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Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square offers to buy Universal Music Group

musicApr 7, 2026254

Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square offered roughly $64 billion in cash and stock to buy Universal Music Group. The non-binding proposal, sent to UMG’s board, values the company at about a 78 percent premium. The plan would take the world’s largest music company private and relist it in New York, moving its listing from Amsterdam. The bid matters because it shifts control of major artists’ catalogs, moves capital market access to the U.S., and tests appetite for megadeals in the music business.

Key Highlights

Pershing Square offered about $64 billion in cash and stock for UMG.
The bid values UMG at roughly a 78 percent premium to its stock.
Proposal would take UMG private and relist the company in New York.
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