Vivendi

About

Universal Music Group is the world’s leading music company with global businesses in recorded music, music publishing, artist services and merchandising. UMG leads the way in the digital distribution of music by offering consumers the world’s largest digital music catalog through the widest range of products and services.

Recorded music

World ’s No. 1 in recorded music

UMG is the world’s leader in recorded music. The group has particularly strong positions in North America and Europe – markets which alone account for close to 70% of total world revenues in the sector. Thanks to their diversity and their locations, both worldwide and local, UMG’s labels complement each other, through their focus on different genres and music segments. © Matthew Olivier UMG artists include U2, Amy Winehouse, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Lil Wayne, Jack Johnson, Eminem and Roberto Alagna.

Catalog releases account for a significant and stable part of UMG’s recorded music each year. UMG’s recorded music catalog, the largest in the world, features some of the most popular and influential artists of our time, including ABBA, Louis Armstrong, Alain Bashung, James Brown, Eric Clapton, Elvis Costello, Frank Sinatra, Serge Gainsbourg, Bob Marley, Nirvana, Luciano Pavarotti, Edith Piaf, Michel Sardou, the Police, The Rolling Stones, Caetano Veloso and Herbert Von Karajan.

Public appearances, concerts and partnerships between artists and brands are increasingly important aspects of UMG’s marketing policy. They are an alternative source of revenue for the group and provide additional media exposure for the artists.

The digital music market

UMG continues to play a leading role in the expansion of the digital music market place. The group supports the launch of innovative services like Spotify and the growth of existing services such as iTunes in order to offer a greater and greater number of outlets where consumers can access music legally.

UMG also launched VEVO in the United States and Canada, a revolutionary new online syndication network and platform for premium entertainment content. UMG did this in association with Sony Music, EMI, Google/YouTube and Abu Dhabi Media Company. VEVO will begin deploying its service to additional markets outside North America. VEVO’s content is free to the consumer and generates its revenues from major brand advertising. Within only a month after its launch on December, 2009, VEVO was named the #1online music destination, with over 35 million individual users.

Music publishing

World ’s No. 1 music publishing company

UMG’s publishing subsidiary, Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG), is the world’s leader in music publishing. UMGP owns and acquires rights to musical compositions (as opposed to recordings) and licenses their use. The compositions are then recorded or used in films, commercials and a variety of public performances.

UMPG is also a world leader in classical music and production music libraries, and administers the publishing rights to an impressive list of traditional classical composers such as Verdi, Puccini, Ravel, Debussy and Stravinsky.

UMPG’s catalogue contains such seminal recordings as Respect, Strangers in the Night and Copacabana. UMPG also represents renowned authors-composers and performers who rank among the finest of our time, with titles by ABBA, Mariah Carey, Eminem, Gloria Estefan, Mika, Justin Timberlake and U2.

In 2009, UMG signed new publishing contracts with such chart-topping artists and songwriters as Eminem, Keith Urban, Tricky Stewarrt, Alela Diane, A.R. Rahman and Wolfmother, among others.

Artist services and merchandising

Bravado, UMG’s merchandising operation, has emerged as the only global, 360° full service merchandise company in the industry. It develops and markets high-quality licensed merchandise to a world-wide audience. Product is sold on live tours, via selected retail outlets and through web-based stores.

Bravado artists include The Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney, Elton John, Beyonce, No Doubt, Nickelback, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Kanye West, Guns ’N Roses, Metallica, Led Zeppelin, Green Day and The Killers, among many others. For some of these artists, Bravado continues to leverage UMG’s artist portfolio.

The Artist Services division is comprised of events management and artist management units. These include renowned companies like Twenty First Artists and Trinifold and represent artists including the Who, Elton John and Lily Allen.

In 2009, UMG secured management rights with the Australian group Wolfmother in the United States. Universal Music Classical Management and Productions (UMCMP) continued the expansion of its activities with major live and media events with their production of the A Winter’s Night… Live from Durham Cathedral show by Sting, a UMG artist, also released on CD and DVD on UMG’s Deutsche Grammophon label. UMCMP also produced artist Bryn Terfel’s tour of the UK.

UMG labels

UMG labels include:

Island Def Jam Music Group
Interscope Geffen A&M Records
MCA Nashville
Mercury Nashville
Mercury Records
Polydor
Universal Motown Republic Group
Decca
Deutsche Grammophon
Verve

Management

Doug Morris
Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Universal Music Group

Lucian Grainge
Co-Chief Executive Officer, Universal Music Group

Zach Horowitz
President & Chief Operating Officer, Universal Music Group

Nick Henny
Vice Chairman and Chief Financial Officer, Universal Music Group