Universal Music Group
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| Universal Music Group | |
 |
|
| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1924 |
| Headquarters | Santa Monica, California and Broadway, New York City  United States |
| Key people | Doug Morris, CEO |
| Industry | Music entertainment |
| Revenue |  €4.989 billion (2005) |
| Net income |  €480 million (2005) |
| Parent |  Vivendi |
| Website | Universal Music |
Universal Music Group (UMG), formerly MCA Music Entertainment Group, is the largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry. With a 25.5% market share, it is one of the Big Four record labels.
UMG's record labels have many of the world's biggest artists [1] including Shania Twain, Bon Jovi, Elton John, Method Man, Tupac Shakur, Aaliyah, Jay-Z, Mariah Carey, Eminem, Dr. Dre, Diana Ross, Reba McEntire, Luciano Pavarotti, U2, Kanye West, and 50 Cent. UMG owns one of the largest music publishing businesses of the world, the Universal Music Publishing Group.
In the United States UMG is located in Santa Monica, California, and New York City, New York along with Universal Music Group Nashville,and in the UK a number of offices in London.
[edit] History
"Universal Music" was once the music company attached to film studio Universal Pictures. The present organization was formed when its parent company Seagram purchased PolyGram and merged it with UMG in 1998. Seagram merged with Vivendi SA in 2000 to form Vivendi Universal (now Vivendi SA).
In February 2006, the group became 100% owned by French media conglomerate Vivendi SA when Vivendi purchased the last 20% from Matsushita, the group's sole owner from 1990 to 1995 and co-owner from 1995 to 2006.
On September 6, 2006 it was announced that Universal Music will purchase BMG Music Publishing (to become Universal Music Publishing Group), for €1.63 billion, subject to regulatory approval. [1]
[edit] Labels
UMG owns, or has a joint share in, a large number of record labels, including:
[edit] Interscope-Geffen-A&M
[edit] Interscope Records:
- Aftermath Entertainment
- Cherrytree Records
- Delicious Vinyl
- Fontana Records
- G-Unit Records
- Infamous Records
- Ca$hville Records
- G-Unit West
- G'$ Up
- Sha Money Management
- 150 Entertainment
- Dumout Records
- Shadyville Entertainment
- Kickball Records
- Maloof Records
- Myspace Records
- Shady Records
- Fyre Dapartment
- Runyon Ave. Records
- Red Head Records
- SKIN-E Productions
- Grown Man Music
- Star Trak Entertainment
- Weapons of Mass Entertainment
[edit] Geffen Records:
- Flawless Records
- Matriarch Records
- Mosley Music Group
- Doggystyle Records
[edit] A&M Records:
- Octone Records
- Polydor Records (US distribution)
- Tropical Records
- will.i.am Music Group
[edit] Universal Motown Records Group
- Universal Records
- Casablanca Records
- Blackground Records
- Cash Money Records
- Motown Records
- Street Records Corporation
- Republic Records
- Brushfire Records
- Next Plateau Records
- Rowdy Records
- Tuff Gong Records
- Universal South Records
- Uptown Records
- The Inc. Records
- Derrty Ent.
- Starchild Music Group
- Scrilla Records
- Bungalo Records
[edit] The Island Def Jam Music Group
[edit] Def Jam Recordings:
- Def Jam South
- Def Soul Records
- Dame Dash Music Group
- Disturbing tha Peace
- Russell Simmons Music Group
- Desert Storm Records
[edit] Island Records:
- 4th & Broadway
- Fallout Records
- Lost Highway Records
- Stolen Transmission Records
[edit] Roc-A-Fella Records:
[edit] So So Def Recordings
[edit] Universal Music Classics Group
[edit] Universal Music Group Nashville
[edit] Verve Music Group
- Blue Thumb Records
- Brunswick Records (pre-1957 Decca era jazz holdings only)
- Commodore Records
- Coral Records
- Decca Records (Its jazz holdings only.)
- GRP Records
- EmArcy Records
- Impulse! Records
- Verve Records
[edit] Machete Music
- Mas Flow Inc
- El Cartel Records
- WY Records
- Gold Star Music
- All Star Records
- VI Music
- Pina Records
- Baby Records
- White Lion Records
- Sangre Nueva Music
- Ilegal Life Records
- Univision Records
- Flow Music
[edit] Stand alone labels
- Barclay Records
- Bite Records
- Cinepoly Records
- C.O.D. Entertainment
- C.O.D. Records
- C.O.D. Films
- Go East Entertainment
- Impact Records
- Isadora Records
- Jazzland Records
- Motor Music Records
- Nhi Le Records
- Polar Music
- Radioactive Records
- RMM Records & Video
- Stockholm Records
- Urban Records
- UMTV/ Universal Music TV
- Universal Music Limited
- UCJ Universal Classics & Jazz
- Globe Records
- Family Recordings
- Manifesto Records
- Show Dog Nashville
- UNI Records
- Universal Music Latino
- Universal Music Enterprises
- Hip-O Records
- Universal Chronicles
- 20th Century Records
- Ruff Ryders
[edit] Independent labels distributed by Universal
- Concord Music Group
- Hollywood Records (US)
- Treacherous Records
- Softlite Records
- WVS Entertainment
- Starchild Music Group
- Show Dog Nashville
- Big Machine Records
- ersguterjunge
- Koch Entertainment (Distributed only in Europe and Asia)
[edit] Labels outside of the USA
- Classics & Jazz (Germany)
- Decca Music Group
- Def Jam Records (UK)
- Deutsche Grammophon Records
- Island Records Group (UK)
- Jazz Echo (Germany)
- Jazz Land Records (Norway)
- Mercury Records (UK)
- Polydor Records (UK)
- Spinefarm Records (Finland)
- Stockholm Records (Sweden)
- UMTV (UK)
- Universal Music Argentina
- Universal Music Australia
- Universal Music Brazil
- Universal Music Canada
- Universal Music Colombia
- Universal Music Czech Rep
- Universal Music Finland
- Universal Music France
- Universal Music Germany
- Universal Music Greece
- Universal Music Hong Kong
- Universal Music Hungary
- Universal Music Ireland
- Universal Music India
- Universal Music Italy
- Universal Music Japan
- Universal Music Mexico
- Universal Music Netherlands
- Universal Music Norway
- Universal Music Poland
- Universal Music Portugal
- Universal Music Russia
- Universal Music Spain
- Universal Music Sweden
- Universal Music Taiwan
- Universal Music Switzerland
- Universal Music UK
- Universal Pop (Germany)
- Urban Records (Germany)
[edit] Pay for play
In May 2006, an investigation led by New York attorney general Eliot Spitzer concluded with a determination that Universal bribed radio stations to play songs from Ashlee Simpson, Brian McKnight, Big Tymers, Lindsay Lohan and other performers working for Universal labels. The company paid $12 million to the state in settlement. [2]
[edit] See also
- ABBAMAIL - Dispute over recordings
[edit] External link
- ^ http://www.universalmusicgroup.com/Artists.aspx?Index=0
- ^ Garrity, Brian (2006-05-11). UMG Settles With Spitzer. Mediaweek. Retrieved on July 5, 2006.
