0001319161-21-000010 | 10-Q | XBRL Viewer

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Cover Page - shares	3 Months Ended
Cover Page - shares	Dec. 31, 2020	Jan. 29, 2021
Document Information [Line Items]
Document Type	10-Q
Document Quarterly Report	true
Document Period End Date	Dec. 31, 2020
Document Transition Report	false
Entity File Number	001-32502
Entity Registrant Name	Warner Music Group Corp.
Entity Incorporation, State or Country Code	DE
Entity Tax Identification Number	13-4271875
Entity Address, Address Line One	1633 Broadway
Entity Address, City or Town	New York
Entity Address, State or Province	NY
Entity Address, Postal Zip Code	10019
City Area Code	(212)
Local Phone Number	275-2000
Title of 12(b) Security	Class A Common Stock, $0.001 par value per share
Trading Symbol	WMG
Security Exchange Name	NASDAQ
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Interactive Data Current	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Non-accelerated Filer
Entity Small Business	false
Entity Emerging Growth Company	false
Entity Shell Company	false
Amendment Flag	false
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2021
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q1
Entity Central Index Key	0001319161
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--09-30
Class A Common Stock
Document Information [Line Items]
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		111,167,356
Class B Common Stock
Document Information [Line Items]
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		403,184,814

Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2020	Sep. 30, 2020
Current assets:
Cash and equivalents	$ 566	$ 553
Accounts receivable, net of allowances of $24 million and $23 million	884	771
Inventories	71	79
Royalty advances expected to be recouped within one year	246	220
Prepaid and other current assets	61	55
Total current assets	1,828	1,678
Royalty advances expected to be recouped after one year	307	269
Property, plant and equipment, net	334	331
Operating lease right-of-use assets, net	275	273
Goodwill	1,851	1,831
Intangible assets subject to amortization, net	1,968	1,653
Intangible assets not subject to amortization	156	154
Deferred tax assets, net	62	68
Other assets	162	153
Total assets	6,943	6,410
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable	214	264
Accrued royalties	1,722	1,628
Accrued liabilities	414	382
Accrued interest	36	30
Operating lease liabilities, current	41	39
Deferred revenue	326	297
Other current liabilities	137	80
Total current liabilities	2,890	2,720
Long-term debt	3,387	3,104
Operating lease liabilities, noncurrent	298	299
Deferred tax liabilities, net	166	163
Other noncurrent liabilities	169	169
Total liabilities	6,910	6,455
Deficit:
Additional paid-in capital	1,913	1,907
Accumulated deficit	(1,713)	(1,749)
Accumulated other comprehensive loss, net	(185)	(222)
Total Warner Music Group Corp. equity (deficit)	16	(63)
Noncontrolling interest	17	18
Total equity (deficit)	33	(45)
Total liabilities and equity (deficit)	6,943	6,410
Class A Common Stock
Deficit:
Common stock	0	0
Class B Common Stock
Deficit:
Common stock	$ 1	$ 1

Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited) (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2020	Sep. 30, 2020
Accounts receivable, allowances	$ 24	$ 23
Class A Common Stock
Par value (in dollars per share)	$ 0.001	$ 0.001
Shares authorized (in shares)	1,000,000,000	1,000,000,000
Shares issued (in shares)	111,167,356	88,578,361
Shares outstanding (in shares)	111,167,356	88,578,361
Class B Common Stock
Par value (in dollars per share)	$ 0.001	$ 0.001
Shares authorized (in shares)	1,000,000,000	1,000,000,000
Shares issued (in shares)	403,184,814	421,450,000
Shares outstanding (in shares)	403,184,814	421,450,000

Consolidated Statements of Operations (Unaudited) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Revenue	$ 1,335	$ 1,256
Costs and expenses:
Cost of revenue	(686)	(665)
Selling, general and administrative expenses	(401)	(379)
Amortization expense	(52)	(47)
Total costs and expenses	(1,139)	(1,091)
Operating income	196	165
Interest expense, net	(31)	(33)
Other expense	(31)	(5)
Income before income taxes	134	127
Income tax expense	(35)	(5)
Net income	99	122
Less: Income attributable to noncontrolling interest	(1)	(2)
Net income attributable to Warner Music Group Corp.	98	120
Class A Common Stock
Costs and expenses:
Net income attributable to Warner Music Group Corp.	$ 19	$ 0
Net income per share attributable to common stockholders:
Basic and Diluted (in dollars per share)	$ 0.18	$ 0
Weighted average common shares:
Basic and Diluted (in shares)	94,221,946	0
Class B Common Stock
Costs and expenses:
Net income attributable to Warner Music Group Corp.	$ 79	$ 120
Net income per share attributable to common stockholders:
Basic and Diluted (in dollars per share)	$ 0.19	$ 0.24
Weighted average common shares:
Basic and Diluted (in shares)	416,632,808	501,991,944

Consolidated Statements of Operations (Unaudited) (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Income Statement [Abstract]
Depreciation expense	$ (19)	$ (24)

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss) (Unaudited) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Statement of Comprehensive Income [Abstract]
Net income	$ 99	$ 122
Other comprehensive income, net of tax:
Foreign currency adjustment	34	7
Deferred gain on derivative financial instruments	3	3
Other comprehensive income, net of tax	37	10
Total comprehensive income	136	132
Less: Income attributable to noncontrolling interest	(1)	(2)
Comprehensive income attributable to Warner Music Group Corp.	$ 135	$ 130

- Definition

Amount after tax of increase (decrease) in equity from transactions and other events and circumstances from net income (loss) and other comprehensive income (loss), attributable to noncontrolling interests. Excludes changes in equity resulting from investments by owners and distributions to owners.

+ References + Details

- Definition

Amount after tax of increase (decrease) in equity from transactions and other events and circumstances from net income and other comprehensive income. Excludes changes in equity resulting from investments by owners and distributions to owners.

+ References + Details

- Definition

Amount after tax of income (loss) from continuing operations including portion attributable to the noncontrolling interest.

+ References

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+ Details

- Definition

Amount after tax and reclassification adjustments of other comprehensive income (loss).

+ References

+ Details

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Cash flows from operating activities
Net income	$ 99	$ 122
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization	71	71
Unrealized losses and remeasurement of foreign-denominated loans and foreign currency forward exchange contracts	45	5
Deferred income taxes	2	(29)
Net (gain) loss on divestitures and investments	(14)	1
Non-cash interest expense	1	1
Non-cash stock-based compensation expense	6	(7)
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Accounts receivable, net	(98)	(101)
Inventories	11	10
Royalty advances	(56)	(38)
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	(35)	(44)
Royalty payables	54	84
Accrued interest	6	(11)
Operating lease liabilities	(2)	1
Deferred revenue	24	(21)
Other balance sheet changes	55	34
Net cash provided by operating activities	169	78
Cash flows from investing activities
Acquisition of music publishing rights and music catalogs, net	(324)	(11)
Capital expenditures	(18)	(15)
Investments and acquisitions of businesses, net of cash received	(1)	(6)
Net cash used in investing activities	(343)	(32)
Cash flows from financing activities
Deferred financing costs paid	(3)	0
Distribution to noncontrolling interest holder	(1)	(1)
Dividends paid	(62)	(206)
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities	178	(207)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and equivalents	9	4
Net increase (decrease) in cash and equivalents	13	(157)
Cash and equivalents at beginning of period	553	619
Cash and equivalents at end of period	566	462
3.000% Senior Secured Notes due 2031
Cash flows from financing activities
Proceeds from issuance of 3.000% Senior Secured Notes due 2031	$ 244	$ 0
Interest rate	3.00%	3.00%

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited) (Parenthetical)	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
3.000% Senior Secured Notes due 2031
Interest rate	3.00%	3.00%

Consolidated Statements of Deficit (Unaudited) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Sep. 30, 2019
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Beginning balance	$ (45)	$ (269)
Net income	99	122
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	37	10
Dividends ($0.12 per Class A and B share)	(62)	(38)
Stock-based compensation expense	6
Distribution to noncontrolling interest holders	(2)	(1)
Exchange of Class B shares for Class A shares	0
Other		0
Ending balance	$ 33	(169)	$ (269)
Accounting Standards Update [Extensible List]			us-gaap:AccountingStandardsUpdate201602Member
ASC 842 \| Cumulative Effect, Period of Adoption, Adjustment
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Beginning balance		$ 7
Ending balance			$ 7
Class A Common Stock
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Beginning balance (in shares)	88,578,361
Ending balance (in shares)	111,167,356
Class B Common Stock
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Beginning balance (in shares)	421,450,000
Exchange of LLC Units for Class A shares (in shares)	18,265,813
Ending balance (in shares)	403,184,814
Common Stock \| Class A Common Stock
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Beginning balance (in shares)	88,578,361	0
Beginning balance	$ 0	$ 0
Exchange of LLC Units for Class A shares (in shares)	18,265,183
Shares issued under the Plan (in shares)	4,321,259
Shares issued under Omnibus Incentive Plan (in shares)	2,553
Ending balance (in shares)	111,167,356	0	0
Ending balance	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0
Common Stock \| Class B Common Stock
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Beginning balance (in shares)	421,450,000	505,830,022
Beginning balance	$ 1	$ 1
Exchange of LLC Units for Class A shares (in shares)	18,265,186
Other (in shares)		4,169,978
Ending balance (in shares)	403,184,814	510,000,000	505,830,022
Ending balance	$ 1	$ 1	$ 1
Additional Paid-in Capital
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Beginning balance	1,907	1,127
Stock-based compensation expense	6
Ending balance	1,913	1,127	1,127
Accumulated Deficit
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Beginning balance	(1,749)	(1,177)
Net income	98	120
Dividends ($0.12 per Class A and B share)	(62)	(38)
Ending balance	(1,713)	(1,088)	(1,177)
Accumulated Deficit \| ASC 842 \| Cumulative Effect, Period of Adoption, Adjustment
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Beginning balance		7
Ending balance			7
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Beginning balance	(222)	(240)
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	37	10
Ending balance	(185)	(230)	(240)
Total Warner Music Group Corp. Equity (Deficit)
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Beginning balance	(63)	(289)
Net income	98	120
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	37	10
Dividends ($0.12 per Class A and B share)	(62)	(38)
Stock-based compensation expense	6
Ending balance	16	(190)	(289)
Total Warner Music Group Corp. Equity (Deficit) \| ASC 842 \| Cumulative Effect, Period of Adoption, Adjustment
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Beginning balance		7
Ending balance			7
Non-controlling Interest
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Beginning balance	18	20
Net income	1	2
Distribution to noncontrolling interest holders	(2)	(1)
Ending balance	$ 17	$ 21	$ 20

Consolidated Statements of Deficit (Unaudited) (Parenthetical) - $ / shares	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Statement of Stockholders' Equity [Abstract]
Dividends (in dollars per share)	$ 0.12	$ 0.07

Description of Business	3 Months Ended
Description of Business	Dec. 31, 2020
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Description of Business	Description of Business Warner Music Group Corp. (the “Company”) was formed on November 21, 2003. The Company is the direct parent of WMG Holdings Corp. (“Holdings”), which is the direct parent of WMG Acquisition Corp. (“Acquisition Corp.”). Acquisition Corp. is one of the world’s major music entertainment companies. Acquisition of Warner Music Group by Access Industries Pursuant to the Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of May 6, 2011 (the “Merger Agreement”), by and among the Company, AI Entertainment Holdings LLC (formerly Airplanes Music LLC), a Delaware limited liability company (“Parent”) and an affiliate of Access Industries, Inc., and Airplanes Merger Sub, Inc., a Delaware corporation and a wholly owned subsidiary of Parent (“Merger Sub”), on July 20, 2011 (the “Merger Closing Date”), Merger Sub merged with and into the Company with the Company surviving as a wholly owned subsidiary of Parent (the “Merger”). In connection with the Merger, the Company delisted its common stock from the New York Stock Exchange. Initial Public Offering On June 5, 2020, the Company completed an initial public offering (“IPO”) of 77,000,000 shares of Class A common stock of the Company, par value $0.001 per share (“Class A Common Stock”) at a public offering price of $25 per share. The Company listed these shares on the NASDAQ stock market under the ticker symbol “WMG.” The offering consisted entirely of secondary shares sold by Access Industries, LLC (collectively with its affiliates, “Access”) and certain related selling stockholders. On July 7, 2020, the Company completed the sale of an additional 11,550,000 shares of Class A Common Stock from the selling stockholders to the underwriters of the Company’s IPO pursuant to the exercise by the underwriters of their option to purchase additional shares of Class A Common Stock. The Company did not receive any of the proceeds of the IPO or exercise of the underwriters’ option. Following the completion of the IPO and the exercise in full of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares, Access and its affiliates held an aggregate of 421,450,000 shares of Class B common stock of the Company, par value $0.001 per share (“Class B Common Stock”), representing approximately 99% of the total combined voting power of the Company’s outstanding common stock and approximately 83% of the economic interest. As a result, the Company is a “controlled company” within the meaning of the corporate governance standards of NASDAQ. Recorded Music Operations Our Recorded Music business primarily consists of the discovery and development of recording artists and the related marketing, promotion, distribution, sale and licensing of music created by such recording artists. We play an integral role in virtually all aspects of the recorded music value chain from discovering and developing talent to producing, distributing and selling music to marketing and promoting recording artists and their music. In the United States, our Recorded Music business is conducted principally through our major record labels—Atlantic Records and Warner Records. In October 2018, we launched Elektra Music Group in the United States as a standalone label group, which comprises the Elektra, Fueled by Ramen and Roadrunner labels. Our Recorded Music business also includes Rhino Entertainment, a division that specializes in marketing our recorded music catalog through compilations, reissuances of previously released music and video titles and releasing previously unreleased material from our vault. We also conduct our Recorded Music business through a collection of additional record labels including Asylum, Big Beat, Canvasback, East West, Erato, FFRR, Nonesuch, Parlophone, Reprise, Sire, Spinnin’ Records, Warner Classics and Warner Music Nashville. Outside the United States, our Recorded Music business is conducted in more than 70 countries through various subsidiaries, affiliates and non-affiliated licensees. Internationally, we engage in the same activities as in the United States: discovering and signing artists and distributing, selling, marketing and promoting their music. In most cases, we also market, promote, distribute and sell the music of those recording artists for whom our domestic record labels have international rights. In certain smaller markets, we license the right to distribute and sell our music to non-affiliated third-party record labels. Our Recorded Music business’ distribution operations include Warner-Elektra-Atlantic Corporation (“WEA Corp.”), which markets, distributes and sells music and video products to retailers and wholesale distributors; Alternative Distribution Alliance (“ADA”), which markets, distributes and sells the products of independent labels to retail and wholesale distributors; and various distribution centers and ventures operated internationally. In addition to our music being sold in physical retail outlets, our music is also sold in physical form to online physical retailers, such as amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com and bestbuy.com, and distributed in digital form to an expanded universe of digital partners, including streaming services such as those of Amazon, Apple, Deezer, SoundCloud, Spotify, Tencent Music Entertainment Group and YouTube, radio services such as iHeart Radio and SiriusXM and download services. We have integrated the marketing of digital content into all aspects of our business, including artists and repertoire (“A&R”) and distribution. Our business development executives work closely with A&R departments to ensure that while music is being produced, digital assets are also created with all distribution channels in mind, including streaming services, social networking sites, online portals and music-centered destinations. We also work side-by-side with our online and mobile partners to test new concepts. We believe existing and new digital businesses will be a significant source of growth and will provide new opportunities to successfully monetize our assets and create new revenue streams. The proportion of digital revenues attributable to each distribution channel varies by region and proportions may change as the introduction of new technologies continues. As one of the world’s largest music entertainment companies, we believe we are well positioned to take advantage of growth in digital distribution and emerging technologies to maximize the value of our assets. We have diversified our revenues beyond our traditional businesses by entering into expanded-rights deals with recording artists in order to partner with such artists in other aspects of their careers. Under these agreements, we provide services to and participate in recording artists’ activities outside the traditional recorded music business such as touring, merchandising and sponsorships. We have built and acquired artist services capabilities and platforms for marketing and distributing this broader set of music-related rights and participating more widely in the monetization of the artist brands we help create. We believe that entering into expanded-rights deals and enhancing our artist services capabilities in areas such as merchandising, VIP ticketing, fan clubs, concert promotion and management has permitted us to diversify revenue streams and capitalize on other revenue opportunities. This provides for improved long-term relationships with our recording artists and allows us to more effectively connect recording artists and fans. Music Publishing Operations While Recorded Music is focused on marketing, promoting, distributing and licensing a particular recording of a musical composition, Music Publishing is an intellectual property business focused on generating revenue from uses of the musical composition itself. In return for promoting, placing, marketing and administering the creative output of a songwriter, or engaging in those activities for other rightsholders, our Music Publishing business garners a share of the revenues generated from use of the musical compositions. The operations of our Music Publishing business are conducted principally through Warner Chappell Music, our global music publishing company headquartered in Los Angeles, with operations in over 70 countries through various subsidiaries, affiliates and non-affiliated licensees and sub-publishers. We own or control rights to more than one million musical compositions, including numerous pop hits, American standards, folk songs and motion picture and theatrical compositions. Assembled over decades, our award-winning catalog includes over 80,000 songwriters and composers and a diverse range of genres including pop, rock, jazz, classical, country, R&B, hip-hop, rap, reggae, Latin, folk, blues, symphonic, soul, Broadway, techno, alternative and gospel. Warner Chappell Music also administers the music and soundtracks of several third-party television and film producers and studios. We have an extensive production music catalog collectively branded as Warner Chappell Production Music.

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	3 Months Ended
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	Dec. 31, 2020
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Interim Financial Statements The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”) for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all the information and notes required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring accruals) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. Operating results for the three months ended December 31, 2020 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2021. The consolidated balance sheet at September 30, 2020 has been derived from the audited consolidated financial statements at that date but does not include all the information and notes required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements. For further information, refer to the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2020 (File No. 001-32502). Basis of Consolidation The accompanying financial statements present the consolidated accounts of all entities in which the Company has a controlling voting interest and/or variable interest required to be consolidated in accordance with U.S. GAAP. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated. Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 810, Consolidation (“ASC 810”) requires the Company first evaluate its investments to determine if any investments qualify as a variable interest entity (“VIE”). A VIE is consolidated if the Company is deemed to be the primary beneficiary of the VIE, which is the party involved with the VIE that has both (i) the power to control the most significant activities of the VIE and (ii) either the obligation to absorb losses or the right to receive benefits that could potentially be significant to the VIE. If an entity is not deemed to be a VIE, the Company consolidates the entity if the Company has a controlling voting interest. The Company maintains a 52-53 week fiscal year ending on the last Friday in each reporting period. As such, all references to December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019 relate to the periods ended December 25, 2020 and December 27, 2019, respectively. For convenience purposes, the Company continues to date its first-quarter financial statements as of December 31. The fiscal year ended September 30, 2020 ended on September 25, 2020. The Company has performed a review of all subsequent events through the date the financial statements were issued and has determined that no additional disclosures are necessary. Common Stock On February 28, 2020, the Company amended its certificate of incorporation to increase its authorized capital stock to 2,100,000,000 shares, consisting of 1,000,000,000 shares of Class A Common Stock, 1,000,000,000 shares of Class B Common Stock, and 100,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $1.00 per share. In addition, the February 28, 2020 amendment to the Company’s certificate of incorporation also gave effect to the reclassification and 477,242.614671815-for-1 stock split of the Company’s existing common stock outstanding into 510,000,000 shares of Class B Common Stock. This stock split has been retrospectively presented throughout the interim financial statements. Upon completion of the IPO and the exercise in full of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares, 88,550,000 shares of Class A Common Stock, 421,450,000 shares of Class B Common Stock and no shares of preferred stock were outstanding. In connection with the IPO, the Company’s board of directors and stockholders approved the Warner Music Group Corp. 2020 Omnibus Incentive Plan, or the “Omnibus Incentive Plan.” The aggregate number of shares of common stock available for issuance under the Omnibus Incentive Plan is 31,169,099 shares of Class A Common Stock over the 10-year period from the date of adoption, including up to 1,000,000 shares of our Class A Common Stock in connection with the IPO. Since the IPO, a total of 30,914 shares of restricted stock has been issued under the Omnibus Incentive Plan to the Company’s directors, which includes 2,553 issued during the three months ended December 31, 2020. Refer to “Stock-Based Compensation” below regarding additional shares issued under our Omnibus Incentive Plan. In connection with the Company’s Senior Management Cash Flow Plan (“the Plan”), equity units held by certain participants were required to be settled in December 2020. This resulted in the redemption of Class A and Class B units held by certain participants in WMG Management Holdings, LLC (“Management LLC”) in exchange for 18,265,813 shares of Class B Common Stock. These shares of Class B Common Stock converted to shares of Class A Common Stock upon exchange. Additionally, the Company issued a total of 4,321,259 additional shares of Class A Common Stock to settle the participants’ remaining deferred equity units previously issued under the Plan. As a result of these transactions, the participants received a total of 22,586,442 shares of Class A Common Stock in connection with the final settlement in December 2020 for all interests previously issued under the Plan. Earnings per Share The consolidated statements of operations present basic and diluted earnings per share (“EPS”). Prior to the completion of the IPO, basic and diluted earnings per share were computed by dividing net income available to common stockholders by the weighted average number of outstanding common shares less shares issued for the exercise of the deferred equity units since these units were mandatorily redeemable in cash. As such, the deferred equity units were excluded from the denominator of the basic and diluted EPS calculation prior to the IPO completion. Subsequent to the completion of the IPO, the Company utilizes the two-class method to report earnings per share. The two-class method is an earnings allocation formula that determines earnings per share for each class of common stock according to dividends declared and participation rights in undistributed earnings. Undistributed earnings allocated to participating securities are subtracted from net income in determining net income attributable to common stockholders. Stock-Based Compensation The Company accounts for stock-based payments as required by ASC 718, Compensation—Stock Compensation (“ASC 718”). Under the recognition provision of ASC 718, the Company’s liability classified stock-based compensation costs are measured each reporting date until settlement. In February 2020, the Company filed a Form S-1 registration statement with the SEC in connection with the IPO, which required a change in accounting policy during the three months ended March 31, 2020 from the intrinsic value method to fair value method in determining the basis of measurement of its stock-based compensation liability. Upon completion of the IPO in June 2020, the Plan was amended to remove the cash-settlement feature on all future redemptions. As a result, all awards previously issued under the Plan required settlement in equity. The participants in such plan were also allowed to sell a pro rata portion, consistent with Access’s percentage reduction in shares of Class B Common Stock as a result of the IPO, of their vested profits interests and acquired units of Management LLC, in the IPO through a “tag-along right.” Under the provision of ASC 718, the Company determined the Plan was modified as of June 3, 2020, and as such, converted the awards from liability-classified to equity-classified. Prior to conversion, the Company performed a final measurement of its stock-based compensation liability under the fair value method. Subsequent to the amendment, the awards issued under the Plan will no longer be adjusted for changes in the value of the Company’s common stock. The Company will continue to incur non-cash stock-based compensation expense for awards that were unvested as of the modification date of the Plan and awards issued under the Omnibus Incentive Plan. During the three months ended December 31, 2020, the Company approved the issuance of restricted stock units (“RSUs”) under the Omnibus Incentive Plan to eligible employees and executives. For accounting purposes, vesting of such restricted stock units commenced during the period. The Company recognized approximately $6 million of stock-based compensation expense for the three months ended December 31, 2020, which is included in additional paid-in capital, for its unvested share awards that were granted prior to the IPO and shares issued under the Omnibus Incentive Plan. Income Taxes The Company uses the estimated annual effective tax rate method in computing its interim tax provision. Certain items, including those deemed to be unusual and infrequent are excluded from the estimated annual effective tax rate. In such cases, the actual tax expense or benefit is reported in the same period as the related item. Certain tax effects are also not reflected in the estimated annual effective tax rate, primarily certain changes in the realizability of deferred tax assets and uncertain tax positions. New Accounting Pronouncements Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments—Credit Losses: Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments (“ASU 2016-13”). ASU 2016-13 requires that expected credit losses relating to financial assets measured on an amortized cost basis and available-for-sale debt securities be recorded through an allowance for credit losses. ASU 2016-13 limits the amount of credit losses to be recognized for available-for-sale debt securities to the amount by which carrying value exceeds fair value and also requires the reversal of previously recognized credit losses if fair value increases. The Company adopted ASU 2016-13 in the first quarter of fiscal 2021 and this adoption did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU 2019-12, Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes (“ASU 2019-12”). This ASU eliminates certain exceptions to the general principles in ASC 740, Income Taxes. Specifically, it eliminates the exception to (1) the incremental approach for intraperiod tax allocation when there is a loss from continuing operations, and income or a gain from other items; (2) the requirement to recognize a deferred tax liability for equity method investments when a foreign subsidiary becomes an equity method investment; (3) the ability not to recognize a deferred tax liability for a foreign subsidiary when a foreign equity method investment becomes a subsidiary; and (4) the general methodology for calculating income taxes in an interim period when a year-to-date loss exceeds the anticipated loss for the year. ASU 2019-12 also simplifies U.S. GAAP by making other changes. ASU 2019-12 will be effective for the annual periods beginning after December 15, 2021, and for interim periods beginning after December 15, 2022. Earlier adoption is permitted. The Company is evaluating the impact of the adoption of this standard on its consolidated financial statements.

Earnings per Share

3 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Earnings Per Share [Abstract]

Earnings per Share

Basic earnings per share is computed by dividing net income available to each class of stock by the weighted average number of outstanding common shares for each class of stock. Diluted earnings per share is computed by dividing net income available to each class of stock by the weighted average number of outstanding common shares, plus dilutive potential common shares, which is calculated using the treasury-stock method. Under the treasury-stock method, potential common shares are excluded from the computation of EPS in periods in which they have an anti-dilutive effect. The Company did not have any dilutive securities for the three months ended December 31, 2019.

In computing earnings per share subsequent to the completion of our IPO, the Company has allocated dividends declared to Class A Common Stock and Class B Common Stock based on timing and amounts actually declared for each class of stock and the undistributed earnings have been allocated to Class A Common Stock and Class B Common Stock pro rata on a basic weighted average shares outstanding basis since the two classes of stock participate equally on a per share basis upon liquidation.

Subsequent to the completion of the IPO, and modification of our stock-based compensation awards as described in Note 2, the Class B Common Stock issued to Management LLC for the exercise of the vested deferred equity units is included in the basic weighted average number of outstanding shares of Class B Common Stock. Upon issuance to the participants in the Plan, the Class B Common Stock will be converted into Class A Common Stock and included in the basic weighted average number of outstanding shares of Class A Common Stock. Since the shares expected to satisfy the vested portion of the deferred equity units are already included in the basic weighted average number of outstanding common shares, there is no potential dilutive effect associated with the vested portion of these stock-based compensation awards. Refer to Note 2 for a description of current period activity.

Restricted stock units with anti-dilutive effect were excluded from the EPS calculation and they were not material for the three months ended December 31, 2020.

The following table sets forth the calculation of basic and diluted net income per common share under the two-class method for the three months ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 (in millions, except share and per share data):


	Three Months Ended December 31,
	2020				2019
	Class A		Class B		Class A		Class B
Basic and Diluted EPS:
Numerator
Net income attributable to Warner Music Group Corp.	$	19	$	79	$	—	$	120
Less: Net income attributable to participating securities	(2)		—		—		—
Net income attributable to common stockholders	$	17	$	79	$	—	$	120
Denominator
Weighted average shares outstanding	94,221,946		416,632,808		0		501,991,944
Basic and Diluted EPS	$	0.18	$	0.19	$	—	$	0.24

Revenue Recognition

3 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]

Revenue Recognition

Revenue RecognitionFor our operating segments, Recorded Music and Music Publishing, the Company accounts for a contract when it has legally enforceable rights and obligations and collectability of consideration is probable. The Company identifies the performance obligations and determines the transaction price associated with the contract, which is then allocated to each performance obligation, using management’s best estimate of standalone selling price for arrangements with multiple performance obligations. Revenue is recognized when, or as, control of the promised services or goods is transferred to the Company’s customers, and in an amount that reflects the consideration the Company is contractually due in exchange for those services or goods. An estimate of variable consideration is included in the transaction price if, in the Company’s judgment, it is probable that a significant future reversal of cumulative revenue under the contract will not occur. Certain of the Company’s arrangements include licenses of intellectual property with consideration in the form of sales- and usage-based royalties. Royalty revenue is recognized when the subsequent sale or usage occurs using the best estimates available of the amounts that will be received by the Company.

Disaggregation of Revenue

The Company’s revenue consists of the following categories, which aggregate into the segments – Recorded Music and Music Publishing:


	Three Months Ended December 31,
	2020		2019
	(in millions)
Revenue by Type
Digital	$	727	$	633
Physical	174		184
Total Digital and Physical	901		817
Artist services and expanded-rights	180		188
Licensing	80		79
Total Recorded Music	1,161		1,084
Performance	30		46
Digital	99		73
Mechanical	11		15
Synchronization	33		36
Other	2		3
Total Music Publishing	175		173
Intersegment eliminations	(1)		(1)
Total Revenues	$	1,335	$	1,256
Revenue by Geographical Location
U.S. Recorded Music	$	481	$	453
U.S. Music Publishing	91		81
Total U.S.	572		534
International Recorded Music	680		631
International Music Publishing	84		92
Total International	764		723
Intersegment eliminations	(1)		(1)
Total Revenues	$	1,335	$	1,256

Recorded Music

Recorded Music mainly involves selling, marketing, distribution and licensing of recorded music produced by the Company’s recording artists. Recorded Music revenues are derived from four main sources, which include digital, physical, artist services and expanded-rights and licensing.

Digital revenues are generated from the expanded universe of digital partners, including digital streaming services and download services. These licenses typically contain a single performance obligation, which is ongoing access to all intellectual property in an evolving content library, predicated on: (1) the business practice and contractual ability to remove specific content without a requirement to replace the content and without impact to minimum royalty guarantees and (2) the contracts not containing a specific listing of content subject to the license. Digital licensing contracts are generally long-term with consideration in the form of sales- and usage-based royalties that are typically received monthly. Certain contracts contain non-recoupable fixed fees or minimum guarantees, which are recoupable against royalties. Upon contract inception, the Company will assess whether a shortfall or breakage is expected (i.e., where the minimum guarantee will not be recouped through royalties) in order to determine timing of revenue recognition for the fixed fee or minimum guarantee.

For fixed fee and minimum guarantee contracts where breakage is expected, the total transaction price (fixed fee or minimum guarantee) is recognized proportionately over the contract term using an appropriate measure of progress which is typically based on the Company’s digital partner’s subscribers or streaming activity as these are measures of access to an evolving catalog, or on a straight-line basis. The Company updates its assessment of the transaction price each reporting period to see if anticipated royalty earnings exceed the minimum guarantee. For contracts where breakage is not expected, royalties are recognized as revenue as sales or usage occurs based upon the licensee’s usage reports and, when these reports are not available, revenue is based on historical data, industry information and other relevant trends.

Additionally, for certain licenses where the consideration is fixed and the intellectual property being licensed is static, revenue is recognized at the point in time when control of the licensed content is transferred to the customer.

Physical revenues are generated from the sale of physical products such as vinyl, CDs and DVDs. Revenues from the sale of physical Recorded Music products are recognized upon transfer of control to the customer, which typically occurs once the product has been shipped and the ability to direct use and obtain substantially all of the benefit from the asset have been transferred. In accordance with industry practice and as is customary in many territories, certain products, such as CDs and DVDs, are sold to customers with the right to return unsold items. Revenues from such sales are generally recognized upon shipment based on gross sales less a provision for future estimated returns.

Artist services and expanded-rights revenues are generated from artist services businesses and participations in expanded-rights associated with artists, including merchandising, touring, concert promotion, ticketing, sponsorship, fan clubs, artist websites, and artist and brand management. Artist services and expanded-rights contracts are generally short term. Revenue is recognized as or when services are provided (e.g., at time of an artist’s event) assuming collectability is probable. In some cases, the Company is reliant on the artist to report revenue generating activities. For certain artist services and expanded-rights contracts, collectability is not considered probable until notification is received from the artist’s management.

Licensing revenues represent royalties or fees for the right to use sound recordings in combination with visual images such as in films or television programs, television commercials and video games. In certain territories, the Company may also receive royalties when sound recordings are performed publicly through broadcast of music on television, radio and cable and in public spaces such as shops, workplaces, restaurants, bars and clubs. Licensing contracts are generally short term. For fixed-fee contracts, revenue is recognized at the point in time when control of the licensed content is transferred to the customer. Royalty based contracts are recognized as the underlying sales or usage occurs.

Music Publishing

Music Publishing acts as a copyright owner and/or administrator of the musical compositions and generates revenues related to the exploitation of musical compositions (as opposed to recorded music). Music publishers generally receive royalties from the use of the musical compositions in public performances, digital and physical recordings and in combination with visual images. Music publishing revenues are derived from five main sources: mechanical, performance, synchronization, digital and other.

Performance revenues are received when the musical composition is performed publicly through broadcast of music on television, radio and cable and in retail locations (e.g. bars and restaurants), live performance at a concert or other venue (e.g., arena concerts and nightclubs) and performance of musical compositions in staged theatrical productions. Digital revenues are generated with respect to the musical compositions being embodied in recordings licensed to digital streaming services and digital download services and for digital performance. Mechanical revenues are generated with respect to the musical compositions embodied in recordings sold in any physical format or configuration such as vinyl, CDs and DVDs. Synchronization revenues represent the right to use the composition in combination with visual images such as in films or television programs, television commercials and video games as well as from other uses such as in toys or novelty items and merchandise. Other revenues represent earnings for use in printed sheet music and other uses. Digital and synchronization revenue recognition is similar for both Recorded Music and Music Publishing, therefore refer to the discussion within Recorded Music.

Included in these revenue streams, excluding synchronization and other, are licenses with performing rights organizations or collecting societies (e.g., ASCAP, BMI, SESAC and GEMA), which are long-term contracts containing a single performance obligation, which is ongoing access to all intellectual property in an evolving content library. The most common form of consideration for these contracts is sales- and usage-based royalties. The collecting societies submit usage reports, typically with payment for royalties due, often on a quarterly or biannual reporting period, in arrears. Royalties are recognized as the sale or usage occurs based upon usage reports and, when these reports are not available, royalties are estimated based on historical data, such as recent royalties reported, company-specific information with respect to changes in repertoire, industry information and other relevant trends. Also included in these revenue streams are smaller, short-term contracts for specified content, which generally involve a fixed fee. For fixed-fee contracts, revenue is recognized at the point in time when control of the license is transferred to the customer.

The Company excludes from the measurement of transaction price all taxes assessed by governmental authorities that are both (i) imposed on and concurrent with a specific revenue-producing transaction and (ii) collected from customers.

Sales Returns and Uncollectible Accounts

In accordance with practice in the recorded music industry and as customary in many territories, certain physical revenue products (such as vinyls, CDs and DVDs) are sold to customers with the right to return unsold items. Revenues from such sales are recognized when the products are shipped based on gross sales less a provision for future estimated returns.

In determining the estimate of physical product sales that will be returned, management analyzes vendor sales of product, historical return trends, current economic conditions, changes in customer demand and commercial acceptance of the Company’s products. Based on this information, management reserves a percentage of each dollar of physical product sales that provide the customer with the right of return and records an asset for the value of the returned goods and liability for the amounts expected to be refunded.

Similarly, management evaluates accounts receivables to determine if they will ultimately be collected. In performing this evaluation, significant judgments and estimates are involved, including an analysis of specific risks on a customer-by-customer basis for larger accounts and customers and a receivables aging analysis that determines the percent that has historically been uncollected by aged category, in addition to other factors to estimate an allowance for credit losses. The time between the Company’s issuance of an invoice and payment due date is not significant; customer payments that are not collected in advance of the transfer of promised services or goods are generally due no later than 30 days from invoice date. Based on this information, management provides a reserve for estimated credit losses.

Based on management’s analysis of sales returns, refund liabilities of $37 million and $24 million were established at December 31, 2020 and September 30, 2020, respectively.

Based on management’s analysis of estimated credit losses, reserves of $24 million and $23 million were established at December 31, 2020 and September 30, 2020, respectively.

Principal versus Agent Revenue Recognition

The Company reports revenue on a gross or net basis based on management’s assessment of whether the Company acts as a principal or agent in the transaction. The determination of whether the Company acts as a principal or an agent in a transaction is based on an evaluation of whether the Company controls the good or service before transfer to the customer. When the Company concludes that it controls the good or service before transfer to the customer, the Company is considered a principal in the transaction and records revenue on a gross basis. When the Company concludes that it does not control the good or service before transfer to the customer but arranges for another entity to provide the good or service, the Company acts as an agent and records revenue on a net basis in the amount it earns for its agency service.

In the normal course of business, the Company distributes music content on behalf of third-party record labels. Based on the above guidance, the Company records the distribution of content of third-party record labels on a gross basis, subject to the terms of the contract, as the Company controls the content before transfer to the customer. Conversely, recorded music compilations distributed by other record companies where the Company has a right to participate in the profits are recorded on a net basis.

Deferred Revenue

Deferred revenue principally relates to fixed fees and minimum guarantees received in advance of the Company’s performance or usage by the licensee. Reductions in deferred revenue are a result of the Company’s performance under the contract or usage by the licensee.

Deferred revenue increased by $128 million during the three months ended December 31, 2020 related to cash received from customers for fixed fees and minimum guarantees in advance of performance, including amounts recognized in the period. Revenues of $87 million were recognized during the three months ended December 31, 2020 related to the balance of deferred revenue at September 30, 2020. There were no other significant changes to deferred revenue during the reporting period.

Performance Obligations

The Company recognized revenue of $20 million and $27 million from performance obligations satisfied in previous periods for the three months ended December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively.

Wholly and partially unsatisfied performance obligations represent future revenues not yet recorded under long-term intellectual property licensing contracts containing fixed fees, advances and minimum guarantees. Revenues expected to be recognized in the future related to performance obligations that are unsatisfied at December 31, 2020 are as follows:


	Rest of FY21		FY22		FY23		Thereafter		Total
	(in millions)
Remaining performance obligations	$	712	$	82	$	1	$	—	$	795
Total	$	712	$	82	$	1	$	—	$	795

- Definition

The entire disclosure of revenue from contract with customer to transfer good or service and to transfer nonfinancial asset. Includes, but is not limited to, disaggregation of revenue, credit loss recognized from contract with customer, judgment and change in judgment related to contract with customer, and asset recognized from cost incurred to obtain or fulfill contract with customer. Excludes insurance and lease contracts.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 606
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/topic&trid=49130388

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 606
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 10
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=121604090&loc=SL49130551-203045

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 606
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 13
-Subparagraph (b)(2)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=121604090&loc=SL49130556-203045

Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 606
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 12
-Subparagraph (b)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=121604090&loc=SL49130554-203045

Reference 5: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 606
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-Section 50
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-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=121604090&loc=SL49130550-203045

Reference 6: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
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-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 12
-Subparagraph (e)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=121604090&loc=SL49130554-203045

Reference 7: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 606
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 12
-Subparagraph (a)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=121604090&loc=SL49130554-203045

Reference 8: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 606
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 12
-Subparagraph (d)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=121604090&loc=SL49130554-203045

Reference 9: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 606
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 15
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=121604090&loc=SL49130558-203045

Reference 10: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 606
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 12
-Subparagraph (c)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=121604090&loc=SL49130554-203045

+ Details

Comprehensive Income (Loss)

3 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Equity [Abstract]

Comprehensive Income (Loss)

Comprehensive income (loss), which is reported in the accompanying consolidated statements of equity (deficit), consists of net income and other gains and losses affecting equity that, under U.S. GAAP, are excluded from net income. For the Company, the components of other comprehensive income (loss) primarily consist of foreign currency translation gains and losses, minimum pension liabilities, and deferred gains and losses on financial instruments designated as hedges under ASC 815, Derivatives and Hedging, which include foreign exchange contracts. The following summary sets forth the changes in the components of accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of related tax expense of approximately $1 million:


	Foreign Currency Translation Loss (a)		Minimum Pension Liability Adjustment		Deferred Gains (Losses) On Derivative Financial Instruments		Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss, net
	(in millions)
Balances at September 30, 2020	$	(181)	$	(12)	$	(29)	$	(222)
Other comprehensive income	34		—		3		37
Balances at December 31, 2020	$	(147)	$	(12)	$	(26)	$	(185)

______________________________________

(a)Includes historical foreign currency translation related to certain intra-entity transactions.

Leases

3 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Leases [Abstract]

Leases

The Company’s lease portfolio consists operating real estate leases for its corporate offices and, to a lesser extent, storage and other equipment. Under ASC 842, a contract is or contains a lease when (1) an explicitly or implicitly identified asset has been deployed in the contract and (2) the customer obtains substantially all of the economic benefits from the use of that underlying asset and directs how and for what purpose the asset is used during the term of the contract. The Company determines if an arrangement is or contains a lease at inception of the contract. For all leases (finance and operating), other than those that qualify for the short-term recognition exemption, the Company will recognize on the balance sheet a lease liability for its obligation to make lease payments arising from the lease and a corresponding ROU asset representing its right to use the underlying asset over the period of use based on the present value of lease payments over the lease term as of the lease commencement date. ROU assets are adjusted for initial direct costs, lease payments made and incentives. As the rates implicit in our leases are not readily determinable, the Company uses its incremental borrowing rate based on the information available at the lease commencement date in determining the present value of lease payments. This rate is based on the estimated rate of interest for collateralized borrowing over a similar term of the lease payments. The lease term used to calculate the lease liability will include options to extend or terminate the lease when the option to extend or terminate is at the Company’s discretion and it is reasonably certain that the Company will exercise the option. Fixed payments are recognized as lease expense on a straight-line basis over the lease term. For leases with a term of one year or less (“short-term leases”), the lease payments are recognized in the consolidated statements of operations on a straight-line basis over the lease term.

ASC 842 requires that only limited types of variable payments be included in the determination of lease payments, which affects lease classification and measurement. Variable lease costs, if any, are recognized as incurred and such costs are excluded from lease balances recorded on the consolidated balance sheet. The initial measurement of the lease liability and ROU asset are determined based on fixed lease payments. Lease payments that depend on an index or a rate (such as the Consumer Price Index or a market interest rate) are variable and are recognized in the period in which the payments are incurred.

The Company’s operating ROU assets are included in operating lease right-of-use assets and the Company’s current and non-current operating lease liabilities are included in operating lease liabilities, current and operating lease liabilities, noncurrent, respectively, in the Company’s balance sheet.

Operating lease liabilities are amortized using the effective interest method. That is, in each period, the liability will be increased to reflect the interest that is accrued on the related liability by using the appropriate discount rate and decreased by the lease payments made during the period. The subsequent measurement of the ROU asset is linked to the amount recognized as the lease liability. Accordingly, the ROU asset is measured as the lease liability adjusted by (1) accrued or prepaid rents (i.e., the aggregate difference between the cash payment and straight-line lease cost), (2) remaining unamortized initial direct costs and lease incentives, and (3) impairments of the ROU asset. Operating lease costs are included in Selling, general and administrative expenses.

For lease agreements that contain both lease and non-lease components, the Company has elected the practical expedient provided by ASC 842 that permits the accounting for these components as a single lease component (rather than separating the lease from the non-lease components and accounting for the components individually).

The Company enters into operating leases for buildings, office equipment, production equipment, warehouses, and other types of equipment. Our leases have remaining lease terms of 1 year to 11 years, some of which include options to extend the leases for up to 10 years, and some of which include options to terminate the leases within 1 year.

Among the Company’s operating leases are its leases for the Ford Factory Building, located at 777 S. Santa Fe Avenue in Los Angeles, California, and for 27 Wrights Lane, Kensington, London. The landlord for both leases is an affiliate of Access. As of December 31, 2020, the aggregate lease liability related to these leases was $133 million.

There are no restrictions or covenants, such as those relating to dividends or incurring additional financial obligations, relating to our lease portfolio, and residual value guarantees are not significant.

The components of lease expense were as follows:


	Three Months Ended December 31,
	2020		2019
	(in millions)
Lease Cost
Operating lease cost	$	14	14
Short-term lease cost	1		—
Variable lease cost	2		3
Sublease income	—		—
Total lease cost	$	17	$	17

Supplemental cash flow information related to leases was as follows:


	Three Months Ended December 31,
	2020		2019
	(in millions)
Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of operating lease liabilities	$	15	$	14
Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for operating lease obligations	6		5

Supplemental balance sheet information related to leases was as follows:


	December 31, 2020			September 30, 2020
	(in millions)
Operating Leases
Operating lease right-of-use assets	$	275		$	273

Operating lease liabilities, current	$	41		$	39
Operating lease liabilities, noncurrent	298			299
Total operating lease liabilities	$	339		$	338

Weighted Average Remaining Lease Term
Operating leases	8 years			8 years
Weighted Average Discount Rate
Operating leases	4.58		%	4.58		%

Maturities of lease liabilities were as follows:


Years	Operating Leases
	(in millions)
2021	$	42
2022	55
2023	52
2024	49
2025	48
Thereafter	161
Total lease payments	407
Less imputed interest	(68)
Total	$	339

As of December 31, 2020, there have been no leases entered into that have not yet commenced.

Goodwill and Intangible Assets

3 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]

Goodwill and Intangible Assets

Goodwill

The following analysis details the changes in goodwill for each reportable segment:


	Recorded Music		Music Publishing		Total
	(in millions)
Balances at September 30, 2020	$	1,367	$	464	$	1,831
Acquisitions	—		—		—

Other adjustments (a)	20		—		20
Balances at December 31, 2020	$	1,387	$	464	$	1,851

______________________________________

(a)Other adjustments during the three months ended December 31, 2020 represent foreign currency movements

The Company performs its annual goodwill impairment test in accordance with ASC 350, Intangibles—Goodwill and Other (“ASC 350”) during the fourth quarter of each fiscal year as of July 1. The Company may conduct an earlier review if events or circumstances occur that would suggest the carrying value of the Company’s goodwill may not be recoverable. No indicators of impairment were identified during the current period that required the Company to perform an interim assessment or recoverability test.

Intangible Assets

Intangible assets consist of the following:


	Weighted-Average Useful Life	December 31, 2020		September 30, 2020
		(in millions)
Intangible assets subject to amortization:
Recorded music catalog	11 years	$	1,028	$	876
Music publishing copyrights	26 years	1,721		1,597
Artist and songwriter contracts	13 years	994		862
Trademarks	16 years	83		81
Other intangible assets	6 years	87		84
Total gross intangible asset subject to amortization		3,913		3,500
Accumulated amortization		(1,945)		(1,847)
Total net intangible assets subject to amortization		1,968		1,653
Intangible assets not subject to amortization:
Trademarks and tradenames	Indefinite	156		154
Total net intangible assets		$	2,124	$	1,807

The increase in intangible assets during the three months ended December 31, 2020 primarily relates to two acquisition transactions of music-related assets within recorded music catalogs, music publishing copyrights, and artist and songwriter contracts for approximately $318 million.

Debt

3 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Debt Disclosure [Abstract]

Debt

Debt Capitalization

Long-term debt, all of which was issued by Acquisition Corp., consists of the following:


	December 31, 2020		September 30, 2020
	(in millions)
Revolving Credit Facility (a)	$	—	$	—
Senior Term Loan Facility due 2023 (b)	815		814
3.625% Senior Secured Notes due 2026 (c)	545		521
2.750% Senior Secured Notes due 2028 (d)	392		375
3.875% Senior Secured Notes due 2030 (e)	529		529
3.000% Senior Secured Notes due 2031 (f)	784		544
5.500% Senior Notes due 2026 (g)	322		321
Total long-term debt, including the current portion (h)	$	3,387	$	3,104

______________________________________

(a)Reflects $300 million of commitments under the Revolving Credit Facility, less letters of credit outstanding of approximately $10 million at both December 31, 2020 and September 30, 2020. There were no loans outstanding under the Revolving Credit Facility at December 31, 2020 or September 30, 2020.

(b)Principal amount of $820 million at both December 31, 2020 and September 30, 2020 less unamortized discount of $1 million and $1 million and unamortized deferred financing costs of $4 million and $5 million at December 31, 2020 and September 30, 2020, respectively. On January 20, 2021, Acquisition Corp. entered into an amendment of the credit agreement governing the Senior Term Loan Facility which, among other things, extends the maturity date of its outstanding term loans from November 1, 2023 to January 20, 2028 and removes a number of negative covenants limiting the ability of Acquisition Corp. to take various actions. See Note 15.

(c)Face amount of €445 million at both December 31, 2020 and September 30, 2020. Above amounts represent the dollar equivalent of such note at December 31, 2020 and September 30, 2020. Principal amount of $543 million and $519 million at December 31, 2020 and September 30, 2020, respectively, an additional issuance premium of $7 million, less unamortized deferred financing costs of $5 million at both December 31, 2020 and September 30, 2020.

(d)Face amount of €325 million at both December 31, 2020 and September 30, 2020. Above amounts represent the dollar equivalent of such note at December 31, 2020 and September 30, 2020. Principal amount of $396 million and $379 million at

December 31, 2020 and September 30, 2020, respectively, less unamortized deferred financing costs of $4 million and $4 million at both December 31, 2020 and September 30, 2020.

(e)Principal amount of $535 million less unamortized deferred financing costs of $6 million at both December 31, 2020 and September 30, 2020.

(f)Principal amount of $800 million and $550 million at December 31, 2020 and September 30, 2020, respectively, less unamortized discount of $7 million at December 31, 2020 and unamortized deferred financing costs of $9 million and $6 million at December 31, 2020 and September 30, 2020, respectively. On November 2, 2020, Acquisition Corp. issued an additional $250 million in aggregate principal amount of its 3.000% Senior Secured Notes due 2031.

(g)Principal amount of $325 million less unamortized deferred financing costs of $3 million and $4 million at December 31, 2020 and September 30, 2020.

(h)Principal amount of debt of $3.419 billion and $3.127 billion, an additional issuance premium of $7 million and $7 million, less unamortized discount of $8 million and $1 million and unamortized deferred financing costs of $31 million and $29 million at December 31, 2020 and September 30, 2020, respectively.

The Company is the direct parent of Holdings, which is the direct parent of Acquisition Corp. As of December 31, 2020 Acquisition Corp. had issued and outstanding the 3.625% Senior Secured Notes due 2026, the 5.500% Senior Notes due 2026, the 2.750% Senior Secured Notes due 2028, the 3.875% Senior Secured Notes due 2030 and the 3.000% Senior Secured Notes due 2031 (together, the “Acquisition Corp. Notes”).

The 3.625% Senior Secured Notes due 2026 and the 5.500% Senior Notes due 2026 are guaranteed by the Company. The Company’s guarantee of the Acquisition Corp. Notes is full and unconditional. All of the Acquisition Corp. Notes are guaranteed by all of Acquisition Corp.’s domestic wholly-owned subsidiaries. The guarantee of the Acquisition Corp. Notes by Acquisition Corp.’s domestic wholly-owned subsidiaries is full, unconditional and joint and several. The secured notes are guaranteed on a senior secured basis and the unsecured notes are guaranteed on an unsecured senior basis.

The Company and Holdings are holding companies that conduct substantially all of their business operations through Acquisition Corp. Accordingly, the ability of the Company and Holdings to obtain funds from their subsidiaries is restricted by the indentures for the Acquisition Corp. Notes, as well as the credit agreements for the Acquisition Corp. Senior Credit Facilities, including the Revolving Credit Facility and the Senior Term Loan Facility.

Recent Transactions

Additional 3.000% Senior Secured Notes

On November 2, 2020, Acquisition Corp. issued and sold $250 million of additional 3.000% Senior Secured Notes (the “Additional Notes”). Interest on the Additional Notes will accrue at the rate of 3.000% per annum and will be payable semi-annually in arrears on February 15 and August 15, commencing on February 15, 2021. Acquisition Corp. had the option to repurchase all or a portion of the Additional Notes at any time on one or more occasions on or prior to the fifth business day after December 18, 2020 (the “Special Optional Redemption Election Date”), but did not exercise its option to repurchase. The Additional Notes were not initially fungible with the 3.000% Senior Secured Notes issued on August 12, 2020 (the “Original Notes”). Following the Special Optional Redemption Election Date, Acquisition Corp. caused the Additional Notes to bear the same CUSIP and ISIN numbers as the Original Notes (the “CUSIP Merger Event”). Following the CUSIP Merger Event, the Additional Notes have identical terms as (other than the issue date and the issue price) and are fungible with, and treated as a single series of senior secured debt securities with, the Original Notes.

Interest Rates

The loans under the Revolving Credit Facility bear interest at Acquisition Corp.’s election at a rate equal to (i) the rate for deposits in the borrowing currency in the London interbank market (adjusted for maximum reserves) for the applicable interest period (“Revolving LIBOR”) subject to a zero floor, plus 1.75% per annum in the case of Initial Revolving Loans (as defined in the Revolving Credit Agreement), or 1.875% per annum in the case of 2020 Revolving Loans (as defined in the Revolving Credit Agreement), or (ii) the base rate, which is the highest of (x) the corporate base rate established by the administrative agent from time to time, (y) 0.50% in excess of the overnight federal funds rate and (z) the one-month Revolving LIBOR plus 1.0% per annum, plus, in each case, 0.75% per annum in the case of Initial Revolving Loans, or 0.875% per annum in the case of 2020 Revolving Loans; provided that, in respect of 2020 Revolving Loans, the applicable margin with respect to such loans is subject to adjustment as set forth in the pricing grid in the Revolving Credit Agreement. Based on the Senior Secured Indebtedness to EBITDA Ratio of 3.15x at December 31, 2020, the applicable margin for Eurodollar loans would be 1.625% instead of 1.875% and the applicable margin for ABR loans would be 0.625% instead of 0.875% in the case of 2020 Revolving Loans. If there is a payment default at any time, then the interest rate applicable to overdue principal will be the rate otherwise applicable to such loan plus 2.0% per annum. Default

interest will also be payable on other overdue amounts at a rate of 2.0% per annum above the amount that would apply to an alternative base rate loan.

The loans under the Senior Term Loan Facility bear interest at Acquisition Corp.’s election at a rate equal to (i) the rate for deposits in U.S. dollars in the London interbank market (adjusted for maximum reserves) for the applicable interest period (“Term Loan LIBOR”) subject to a zero floor, plus 2.125% per annum or (ii) the base rate, which is the highest of (x) the corporate base rate established by the administrative agent as its prime rate in effect at its principal office in New York City from time to time, (y) 0.50% in excess of the overnight federal funds rate and (z) one-month Term Loan LIBOR, plus 1.00% per annum, plus, in each case, 1.125% per annum. If there is a payment default at any time, then the interest rate applicable to overdue principal and interest will be the rate otherwise applicable to such loan plus 2.0% per annum. Default interest will also be payable on other overdue amounts at a rate of 2.0% per annum above the amount that would apply to an alternative base rate loan.

The Company has entered into, and in the future may enter into, interest rate swaps to manage interest rate risk. Please refer to Note 11 of our consolidated financial statements for further discussion.

Maturity of Senior Term Loan Facility

The loans outstanding under the Senior Term Loan Facility mature on November 1, 2023. On January 20, 2021, Acquisition Corp. entered into an amendment of the credit agreement governing the Senior Term Loan Facility which, among other things, extends the maturity date of its outstanding term loans from November 1, 2023 to January 20, 2028 and removes a number of negative covenants limiting the ability of Acquisition Corp. to take various actions.

Maturity of Revolving Credit Facility

The maturity date of the Revolving Credit Facility is April 3, 2025.

Maturities of Senior Notes and Senior Secured Notes

As of December 31, 2020, there are no scheduled maturities of notes until 2026, when $868 million is scheduled to mature. Thereafter, $1.731 billion is scheduled to mature.

Interest Expense, net

Total interest expense, net was $31 million and $33 million for the three months ended December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively. The weighted-average interest rate of the Company’s total debt was 3.7% at December 31, 2020, 3.7% at September 30, 2020 and 4.2% at December 31, 2019.

Commitments and Contingencies	3 Months Ended
Commitments and Contingencies	Dec. 31, 2020
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Commitments and Contingencies	Commitments and ContingenciesFrom time to time the Company is involved in claims and legal proceedings that arise in the ordinary course of business. The Company is currently subject to several such claims and legal proceedings. Based on currently available information, the Company does not believe that resolution of pending matters will have a material adverse effect on its financial condition, cash flows or results of operations. However, litigation is subject to inherent uncertainties, and there can be no assurances that the Company’s defenses will be successful or that any such lawsuit or claim would not have a material adverse impact on the Company’s business, financial condition, cash flows and results of operations in a particular period. Any claims or proceedings against the Company, whether meritorious or not, can have an adverse impact because of defense costs, diversion of management and operational resources, negative publicity and other factors.

Income Taxes	3 Months Ended
Income Taxes	Dec. 31, 2020
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income Taxes	Income Taxes On December 22, 2017, the U.S. government enacted comprehensive tax legislation commonly referred to as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“Tax Act”). The Tax Act significantly revised the U.S. federal corporate income tax provisions, including, but not limited to, an income inclusion of global intangible low-taxed income (“GILTI”), a deduction against foreign-derived intangible income (“FDII”) and a new minimum tax, the base erosion anti-abuse tax (“BEAT”). GILTI, FDII and BEAT were effective for the Company’s fiscal year ending September 30, 2019. The Company has elected to recognize the GILTI impact in the specific period in which it occurs. As a result of final regulations regarding the interest expense allocation rules issued by the Internal Revenue Service in December 2019, the Company concluded that it is more likely than not that the entire amount of the Company’s deferred tax assets relating to foreign tax credit carryforwards will be realized. Consequently, the Company released its $33 million valuation allowance at September 30, 2019 relating to such deferred tax assets and recognized a corresponding U.S. tax benefit of $33 million during the three months ended December 31, 2019. The Company will continue to weigh the evidence including the projections of sufficient future taxable income, foreign source income and the reversal of future taxable temporary differences to assess the future realization of our foreign tax credits. As a result of the IPO in June 2020, the Company is subject to limitation on the deductibility of executive compensation under Internal Revenue Code (“IRC”) Section 162(m). For the three months ended December 31, 2020, the Company recorded an income tax expense of $35 million. The income tax expense for the three months ended December 31, 2020 is higher than the expected tax expense at the statutory tax rate of 21% primarily due to U.S. state and local taxes, foreign income taxed at rates higher than the US, and non-deductible executive compensation under IRC Section 162(m), offset by FDII and excess tax benefits from long term incentive plan. For the three months ended December 31, 2019, the Company recorded an income tax expense of $5 million. The income tax expense for the three months ended December 31, 2019 is lower than the expected tax expense at the statutory tax rate of 21% primarily due to tax benefit of a release of a valuation allowance relating to foreign tax credit carryforwards and FDII, offset by non-deductible long term incentive plan, U.S. state and local taxes, foreign income taxed at rates higher than the U.S. statutory tax rate, withholding taxes and foreign losses with no tax benefit. The Company has determined that it is reasonably possible that the gross unrecognized tax benefits as of December 31, 2020 could decrease by up to approximately $2 million related to various ongoing audits and settlement discussions in various foreign jurisdictions during the next twelve months.

- Definition

The entire disclosure for income taxes. Disclosures may include net deferred tax liability or asset recognized in an enterprise's statement of financial position, net change during the year in the total valuation allowance, approximate tax effect of each type of temporary difference and carryforward that gives rise to a significant portion of deferred tax liabilities and deferred tax assets, utilization of a tax carryback, and tax uncertainties information.

+ References + Details

Derivative Financial Instruments

3 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]

Derivative Financial Instruments

The Company uses derivative financial instruments, primarily foreign currency forward exchange contracts and interest rate swaps, for the purposes of managing foreign currency exchange rate risk and interest rate risk on expected future cash flows. However, the Company may choose not to hedge certain exposures for a variety of reasons including, but not limited to, accounting considerations and the prohibitive economic cost of hedging particular exposures. There can be no assurance the hedges will offset more than a portion of the financial impact resulting from movements in foreign currency exchange or interest rates.

The Company enters into foreign currency forward exchange contracts primarily to hedge the risk that unremitted or future royalties and license fees owed to its U.S. companies for the sale or licensing of U.S.-based music and merchandise abroad may be adversely affected by changes in foreign currency exchange rates. The Company focuses on managing the level of exposure to the risk of foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations on its major currencies, which include the Euro, British pound sterling, Japanese yen, Canadian dollar, Swedish krona, Australian dollar, Brazilian real, Korean won and Norwegian krone. The Company also may at times choose to hedge foreign currency risk associated with financing transactions such as third-party debt and other balance sheet items. The Company’s foreign currency forward exchange contracts have not been designated as hedges under the criteria prescribed in ASC 815. The Company records these contracts at fair value on its balance sheet and the related gains and losses are immediately recognized in the consolidated statement of operations where there is an offsetting entry related to the underlying exposure.

The Company has entered into, and in the future may enter into, interest rate swaps to manage interest rate risk. These instruments may offset a portion of changes in income or expense, or changes in fair value of the Company’s long-term debt. The interest rate swap instruments are designated and qualify as cash flow hedges under the criteria prescribed in ASC 815. The Company records these contracts at fair value on its balance sheet and gains or losses on these contracts are deferred in equity (as a component of comprehensive income (loss)).

The fair value of foreign currency forward exchange contracts is determined by using observable market transactions of spot and forward rates (i.e., Level 2 inputs) which is discussed further in Note 14. Additionally, netting provisions are provided for in existing International Swap and Derivative Association Inc. agreements in situations where the Company executes multiple contracts with the same counterparty. As a result, net assets or liabilities resulting from foreign exchange derivatives subject to these netting agreements are classified within other current assets or other current liabilities in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets.

The Company’s hedged interest rate transactions as of December 31, 2020 are expected to be recognized within three years. The fair value of interest rate swaps is based on dealer quotes of market rates (i.e., Level 2 inputs) which is discussed further in Note 14. Interest income or expense related to interest rate swaps is recognized in interest income (expense), net in the same period as the related expense is recognized. The ineffective portions of interest rate swaps are recognized in other income (expense) in the period measured.

The Company monitors its positions with, and the credit quality of, the financial institutions that are party to any of its financial transactions.

As of December 31, 2020, the Company had outstanding hedge contracts for the sale of $270 million and the purchase of $176 million of foreign currencies at fixed rates that will be settled by September 2021.

As of December 31, 2020, the Company had outstanding $820 million in pay-fixed receive-variable interest rate swaps with $26 million of unrealized deferred losses in comprehensive income related to the interest rate swaps. As of September 30, 2020, the Company had outstanding $820 million in pay-fixed receive-variable interest rate swaps with $29 million of unrealized deferred losses in comprehensive income related to the interest rate swaps.

The Company recorded realized pre-tax losses of $1 million and unrealized pre-tax losses of $4 million related to its foreign currency forward exchange contracts in the consolidated statement of operations as other expense for the three months ended December 31, 2020. The Company recorded realized pre-tax losses of $1 million and unrealized pre-tax losses of $3 million related to its foreign currency forward exchange contracts in the consolidated statement of operations as other expense for the three months ended December 31, 2019.

The unrealized pre-tax gains of the Company’s derivative interest rate swaps designated as cash flow hedges recorded in other comprehensive income during the three months ended December 31, 2020 were $4 million. The unrealized pre-tax gains of the Company’s derivative interest rate swaps designated as cash flow hedges recorded in other comprehensive income during the three months ended December 31, 2019 were $4 million.

The following is a summary of amounts recorded in the consolidated balance sheets pertaining to the Company’s derivative instruments at December 31, 2020 and September 30, 2020:


	December 31, 2020 (a)		September 30, 2020 (b)
	(in millions)
Other current assets	$	—	$	—
Other current liabilities	(4)		—
Other noncurrent assets	—		—
Other noncurrent liabilities	(34)		(38)

______________________________________

(a)$8 million and $12 million of foreign exchange derivative contracts in current asset and liability positions, respectively, and $34 million of interest rate swaps in noncurrent liability positions.

(b)$38 million of interest rate swaps in noncurrent liability positions.

Segment Information

3 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Segment Reporting [Abstract]

Segment Information

As discussed more fully in Note 1, based on the nature of its products and services, the Company classifies its business interests into two fundamental operations: Recorded Music and Music Publishing, which also represent the reportable segments of the Company. Information as to each of these operations is set forth below. The Company evaluates performance based on several factors, of which the primary financial measure is operating income (loss) before non-cash depreciation of tangible assets and non-cash amortization of intangible assets (“OIBDA”). The Company has supplemented its analysis of OIBDA results by segment with an analysis of operating income (loss) by segment.

The accounting policies of the Company’s business segments are the same as those described in the summary of significant accounting policies included elsewhere herein. The Company accounts for intersegment sales at fair value as if the sales were to third parties. While intercompany transactions are treated like third-party transactions to determine segment performance, the revenues (and corresponding expenses recognized by the segment that is counterparty to the transaction) are eliminated in consolidation, and therefore, do not themselves impact consolidated results.


	Recorded Music		Music Publishing		Corporate expenses and eliminations		Total
Three Months Ended	(in millions)
December 31, 2020
Revenues	$	1,161	$	175	$	(1)	$	1,335
Operating income (loss)	223		18		(45)		196
Amortization of intangible assets	33		19		—		52
Depreciation of property, plant and equipment	13		2		4		19
OIBDA	269		39		(41)		267
December 31, 2019
Revenues	$	1,084	$	173	$	(1)	$	1,256
Operating income (loss)	191		14		(40)		165
Amortization of intangible assets	29		18		—		47
Depreciation of property, plant and equipment	21		1		2		24
OIBDA	241		33		(38)		236

- Definition

The entire disclosure for reporting segments including data and tables. Reportable segments include those that meet any of the following quantitative thresholds a) it's reported revenue, including sales to external customers and intersegment sales or transfers is 10 percent or more of the combined revenue, internal and external, of all operating segments b) the absolute amount of its reported profit or loss is 10 percent or more of the greater, in absolute amount of 1) the combined reported profit of all operating segments that did not report a loss or 2) the combined reported loss of all operating segments that did report a loss c) its assets are 10 percent or more of the combined assets of all operating segments.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
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-Section 50
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Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
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Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
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Reference 9: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
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+ Details

Additional Financial Information	3 Months Ended
Additional Financial Information	Dec. 31, 2020
Additional Financial Information [Abstract]
Additional Financial Information	Additional Financial Information Cash Interest and Taxes The Company made interest payments of approximately $27 million and $44 million during the three months ended December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively. The Company paid approximately $17 million and $20 million of income and withholding taxes, net of refunds, for the three months ended December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively. Dividends The Company’s ability to pay dividends may be restricted by covenants in certain of the indentures governing its notes and in the credit agreements for the Senior Term Loan Facility and the Revolving Credit Facility. The Company intends to pay quarterly cash dividends to holders of its Class A Common Stock and Class B Common Stock. The Company paid the first dividend under this policy in September 2020. The declaration of each dividend will continue to be at the discretion of the Company’s board of directors and will depend on the Company’s financial condition, earnings, liquidity and capital requirements, level of indebtedness, contractual restrictions with respect to payment of dividends, restrictions imposed by Delaware law, general business conditions and any other factors that the Company’s board of directors deems relevant in making such a determination. Therefore, there can be no assurance that the Company will pay any dividends to holders of the Company’s common stock, or as to the amount of any such dividends. On November 13, 2020, the Company’s board of directors declared a cash dividend of $0.12 per share on the Company’s Class A Common Stock and Class B Common Stock, as well as related payments under certain stock-based compensation plans, which was paid to stockholders on December 1, 2020. The Company paid an aggregate of approximately $62 million in cash dividends to stockholders and participating security holders for the three months ended December 31, 2020. COVID-19 Pandemic On March 11, 2020, the COVID-19 outbreak was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization. Government-imposed mandates limiting public assembly and restrictions on non-essential businesses have adversely impacted the Company’s operations, including touring and physical product distribution, for the three months ended December 31, 2020. It is unclear how long government-imposed mandates and restrictions will last and to what extent the global pandemic will impact demand for the Company’s music and related services, even as federal, state, local and foreign governments start to lift restrictions. The Company is not presently aware of any events or circumstances arising from the global pandemic that would require us to update any estimates, judgments or materially revise the carrying value of our assets or liabilities. The Company’s estimates may change, however, as new events occur and additional information is obtained, and any such changes will be recognized in the consolidated financial statements. Actual results could differ from estimates, and any such differences may be material to our consolidated financial statements.

Fair Value Measurements

3 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]

Fair Value Measurements

ASC 820, Fair Value Measurement (“ASC 820”) defines fair value as the price that would be received upon sale of an asset or paid upon transfer of a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date and in the principal or most advantageous market for that asset or liability. The fair value should be calculated based on assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability, not on assumptions specific to the entity.

In addition to defining fair value, ASC 820 expands the disclosure requirements around fair value and establishes a fair value hierarchy for valuation inputs. The hierarchy prioritizes the inputs into three levels based on the extent to which inputs used in measuring fair value are observable in the market. Each fair value measurement is reported in one of the three levels which is determined by the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement in its entirety. These levels are:

•Level 1—inputs are based upon unadjusted quoted prices for identical instruments traded in active markets.

•Level 2—inputs are based upon quoted prices for similar instruments in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active and model-based valuation techniques for which all significant assumptions are observable in the market or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities.

•Level 3—inputs are generally unobservable and typically reflect management’s estimates of assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability. The fair values are therefore determined using model-based techniques that include option pricing models, discounted cash flow models and similar techniques.

In accordance with the fair value hierarchy, described above, the following tables show the fair value of the Company’s financial instruments that are required to be measured at fair value as of December 31, 2020 and September 30, 2020.


	Fair Value Measurements as of December 31, 2020
	(Level 1)		(Level 2)		(Level 3)		Total
	(in millions)


Other Current Liabilities:
Foreign Currency Forward Exchange Contracts (a)			(4)				(4)
Contractual Obligations (b)	—		—		(2)		(2)
Other Noncurrent Assets:
Equity Method Investment (c)	—		61		—		61

Other Noncurrent Liabilities:
Contractual Obligations (b)	—		—		(5)		(5)
Interest Rate Swaps (d)	—		(34)		—		(34)
Total	$	—	$	23	$	(7)	$	16


	Fair Value Measurements as of September 30, 2020
	(Level 1)		(Level 2)		(Level 3)		Total
	(in millions)
Other Current Liabilities:
Contractual Obligations (b)	$	—	$	—	$	(2)	$	(2)
Other Noncurrent Assets:
Equity Method Investment (c)	—		47		—		47
Other Noncurrent Liabilities:
Contractual Obligations (b)	—		—		(4)		(4)
Interest Rate Swaps (d)	—		(38)		—		(38)
Total	$	—	$	9	$	(6)	$	3

______________________________________

(a)The fair value of foreign currency forward exchange contracts is based on dealer quotes of market forward rates and reflects the amount that the Company would receive or pay at their maturity dates for contracts involving the same currencies and maturity dates.

(b)This represents contingent consideration related to an acquisition. This is based on a probability weighted performance approach and it is adjusted to fair value on a recurring basis and any adjustments are included as a component of operating income in the consolidated statements of operations. This amount was mainly calculated using unobservable inputs such as future earnings performance of the acquiree and the expected timing of the payment.

(c)The fair value of equity method investment represents an equity method investment acquired in fiscal 2019 whereby the Company has elected the fair value option under ASC 825, Financial Instruments (“ASC 825”). The valuation is based upon quoted prices in active markets and model-based valuation techniques to determine fair value.

(d)The fair value of the interest rate swaps is based on dealer quotes of market forward rates and reflects the amount that the Company would receive or pay as of December 31, 2020 for contracts involving the same attributes and maturity dates.

The following table reconciles the beginning and ending balances of net liabilities classified as Level 3:


	Total
	(in millions)
Balance at September 30, 2020	$	(6)
Additions	(1)
Reductions	—
Payments	—
Balance at December 31, 2020	$	(7)

The majority of the Company’s non-financial instruments, which include goodwill, intangible assets, inventories and property, plant and equipment, are not required to be re-measured to fair value on a recurring basis. These assets are evaluated for impairment if certain triggering events occur. If such evaluation indicates that impairment exists, the asset is written down to its fair value. In addition, an impairment analysis is performed at least annually for goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets.

Equity Investments Without Readily Determinable Fair Value

The Company evaluates its equity investments without readily determinable fair values for impairment if factors indicate that a significant decrease in value has occurred. The Company has elected to use the measurement alternative to fair value that will allow these investments to be recorded at cost, less impairment, and adjusted for subsequent observable price changes. The Company did not record any impairment charges on these investments during the three months ended December 31, 2020. In addition, there were no observable price changes events that were completed during the three months ended December 31, 2020.

Fair Value of Debt

Based on the level of interest rates prevailing at December 31, 2020, the fair value of the Company’s debt was $3.468 billion. Based on the level of interest rates prevailing at September 30, 2020, the fair value of the Company’s debt was $3.137 billion. The fair value of the Company’s debt instruments is determined using quoted market prices from less active markets or by using quoted market prices for instruments with identical terms and maturities; both approaches are considered a Level 2 measurement.

- Definition

The entire disclosure for the fair value of financial instruments (as defined), including financial assets and financial liabilities (collectively, as defined), and the measurements of those instruments as well as disclosures related to the fair value of non-financial assets and liabilities. Such disclosures about the financial instruments, assets, and liabilities would include: (1) the fair value of the required items together with their carrying amounts (as appropriate); (2) for items for which it is not practicable to estimate fair value, disclosure would include: (a) information pertinent to estimating fair value (including, carrying amount, effective interest rate, and maturity, and (b) the reasons why it is not practicable to estimate fair value; (3) significant concentrations of credit risk including: (a) information about the activity, region, or economic characteristics identifying a concentration, (b) the maximum amount of loss the entity is exposed to based on the gross fair value of the related item, (c) policy for requiring collateral or other security and information as to accessing such collateral or security, and (d) the nature and brief description of such collateral or security; (4) quantitative information about market risks and how such risks are managed; (5) for items measured on both a recurring and nonrecurring basis information regarding the inputs used to develop the fair value measurement; and (6) for items presented in the financial statement for which fair value measurement is elected: (a) information necessary to understand the reasons for the election, (b) discussion of the effect of fair value changes on earnings, (c) a description of [similar groups] items for which the election is made and the relation thereof to the balance sheet, the aggregate carrying value of items included in the balance sheet that are not eligible for the election; (7) all other required (as defined) and desired information.

+ References + Details

Subsequent Events	3 Months Ended
Subsequent Events	Dec. 31, 2020
Subsequent Events [Abstract]
Subsequent Events	Subsequent Events Senior Term Loan Facility On January 20, 2021, Acquisition Corp. entered into an amendment (the “Senior Term Loan Credit Agreement Amendment”) to the credit agreement, dated November 1, 2012 (as amended by the amendments dated as of May 9, 2013, July 13, 2016, November 21, 2016, May 22, 2017, December 6, 2017 and June 7, 2018), among Acquisition Corp., the guarantors party thereto, the lenders party thereto and Credit Suisse AG, as administrative agent, governing the Senior Term Loan Facility with Credit Suisse AG, as administrative agent, and the other financial institutions and lenders from time to time party thereto. The Senior Term Loan Credit Agreement Amendment (among other changes) (i) extends the maturity date of its outstanding term loans from November 1, 2023 to January 20, 2028 and (ii) removes a number of negative covenants limiting the ability of Acquisition Corp. to take various actions. The remaining negative covenants are limited to restrictions on liens, restrictions on fundamental changes and change of control, and are in a form substantially similar to the negative covenants in the 2.750% Senior Secured Notes due 2028, 3.875% Senior Secured Notes due 2030 and 3.000% Senior Secured Notes due 2031.

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	3 Months Ended
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	Dec. 31, 2020
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Interim Financial Statements	Interim Financial Statements The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”) for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all the information and notes required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring accruals) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. Operating results for the three months ended December 31, 2020 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2021. The consolidated balance sheet at September 30, 2020 has been derived from the audited consolidated financial statements at that date but does not include all the information and notes required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements. For further information, refer to the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2020 (File No. 001-32502).
Basis of Consolidation	Basis of Consolidation The accompanying financial statements present the consolidated accounts of all entities in which the Company has a controlling voting interest and/or variable interest required to be consolidated in accordance with U.S. GAAP. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated. Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 810, Consolidation (“ASC 810”) requires the Company first evaluate its investments to determine if any investments qualify as a variable interest entity (“VIE”). A VIE is consolidated if the Company is deemed to be the primary beneficiary of the VIE, which is the party involved with the VIE that has both (i) the power to control the most significant activities of the VIE and (ii) either the obligation to absorb losses or the right to receive benefits that could potentially be significant to the VIE. If an entity is not deemed to be a VIE, the Company consolidates the entity if the Company has a controlling voting interest. The Company maintains a 52-53 week fiscal year ending on the last Friday in each reporting period. As such, all references to December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019 relate to the periods ended December 25, 2020 and December 27, 2019, respectively. For convenience purposes, the Company continues to date its first-quarter financial statements as of December 31. The fiscal year ended September 30, 2020 ended on September 25, 2020.
Earnings per Share	Earnings per Share The consolidated statements of operations present basic and diluted earnings per share (“EPS”). Prior to the completion of the IPO, basic and diluted earnings per share were computed by dividing net income available to common stockholders by the weighted average number of outstanding common shares less shares issued for the exercise of the deferred equity units since these units were mandatorily redeemable in cash. As such, the deferred equity units were excluded from the denominator of the basic and diluted EPS calculation prior to the IPO completion. Subsequent to the completion of the IPO, the Company utilizes the two-class method to report earnings per share. The two-class method is an earnings allocation formula that determines earnings per share for each class of common stock according to dividends declared and participation rights in undistributed earnings. Undistributed earnings allocated to participating securities are subtracted from net income in determining net income attributable to common stockholders.
Stock-Based Compensation	Stock-Based Compensation The Company accounts for stock-based payments as required by ASC 718, Compensation—Stock Compensation (“ASC 718”). Under the recognition provision of ASC 718, the Company’s liability classified stock-based compensation costs are measured each reporting date until settlement. In February 2020, the Company filed a Form S-1 registration statement with the SEC in connection with the IPO, which required a change in accounting policy during the three months ended March 31, 2020 from the intrinsic value method to fair value method in determining the basis of measurement of its stock-based compensation liability. Upon completion of the IPO in June 2020, the Plan was amended to remove the cash-settlement feature on all future redemptions. As a result, all awards previously issued under the Plan required settlement in equity. The participants in such plan were also allowed to sell a pro rata portion, consistent with Access’s percentage reduction in shares of Class B Common Stock as a result of the IPO, of their vested profits interests and acquired units of Management LLC, in the IPO through a “tag-along right.” Under the provision of ASC 718, the Company determined the Plan was modified as of June 3, 2020, and as such, converted the awards from liability-classified to equity-classified. Prior to conversion, the Company performed a final measurement of its stock-based compensation liability under the fair value method. Subsequent to the amendment, the awards issued under the Plan will no longer be adjusted for changes in the value of the Company’s common stock. The Company will continue to incur non-cash stock-based compensation expense for awards that were unvested as of the modification date of the Plan and awards issued under the Omnibus Incentive Plan. During the three months ended December 31, 2020, the Company approved the issuance of restricted stock units (“RSUs”) under the Omnibus Incentive Plan to eligible employees and executives. For accounting purposes, vesting of such restricted stock units commenced during the period. The Company recognized approximately $6 million of stock-based compensation expense for the three months ended December 31, 2020, which is included in additional paid-in capital, for its unvested share awards that were granted prior to the IPO and shares issued under the Omnibus Incentive Plan.
Income Taxes	Income Taxes The Company uses the estimated annual effective tax rate method in computing its interim tax provision. Certain items, including those deemed to be unusual and infrequent are excluded from the estimated annual effective tax rate. In such cases, the actual tax expense or benefit is reported in the same period as the related item. Certain tax effects are also not reflected in the estimated annual effective tax rate, primarily certain changes in the realizability of deferred tax assets and uncertain tax positions.
New Accounting Pronouncements	New Accounting Pronouncements Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments—Credit Losses: Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments (“ASU 2016-13”). ASU 2016-13 requires that expected credit losses relating to financial assets measured on an amortized cost basis and available-for-sale debt securities be recorded through an allowance for credit losses. ASU 2016-13 limits the amount of credit losses to be recognized for available-for-sale debt securities to the amount by which carrying value exceeds fair value and also requires the reversal of previously recognized credit losses if fair value increases. The Company adopted ASU 2016-13 in the first quarter of fiscal 2021 and this adoption did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU 2019-12, Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes (“ASU 2019-12”). This ASU eliminates certain exceptions to the general principles in ASC 740, Income Taxes. Specifically, it eliminates the exception to (1) the incremental approach for intraperiod tax allocation when there is a loss from continuing operations, and income or a gain from other items; (2) the requirement to recognize a deferred tax liability for equity method investments when a foreign subsidiary becomes an equity method investment; (3) the ability not to recognize a deferred tax liability for a foreign subsidiary when a foreign equity method investment becomes a subsidiary; and (4) the general methodology for calculating income taxes in an interim period when a year-to-date loss exceeds the anticipated loss for the year. ASU 2019-12 also simplifies U.S. GAAP by making other changes. ASU 2019-12 will be effective for the annual periods beginning after December 15, 2021, and for interim periods beginning after December 15, 2022. Earlier adoption is permitted. The Company is evaluating the impact of the adoption of this standard on its consolidated financial statements.

- Definition

Disclosure of accounting policy for income taxes, which may include its accounting policies for recognizing and measuring deferred tax assets and liabilities and related valuation allowances, recognizing investment tax credits, operating loss carryforwards, tax credit carryforwards, and other carryforwards, methodologies for determining its effective income tax rate and the characterization of interest and penalties in the financial statements.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
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-Name Accounting Standards Codification
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+ Details

Earnings per Share (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Earnings Per Share [Abstract]

Schedule of Earnings Per Share


	Three Months Ended December 31,
	2020				2019
	Class A		Class B		Class A		Class B
Basic and Diluted EPS:
Numerator
Net income attributable to Warner Music Group Corp.	$	19	$	79	$	—	$	120
Less: Net income attributable to participating securities	(2)		—		—		—
Net income attributable to common stockholders	$	17	$	79	$	—	$	120
Denominator
Weighted average shares outstanding	94,221,946		416,632,808		0		501,991,944
Basic and Diluted EPS	$	0.18	$	0.19	$	—	$	0.24

Revenue Recognition (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]

Summary of Disaggregation of Revenue

The Company’s revenue consists of the following categories, which aggregate into the segments – Recorded Music and Music Publishing:


	Three Months Ended December 31,
	2020		2019
	(in millions)
Revenue by Type
Digital	$	727	$	633
Physical	174		184
Total Digital and Physical	901		817
Artist services and expanded-rights	180		188
Licensing	80		79
Total Recorded Music	1,161		1,084
Performance	30		46
Digital	99		73
Mechanical	11		15
Synchronization	33		36
Other	2		3
Total Music Publishing	175		173
Intersegment eliminations	(1)		(1)
Total Revenues	$	1,335	$	1,256
Revenue by Geographical Location
U.S. Recorded Music	$	481	$	453
U.S. Music Publishing	91		81
Total U.S.	572		534
International Recorded Music	680		631
International Music Publishing	84		92
Total International	764		723
Intersegment eliminations	(1)		(1)
Total Revenues	$	1,335	$	1,256

Summary of Revenues Expected to be Recognized in Future Related to Performance Obligations

Revenues expected to be recognized in the future related to performance obligations that are unsatisfied at December 31, 2020 are as follows:


	Rest of FY21		FY22		FY23		Thereafter		Total
	(in millions)
Remaining performance obligations	$	712	$	82	$	1	$	—	$	795
Total	$	712	$	82	$	1	$	—	$	795

Comprehensive Income (Loss) (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Equity [Abstract]

Schedule of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss

The following summary sets forth the changes in the components of accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of related tax expense of approximately $1 million:


	Foreign Currency Translation Loss (a)		Minimum Pension Liability Adjustment		Deferred Gains (Losses) On Derivative Financial Instruments		Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss, net
	(in millions)
Balances at September 30, 2020	$	(181)	$	(12)	$	(29)	$	(222)
Other comprehensive income	34		—		3		37
Balances at December 31, 2020	$	(147)	$	(12)	$	(26)	$	(185)

______________________________________

(a)Includes historical foreign currency translation related to certain intra-entity transactions.

Leases (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Leases [Abstract]

Components of Lease Expense

The components of lease expense were as follows:


	Three Months Ended December 31,
	2020		2019
	(in millions)
Lease Cost
Operating lease cost	$	14	14
Short-term lease cost	1		—
Variable lease cost	2		3
Sublease income	—		—
Total lease cost	$	17	$	17

Supplemental Cash Flow Information

Supplemental cash flow information related to leases was as follows:


	Three Months Ended December 31,
	2020		2019
	(in millions)
Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of operating lease liabilities	$	15	$	14
Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for operating lease obligations	6		5

Supplemental Balance Sheet Information

Supplemental balance sheet information related to leases was as follows:


	December 31, 2020			September 30, 2020
	(in millions)
Operating Leases
Operating lease right-of-use assets	$	275		$	273

Operating lease liabilities, current	$	41		$	39
Operating lease liabilities, noncurrent	298			299
Total operating lease liabilities	$	339		$	338

Weighted Average Remaining Lease Term
Operating leases	8 years			8 years
Weighted Average Discount Rate
Operating leases	4.58		%	4.58		%

Maturities of Lease Liabilities

Maturities of lease liabilities were as follows:


Years	Operating Leases
	(in millions)
2021	$	42
2022	55
2023	52
2024	49
2025	48
Thereafter	161
Total lease payments	407
Less imputed interest	(68)
Total	$	339

Goodwill and Intangible Assets (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]

Changes in Goodwill for Each Reportable Segment

The following analysis details the changes in goodwill for each reportable segment:


	Recorded Music		Music Publishing		Total
	(in millions)
Balances at September 30, 2020	$	1,367	$	464	$	1,831
Acquisitions	—		—		—

Other adjustments (a)	20		—		20
Balances at December 31, 2020	$	1,387	$	464	$	1,851

______________________________________

(a)Other adjustments during the three months ended December 31, 2020 represent foreign currency movements

Schedule of Indefinite Intangible Assets

Intangible assets consist of the following:


	Weighted-Average Useful Life	December 31, 2020		September 30, 2020
		(in millions)
Intangible assets subject to amortization:
Recorded music catalog	11 years	$	1,028	$	876
Music publishing copyrights	26 years	1,721		1,597
Artist and songwriter contracts	13 years	994		862
Trademarks	16 years	83		81
Other intangible assets	6 years	87		84
Total gross intangible asset subject to amortization		3,913		3,500
Accumulated amortization		(1,945)		(1,847)
Total net intangible assets subject to amortization		1,968		1,653
Intangible assets not subject to amortization:
Trademarks and tradenames	Indefinite	156		154
Total net intangible assets		$	2,124	$	1,807

Schedule of Finite-Lived Intangible Assets

Intangible assets consist of the following:


	Weighted-Average Useful Life	December 31, 2020		September 30, 2020
		(in millions)
Intangible assets subject to amortization:
Recorded music catalog	11 years	$	1,028	$	876
Music publishing copyrights	26 years	1,721		1,597
Artist and songwriter contracts	13 years	994		862
Trademarks	16 years	83		81
Other intangible assets	6 years	87		84
Total gross intangible asset subject to amortization		3,913		3,500
Accumulated amortization		(1,945)		(1,847)
Total net intangible assets subject to amortization		1,968		1,653
Intangible assets not subject to amortization:
Trademarks and tradenames	Indefinite	156		154
Total net intangible assets		$	2,124	$	1,807

Debt (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Debt Disclosure [Abstract]

Long-term Debt

Long-term debt, all of which was issued by Acquisition Corp., consists of the following:


	December 31, 2020		September 30, 2020
	(in millions)
Revolving Credit Facility (a)	$	—	$	—
Senior Term Loan Facility due 2023 (b)	815		814
3.625% Senior Secured Notes due 2026 (c)	545		521
2.750% Senior Secured Notes due 2028 (d)	392		375
3.875% Senior Secured Notes due 2030 (e)	529		529
3.000% Senior Secured Notes due 2031 (f)	784		544
5.500% Senior Notes due 2026 (g)	322		321
Total long-term debt, including the current portion (h)	$	3,387	$	3,104

______________________________________

December 31, 2020 and September 30, 2020, respectively, less unamortized deferred financing costs of $4 million and $4 million at both December 31, 2020 and September 30, 2020.

(e)Principal amount of $535 million less unamortized deferred financing costs of $6 million at both December 31, 2020 and September 30, 2020.

(g)Principal amount of $325 million less unamortized deferred financing costs of $3 million and $4 million at December 31, 2020 and September 30, 2020.

- Definition

Tabular disclosure of long-debt instruments or arrangements, including identification, terms, features, collateral requirements and other information necessary to a fair presentation. These are debt arrangements that originally required repayment more than twelve months after issuance or greater than the normal operating cycle of the entity, if longer.

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+ Details

Derivative Financial Instruments (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]

Summary of Amounts Recorded in Consolidated Balance Sheets

The following is a summary of amounts recorded in the consolidated balance sheets pertaining to the Company’s derivative instruments at December 31, 2020 and September 30, 2020:


	December 31, 2020 (a)		September 30, 2020 (b)
	(in millions)
Other current assets	$	—	$	—
Other current liabilities	(4)		—
Other noncurrent assets	—		—
Other noncurrent liabilities	(34)		(38)

______________________________________

(b)$38 million of interest rate swaps in noncurrent liability positions.

Segment Information (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Segment Reporting [Abstract]

Schedule of Segment Information


	Recorded Music		Music Publishing		Corporate expenses and eliminations		Total
Three Months Ended	(in millions)
December 31, 2020
Revenues	$	1,161	$	175	$	(1)	$	1,335
Operating income (loss)	223		18		(45)		196
Amortization of intangible assets	33		19		—		52
Depreciation of property, plant and equipment	13		2		4		19
OIBDA	269		39		(41)		267
December 31, 2019
Revenues	$	1,084	$	173	$	(1)	$	1,256
Operating income (loss)	191		14		(40)		165
Amortization of intangible assets	29		18		—		47
Depreciation of property, plant and equipment	21		1		2		24
OIBDA	241		33		(38)		236

Fair Value Measurements (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]

Schedule of Fair Value of Financial Instruments


	Fair Value Measurements as of December 31, 2020
	(Level 1)		(Level 2)		(Level 3)		Total
	(in millions)


Other Current Liabilities:
Foreign Currency Forward Exchange Contracts (a)			(4)				(4)
Contractual Obligations (b)	—		—		(2)		(2)
Other Noncurrent Assets:
Equity Method Investment (c)	—		61		—		61

Other Noncurrent Liabilities:
Contractual Obligations (b)	—		—		(5)		(5)
Interest Rate Swaps (d)	—		(34)		—		(34)
Total	$	—	$	23	$	(7)	$	16


	Fair Value Measurements as of September 30, 2020
	(Level 1)		(Level 2)		(Level 3)		Total
	(in millions)
Other Current Liabilities:
Contractual Obligations (b)	$	—	$	—	$	(2)	$	(2)
Other Noncurrent Assets:
Equity Method Investment (c)	—		47		—		47
Other Noncurrent Liabilities:
Contractual Obligations (b)	—		—		(4)		(4)
Interest Rate Swaps (d)	—		(38)		—		(38)
Total	$	—	$	9	$	(6)	$	3

______________________________________

Reconciliation of Net Liabilities Classified as Level 3

The following table reconciles the beginning and ending balances of net liabilities classified as Level 3:


	Total
	(in millions)
Balance at September 30, 2020	$	(6)
Additions	(1)
Reductions	—
Payments	—
Balance at December 31, 2020	$	(7)

Description of Business - Additional Information (Detail) songwriter in Thousands, musical_composition in Millions			3 Months Ended
	Jul. 07, 2020 shares	Jun. 05, 2020 $ / shares shares	Dec. 31, 2020 country musical_composition $ / shares songwriter shares	Sep. 30, 2020 $ / shares
Subsidiary, Sale of Stock [Line Items]
Number of countries in which Recorded Music activity conducted (more than) \| country			70
Minimum number of musical compositions on which Company owns or controls rights (more than) \| musical_composition			1,000,000
Number of songwriters and composers (over) \| songwriter			80
Access Industries
Subsidiary, Sale of Stock [Line Items]
Percentage of voting power		99.00%
Percentage of economic interest		83.00%
Class A Common Stock
Subsidiary, Sale of Stock [Line Items]
Par value (in dollars per share)			$ 0.001	$ 0.001
Class B Common Stock
Subsidiary, Sale of Stock [Line Items]
Par value (in dollars per share)			0.001	$ 0.001
Class B Common Stock \| Access Industries
Subsidiary, Sale of Stock [Line Items]
Par value (in dollars per share)			$ 0.001
Investment owned (in shares) \| shares			421,450,000
IPO \| Class A Common Stock
Subsidiary, Sale of Stock [Line Items]
Number of shares issued in transaction (in shares) \| shares		77,000,000
Par value (in dollars per share)		$ 0.001
Price per share (in dollars per share)		$ 25
Over-Allotment Option \| Class A Common Stock
Subsidiary, Sale of Stock [Line Items]
Number of shares issued in transaction (in shares) \| shares	11,550,000

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies - Additional Information (Detail) $ / shares in Units, $ in Millions		1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended
	Feb. 28, 2020 $ / shares shares	Dec. 31, 2020 shares	Dec. 31, 2020 USD ($) shares	Sep. 30, 2020 shares	Jun. 05, 2020 shares
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Capital stock authorized (in shares)	2,100,000,000
Preferred stock authorized (in shares)	100,000,000
Preferred stock par value (in dollars per share) \| $ / shares	$ 1.00
Stock split, conversion ratio	477,242.614671815
Preferred stock outstanding (in shares)		0	0		0
Stock-based compensation expense \| $			$ 6
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs)
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Shares issued under Omnibus Incentive Plan (in shares)			30,914
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) \| Omnibus Incentive Plan
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Shares issued under Omnibus Incentive Plan (in shares)			2,553
Class A Common Stock
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Common stock authorized (in shares)	1,000,000,000	1,000,000,000	1,000,000,000	1,000,000,000
Common stock outstanding (in shares)		111,167,356	111,167,356	88,578,361
Shares issued in period (in shares)		22,586,442	4,321,259
Class A Common Stock \| Omnibus Incentive Plan
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Common stock available for issuance (in shares)		31,169,099	31,169,099
Incentive plan period			10 years
Class A Common Stock \| IPO
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Common stock outstanding (in shares)		88,550,000	88,550,000		88,550,000
Class A Common Stock \| IPO \| Omnibus Incentive Plan
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Common stock available for issuance (in shares)		1,000,000	1,000,000
Class B Common Stock
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Common stock authorized (in shares)	1,000,000,000	1,000,000,000	1,000,000,000	1,000,000,000
Common stock outstanding (in shares)	510,000,000	403,184,814	403,184,814	421,450,000
Exchange of LLC Units for Class B shares (in shares)			18,265,813
Class B Common Stock \| IPO
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Common stock outstanding (in shares)		421,450,000	421,450,000		421,450,000

Earnings per Share (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Numerator
Net income attributable to Warner Music Group Corp.	$ 98	$ 120
Class A Common Stock
Numerator
Net income attributable to Warner Music Group Corp.	19	0
Less: Net income attributable to participating securities	(2)	0
Net income attributable to common stockholders	$ 17	$ 0
Denominator
Weighted-average shares outstanding, basic and diluted (in shares)	94,221,946	0
Basic and Diluted EPS (in dollars per share)	$ 0.18	$ 0
Class B Common Stock
Numerator
Net income attributable to Warner Music Group Corp.	$ 79	$ 120
Less: Net income attributable to participating securities	0	0
Net income attributable to common stockholders	$ 79	$ 120
Denominator
Weighted-average shares outstanding, basic and diluted (in shares)	416,632,808	501,991,944
Basic and Diluted EPS (in dollars per share)	$ 0.19	$ 0.24

- Definition

The portion of profit or loss for the period, net of income taxes, which is attributable to the parent.

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- Definition

Amount, after deduction of tax, noncontrolling interests, dividends on preferred stock and participating securities; of income (loss) available to common shareholders.

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+ Details

Revenue Recognition - Summary of Disaggregation of Revenue (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total Revenues	$ 1,335	$ 1,256
Intersegment eliminations
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total Revenues	(1)	(1)
Operating Segments \| U.S.
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total Revenues	572	534
Operating Segments \| International
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total Revenues	764	723
Recorded Music
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total Revenues	1,161	1,084
Recorded Music \| Operating Segments \| U.S.
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total Revenues	481	453
Recorded Music \| Operating Segments \| International
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total Revenues	680	631
Recorded Music \| Digital
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total Revenues	727	633
Recorded Music \| Physical
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total Revenues	174	184
Recorded Music \| Total Digital and Physical
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total Revenues	901	817
Recorded Music \| Artist services and expanded-rights
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total Revenues	180	188
Recorded Music \| Licensing
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total Revenues	80	79
Music Publishing
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total Revenues	175	173
Music Publishing \| Operating Segments \| U.S.
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total Revenues	91	81
Music Publishing \| Operating Segments \| International
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total Revenues	84	92
Music Publishing \| Digital
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total Revenues	99	73
Music Publishing \| Performance
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total Revenues	30	46
Music Publishing \| Mechanical
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total Revenues	11	15
Music Publishing \| Synchronization
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total Revenues	33	36
Music Publishing \| Other
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Total Revenues	$ 2	$ 3

Revenue Recognition - Additional Information (Detail) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020 USD ($) source	Dec. 31, 2019 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2020 USD ($)
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Refund liabilities	$ 37		$ 24
Uncollectible accounts, reserves	24		$ 23
Deferred revenue increased related to cash received from customers	128
Revenue recognized related to deferred revenue	87
Revenue recognized from performance obligations satisfied in previous periods	$ 20	$ 27
Recorded Music
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Number of revenue sources \| source	4
Music Publishing
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Number of revenue sources \| source	5

Revenue Recognition - Summary of Revenues Expected to be Recognized in Future Related to Performance Obligations (Detail) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2020 USD ($)
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]
Remaining performance obligations	$ 795
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction, Start Date: 2021-01-01
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]
Remaining performance obligations	$ 712
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction [Line Items]
Revenue, remaining performance obligation, expected timing of satisfaction, period	3 months
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction, Start Date: 2021-10-01
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]
Remaining performance obligations	$ 82
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction [Line Items]
Revenue, remaining performance obligation, expected timing of satisfaction, period	1 year
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction, Start Date: 2022-10-01
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]
Remaining performance obligations	$ 1
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction [Line Items]
Revenue, remaining performance obligation, expected timing of satisfaction, period	1 year
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction, Start Date: 2023-10-01
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]
Remaining performance obligations	$ 0
Revenue, Remaining Performance Obligation, Expected Timing of Satisfaction [Line Items]
Revenue, remaining performance obligation, expected timing of satisfaction, period

Comprehensive Income (Loss) - Additional Information (Detail) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020 USD ($)
Equity [Abstract]
Changes in accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of related taxes	$ 1

Comprehensive Income (Loss) - Schedule of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss (Detail) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020 USD ($)
AOCI Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest, Net of Tax [Roll Forward]
Beginning balance	$ (45)
Other comprehensive income	37
Ending balance	33
Foreign Currency Translation Loss
AOCI Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest, Net of Tax [Roll Forward]
Beginning balance	(181)
Other comprehensive income	34
Ending balance	(147)
Minimum Pension Liability Adjustment
AOCI Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest, Net of Tax [Roll Forward]
Beginning balance	(12)
Other comprehensive income	0
Ending balance	(12)
Deferred Gains (Losses) On Derivative Financial Instruments
AOCI Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest, Net of Tax [Roll Forward]
Beginning balance	(29)
Other comprehensive income	3
Ending balance	(26)
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss, net
AOCI Including Portion Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest, Net of Tax [Roll Forward]
Beginning balance	(222)
Ending balance	$ (185)

- Definition

Amount of stockholders' equity (deficit), net of receivables from officers, directors, owners, and affiliates of the entity, attributable to both the parent and noncontrolling interests. Amount excludes temporary equity. Alternate caption for the concept is permanent equity.

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-Subparagraph (SX 210.3-04)
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+ Details

Leases - Additional Information (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Sep. 30, 2020
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items]
Lease extension period (up to)	10 years
Termination period	1 year
Lease liabilities	$ 339	$ 338
Access Industries
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items]
Lease liabilities	$ 133
Minimum
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items]
Remaining lease term	1 year
Maximum
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items]
Remaining lease term	11 years

Leases - Component of Lease Expense (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Leases [Abstract]
Operating lease cost	$ 14	$ 14
Short-term lease cost	1	0
Variable lease cost	2	3
Sublease income	0	0
Total lease cost	$ 17	$ 17

Leases - Supplemental Cash Flow Information (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Leases [Abstract]
Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of operating lease liabilities	$ 15	$ 14
Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for operating lease obligations	$ 6	$ 5

Leases - Supplemental Balance Sheet Information (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2020	Sep. 30, 2020
Operating Leases
Operating lease right-of-use assets	$ 275	$ 273
Operating lease liabilities, current	41	39
Operating lease liabilities, noncurrent	298	299
Total operating lease liabilities	$ 339	$ 338
Weighted Average Remaining Lease Term
Operating leases	8 years	8 years
Weighted Average Discount Rate
Operating leases	4.58%	4.58%

Leases - Maturities of Lease Liabilities (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2020	Sep. 30, 2020
Leases [Abstract]
2021	$ 42
2022	55
2023	52
2024	49
2025	48
Thereafter	161
Total lease payments	407
Less imputed interest	(68)
Total	$ 339	$ 338

Goodwill and Intangible Assets - Changes in Goodwill for Each Reportable Segment (Detail) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020 USD ($)
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Beginning balance	$ 1,831
Acquisitions	0
Other adjustments	20
Ending balance	1,851
Recorded Music
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Beginning balance	1,367
Acquisitions	0
Other adjustments	20
Ending balance	1,387
Music Publishing
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Beginning balance	464
Acquisitions	0
Other adjustments	0
Ending balance	$ 464

Goodwill and Intangible Assets - Schedule of Intangible Assets (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Sep. 30, 2020
Finite Lived And Indefinite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Total gross intangible asset subject to amortization	$ 3,913	$ 3,500
Accumulated amortization	(1,945)	(1,847)
Total net intangible assets subject to amortization	1,968	1,653
Intangible assets not subject to amortization	156	154
Total net intangible assets	2,124	1,807
Trademarks and tradenames
Finite Lived And Indefinite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Intangible assets not subject to amortization	$ 156	154
Recorded music catalog
Finite Lived And Indefinite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Weighted-Average Useful Life	11 years
Total gross intangible asset subject to amortization	$ 1,028	876
Music publishing copyrights
Finite Lived And Indefinite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Weighted-Average Useful Life	26 years
Total gross intangible asset subject to amortization	$ 1,721	1,597
Artist and songwriter contracts
Finite Lived And Indefinite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Weighted-Average Useful Life	13 years
Total gross intangible asset subject to amortization	$ 994	862
Trademarks
Finite Lived And Indefinite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Weighted-Average Useful Life	16 years
Total gross intangible asset subject to amortization	$ 83	81
Other intangible assets
Finite Lived And Indefinite Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Weighted-Average Useful Life	6 years
Total gross intangible asset subject to amortization	$ 87	$ 84

Goodwill and Intangible Assets - Additional Information (Details) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020 USD ($) acquisition
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Number of asset acquisitions \| acquisition	2
Increase in intangible assets, assets acquired \| $	$ 318

Debt - Long-term Debt (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2020	Nov. 02, 2020	Sep. 30, 2020	Aug. 12, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total long-term debt, including the current portion	$ 3,387		$ 3,104
3.000% Senior Secured Notes due 2031
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate	3.00%				3.00%
Acquisition Corp. \| Senior Term Loan Facility due 2023
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total long-term debt, including the current portion	$ 815		814
Acquisition Corp. \| 3.625% Senior Secured Notes due 2026
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total long-term debt, including the current portion	$ 545		521
Interest rate	3.625%
Acquisition Corp. \| 2.750% Senior Secured Notes due 2028
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total long-term debt, including the current portion	$ 392		375
Interest rate	2.75%
Acquisition Corp. \| 3.875% Senior Secured Notes due 2030
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total long-term debt, including the current portion	$ 529		529
Interest rate	3.875%
Acquisition Corp. \| 3.000% Senior Secured Notes due 2031
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total long-term debt, including the current portion	$ 784		544
Interest rate	3.00%	3.00%		3.00%
Acquisition Corp. \| 5.500% Senior Notes due 2026
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total long-term debt, including the current portion	$ 322		321
Interest rate	5.50%
Acquisition Corp. \| Revolving Credit Facility
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total long-term debt, including the current portion	$ 0		$ 0

Debt - Long-term Debt Footnote (Detail)	Dec. 31, 2020 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2020 EUR (€)	Nov. 02, 2020 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2020 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2020 EUR (€)	Aug. 12, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
3.000% Senior Secured Notes due 2031
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate	3.00%	3.00%					3.00%
Acquisition Corp.
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Face or principal amount of debt instrument	$ 3,419,000,000			$ 3,127,000,000
Unamortized discount	8,000,000			1,000,000
Unamortized deferred financing costs	31,000,000			29,000,000
Unamortized premium	7,000,000			7,000,000
Acquisition Corp. \| Senior Term Loan Facility due 2023
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Face or principal amount of debt instrument	820,000,000			820,000,000
Unamortized discount	1,000,000			1,000,000
Unamortized deferred financing costs	4,000,000			5,000,000
Acquisition Corp. \| 3.625% Senior Secured Notes due 2026
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Face or principal amount of debt instrument	543,000,000	€ 445,000,000		519,000,000	€ 445,000,000
Unamortized deferred financing costs	$ 5,000,000			5,000,000
Interest rate	3.625%	3.625%
Unamortized premium	$ 7,000,000			7,000,000
Acquisition Corp. \| 2.750% Senior Secured Notes due 2028
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Face or principal amount of debt instrument	396,000,000	€ 325,000,000		379,000,000	€ 325,000,000
Unamortized deferred financing costs	$ 4,000,000			4,000,000
Interest rate	2.75%	2.75%
Acquisition Corp. \| 3.875% Senior Secured Notes due 2030
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Face or principal amount of debt instrument	$ 535,000,000			535,000,000
Unamortized deferred financing costs	$ 6,000,000			6,000,000
Interest rate	3.875%	3.875%
Acquisition Corp. \| 3.000% Senior Secured Notes due 2031
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Face or principal amount of debt instrument	$ 800,000,000		$ 250,000,000	550,000,000
Unamortized discount	7,000,000
Unamortized deferred financing costs	$ 9,000,000			6,000,000
Interest rate	3.00%	3.00%	3.00%			3.00%
Acquisition Corp. \| 5.500% Senior Notes due 2026
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Face or principal amount of debt instrument	$ 325,000,000			325,000,000
Unamortized deferred financing costs	$ 3,000,000			4,000,000
Interest rate	5.50%	5.50%
Acquisition Corp. \| Revolving Credit Facility
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Commitments under revolving credit facility	$ 300,000,000			300,000,000
Letters of credit outstanding	10,000,000			10,000,000
Revolving credit facility outstanding	$ 0			$ 0

Debt - Interest Rates (Detail)			3 Months Ended
Debt - Interest Rates (Detail)	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 30, 2020	Dec. 31, 2020
Acquisition Corp. \| London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) \| Senior Term Loan Facility due 2020
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, marginal interest rate			2.125%
Acquisition Corp. \| Federal Funds Effective Swap Rate \| Senior Term Loan Facility due 2020
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, marginal interest rate			0.50%
Acquisition Corp. \| Base Rate \| Senior Term Loan Facility due 2020
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, marginal interest rate			1.125%
Term loan Base rate plus Election Rate	1.00%		1.00%
Additional Interest rate on other overdue amounts			2.00%
Revolving Credit Facility \| Eurodollar Applicable Margin Rate \| 2020 Revolving Loans
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, marginal interest rate	1.625%	1.875%
Revolving Credit Facility \| ABR Applicable Margin Rate \| 2020 Revolving Loans
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, marginal interest rate	0.625%	0.875%
Revolving Credit Facility \| Acquisition Corp.
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Term loan Base rate plus Election Rate	1.00%		1.00%
Interest rate applicable to overdue principal			2.00%
Revolving Credit Facility \| Acquisition Corp. \| Initial Revolving Loans
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, marginal interest rate			0.75%
Revolving Credit Facility \| Acquisition Corp. \| 2020 Revolving Loans
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, marginal interest rate			0.875%
Senior secured indebtedness to EBITDA ratio	3.15		3.15
Revolving Credit Facility \| Acquisition Corp. \| London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) \| Initial Revolving Loans
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, marginal interest rate			1.75%
Revolving Credit Facility \| Acquisition Corp. \| London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) \| 2020 Revolving Loans
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, marginal interest rate			1.875%
Revolving Credit Facility \| Acquisition Corp. \| Federal Funds Effective Swap Rate
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument, marginal interest rate			0.50%

Debt - Additional Information (Detail)	3 Months Ended
Debt - Additional Information (Detail)	Dec. 31, 2020 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2019 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2020 EUR (€)	Nov. 02, 2020 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2020 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2020 EUR (€)	Aug. 12, 2020
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest expense, net	$ 31,000,000	$ 33,000,000
Weighted-average interest rate of total debt	3.70%	4.20%	3.70%		3.70%	3.70%
Acquisition Corp.
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Face or principal amount of debt instrument	$ 3,419,000,000				$ 3,127,000,000
3.625% Senior Secured Notes due 2026 \| Acquisition Corp.
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate	3.625%		3.625%
Face or principal amount of debt instrument	$ 543,000,000		€ 445,000,000		519,000,000	€ 445,000,000
5.500% Senior Notes due 2026 \| Acquisition Corp.
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate	5.50%		5.50%
Face or principal amount of debt instrument	$ 325,000,000				325,000,000
2.750% Senior Secured Notes due 2028 \| Acquisition Corp.
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate	2.75%		2.75%
Face or principal amount of debt instrument	$ 396,000,000		€ 325,000,000		379,000,000	€ 325,000,000
3.875% Senior Secured Notes due 2030 \| Acquisition Corp.
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate	3.875%		3.875%
Face or principal amount of debt instrument	$ 535,000,000				535,000,000
3.000% Senior Secured Notes due 2031
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate	3.00%	3.00%	3.00%
3.000% Senior Secured Notes due 2031 \| Acquisition Corp.
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate	3.00%		3.00%	3.00%			3.00%
Face or principal amount of debt instrument	$ 800,000,000			$ 250,000,000	$ 550,000,000
Senior Notes
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Scheduled maturities of long-term debt in 2021	0
Scheduled maturities of long-term debt in 2022	0
Scheduled maturities of long-term debt in 2023	0
Scheduled maturities of long-term debt in 2024	0
Scheduled maturities of long-term debt, 2025	0
Scheduled maturities of long-term debt, 2026	868,000,000
Scheduled maturities of long-term debt, thereafter	$ 1,731,000,000
Senior Notes \| 2.750% Senior Secured Notes due 2028 \| Acquisition Corp.
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate	2.75%		2.75%
Senior Notes \| 3.875% Senior Secured Notes due 2030 \| Acquisition Corp.
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate	3.875%		3.875%
Senior Notes \| 3.000% Senior Secured Notes due 2031 \| Acquisition Corp.
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate	3.00%		3.00%

Income Taxes - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Release of valuation allowance		$ 33
Income tax benefit related to release of valuation allowance		33
Income tax expense (benefit)	$ 35	$ 5
Reasonably possible decrease in gross unrecognized tax benefits from ongoing audits and settlement	$ 2

- Definition

Amount of current income tax expense (benefit) and deferred income tax expense (benefit) pertaining to continuing operations.

+ References + Details

Derivative Financial Instruments - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Sep. 30, 2020
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Companys hedged interest rate transactions	3 years
Deferred (losses) gains on derivative financial instruments	$ 3	$ 3
Interest Rate Swap
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Outstanding hedge contracts	820		$ 820
Deferred gain (loss) on derivative financial instruments	(26)
Deferred (losses) gains on derivative financial instruments			$ (29)
Unrealized pre-tax (losses) gains on derivative financial instruments	4	4
Foreign Exchange Contract \| Other Income (Expense)
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Realized foreign exchange forward contract gain (loss)	(1)	(1)
Unrealized foreign exchange forward contract gain (loss)	(4)	$ (3)
Sale
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Outstanding hedge contracts	270
Purchase
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Outstanding hedge contracts	$ 176

Derivative Financial Instruments - Summary of Amounts Recorded in Consolidated Balance Sheets (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2020	Sep. 30, 2020
Other current assets
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Other assets	$ 0	$ 0
Other current liabilities
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Other liabilities	(4)	0
Other noncurrent assets
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Other assets	0	0
Other noncurrent liabilities
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Other liabilities	$ (34)	$ (38)

Derivative Financial Instruments - Summary of Amounts Recorded in Consolidated Balance Sheets Footnote (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2020	Sep. 30, 2020
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Foreign exchange derivative contracts in asset	$ 8
Foreign exchange derivative contracts in liability	(12)
Interest Rate Swap
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Foreign exchange derivative contracts in liability	$ (34)	$ (38)

Segment Information - Additional Information (Detail)	3 Months Ended
Segment Information - Additional Information (Detail)	Dec. 31, 2020 segment
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Number of fundamental operations	2

Segment Information - Schedule of Segment Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues	$ 1,335	$ 1,256
Operating income (loss)	196	165
Amortization of intangible assets	52	47
Depreciation of property, plant and equipment	19	24
OIBDA	267	236
Operating Segments \| Recorded Music
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues	1,161	1,084
Operating income (loss)	223	191
Amortization of intangible assets	33	29
Depreciation of property, plant and equipment	13	21
OIBDA	269	241
Operating Segments \| Music Publishing
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues	175	173
Operating income (loss)	18	14
Amortization of intangible assets	19	18
Depreciation of property, plant and equipment	2	1
OIBDA	39	33
Corporate expenses and eliminations
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Revenues	(1)	(1)
Operating income (loss)	(45)	(40)
Amortization of intangible assets	0	0
Depreciation of property, plant and equipment	4	2
OIBDA	$ (41)	$ (38)

Additional Financial Information - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019	Nov. 13, 2020
Dividends Payable [Line Items]
Interest payments	$ 27	$ 44
Income and withholding taxes paid	17	20
Dividends paid	$ 62	$ 206
Common Stock
Dividends Payable [Line Items]
Cash dividends declared (in dollars per share)			$ 0.12

Fair Value Measurements - Schedule of Fair Value of Financial Instruments (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2020	Sep. 30, 2020
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Total	$ 16	$ 3
Level 1
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Total	0	0
Level 2
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Total	23	9
Level 3
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Total	(7)	(6)
Other current liabilities
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Foreign currency forward exchange contract	(4)	0
Contractual obligations	(2)	(2)
Other current liabilities \| Level 1
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Foreign currency forward exchange contract
Contractual obligations	0	0
Other current liabilities \| Level 2
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Foreign currency forward exchange contract	(4)
Contractual obligations	0	0
Other current liabilities \| Level 3
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Foreign currency forward exchange contract
Contractual obligations	(2)	(2)
Other noncurrent assets
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Equity method investment	61	47
Other noncurrent assets \| Level 1
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Equity method investment	0	0
Other noncurrent assets \| Level 2
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Equity method investment	61	47
Other noncurrent assets \| Level 3
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Equity method investment	0	0
Other noncurrent liabilities
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Foreign currency forward exchange contract	(34)	(38)
Contractual obligations	(5)	(4)
Other noncurrent liabilities \| Level 1
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Contractual obligations	0	0
Other noncurrent liabilities \| Level 2
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Contractual obligations	0	0
Other noncurrent liabilities \| Level 3
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Contractual obligations	(5)	(4)
Interest Rate Swap \| Other noncurrent liabilities
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Derivative liability	(34)	(38)
Interest Rate Swap \| Other noncurrent liabilities \| Level 1
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Derivative liability	0	0
Interest Rate Swap \| Other noncurrent liabilities \| Level 2
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Derivative liability	(34)	(38)
Interest Rate Swap \| Other noncurrent liabilities \| Level 3
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Derivative liability	$ 0	$ 0

Fair Value Measurements - Reconciliation of Net Liabilities Classified as Level 3 (Detail) - Level 3 $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020 USD ($)
Fair Value, Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation, Calculation [Roll Forward]
Beginning balance	$ (6)
Additions	(1)
Reductions	0
Payments	0
Ending balance	$ (7)

Fair Value Measurements - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2020	Sep. 30, 2020
Level 2 measurement
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair value of debt	$ 3,468	$ 3,137

Subsequent Events (Details)	Dec. 31, 2020	Nov. 02, 2020	Aug. 12, 2020	Dec. 31, 2019
2.750% Senior Secured Notes due 2028 \| Acquisition Corp.
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Interest rate	2.75%
3.875% Senior Secured Notes due 2030 \| Acquisition Corp.
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Interest rate	3.875%
3.000% Senior Secured Notes due 2031
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Interest rate	3.00%			3.00%
3.000% Senior Secured Notes due 2031 \| Acquisition Corp.
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Interest rate	3.00%	3.00%	3.00%
Senior Notes \| 2.750% Senior Secured Notes due 2028 \| Acquisition Corp.
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Interest rate	2.75%
Senior Notes \| 3.875% Senior Secured Notes due 2030 \| Acquisition Corp.
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Interest rate	3.875%
Senior Notes \| 3.000% Senior Secured Notes due 2031 \| Acquisition Corp.
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Interest rate	3.00%