EMI is a leading music publisher with a catalogue of more than 2.2 million copyrights, spanning songs by iconic names including Queen, Sam Smith, Pharrell Williams and Drake.

In 2012, a consortium led by Mubadala and Sony Corporation acquired EMI for US $2.2 billion (11.1x EV/2012 EBITDA). This investment represented an opportunity for Mubadala to partner with a music industry leader and take a strategic position in the industry.

In May 2018, Mubadala sold EMI Music Publishing to the Sony Corporation at an implied enterprise value of US $4.75 billion (AED 17.45 billion).

After a five year holding period, Mubadala identified growing trends in the industry. There was a resurgence of the industry’s subscription-based music streaming services and an increase in live artist performances.