Sony Music Publishing claimed the top spot in Billboard's 2025 music publisher rankings for both the Hot 100 and Top Radio Airplay charts. The company achieved a 28.33% market share on the Hot 100 and 29.85% on Radio Airplay, driven by stakes in numerous hit songs. Warner Chappell Music ranked second on both charts.
Sony Music Publishing dominated Billboard's annual publisher rankings for 2025, securing first place on the Hot 100 with a 28.33% market share and on Top Radio Airplay with 29.85%. The publisher had shares in 70 or more songs on both charts for three quarters, peaking in the second quarter with 75 Hot 100 songs and 73 on Radio Airplay. Its strongest performance came in the third quarter, reaching 33.88% on the Hot 100 and 30.90% on Radio Airplay. Key hits included Leon Thomas' “Mutt,” Alex Warren's “Ordinary,” and Kendrick Lamar and SZA's “Luther,” with Shane “sombr” Boose as the top songwriter in the third quarter for both charts and fourth-quarter Radio Airplay leader. Sony also boosted its position by administering part of the former Hipgnosis catalog after a June 2025 deal with Blackstone, which had rebranded it as Recognition Music earlier that year. Warner Chappell Music placed second, with 20.29% on the Hot 100 and 22.50% on Radio Airplay, surpassing 20% in seven of eight quarterly charts. It led Country Airplay with 31.02%. Standout songs were “Die With A Smile” by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars, Alex Warren's “Ordinary,” and Doechii's “Anxiety.” Universal Music Publishing Group ranked third at 19.38% on Hot 100 and 15.81% on Radio Airplay, with hits like Taylor Swift's “The Fate Of Ophelia,” Justin Bieber's “Daisies,” and Shaboozey's “Good News.” Kobalt took fourth with 11.9% and 10.22%, respectively, while BMG held fifth at 6.91% and 5.61%. Lower ranks included Pulse, Position Music, Concord, and others, with rankings based on aggregated quarterly points from sales, streaming, and airplay data tracked by Luminate and Mediabase.
