Why Ed Sheeran walked away from Warner Music Group at the peak

…What it means for the next chapter of his pentalogy.

Ed Sheeran has ended his 15-year partnership with Atlantic Records and Asylum Records, part of Warner Music Group. The singer-songwriter announced the split in a newsletter to fans on May 22.

The move, which took effect last month, covers new releases only. Warner Music Group will continue to handle his existing catalogue.“This isn’t a ‘disgruntled artist leaves record label’ type situation,”

Sheeran wrote. “This is a boy who started as a teenager in 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.”

He described the split as amicable and expressed gratitude for the partnership, which began in 2011 with the release of his debut album +. The relationship produced eight studio albums and major commercial success, including 170 million album sales worldwide and 126 billion global streams.

Sheeran added, “I leave the company with so much love and gratitude for everything we have achieved together. I love Ed Howard forever, I love Asylum forever, and the door is always open for the future.”

Warner Music Group confirmed the news and said it will continue to manage Sheeran’s catalogue. “Everyone in the Warner Music family wishes Ed the very best as he embarks on the next chapter of his extraordinary artistic journey,” the company stated.

Sheeran’s most recent album, Play, was released in September 2025. It is the first in a planned series of five albums based on media control symbols. The remaining albums are expected to be titled Rewind, Fast-Forward, Stop, and one additional release. The departure gives Sheeran greater control over future releases in this series. He has not yet named a new distributor or label partner.

Previous albums were released through Atlantic, with some recent projects issued via his own Gingerbread Man Records and Warner’s independent distribution arm ADA. Sheeran, 35, is currently on the Loop Tour in support of Play. The tour started in Auckland in January 2026 and is scheduled to continue through December.

The split comes as Sheeran remains one of Warner’s top artists. The company reported him as a major contributor to its revenue in its most recent quarterly results.