WISE MUSIC GROUP LIMITED
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Next accounts due
2026-09-30 (in 4mo)
Last filed for 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement due
2026-11-30 (in 6mo)
Last made up 2025-11-16
Watchouts
Cash
£16M
+2.7% vs 2023
Net assets
£37M
-14% vs 2023
Employees
160
-4.8% vs 2023
Profit before tax
£442K
+109.5% vs 2023
Watchouts
Facts from the Companies House register and the latest accounts — not a rating
-
3 PSCs ceased in last 24 months
Significant control changed hands — see the Ownership section.
Name history
Renamed 2 times since incorporation
- WISE MUSIC GROUP LIMITED 2020-02-03 → present
- MUSIC SALES GROUP LIMITED 1986-01-02 → 2020-02-03
- MUSIC SALES LIMITED 1966-07-28 → 1986-01-02
Net assets
2-year trend · vs Consumer Discretionary median
Accounts
2-year trend · latest reflected 2024-12-31
| Metric | Trend | 2023-12-31 | 2024-12-31 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turnover | £40,323,000 | £41,421,000 | |
| Operating profit | -£2,139,000 | £563,000 | |
| Profit before tax | -£4,640,000 | £442,000 | |
| Net profit | -£3,358,000 | -£453,000 | |
| Cash | £15,283,000 | £15,699,000 | |
| Total assets less current liabilities | £88,634,000 | £59,120,000 | |
| Net assets | £42,694,000 | £36,708,000 | |
| Equity | £39,881,000 | £34,199,000 | |
| Average employees | 168 | 160 | |
| Wages | £10,775,000 | £10,906,000 |
Values shown as filed in the company's annual accounts. — indicates the figure wasn't present under that line item in that period. About these numbers
Ratios
Computed from the line items above — sparklines read oldest → newest
| Ratio | Trend | 2023-12-31 | 2024-12-31 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operating margin | -5.3% | 1.4% | |
| Net margin | -8.3% | -1.1% | |
| Return on capital employed | -2.4% | 1.0% | |
| Gearing (liabilities / total assets) | 65.1% | 68.5% | |
| Current ratio | 0.96x | 0.62x | |
| Interest cover | -0.82x | 0.22x |
Margins divide P&L lines by turnover. Gearing is liabilities over total assets. Current ratio is current assets over creditors falling due within one year. Interest cover is operating profit over absolute finance costs. Sector-distribution context coming next.
Audit & accounting basis
- Accounting basis
- FRS 102
- Reporting scope
- Consolidated group
- Auditor
- SRLV Audit Limited
- Audit opinion
- Unqualified (clean)
- Going concern
- Affirmed
“The Group made a loss in the year of £453k, and level of underlying business generated a Headline EBITDA of £7,399k. Our copyright royalty income continues to grow. The "Edition Peters Group", acquired in 2023, has now been fully integrated and has considerably strengthened our classical copyrights. Our key measure, Net Publisher Share (NPS), grew on a like for like basis. The Group retains a strong balance sheet position with net assets of £36,708k and a positive cash balance of £15,699k as at 31 December 2024. Like most other businesses we have continued to experience cost pressures including wage inflation and high interest rates. However, unlike some other sectors, the music market has shown above inflation growth, and our business continues to perform very well with turnover growth of 3% over 2024. Growth has continued into 2025. Our first half management accounts show our like for like NPS income 10% ahead of 2024. The Board remain optimistic and believe any cost pressures can be managed within the business. We expect our 2025 full year results to show an improvement over 2024 for continuing operations. The directors regularly revise their forecasts and have considered current balances plus cash flows in conjunction with covenant compliance for the foreseeable 12 month period. The directors are confident the Group and parent company will have sufficient resources to meet its liabilities over the period. As such, the directors conclude that the business should adopt a going concern basis in preparing the annual report and accounts.”
Group structure
- WISE MUSIC GROUP LIMITED · parent
- Music Sales Limited 100%
- Music Sales (Hong Kong) Limited 100%
- Chester Music Limited 100%
- Eaton Music Limited 100%
- Moving Image Music Limited 100%
- Novello & Company Limited 100%
- Edition Wilhelm Hansen AS 100%
- Storyville Records ApS 100%
- Edition Wilhelm Hansen OY S/F 100%
- Wise Music Iceland ehf 100%
- Edition Wilhelm Hansen GmbH 100%
- Eaton Music GmbH 100%
- Bosworth Music GmbH 100%
- Musikverlag Progressive GmbH 100%
- Bosworth & Co. Limited GesmbH 100%
- Eaton Music Italy Srl 100%
- Union Musical Ediciones SL 99.98%
- Campbell Connelly France SARL 100%
- Premiere Music Group SARL 99.99%
- Musique Des Anges SARL 100%
- Wise Music Italy Srl 100%
- Campbell Connelly Inc. 100%
- Bramsdene Music Corporation 100%
- Kabushiki Kaisha Music Sales 100%
- Music Sales Properties Limited 100%
- Music Sales Properties No.2 Limited 100%
- Music Sales Properties No3 Ltd 100%
- Wise Properties GmbH 100%
- Worldwide Music Corporation 100%
- CF Peters GmbH and Co KG 100%
- Henry Litolff's Verlag GmbH & Co KG 100%
- Edition Schwann GmbH & Co KG 100%
- Edition Hinrichsen GmbH 100%
- Edition Peters GmbH 100%
- Peters Edition Limited 100%
- Edition Peters Artist Management Limited 100%
- CF Peters (Holdings) Corporation 100%
- CF Peters Corporation 100%
- Henmar Press Incorporated 100%
- Tido Enterprise GmbH 67.8%
- Tido (UK) Limited 100%
- Glad Music Limited 50%
- Twangy Music Limited 50%
- Veronica Music Limited 50%
- Sabre Music Limited 50%
- Ixion Publishing Limited 50%
- Madena Publishing Limited 50%
- Whitman Music Limited 50%
- Connelly Basart Muziekuitgevererij BV 50%
- Robert Mellin Musikverlag GmbH & Co. KG 50%
- Pine and Oak Publishing GmbH 50%
- Hao Hao Music Sales Limited 50%
Significant events
- “On 23 December 2024, the group disposed of its entire 60% shareholding in former subsidiary company Charanga Limited, which ceases to be consolidated from that date.”
Auditor, going-concern and subsidiary information is drawn from the narrative of the latest annual accounts. About these numbers
People
11 active · 13 resigned
| Name | Role | Appointed | Born | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KYTE, Denise Samantha | Secretary | 2024-01-01 | — | — |
| BUTLER, Christopher Mark | Director | 2001-01-04 | Jul 1963 | British |
| CASTALDO, John | Director | 2020-10-13 | Jan 1955 | American |
| GILROY, Ian Nigel | Director | 2017-06-30 | Jan 1963 | British |
| HOLLEY, David | Director | 2015-01-02 | Apr 1965 | British |
| ROCKBERGER, David Barry | Director | 1998-01-01 | May 1946 | British |
| SMITH, Jonathan Alexander Bruce | Director | 2019-03-01 | Apr 1963 | British |
| WISE, Marcus Daniel | Director | 2013-11-04 | Dec 1977 | British,American |
| WISE, Mildred Berta | Director | — | Jun 1938 | Swiss |
| WISE, Robert | Director | — | Sep 1934 | British |
| WISE, Tomas Christopher | Director | 2003-06-25 | Feb 1971 | American |
Show 13 resigned officers
| Name | Role | Appointed | Resigned |
|---|---|---|---|
| CONNELL, Elizabeth | Secretary | 2008-10-14 | 2011-12-21 |
| GOBLE, George Christopher | Secretary | 2002-06-28 | 2006-05-19 |
| HUGHES, Amy Victoria | Secretary | 2006-05-19 | 2008-10-13 |
| KEMP, Nicholas John Marcus | Secretary | 2012-04-27 | 2024-01-01 |
| WIGNALL, Neville Owen | Secretary | — | 2002-06-28 |
| DUVIVIER, Claude | Director | 2017-07-01 | 2023-01-03 |
| EDWARDS, Barrie Monrell | Director | 2001-01-04 | 2013-06-28 |
| GRABHAM, Malcolm Paul | Director | — | 2006-02-04 |
| JOHNSON, Frank Henry | Director | — | 1996-04-30 |
| LATHAM, Anthony Edward | Director | 2008-05-19 | 2018-06-30 |
| LOWER, Paul John | Director | 2005-07-01 | 2008-04-18 |
| RUSHTON, James Thomas Chadwick | Director | 2011-01-01 | 2020-12-31 |
| VAUGHAN, David Norman | Director | 2007-11-26 | 2012-12-31 |
Ownership
Persons with significant control
| Name | Kind | Nature of control | Notified | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Castaldo | Individual | ownership-of-shares-25-to-50-percent-as-trust | 2024-11-15 | Active |
| Mr Marcus Daniel Wise | Individual | Shares 25–50% | 2020-12-23 | Ceased 2024-11-15 |
| Mr Nicholas Andrew Wise | Individual | Shares 25–50% | 2020-05-14 | Ceased 2024-11-15 |
| Mr Tomas Christopher Wise | Individual | Shares 25–50% | 2020-05-14 | Active |
| Mr Robert Wise | Individual | Significant influence | 2016-04-06 | Ceased 2024-07-29 |
| Mrs Mildred Berta Wise | Individual | Shares 25–50% | 2016-04-06 | Ceased 2020-12-23 |
Filing timeline
Last 20 of 202 total filings
Material constitutional events — rename, articles re-file, resolution
- 2024-09-16 MA Memorandum articles
- 2024-09-16 RESOLUTIONS Resolution
| Date | Type | Category | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-16 | RP01AP01 | officers | Replacement filing of director appointment with name | |
| 2025-12-04 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type group | |
| 2025-11-16 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with updates | |
| 2025-05-01 | CH01 | officers | Change person director company with change date | |
| 2024-11-15 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with updates | |
| 2024-11-15 | PSC01 | persons-with-significant-control | Notification of a person with significant control | |
| 2024-11-15 | PSC07 | persons-with-significant-control | Cessation of a person with significant control | |
| 2024-11-15 | PSC07 | persons-with-significant-control | Cessation of a person with significant control | |
| 2024-09-16 | MA | incorporation | Memorandum articles | |
| 2024-09-16 | RESOLUTIONS | resolution | Resolution | |
| 2024-09-11 | SH08 | capital | Capital name of class of shares | |
| 2024-09-10 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type group | |
| 2024-08-01 | PSC07 | persons-with-significant-control | Cessation of a person with significant control | |
| 2024-07-18 | PSC01 | persons-with-significant-control | Notification of a person with significant control | |
| 2024-07-18 | PSC01 | persons-with-significant-control | Notification of a person with significant control | |
| 2024-01-11 | AP03 | officers | Appoint person secretary company with name date | |
| 2024-01-11 | TM02 | officers | Termination secretary company with name termination date | |
| 2023-11-02 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with updates | |
| 2023-10-09 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type group | |
| 2023-06-02 | CH01 | officers | Change person director company with change date |
Public-record activity
Raw counts from Companies House — last 12–24 months
- Filings
- 4
- Capital events
- 1
- Officers appointed
- 0
- Officers resigned
- 0
last 12 months
last 24 months
last 12 months
last 12 months
Direct counts from the register. No score, no rating — see the Filing timeline for the underlying events.
Year-on-year
FY2023 → FY2024 · period ending 2024-12-31 vs 2023-12-31
-
Turnover
+2.7%
£40,323,000 £41,421,000
-
Cash
+2.7%
£15,283,000 £15,699,000
-
Net assets
-14%
£42,694,000 £36,708,000
-
Employees
-4.8%
168 160
-
Operating profit
+126.3%
-£2,139,000 £563,000
-
Profit before tax
+109.5%
-£4,640,000 £442,000
-
Wages
+1.2%
£10,775,000 £10,906,000
Each % is (latest − prior) ÷ |prior| for the line item as filed. The comparison is only shown when the latest and prior accounts cover broadly equal-length periods — short or long stubs (typical around incorporation or a year-end change) are suppressed rather than misrepresented. Lines a company doesn't report are omitted. About these numbers