UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP

Universal Music Group (UMG) is the world’s largest music content company with market leading positions in recorded music, music publishing, and merchandising.

The recorded music business discovers and develops recording artists and then markets and promotes their music across a wide array of formats and platforms.  UMG's music publishing company, Universal Music Publishing Group, discovers and develops songwriters, and owns and administers copyrights to musical compositions for use in recordings, public performances, and related uses, such as films and advertisements. Bravado, UMG’s merchandising company, sells artist- and music-branded products via multiple sales point such as fashion retail, live performances, and the internet.

 

Record Labels

UMG’s strength and legacy of music flows from a diverse family of record labels which include: A&M/Octone, Barclay, Decca, Def Jam Recordings, Deutsche Grammophon, Disa, ECM, Emarcy, Fonovisa, Geffen Records, Interscope, Island Records, Lost Highway, Machete Music, MCA Nashville, Mercury Nashville, Mercury Records, Motown Records, Polydor Records, Show Dog–Universal Music, Universal Music Latino, Universal Republic, and Verve Music Group.  

 

Artist Roster

UMG’s roster is comprised of artists covering the full spectrum of music around the world, making UMG the leader in both international and local repertoire.  Artists signed to UMG throughout the world include:

North America: Akon, All American Rejects, Erykah Badu, The Band Perry, Beck, Justin Bieber, The Black Eyed Peas, Mary J. Blige, Bon Jovi, Busta Rhymes, Colbie Caillat, Mariah Carey, Keyshia Cole, Sheryl Crow, Billy Currington, Daddy Yankee, Drake, Dr. Dre, Eminem, Enrique Iglesias, Melissa Etheridge, Far East Movement, Fergie, 50 Cent, Nelly Furtado, The Game, Vince Gill, Godsmack, Keri Hilson, Il Volo, India.Arie, Jack Johnson, Jamey Johnson, Kid Cudi, The Killers, Lady Gaga, Lil Wayne, LMFAO, Jennifer Lopez, Ludacris, Madonna, Maroon 5, M.I.A., Nicky Minaj, Nelly, Ne-Yo, OneRepublic, Owl City, Rihanna, Rick Ross, Kelly Rowland, Soulja Boy Tell ’Em, Gwen Stefani, Sting, George Strait, Sugarland, Timbaland, Shania Twain, Josh Turner, Stevie Wonder, 3 Doors Down, and Kanye West.  Through an arrangement with Hollywood Records, UMG also distributes Miley Cyrus, Jonas Brothers, Selena Gomez and the Scene, and through an arrangement with Big Machine, Taylor Swift.

Europe: Bryan Adams,  David Bisbal, Bjork (outside North America), Marco Borsato,  Cheryl Cole, Coti, Taio Cruz, Sergio Dalma, Ilse Delange, Duffy, Elbow, Mylene Farmer, Feist, Florence + The Machine, PJ Harvey, Jessie J, Jamiroquai, Elton John, Jovanotti, Kaiser Chiefs, Keane, Ronan Keating, La Roux, Lena, Annie Lennox, Amy Macdonald, Imelda May, Metallica (outside North America), Mika, Mumford & Sons, Florent Pagny, Vanessa Paradis, Paco de Lucia, Rammstein,  Rolling Stones, Rosario, Rosenstolz, André  Rieu, Paulina Rubio, Alejandro Sanz, Michel Sardou, Scissor Sisters, Jay Sean, Bob Sinclar, Snow Patrol,  Take That, Tamara, Tokio Hotel, U2, Unheilig, Robbie Williams, Zazie, and Zucchero.

Latin America: Axel, Babasonicos, Belanova, Bersuit, Café Tacuba, Chino & Nacho, Coti, Don Omar, Paula Fernandes, Pedro Fernandez, Luis Fonsi, Juan Gabriel, Juanes, Fanny Lu, Dulce Maria, Merche, Molotov, Zeca Pagodinho, Jenni Rivera, Sandy, Ivete Sangalo, Joan Sebastian, Marco Antonio Solis, Los Tigres del Norte, Diego Torres, Caetano Veloso (outside North America), and Wisin y Yandel.

Asia Pacific: Avalanches,  Sarah Blasko, Eason Chan, Hins Cheung, Jacky Cheung, Kelly Chen, Cut Copy, Da Mouth, Sa Dingding, Dreams Come True, Bernard Fanning, Masaharu Fukuyama, Girls’ Generation, the Grates, GReeeeN, Xiao Guang, Kara, Hacken Lee, Wenying Liang, Sekio Matsuda, mihimaru GT, Karen Mok, Naotaro Moriyama, Will Pan, Powderfinger, Kou Shibasaki, Sodagreen, Spitz, Alan Tam, Hideaki Tokunaga, Kay Tse, WaT, Wolfmother, Wubai, Masayoshi Yamazaki, Aska Yang, and Jane Zhang.

 

Classical & Jazz Repertoire, Broadway and Film Scores

UMG is the market leader in today’s highly competitive classical music market.

Universal Music’s classical labels includes the world’s longest-standing recording company and market leader, Deutsche Grammophon; the legendary Decca Records, which owns and controls the greatest opera catalog in the world; and the Philips, Emarcy, and ECM labels.

Among the distinguished artists past and present represented on these labels are Claudio Abbado, Daniel Barenboim, Cecilia Bartoli, Leonard Bernstein, Andrea Bocelli, Pierre Boulez, Alfred Brendel, Jose Carreras,  Placido Domingo, Gustavo Dudamel, Renée Fleming, Juan Diego Florez, David Garrett, Valery Gergiev, Hélène Grimaud, Hilary Hahn, Janine Jansen , Kiri Te Kanawa, Miloš Karadaglic, James Levine, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Anna Netrebko, Jessye Norman, Alice Sara Ott, Luciano Pavarotti, Maria João Pires, André Previn, Sir Georg Solti, Bryn Terfel, Herbert von Karajan, Rolando Villazón, Yuja Wang, Hayley Westenra, and Krystian Zimerman.

Universal Music includes the world’s leading Broadway catalog and contemporary recordings under the Decca Broadway label with such titles as Wicked, Mamma Mia!, Spring Awakening, Cats, Evita, Les Miserables, Man From La Mancha, Phantom of the Opera, and Spamalot.  Original motion picture soundtracks include Gladiator, Pulp Fiction, and Mamma Mia! as well as such Oscar-winning scores as John Williams’ Schindler’s List,  James Horner’s Braveheart, Gustavo Santaolalla’s Brokeback Mountain, and A.R. Rahman’s Slumdog Millionaire.

UMG owns the world's largest jazz recording company. The Verve Music Group includes the premier jazz label Verve focusing on traditional jazz; adult music label Verve Forecast; contemporary jazz label GRP; and Impulse!, which focuses on reissues of its famed catalog. The group’s unparalleled roster of current and catalog artists include Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Michael Brecker, John Coltrane, Jamie Cullum, Ella Fitzgerald, Melody Gardot, Charlie Haden, Herbie Hancock, Billie Holiday, Diana Krall, Ledisi, Loreena McKennitt, Wayne Shorter, Nina Simone, Susan Tedeschi, and Lizz Wright.

 

Music Catalog

Representing some of the most influential and legendary recording artists of the last 100 years, UMG has the most extensive catalog of music in the industry including:  ABBA, Louis Armstrong, Chuck Berry, James Brown, The Carpenters, Eric Clapton, Patsy Cline, John Coltrane, The Commodores, Count Basie, Bill Evans, Ella Fitzgerald, The Four Tops, Marvin Gaye, Bebel Gilberto, Guns N’ Roses, Buddy Holly, INXS (outside North and South America), The Jackson Five, Elton John, KISS, The Mamas & The Papas, Bob Marley, Dean Martin, Nirvana, Tom Petty, The Police, Queen, Smokey Robinson, Frank Sinatra (outside North America), Cat Stevens, Caetano Veloso, The Supremes, The Temptations, Muddy Waters, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Barry White, Hank Williams, The Who and Amy Winehouse.

 

Music Catalog Management

Universal Music Enterprises (UMe) is the centralized U.S. catalog and special markets entity for UMG.  Working in concert with all of the company’s record labels, UMe provides a frontline approach to catalog management, a concentration of resources, a greater emphasis on strategic marketing initiatives and opportunities in new technologies.  Outside North America, the Universal Strategic Marketing division of Universal Music Group International works to maximize the profile and value of UMG’s catalogue in international markets. It acts as a service centre adding value through marketing initiatives and coordination of commercial issues through local and international markets.

 

Music Publishing

Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) is the industry's leading global music publishing operation. UMPG represents music in every genre from some of the world’s hottest songwriters and catalogs including ABBA, Adele, Lily Allen, Beach Boys, Irving Berlin (outside North America), Leonard Bernstein, Beastie Boys, Justin Bieber, Bjork, Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Desmond Child, Ciara, The Clash, Coldplay, Elvis Costello, The Cure, Daughtry, Danny Elfman, Eminem, Gloria and Emilio Estefan, Juanes, Florence + The Machine, Jimi Hendrix, Elton John/Bernie Taupin, Joy Division, R. Kelly, The Killers, Ari Levine of The Smeezingtons, Linkin Park, Henry Mancini, Maroon 5, Mumford + Sons, Prince, Otis Redding, Sex Pistols, Gustavo Santaolalla, Paul Simon, Britney Spears, Tricky Stewart, 3 Doors Down, Justin Timberlake, T-Pain, U2, Diane Warren and Andrew Lloyd Webber, among many others. UMPG is also a global leader in the areas of Production Music, Christian and Classical Music.  For more information please visit http://www.umusicpub.com. 

 

Merchandising

Bravado, UMG’s merchandising division, develops and markets high-quality licensed merchandise to a world-wide audience. The company works closely with new & established entertainment clients, creating innovative products carefully tailored to each artist or brand. Product is sold on live tours, via selected retail outlets and through online stores. Now under the Universal Music Group umbrella, Bravado is able to leverage a global sales and distribution network from the world's largest record company, as well as the group's significant marketing strength. Bravado artists include Michael Jackson, The Rolling Stones, Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Paul McCartney, Kanye West, Nickelback, Katy Perry, Guns 'N Roses, Metallica, Green Day, Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Killers, among many others.

 

VEVO

VEVO is the world’s leading all premium music video and entertainment platform.  VEVO is available in the United States, Canada and United Kingdom through VEVO.com, mobile and tablet apps, connected television services, and user embeddable video players. VEVO powers music videos on artist pages across Facebook, as well as syndicates to dozen of online sites. Additionally, through a special partnership with YouTube, VEVO is accessible in over 200 countries, expanding the platform’s reach around the globe. VEVO was created in partnership with Sony Music Entertainment (SME) and the Abu Dhabi Media Company. It features the most extensive catalog of premium music content found anywhere on the web. Explore VEVO at http://www.vevo.com. 

Distribution

In the U.S., Universal Music Group Distribution has been the industry market share leader for the past eleven years and consists of four major divisions: Universal Music Distribution (UMD), Fontana, Vivendi Entertainment (VE), and UMGD Digital.  UMD handles distribution and sales for UMG’s diverse roster of labels as well as a wide variety of associated labels. Fontana is the company’s independent sales, marketing and distribution arm, VE is its theatrical and home entertainment distribution division, and UMGD Digital manages and distributes all of Universal Music Group’s digital assets including mobile.  

In some markets outside the U.S., UMG companies handle their own distribution and sales. In other markets UMG companies have sub-contracted services to third parties or entered into distribution joint ventures with other record companies.

For further information on Universal Music Group please visit http://www.umusic.com.