Ed Sheeran announced to his fans in a letter to his email list on Friday (May 22) that he is leaving Warner Music Group after 15 years at the record label. In his statement, it was also shared music week And obtained by signboardSheeran said he had no animosity about leaving the only record company he has worked with throughout his career, saying, “I leave with so much love and gratitude for everything we have accomplished together.”
Sheeran leaves as one of the most successful artists of the past 15 years, with eight Top 5 albums, including four No. 1s on the Billboard 200, and 60 songs on the Hot 100, including nine Top 10s and two No. 1s. Sheeran’s single “Shape of You” spent 12 weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in 2017, ultimately staying on the chart for 59 weeks, and his single “Perfect” also topped the Hot 100. His 2017 album ÷(divide) spent two weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 when it debuted on the Billboard 200 in 2017. His other No. 1 albums include the 2014 album ×2019 6th Collaboration Project And in 2021 =. Since his debut in 2011, Sheeran has earned 25.9 million equivalent album units in the U.S., including more than 32 billion streams and more than 5.8 million album sales, according to Luminate.
Warner Music Group holds Sheeran’s catalog of big hits and holds long-term licenses for his two most recent albums (2023 edition). autumn variations And in 2025 playreleased by Sheeran’s own label, Gingerbread Man, and Atlantic Records.
“Last month, I decided to leave Asylum/Warner. I am leaving the company with great love and gratitude for all we have accomplished together,” Sheeran wrote in the letter. This is a boy who joined the company as a teenager with different priorities and is now the father of two children who feel there needs to be change and change in the way he works professionally.”
signboard has reached out to Sheeran’s camp and Atlantic Records for comment. Warner Music Group said in a statement: signboard “We are proud to have supported Ed through his discoveries and remarkable growth over the past 15 years, and we are grateful for his continued partnership. We will steward his iconic catalog into the future, ensuring that his music will touch hearts and move feet around the world for generations to come. The entire Warner Music family wishes Ed the best of luck as he embarks on the next chapter of his extraordinary artistic journey.”
Sheeran was originally signed to Asylum/Atlantic UK. ed howard In 2011, he became co-president of Atlantic UK in 2019, having spent much of his career working with the longtime A&R executive. He was a label representative for Atlantic Records for many years. julie greenwaldWarner Music Group, Max Lousadaboth left the company in 2024 and have since launched their own labels under Sony Music Group. Atlantic’s new structure, under chairman and CEO Elliot GraingeSince then, the label’s market share has grown to No. 2 in the U.S. recorded music industry as of Q1 2026, with a current share of 8.76%.
Read Sheeran’s full note below.
hey guys
Just a quick update from me: I quit my record label a month ago…
When I was 18 I met Ed Howard of Asylum Records at a show in Notting Hill and ended up at his and his now wife’s house. While there, I played him a lot of music and just talked about life and what I wanted to do. To be honest, I didn’t know about him when he was working at the record label. I thought he was a cool guy who let me sleep on his couch. But the next day I found out who he was and we started chatting. He played a number of these small gigs with Ben Cooke, who was running Asylum at the time. All those gigs in tiny little pubs where no one else came, they came. So when the No. 5 collaboration was announced and I was offered a contract, I signed on right away. I love those people very much.
Over the past 15 years, I’ve released a lot of music and had great success with the company. We built something amazing together and enjoyed watching life-changing things happen to us. My life is very different now than it was when I was a teenager, and I have long felt in my heart that many things in my professional life needed to change. I’m basically a singer-songwriter who gigs in pubs. And I turned into this pop star who plays in stadiums for 15 years. This was a very surprising event, but it also left me with a lot of headaches. Last month I decided to leave Asylum/Warner. I leave with great love and gratitude for all we have accomplished together. This is not a situation where a disgruntled artist leaves a record label. This is a boy who started working in a company with different priorities as a teenager, and now a father of two children, who feels that change and changes are needed in the way he works professionally. I love Ed Howard forever, I love Asylum forever, and the door to the future is always open. Thank you to everyone at Warners around the world who has worked on my projects over the past 15 years. This was an amazing trip. I can’t wait to see where the next 15 years take me.
Lots of love to everyone x
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