Overview
/// Overview
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. UMG also includes Twenty-First Artists, its full service management division.
UMG’s strength and legacy of music flows from a diverse family of record labels which include: A&M/Octone, Barclay, Decca, Deutsche Grammophon, Disa, ECM, Emarcy, Fonovisa, Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Island Def Jam Music Group, Machete Music, Mercury Records, Polydor Records, Show Dog–Universal Music, Universal Motown Republic Group, Universal Music Latino, Universal Music Group Nashville (which includes Lost Highway, MCA Nashville and Mercury Nashville), and Verve Music Group.
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, Beck, Justin Bieber, The Black Eyed Peas, Mary J. Blige, Bon Jovi, Busta Rhymes, Colbie Caillat, Mariah Carey, Keyshia Cole, Sheryl Crow, Daddy Yankee, Drake, Dr. Dre, Eminem, Melissa Etheridge, Far East Movement, Fergie, 50 Cent, Nelly Furtado, The Game, Vince Gill, Godsmack, Keri Hilson, Hinder, India.Arie, Jack Johnson, Kid Cudi, The Killers, Lady Gaga, Lil Wayne, LMFAO, Jennifer Lopez, Ludacris, Maroon 5, M.I.A., Nicky Minaj, Nelly, Ne-Yo, OneRepublic, Owl City, Rihanna, Rick Ross, 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, Selena Gomez and the Scene, and through an arrangement with Big Machine, Rascal Flatts and Taylor Swift.
Europe: Bryan Adams, David Bisbal, Bjork (outside North America), Marco Borsato, Calogero, Cheryl Cole, Coti, Taio Cruz, Sergio Dalma, Ilse Delange, Duffy, Elbow, Mylene Farmer, Feist, Florence + The Machine, Ich + Ich, 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, Amy Winehouse, Zazie, and Zucchero.
Latin America: Axel, Babasonicos, Belanova, Bersuit, Café Tacuba, Chino & Nacho, Coti, Don Omar, Pedro Fernandez, Luis Fonsi, Juan Gabriel, Enrique Iglesias, Jennie Rivera, Juanes, Fanny Lu, Dulce Maria, Merche, Molotov, Zeca Pagodinho, 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: AI, Vanessa Amorosi, Thelma Aoyama, Avalanches, Sarah Blasko, Eason Chan, Hins Cheung, Jacky Cheung, Kelly Chen, Cut Copy, Da Mouth, Sa Dingding, Dreams Come True, Bernard Fanning, Masaharu Fukuyama, 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.
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, Valery Gergiev, Hélène Grimaud, Hilary Hahn, Janine Jansen , Kiri Te Kanawa, Miloš Karadaglić, 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.
UMG has also entered the burgeoning business of classical artist management and production with Universal Music Classical Management and Productions (UMCMP). The company develops careers, creates distinctive live events and builds long-lasting brands within the classical music field.
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 (outside North America), Smokey Robinson, Frank Sinatra (outside North America), Cat Stevens, Caetano Veloso, The Supremes, The Temptations, Muddy Waters, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Barry White, Hank Williams, and The Who.
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.
With 51 offices in 43 territories, Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) is the industry's largest 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, Beastie Boys, Justin Bieber, Bjork, Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Ciara, The Clash, Coldplay, Elvis Costello, The Cure, Daughtry, Danny Elfman, Eminem, Gloria and Emilio Estefan, Jimi Hendrix, Elton John/Bernie Taupin, Joy Division, Keane, R. Kelly, The Killers, Avril Lavigne, Linkin Park, Henry Mancini, Maroon 5, Mumford + Sons, Prince, Otis Redding, Sex Pistols, Paul Simon, Britney Spears, 3 Doors Down, Justin Timberlake, T-Pain, and U2, 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
Bravado, the only global, 360° full service merchandise company, 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 web-based stores. Bravado also licenses rights to an extensive network of third party licensees around the world. The company maintains offices in London, Los Angeles, New York, Berlin, Paris, Madrid, Stockholm, Tokyo and Sydney. 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, Beyonce, Paul McCartney, Kanye West, No Doubt, Nickelback, Katy Perry, Elton John, Guns 'N Roses, Metallica, Led Zeppelin, Green Day and The Killers, among many others.
Universal Music Group also includes some of the world’s leading full-service artist management businesses, including Twenty-First Artists, Trinifold, and 5B.
VEVO is the leading innovative online premium music and entertainment service for consumers, advertisers and content owners that blends the very best in musical content with cutting-edge video technology and a thriving user community powered by YouTube. The content is made available on YouTube through a VEVO-branded channel, on VEVO.com, the service’s marquee destination site, and through a VEVO-branded embedded player. The service also serves as a syndication platform for additional internet destination sites, expanding the reach of the VEVO brand across the worldwide web. 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.
In the U.S., Universal Music Group Distribution has been the industry market share leader for the past ten 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.
