Universal Music Poland has acquired the catalog business of Warsaw-based Kayax Records, gaining global recording rights to a catalog of close to 130 albums and the rights to the Kayax Records brand.
The agreement, announced Thursday (August 20), also includes a strategic partnership with Kayax Management, the label’s separate management business, which is not part of the acquisition. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Deal terms and catalog#
Founded in 2001 and based in Warsaw, Kayax Records has a roster that includes Smolik, Zakopower, Nosowska, Krzysztof Zalewski, Natalia Przybysz, Maria Peszek, Brodka, Artur Rojek, Mery Spolsky and Karaś/Rogucki.
Records issued under the Kayax banner also include albums by Hey, Urszula Dudziak, Reni Jusis, Skubas and The Dumplings.
Notable Kayax releases include:
- Brodka’s Clashes
- Krzysztof Zalewski’s Złoto
- Nosowska’s Basta
- Zakopower’s Boso
- Maria Peszek’s Maria Awaria
- Artur Rojek’s Składam się z ciągłych powtórzeń
Kayax puts its catalog at close to 130 albums. The label also lists singer Kayah‘s 2009 album Skała among its releases. Kayah said in May 2025 that she had recovered master recording rights to her albums released after 2003 and was no longer under a recording contract with Kayax Production & Publishing. On her account, that would place her post-2003 recordings outside the catalog Universal Music Poland has acquired.
Leadership and next steps#
Maciej Kutak, CEO of Universal Music Poland and SVP Central Eastern Europe at Universal Music Group (UMG), said:
“This is an exciting transaction for Universal Music Poland. From the very beginning I have admired Kayax Records’ ability to combine artistic integrity with commercial success, while consistently discovering and nurturing some of the most important voices in contemporary Polish music. Combining Universal Music’s global expertise with the experience of the Kayax Management team will help create new opportunities for both established artists and the next generation of talent.”
“This is another important step in delivering our mission of connecting Polish artists with fans around the world,” Kutak added.
Tomasz “Tomik” Grewiński co-founded Kayax Records with Kayah in 2001 and became sole owner in April 2025 after buying out her stake in Kayax Production & Publishing, the company behind the label. Grewiński is owner and Managing Director of Kayax Management, which remains an independent company.
“For more than twenty years, we built Kayax Records together with extraordinary artists, creating a catalog that has become an important part of the history of contemporary Polish music. I am confident that Universal Music Poland will provide this body of work with the best possible foundation for its continued growth.”
“Kayax Management is entering a new chapter. Together with my team, we want to focus even more on what we do best: developing the careers of the artists we represent and building their personal brands. We will continue strengthening our position by providing comprehensive artist management while expanding our roster with promising new talent and the next generation of artists.”
Once the transaction completes, Kayax Records will keep its own identity as Universal Music Poland’s fourth label. Paweł Tetłak will take the role of Head of Kayax Records, while Jakub Barzak will oversee both Kayax Records and Polydor Recordings Poland.
Kayax said in its own announcement that it will no longer operate as a record label in its previous form, and is switching to a distribution and licensing model, with management and distribution as the pillars of the business.
Universal’s European expansion#
The acquisition is part of a series of Universal Music Group transactions in Europe. UMG closed its USD $775 million acquisition of Downtown Music Holdings in February, after the European Commission cleared the deal on condition that Curve Royalty Systems was divested. Before that, Universal acquired Netherlands-based music company 8Ball in 2025, having completed the full buyout of Belgium-founded [PIAS] the previous fall.
Universal Music Poland sits within Universal Music Central Europe. Frank Briegmann is Chairman and CEO of that division and of Deutsche Grammophon. Kutak was named CEO of Universal Music Poland and SVP, Central Eastern Europe in November 2021, with the role effective from January 1, 2022. The role gave him responsibility for UMG operations in Greece, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary.
UMG Chief Operating Officer Boyd Muir told analysts on the company’s Q4 and FY 2025 earnings call on March 5 that UMG had bought 18 businesses in high-potential growth markets over the prior three years, describing the deals as “all relatively small” and focused on local-language repertoire. On the same call, UMG Chairman and CEO Sir Lucian Grainge named geographic expansion as one of four pillars of the company’s next phase of growth, alongside artist and label services, superfan initiatives and AI.
Poland market context#
Poland’s recorded music revenues grew 22.3% year over year in 2024, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI)’s Music in the EU report, behind only Sweden, Romania and Hungary in the bloc. Sweden’s 30.2% was inflated by a one-off private copying levy payment covering multiple years, the report noted; excluding that levy, its growth was around 6.5%.
