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Warner Music Group Executive Compensation (FY25)

WMG · Executive and director compensation, fiscal 2023 to 2025

The paid brief on Warner Music Group

Positioning against its disclosed peers, the governance read, incentive design, and the CD&A alignment analysis; the full peer table; a committee-ready PDF.
From $1,200 for the board report; $2,400 for both.
Data as of September 7, 2026Latest filing (DEF 14A): January 20, 2026
6 filings cited on this page
A report that fails to generate is refunded in full
Published by Velarion Company Intelligence
Warner Music Group brief$1,500Get the executive brief
176 figures on this page: 174 cited to the filing that reported them, 2 calculated from figures it prints. See the citations
Chief executive, fiscal 2025
◇
Robert Kyncl
Median of the other named officers
$5,372,455
5 officers, excluding the chief executive
Latest say-on-pay support
=
March 5, 2024
Chief executive pay ratio
◇
To the median employee

More on Warner Music Group

Five data products on this company. Each one is requested through the developer setup page.
What changed from fiscal 2024 to fiscal 2025
The figures that moved, and by how much. Analysis of these figures is part of the Velarion platform.
Chief executive total compensation — Robert Kyncl: $18,632,606 → $15,909,250 (14.6% lower)

Frequently asked questions

Answers drawn from the data on this page.
Who is Warner Music Group's chief executive and what were they paid?
Robert Kyncl was paid $15,909,250 in total compensation as Chief Executive Officer for fiscal 2025. Kyncl's total moved 14.6% lower from the $18,632,606 reported for fiscal 2024.
What was Warner Music Group's say-on-pay result?
The say-on-pay proposal drew 99.7% of votes cast for or against in favor at the meeting held March 5, 2024 for fiscal 2023.
Which companies are in Warner Music Group's peer group?
Companies named in the disclosed peer group include Electronics Arts Inc., Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc., Formula One Group, Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. and Match Group Inc., among others.
What is Warner Music Group's chief executive pay ratio?
The disclosed chief executive pay ratio for fiscal 2025 is 191:1, against median employee compensation of $83,212.

Executive compensation

Every element reported for each named executive officer, by fiscal year.
Fiscal 2023
OfficerSalaryBonusStock awardsOption awardsNon-equity incentivePension and deferred earningsAll other compensationTotal
Robert Kyncl
Chief Executive Officer
◇◇◇———◇◇
Stephen Cooper
Former CEO
Departed during or after this year
◇—◇————◇
Max Lousada
CEO, Warner Recorded Music
◇◇◇———◇◇
Guy Moot
Co-Chair and CEO, Warner Chappell Music
◇◇◇———◇◇
Carianne Marshall
Co-Chair and COO, Warner Chappell Music
◇◇◇———◇◇
Eric Levin
Former Chief Financial Officer
Departed during or after this year
◇◇◇———◇◇
Fiscal 2024
OfficerSalaryBonusStock awardsOption awardsNon-equity incentivePension and deferred earningsAll other compensationTotal
Robert Kyncl
Chief Executive Officer
◇◇◇———◇◇
Max Lousada
Former CEO, Warner Recorded Music
Departed during or after this year
◇◇◇———◇◇
Guy Moot
Co-Chair and Chief Executive Officer, Warner Chappell Music
◇◇◇———◇◇
Bryan Castellani
Chief Financial Officer
◇◇◇———◇◇
Carianne Marshall
Co-Chair and Chief Operating Officer, Warner Chappell Music
◇◇◇———◇◇
Eric Levin
Former Chief Financial Officer
Departed during or after this year
◇◇◇———◇◇
Fiscal 2025
OfficerSalaryBonusStock awardsOption awardsNon-equity incentivePension and deferred earningsAll other compensationTotal
Robert Kyncl
Chief Executive Officer
◇◇◇———◇◇
Armin Zerza
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
◇◇◇———◇◇
Guy Moot
Co-Chair and Chief Executive Officer, Warner Chappell Music
◇◇◇———◇◇
Carianne Marshall
Co-Chair and Chief Operating Officer, Warner Chappell Music
◇◇◇———◇◇
Carletta Higginson
Executive Vice President and Chief Digital Officer
◇◇◇———◇◇
Bryan Castellani
Former Chief Financial Officer
Departed during or after this year
◇◇◇———◇◇
A dash means the company reported no figure in that column. $0 is shown only where the filing prints a zero. A negative change in pension value is shown but, as the company reports it, not included in the total.

Equity awards granted

Individual awards as disclosed: type, date, unit counts at each level, and grant date value.
Fiscal 2025
OfficerAwardGrant dateThreshold unitsTarget unitsUnits grantedMaximum unitsExercise priceGrant date fair value
Armin ZerzaRSU◇——◇——◇
Armin ZerzaOPTION◇——◇—◇◇
Bryan CastellaniRSU◇——◇——◇
Carianne MarshallRSU◇——◇——◇
Carletta HigginsonRSU◇——◇——◇
Guy MootRSU◇——◇——◇
Robert KynclRSU◇——◇——◇
Fiscal 2023, 2024 are included in the PDF.
A dash means the company reported no figure in that column. $0 is shown only where the filing prints a zero. Threshold, target and maximum apply only to performance awards and are never shown for time-based or option awards.

Outstanding awards

Awards still held at fiscal year end.
As disclosed at fiscal 2025 year end
OfficerAwardUnvested unitsMarket value of unvested unitsExercise priceExpires
Carletta HigginsonRSU◇◇——
RSU◇◇——
Guy MootRSU◇◇——
RSU◇◇——
RSU◇◇——
RSU◇◇——
Carianne MarshallRSU◇◇——
RSU◇◇——
RSU◇◇——
RSU◇◇——
Bryan CastellaniRSU◇◇——
RSU◇◇——
RSU◇◇——
Robert KynclPSU◇◇——
RSU◇◇——
Armin ZerzaRSU◇◇——
Option◇—◇05/12/2035
A dash means the company reported no figure in that column. $0 is shown only where the filing prints a zero.

Severance and change in control

The terms as written in the agreements.
Robert Kyncl
Chief Executive Officer · Terms as described in the company’s compensation discussion · dated January 2, 2025
Severance cash amount◇
Benefits continuation◇

Director compensation

What each non-employee director was paid.
Fiscal 2025
DirectorFees earned in cashStock awardsOption awardsNon-equity incentivePension and deferred earningsAll other compensationTotal
Michael Lynton
Board chair
◇◇————◇
Nancy Dubuc
◇◇————◇
Noreena Hertz
◇◇————◇
Mathias Döpfner
◇◇————◇
Ynon Kreiz, Lincoln Benet, Donald A. Wagner, Len Blavatnik, Valentin Blavatnik, Ceci Kurzman and Robert Kyncl served on the board in fiscal 2025 and received no compensation for board service. Executive directors are typically paid through their executive roles, shown above.
Earlier years are included in the PDF.
A dash means the company reported no figure in that column. $0 is shown only where the filing prints a zero.

Director fee schedule

The standing retainers and premiums the board pays, as published.
Board cash retainer◇
Board equity retainer◇
Total board retainer◇
Board chair premium◇
Audit committee member◇
Compensation committee member◇
Nominating and governance member◇
Equity is delivered as restricted stock units.

Disclosed peer group

The companies this board named as its compensation comparison group. The list is disclosure; the comparison is analysis.
Fiscal 2024
  • Electronics Arts Inc. EA
  • Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc. EDR
  • Formula One Group symbol not shown
  • Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. LYV
  • Match Group Inc. MTCH
  • Spotify Technology SA SPOT
  • Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. TTWO
  • TKO Group Holdings, Inc. TKO
  • Universal Music Group N.V. UMG

Say-on-pay history

Shareholder support for the compensation program, by year.
YearMeetingSupportVotes forVotes againstAbstentions
2023March 5, 2024=◇◇◇
2020March 2, 2021=◇◇◇

Chief executive pay ratio

As calculated and reported by the company.
Ratio
◇
Median employee compensation
◇
Chief executive total compensation
◇
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What this page does not include

Everything above is a fact Warner Music Group disclosed, and it is free. Everything below is our analysis of those facts, and it is not.
Peer benchmarking
Where Warner Music Group sits against its disclosed peers — percentile position by role and by pay element, and the ranking behind it. The disclosed peer group is free; comparisons across it are part of the Velarion platform.
Executive Compensation Report — $1,500
Written compensation analysis
A read of the pay program as designed and as paid: incentive structure, goal rigor, the alignment between the committee's stated philosophy and what the numbers show.
Executive Compensation Report — $1,500
Board and governance analysis
Committee composition, independence, director pay positioning, and the governance provisions read together rather than listed.
Board Governance Report — $1,200
Realizable pay
What the awards above are actually worth today against what they were valued at on grant, and what the gap says about the pay-for-performance link.
Velarion Intelligence
Adviser switching and vote outcomes
Two datasets covering compensation-adviser changes and what followed a contested vote. Both are part of the Velarion platform.
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Citations

Every figure on this page is cited to the document that reported it. Select any figure to see its citation.
176 figures on this page: 174 cited to the filing that reported them, 2 calculated from figures it prints.
174 cited to the filing
2 calculated from the filing

Documents cited

  1. 0001140361-26-001664
    DIRECTOR COMPENSATION · Grants of Plan-Based Awards · Outstanding Equity Awards at 2025 Fiscal Year-End · Summary Compensation Table · and 1 more section
  2. 0001140361-25-001453
    Summary Compensation Table
  3. 0001193125-25-001503
    EX-10.1
  4. 0001193125-24-062816
  5. 0001140361-24-002637
    Summary Compensation Table
  6. 0001193125-21-066638
Cite this data
This page is free to cite. Attribution we ask for:
Velarion, “Warner Music Group executive compensation, FY2023–FY2025.” https://intel.velarion.ai/comp/WMG (accessed 2026).
Short form: data: Velarion

The paid brief for Warner Music Group

Positioning against its disclosed peers, the governance read, incentive design, and the CD&A alignment analysis; the full peer table; a committee-ready PDF.
From $1,200 for the board report; $2,400 for both.
Get the executive briefGet the board briefNo account needed.
6 filings cited on this page
Method: intel.velarion.ai/methodology
A report that fails to generate is refunded in full
Published by Velarion Company Intelligence
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Peers Warner Music Group discloses

The companies named in WMG's own disclosed peer group.

Electronics Arts Inc.Live Nation Entertainment, Inc.Match Group Inc.Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc.TKO Group Holdings, Inc.

Terms on this page

Say-on-Pay VoteCEO Pay RatioMedian Employee CompensationAll companies

Free to read and cite. Redistribution or bulk use of the dataset requires a data license. Talk to us about the data license.

Cite this data
APA
Velarion Company Intelligence. (2026). Velarion database: executive and board compensation data (Version 2026Q3) [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22283854
BibTeX
@misc{velarionData2026,
  author = {{Velarion Company Intelligence}},
  title = {Velarion database: executive and board compensation data},
  year = {2026},
  version = {2026Q3},
  doi = {10.5281/zenodo.22283854},
  publisher = {Zenodo},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22283854}
}
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