Ed Sheeran has officially parted ways with Warner Music Group after 15 years, confirming he is now an independent artist releasing music through his own label, Gingerbread Man Records.
The singer revealed the news in a newsletter sent to fans on Friday 22 May, explaining that his departure from Atlantic Records and Asylum Records was driven by a desire for personal and professional change rather than conflict.
“This isn’t a ‘disgruntled artist leaves record label’ type situation.”
“This is a boy who started as a teenager in the company with different priorities, to the father-of-two man who exists now, who feels like he needs a shift and change in the way he does things professionally.”
Ed Sheeran reflects on 15 years with Warner
Sheeran first signed with Asylum Records in 2009 after meeting Ed Howard, the label’s former head of A&R, at a performance in Notting Hill. According to reports from Rolling Stone, the deal helped launch one of the most commercially successful careers of the modern streaming era.
His debut album Plus arrived in September 2011 through Atlantic and Asylum. Over the next 15 years, the labels released six further studio albums including Multiply, Divide, Subtract, Equals and most recently Play.
During that period, Sheeran evolved from playing small pub gigs and couch surfing to becoming one of the biggest touring artists in the world, regularly selling out stadiums across the UK, Europe, the United States and the Middle East.
“Over the past 15 years, I’ve put out so much music and had so much success with that company. We’ve built something amazing together, and enjoyed such life-changing stuff happening to us.”
“My life is hugely different now to what it was when I was a teenager, and I’ve been feeling in my gut for a long time that a lot of things in my professional life need to change.”
“I am, underneath it all, a singer-songwriter who plays pub gigs. And I’ve sorta morphed into this pop star who plays stadiums over 15 years, it’s a super amazing thing to have happened, but also a lot to get your head around.”
Warner Music Group responds to Sheeran departure
Warner Music Group also released a public statement following the announcement, thanking Sheeran for the partnership and wishing him well for the future.
“Warner Music Group is proud to have supported Ed through his discovery and remarkable rise over the past 15 years and grateful for his continued partnership.”
“Everyone in the Warner Music family wishes Ed the very best as he embarks on the next chapter of his extraordinary artistic journey.”
Sheeran ended his message to fans by expressing gratitude toward the label teams he worked with throughout his career.
“I leave the company with so much love and gratitude for everything we have achieved together.”
What Ed Sheeran going independent could mean
The move places Sheeran among a growing number of major artists exploring more independent release structures after reaching global success through traditional label systems.
While he has not announced specific details about future releases, all upcoming music is expected to come through Gingerbread Man Records.
