Ed Sheeran announced to fans on Friday (May 22) that he’s left the Warner Music Group after spending 15 years at the record label in a letter via his email list. In his statement, which was also shared with Music Week and obtained by Billboard, Sheeran said there was no animosity at leaving the only record company he has worked with across his career so far, saying he exits with “SO much love and gratitude for everything we have achieved together.”
Sheeran leaves as one of the most successful artists of the past 15 years, having landed eight top five albums on the Billboard 200, including four No. 1s, and 60 songs on the Hot 100, including nine top 10s and two No. 1s. Sheeran’s single “Shape of You” sat atop the Billboard Hot 100 for 12 weeks in 2017, ultimately spending 59 weeks on the chart, while his single “Perfect” also reached No. 1 on the Hot 100. His 2017 album ÷ (Divide) spent two weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 when it debuted in 2017. His other No. 1 albums include 2014’s x, 2019’s No. 6 Collaborations Project and 2021’s =. According to Luminate, Sheeran has racked up 25.9 million equivalent album unites in the United States since his 2011 debut, including more than 32 billion streams and 5.8 million album sales.
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Warner Music Group is keeping Sheeran’s catalog of biggest hits, and has long-term licenses for his two most recent albums, 2023’s Autumn Variations and 2025’s Play, which were released on Sheeran’s own label, Gingerbread Man, and Atlantic Records.
In his letter, Sheeran wrote, “I’ve 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. 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.”
Billboard has reached out to Sheeran’s camp and Atlantic Records for comment. Warner Music Group said in a statement to Billboard it is “proud to have supported Ed through his discovery and remarkable rise over the past 15 years and grateful for his continued partnership. As we steward his iconic catalogue 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.”
Sheeran initially signed with Asylum/Atlantic U.K.’s Ed Howard in 2011, ultimately spending much of his career with the longtime A&R executive, who became co-president of Atlantic U.K. in 2019. His longtime label heads at Atlantic Records, Julie Greenwald, and Warner Music Group, Max Lousada, both exited the company in 2024, and have since started their own label under Sony Music Group. The new regime at Atlantic, under chairman/CEO Elliot Grainge, has since grown the label’s market share to No. 2 in the U.S. recorded music industry as of the first quarter of 2026, with an 8.76% current share.
Read Sheeran’s full note below.
Hey everyone
A little update from me, I left my record label a month ago…
I met Ed Howard from Asylum records at a show in Notting Hill when I was 18 and I ended up crashing at his and his now wife’s house. Whilst there I played him a bunch of music, and just chatted about life and what I wanted to do. I honestly didn’t know at the time he worked at a record label, I thought he was just someone cool who was letting me crash on his sofa. But the next day I found out who he was, and we started chatting. He came to so many of those small gigs, with Ben Cook who ran Asylum at the time. All the tiny tiny pub gigs no one came to, they came to. So when no.5 collaborations came out, and I was offered a deal, I signed instantly. I love those guys so much.
Over the last 15 years, I’ve put out so much music, and had so much success with that company. We’ve built something amazing together, and enjoyed such life changing stuff happening to us. 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 stadiums over 15 years, it’s a super amazing thing to have happened but also a lot to get your head around. 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. 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. I love Ed Howard forever, I love Asylum forever, and the door is always open for the future. Thank you everyone across Warner worldwide who has worked on my projects over the last 15 years, it’s been an incredible journey. Excited to see where the next 15 years takes me.
Loads of love to everyone x
