The Biz: Tomorrowland Sets TikTok Record; UMG, Ryman Earnings & More 

TikTok’s livestream of Belgian electronic festival Tomorrowland drew 74 million unique viewers over its two July weekends, setting a record for livestreams on the popular platform.

It’s a remarkable 362% increase from 2023, the last time the festival partnered with TikTok, when it drew 16 million viewers.

TikTok ran 24-hour streams from multiple stages and also operated a Content Studio on the festival grounds in Boom, Belgium, hosting DJs and producers.

TikTok’s value as a music discovery and fan engagement platform has long been recognized by pop artists in particular — Justin Bieber performed the first-ever live concert on TikTok in February 2021 — but electronic music’s presence is booming there. ByteDance, the controversial Chinese-based owner of TikTok, says videos tagged “#electronicmusic” have more than 36 billion views.

“Electronic music is one of the biggest genres on TikTok, and Tomorrowland is a truly unique experience that showcases electronic music in all its glory,” Michael Kümmerle, global head of music partnership development at TikTok, said. 

The festival was imperiled after a fire destroyed the main stage two days before opening night. Parts of Metallica’s “M72 Tour” stage still in storage in Austria were used to build a new main stage, and the festival began without a delay.

TikTok is broadly expanding its music livestream offerings. It’s partnering with iHeartRadio on a singing competition stream and recently rolled out a feature that provides better monetization for creators who live stream. TikTok’s festival streaming success is also another proof point of the viability of broadcast as a new revenue source for both festivals and their partners. Hulu reported that it sold out all sponsorship slots for its Lollapalooza stream, inking major deals with T-Mobile and Bacardi. YouTube’s partnership with Coachella is in its 13th and “Couchella” is now its own subcultural phenomenon.

UMG Rides Subscription
Growth To Earnings Beat

Universal Music Group reported second quarter revenues of €2.980 billion ($3.38 billion), a slight miss on the top line, but on the bottom line, scored a big beat with earnings per share at €0.77 ($0.90), a resounding 108% ahead of analyst expectations. 

“It is the powerful combination of our artists’ and songwriters’ creative excellence with our strategic vision and execution that continues to deliver UMG’s strong results.” UMG Chairman and CEO Sir Lucian Grainge said. 

Subscription and streaming revenues were up 8.7% with ad-supported growth at 9.1% and subscription-driven growth up 8.5%, which UMG said represented a global increase in subscriptions.

The digital numbers buoyed the recorded music segment, which took major hits in physical (down 12.4%) and licensing revenues (down 6.5%). 

The quarter’s top sellers were releases from Morgan Wallen, timelesz, Lady Gaga, Sabrina Carpenter and INI.

Publishing was up 14.5% while merchandise took a 12.7% hit, which UMG said was more of a reflection of strong performance in Q2 2024 driven by new music rather than a weak Q2 2025.

Ryman’s Entertainment
Wing Boosts Earnings
In Tough Hotel Environment

Ryman Hospitality Group is facing headwinds at its flagship property — Nashville’s Opryland Hotel — as consumers now have many more options in the Music City closer to the action on Broadway than the nearly half-century-old property some 10 miles northeast of downtown.

Despite this, the owner of the Grand Ole Opry reported a strong Q2 as its entertainment sector continues to produce results.

The segment hit record revenue of $143 million with adjusted EBITDA of $34 million. Ryman highlighted investments in Luke Combs’ branded bar Category 10, Austin mixed-use property Block 21 and festival promoter Southern Entertainment as drivers in that sector.

Indie Merch Merger

Independent merchandise companies Downright Merchandise and Overcast Merch have merged to form Armada. The company will employ 170 people and operate in 250 stores with a production facility in Long Beach, California. Both predecessor companies operated primarily in the punk, metal and hardcore space, though they have since expanded into other genres and consumer licensing.

The roster includes Thrice, Tom Morello and Death Row Records.

“Armada will have greater ability to support more creative projects in branding and merchandising at a time when merch and e-commerce are becoming essential parts of any public figure or performer’s business,” Overcast co-founder Andrew Doyle said.