millions):

 

     For the Three Months Ended
June 30,
     2011 vs. 2010  
     2011      2010      $ Change     % Change  

Artist and repertoire costs

   $ 123       $ 129       $ (6     -5

Product costs

     133         106         27        25

Licensing costs

     21         19         2        11
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

Total cost of revenues

   $ 277       $ 254       $ 23        9
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

Recorded Music cost of revenues increased $23 million, or 9%, for the three months ended June 30, 2011. The increase in product costs was driven by higher non-traditional recorded music business costs related to the increase in revenue from our European concert promotion businesses, partially offset by effective supply chain management and the continuing change in mix from physical to digital sales. The increase in licensing costs was driven primarily by the increase in licensing revenue and changes in revenue mix. The decrease in artist and repertoire costs was driven by the timing of artist and repertoire spending and revenue mix. Expressed as a percentage of Recorded Music revenues, cost of revenues increased from 49% for the three months ended June 30, 2010, to 51% for the three months ended June 30, 2011, due primarily to costs associated with our European concert promotion businesses.

Selling, general and administrative expense

Recorded Music selling, general and administrative expense is composed of the following amounts (in millions):

 

     For the Three Months Ended
June 30,
     2011 vs. 2010  
     2011      2010      $ Change     % Change  

General and administrative expense (1)

   $ 82       $ 92       $ (10     -11

Selling and marketing expense

     96         96         —          —     

Distribution expense

     13         17         (4     -24
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

Total selling, general and administrative expense

   $ 191       $ 205       $ (14     -7
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

(1) Includes depreciation expense of $7 million and $5 million for the three months ended June 30, 2011 and 2010, respectively.

Recorded Music selling, general and administrative expense decreased $14 million, for the three months ended June 30, 2011. The decrease in general and administrative expense was driven by severance charges of $3 million taken during the current-year quarter as compared with $7 million taken during the prior-year quarter and the benefit from the LimeWire settlement. The decrease in distribution expense was driven by the ongoing transition from physical to digital sales. Expressed as a percentage of Recorded Music revenues, selling, general and administrative expense decreased from 39% for the three months ended June 30, 2010 to 35% for the three months ended June 30, 2011.

OIBDA and Operating Income

Recorded Music operating income included the following (in millions):

 

 

     For the Three Months Ended
June 30,
    2011 vs. 2010  
     2011     2010     $ Change      % Change  

OIBDA

   $ 84      $ 65      $ 19         29

Depreciation and amortization<