Rides

Sphere Entertainment stock rose 19.3% to $58.33 this week, marking its fourth consecutive weekly gain and the largest improvement in that month-long run. Sphere shares have risen an astounding 46.3% in the last four weeks. The stock reached an all-time high of $58.71 on Friday (Sept. 12).

Sphere’s latest offering, a revamped The Wizard of Oz, has won over both audiences and Wall Street analysts. As Billboard noted on Wednesday (Sept. 10), numerous analysts have raised forecasts in the wake of a stellar debut and strong ticket sales. The $2.3 billion venue requires a high level of utilization to be profitable, meaning Sphere must squeeze in film showings when it’s not hosting sold-out concerts by the likes of Backstreet Boys and The Eagles. Early results suggest the revamped The Wizard of Oz, which cost upwards of $100 million, is performing better than Sphere’s two previous films, Postcards from Earth and V-U2. 

The 19-company Billboard Global Music Index (BGMI) rose 1.0% to 3,061.29, putting its year-to-date gain at 44.1%. The majority of music stocks ended the week in positive territory, mirroring gains elsewhere in the market as investors lifted stocks ahead of an expected interest rate cut by the U.S. Federal Reserve. 

The week’s biggest gainer was music streamer LiveOne, which jumped 29.5% to $0.57. On Thursday (Sept. 11), LiveOne raised its fiscal 2026 adjusted EBITDA guidance to $4.5 million to $6 million on revenue of $55 million to $60 million. On Friday, the company announced that its Bitcoin holdings exceed $5 million. 

Radio broadcaster and podcast company iHeartMedia rose 23.3% to finish the week at $2.59. iHeartMedia shares rose 9.2% on Friday after the company announced an expanded partnership and new long-term agreement with Bell Media in Canada. iHeartRadio Canada is a partnership between iHeartMedia and Bell Media, giving the American company distribution of its radio stations and podcast content in the neighbor to the north. 

Live Nation shares rose 6.3% to $173.73 on Friday after reaching a new all-time high of $175.25 earlier in the day. The spike followed Citi’s hike of its Live Nation price target to $195 from $165 on Tuesday (Sept. 9). Also this week, CFRA raised its Live Nation price target by $26 to $196, citing “the outsized opportunity for live entertainment around the globe” and the company’s efforts to build arenas and theaters to capture market share. 

Universal Music Group (UMG) rose 1.2% to 24.59 euros ($28.86). This week, Citi upgraded UMG to “buy” from “neutral” and increased its price target to 29 euros ($34.03) from 27 euros ($31.68).

Warner Music Group shares gained 2.8% to $33.62, lifting the stock’s year-to-date gain to 8.4%. On Wednesday (Sept. 10), Tigress raised its price target to $45 from $44 due to subscriber growth and the company’s margin expansion. 

Spotify, the BMGI’s largest single component with a market capitalization of $142.6 billion, fell 1.5% to $696.40. Spotify shares are up 49.2% this year but have fallen 12.7% since reaching an all-time high of $785.00 on June 27. This week, the company announced the launch of its long-awaited high-quality audio streaming offering. 

Many markets and indexes gained this week as investors awaited a decision by the Federal Reserve and companies continued to announce positive news. Amidst rising inflation and falling consumer sentiment, companies ranging from Six Flags Entertainment to Adobe nonetheless gained on encouraging results. 

In the U.S., the Nasdaq composite index rose 2.0% to a record closing of 22,141.10, and the S&P 500 climbed 1.7% to 6,584.29. In the U.K., the FTSE 100 improved 0.8% to 9,283.29. South Korea’s KOSPI composite index jumped 5.9% to 3,395.54, and China’s Shanghai Composite Index improved 1.5% to 3,870.60.