Ed Sheeran Splits from Warner Music After 15 Years

Photo Credit: Ed Sheeran (@teddysphotos / Instagram)

After 15 years and eight full-length albums, Ed Sheeran confirms the rumor that he has left Warner Music—news also confirmed by the company.

The rumors are true: Ed Sheeran has left Warner Music after 15 years with the company (and an impressive eight studio albums). The singer confirmed the news in a statement to fans in his newsletter, which Warner Music also confirmed in a statement to Music Week.

Sheeran was signed to Warner’s Asylum Records in the UK, with his albums being released through Warner’s Atlantic label in the United States. His earlier albums are owned by Warner, while the rights to his newer releases are held by his Gingerbread Man label and licensed to Warner.

His Warner catalog will remain with the company in a “continued partnership,” while the licensed releases are part of what has been described as a long-term distribution deal.

Notably, a lot of the executives with whom Sheeran worked closely have left the company in recent years, including former Atlantic Music Group CEO Julie Greenwald and former Warner recorded-music chief Max Lousada.

“I decided to leave Asylum/Warner last month. I leave the company with so much love and gratitude for everything we have achieved together. This isn’t a ‘disgruntled artist leaves record label’ type situation,” Sheeran clarified. “This is a boy who started as a teenager on the company with different priorities, to the father-of-2 man who exists now, who feels like he needs a shift and change in the way he does things professionally.”

“Over the last 15 years, I’ve put out so much music and had so much success with the company. We’ve built something amazing together and enjoyed such life-changing stuff happening to us,” Sheeran wrote. “My life is hugely different now to what it was when I was a teenager, and I’ve been feeling in my gut for a long time that a lot of things in my professional life need to change.”

“I am, underneath it all, a singer-songwriter who plays pub gigs. And I’ve sorta morphed into this pop star who plays stadium over 15 years,” he explained. “It’s a super amazing thing to have happened, but also a lot to get your head around.”

Meanwhile, Asylum Records’ Ed Howard released his own statement, sharing: “From the sofa-surfing teenager I met in 2009 to the global music icon he is today, Ed has spent the last 15 years showing the world what happens when unmatched talent meets unwavering integrity.”

“Being able to play a part in his extraordinary musical journey has been a privilege, and I’ve learnt so much from him,” Howard continued. “Beyond the music, the example he sets as a mentor to other artists, a champion for education, a father, a friend, and simply as a human being, is truly special. I feel incredibly grateful to have him in my life.”

“Warner Music Group is proud to have supported Ed through his discovery and remarkable rise over the past 15 years and grateful for his continued partnership,” read a collective statement from Warner Music. “As we steward his iconic catalog into the future, we’ll ensure that his music will touch hearts and move feet around the world for generations to come. Everyone in the Warner Music family wishes Ed the very best as he embarks on the next chapter of his extraordinary artistic journey.”

Rumors are already swirling as to what’s next for Sheeran, including that he’s struck up a lucrative deal with Universal Music Group. However, a rep for Universal did not immediately confirm these rumors in time for publication.