Warner Music Group said Tuesday, Nov. 3, that it had acquired Zebralution Music GmbH from Bookwire. The deal brings part of the German distributor back under WMG ownership and strengthens the major’s reach in Germany and across Europe. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Zebralution Music is a spinoff of Zebralution GmbH, which Bookwire acquired from German performance rights organization GEMA in March 2026. At the time, Bookwire described Zebralution as an early major digital distributor of music, audiobooks, e-books and podcasts, with more than 1,500 label and publisher clients worldwide.
WMG first acquired Zebralution in 2007 and sold it in 2017 to its founders: Kurt Thielen, Sascha Lazimbat, Christof Ellinghaus and Konrad von Löhneysen. Founded in 2003, the company distributed more than 500,000 tracks, albums and videos to hundreds of digital services worldwide when WMG sold it.
The acquisition follows WMG’s April purchase of B2B music distribution platform Revelator. Zebralution Music’s label clients will gain access to WMG technology, distribution, analytics and financial tools, expanding the services available through the group and its ADA distribution business.
Zebralution Music co-CEOs von Löhneysen and Lazimbat will stay with the company to help align strategic operations. Lazimbat said the team and its relationships with label partners would remain in place, while the additional resources would support the company’s work. Von Löhneysen similarly said clients could expect the same people, approach and independence.
Niels Walboomers, president of Warner Music Central Europe, said WMG was attracted by Zebralution’s regional expertise and capabilities, describing it as a trusted home for independent music in Europe.
Sources: Billboard.