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Universal Music Group (UMG) is the largest business group
Business group

In business, a group, business group, corporate group, or alliance is most commonly a legal entity that is a type of Conglomerate or holding company consisting of a parent company and subsidiaries....
 and family of record label
Record label

In the music industry, a record label can be a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of recorded sound and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the Record producer, manufacturing, distribution , marketing and promotion, and enforcement of copyright protec...
s in the recording industry. With a 25.5% market share, it is one of the Big Four record labels. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Vivendi
Vivendi

Vivendi SA is an international, France media Conglomerate with activities in music, television and film, publishing, telecommunications, the Internet, and video games....
; Universal Studios
Universal Studios

Universal Studios , a subsidiary of NBC Universal, is one of the six Worldwide major American film studios. Its production studios are located at 100 Universal City Plaza Drive in Universal City, California....
, the movie studio, was sold in part to NBC, which itself is part of GE
General Electric

The General Electric Company, or GE is a multinational corporation United States technology and Service s conglomerate incorporated in the State of New York....
.

UMG owns the largest music publishing business in the world, Universal Music Publishing Group
Universal Music Publishing Group

Universal Music Publishing Group is a Music publisher and is part of the Universal Music Group.UMPG owns or administers more than 1 million copyrights....
, following the acquisition of BMG Music Publishing in May 2007.

Vivendi
Vivendi

Vivendi SA is an international, France media Conglomerate with activities in music, television and film, publishing, telecommunications, the Internet, and video games....
's headquarters are in Paris
Paris

Paris is the Capital of France and the country's largest city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the ?le-de-France Regions of France ....
, France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
.






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Universal Music Group (UMG) is the largest business group
Business group

In business, a group, business group, corporate group, or alliance is most commonly a legal entity that is a type of Conglomerate or holding company consisting of a parent company and subsidiaries....
 and family of record label
Record label

In the music industry, a record label can be a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of recorded sound and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the Record producer, manufacturing, distribution , marketing and promotion, and enforcement of copyright protec...
s in the recording industry. With a 25.5% market share, it is one of the Big Four record labels. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Vivendi
Vivendi

Vivendi SA is an international, France media Conglomerate with activities in music, television and film, publishing, telecommunications, the Internet, and video games....
; Universal Studios
Universal Studios

Universal Studios , a subsidiary of NBC Universal, is one of the six Worldwide major American film studios. Its production studios are located at 100 Universal City Plaza Drive in Universal City, California....
, the movie studio, was sold in part to NBC, which itself is part of GE
General Electric

The General Electric Company, or GE is a multinational corporation United States technology and Service s conglomerate incorporated in the State of New York....
.

UMG owns the largest music publishing business in the world, Universal Music Publishing Group
Universal Music Publishing Group

Universal Music Publishing Group is a Music publisher and is part of the Universal Music Group.UMPG owns or administers more than 1 million copyrights....
, following the acquisition of BMG Music Publishing in May 2007.

Vivendi
Vivendi

Vivendi SA is an international, France media Conglomerate with activities in music, television and film, publishing, telecommunications, the Internet, and video games....
's headquarters are in Paris
Paris

Paris is the Capital of France and the country's largest city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the ?le-de-France Regions of France ....
, France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
. In the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
, UMG is located in Santa Monica
Santa Monica, California

Santa Monica is a city in western Los Angeles County, California, California, United States. Situated on Santa Monica Bay of the Pacific Ocean, it is completely surrounded by the City of Los Angeles ? Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood, Los Angeles, California on the north, West Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California on the northeast...
, California
California

California is a U.S. state on the West Coast of the United States of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and to the south the Mexico state of Baja California....
, and New York City
New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
, along with Universal Music Group Nashville
Universal Music Group Nashville

Universal Music Group Nashville is Universal Music Group's country music subsidiary. Some of the labels in this group include MCA Nashville Records Mercury Nashville Records, and Lost Highway Records....
; in the UK the group has a number of offices in London and Romford
Romford

Romford is a large suburban town in East London, England, England and the principal settlement of the London Borough of Havering. It is located north east of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan....
.

UMG's record labels have many of the world's best selling artists including Fall Out Boy
Fall Out Boy

Fall Out Boy is a Grammy-nominated alternative rock band from Wilmette, Illinois, Illinois, formed in 2001. The band consists of Patrick Stump , Joe Trohman , Pete Wentz , and Andy Hurley ....
, Aerosmith
Aerosmith

Aerosmith is an United States hard rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston, Massachusetts" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band"....
, The Killers, Mary J. Blige
Mary J. Blige

Mary Jane Blige is a nine-time Grammy Award-winning and Golden Globe-nominated American R&B music singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, and actor who has sold more than forty eight million albums worldwide....
, Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey

Mariah Carey is an United States singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. She made her recording debut in 1990 under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, and became the first recording artist to have her first five singles top the U.S....
, Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson

Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Born in Gary, Indiana and raised in Encino, Los Angeles, California, she is the youngest child of the Jackson family of musicians....
, Nirvana
Nirvana (band)

Nirvana was an American Rock music band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987....
, Enrique Iglesias
Enrique Iglesias

Enrique Miguel Iglesias Preysler , better known as Enrique Iglesias, is a Spain singer-songwriter, model, and actor.Iglesias started his musical career with Mexico indie label Fonovisa, which helped turn him into one of the most popular artists in Latin America and in the Hispanic and Latino Americans market in the United States, sell...
, Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi

Bon Jovi is an United States hard rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Fronted by lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi, the group originally achieved large-scale success in the 1980s....
, Elton John
Elton John

Sir Elton Hercules John Order of the British Empire is an England singer-songwriter, composer and pianist.In his four-decade career, John has been one of the dominant forces in rock and popular music, especially during the 1970s....
, Eminem
Eminem

Marshall Bruce Mathers III , known by his primary stage name Eminem, or by his alter-ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer and actor....
, The Eagles, Dr. Dre
Dr. Dre

Andre Romelle Young , primarily known by his stage name Dr. Dre, is an American record producer, rapper, record executive, and actor. He is the founder and current CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and a former co-owner and artist of Death Row Records, also having produced albums for and overseeing the careers of many rappers signed to tho...
, 50 Cent
50 Cent

Curtis James Jackson III , better known by his stage name 50 Cent, is an American rapper. He rose to fame with the release of his albums Get Rich or Die Tryin' and The Massacre ....
, Marilyn Manson
Marilyn Manson

Marilyn Manson may refer to:* Marilyn Manson , an American rock musician* Marilyn Manson , the American rock band led by the singer of the same name...
, Akon
Akon

Aliaune Thiam , better known by his stage name Akon , is a Wolof peopleSenegalese-American hip hop music singer-songwriter and record producer....
, C-Side
C-Side

C-Side is a rap trio composed of rappers Kenny Kold, Gator, and Bo-Q. Their single ?Myspace Freak?, produced by Jazze Pha, sold some 60,000 units Independent music but failed to chart nationally....
, Andrea Bocelli
Andrea Bocelli

Dr. Andrea Bocelli, Order of Merit of the Republic, Doctor of Laws is an Italians Operatic pop tenor and a classical music singer who has also performed in operas....
, Chamillionaire
Chamillionaire

Hakeem Seriki , better known by his stage name Chamillionaire is an American rapper, CEO, singer and musician from Houston, Texas and the Chief executive officer of Chamillitary Entertainment....
, The Jonas Brothers, Nas
Nas

Nasir Jones, , , better known by his stage name Nas, , formerly Nasty Nas, is an American rapping and actor. The son of jazz musician Olu Dara, he was born and raised in the Queensbridge, Queens housing projects in New York City....
, U2
U2

U2 are a rock music band from Dublin, Republic of Ireland. The band consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen, Jr. .The band formed in 1976 when the members were teenagers with limited musical proficiency....
, Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel

Peter Brian Gabriel is a Grammy Award-winning, Academy Award-nominated England musician and songwriter. He first rose to fame as the lead vocals and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis ....
, Black Eyed Peas, Nelly Furtado
Nelly Furtado

Nelly Kim Furtado is a Grammy Award-winning Canada singer of Portuguese people ancestry. She is a singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress....
, ABBA
ABBA

ABBA were a Sweden pop music group. The band consisted of Agnetha F?ltskog, Benny Andersson, Bj?rn Ulvaeus and Anni-Frid Lyngstad . They topped the charts worldwide from the mid-1970s in music to the early 1980s in music....
, Lil Wayne
Lil Wayne

Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. , better known by his stage name Lil Wayne, is an United States Rapping. Formerly a member of the rap group the Hot Boys, he joined the Cash Money Records collective as a teenager....
, Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan

The Wu-Tang Clan is a New York City?based hip hop group. Wu-Tang Clan consists of nine United States rapping: RZA, GZA, Raekwon, U-God, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, Method Man, Masta Killa, and the late Ol' Dirty Bastard....
, Gwen Stefani
Gwen Stefani

Gwen Ren?e Stefani is an American recording artist and fashion designer. Stefani serves as lead vocalist for the rock music band No Doubt. Formed with influences ranging from punk rock to new wave music, their third wave ska oriented third studio album Tragic Kingdom propelled them to stardom, selling 16 million copies worldwide....
, Maroon 5
Maroon 5

Maroon 5 is an American pop rock band. Formed with only two members at the French Woods Festival of the Performing Arts and expanded in Los Angeles, Maroon 5 has sold over 10 million albums in the United States and nearly 15 million world wide....
, Rihanna
Rihanna

Robyn Rihanna Fenty , known as Rihanna , is a Barbados singer, fashion model, and former beauty queen. She also serves as the cultural ambassador for Barbados....
, Kanye West
Kanye West

Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, record producer and singer. He released his debut album The College Dropout in 2004, his second album Late Registration in 2005, his third album Graduation in 2007, and his fourth album 808s & Heartbreak in 2008....
, Sum 41
Sum 41

Sum 41 is a Canadian Rock music Musical ensemble from Ajax, Ontario. The current members are Deryck Whibley , Cone McCaslin , and Steve Jocz ....
, New Kids on the Block
New Kids on the Block

New Kids on the Block is an USA pop group that enjoyed success in the late 1980s and early 1990s as a boy band which went on to sell 80 million records world-wide....
, Jamie O'Neal
Jamie O'Neal

Jamie O'Neal is a contemporary country music singer and songwriter who has had success in the United States. Her parents, Jimmy and Julie Murphy, were also professional musicians....
, Barcode Brothers
Barcode Brothers

This article is about the Danish techno band The Barcode Brothers. For the optical representation of data, seebarcode.Barcode Brothers, a Danish trance-duo consisting of Christian M?ller Nielsen and Anders ?land....
, Aaliyah
Aaliyah

Aaliyah Dana Haughton , simply known as Aaliyah meaning "The highest most exalted, among the best", was an American contemporary R&B and pop music singer and actress....
, Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses

Guns N' Roses is an American Rock music band, formed in Los Angeles, California, California in 1985. The band, led by frontman and co-founder Axl Rose, has gone through numerous line-up changes and controversies since their formation....
 and Blink-182
Blink-182

Blink-182 is an United States Rock music trio formed in 1992 in Poway, California that predominantly plays pop punk music. The band, then known simply as "Blink", was originally composed of Tom DeLonge , Mark Hoppus and Scott Raynor ....
.

Universal Music has announced that it will develop an online site for music videos inspired by Hulu.com, the site setup by News Corp. and NBC that allows free, ad-supported streaming of TV shows

History


"Universal Music" was once the music company attached to film studio
Movie studio

A movie studio is, in the established sense of the term, a film distributor. Literally, however, the term denotes a controlled environment for the making of a film....
 Universal Pictures
Universal Studios

Universal Studios , a subsidiary of NBC Universal, is one of the six Worldwide major American film studios. Its production studios are located at 100 Universal City Plaza Drive in Universal City, California....
. Its origins go back to the formation of the American branch of Decca Records
Decca Records

Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 in music by Edward Lewis . Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; later the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
 in 1934. MCA Inc.
Music Corporation of America

MCA, Inc. was an United States corporation in the music and television businesses. MCA published music, booked acts, ran a record company, and distributed television productions and home videos....
 bought American Decca in 1962. The present organization was formed when its parent company Seagram
Seagram

The Seagram Company Ltd. was a large corporation headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada that was the largest Distilled beverage of alcoholic beverages in the world....
 purchased PolyGram
PolyGram

PolyGram was the name from 1972 in music of the major label recording company started by Philips as a holding company for its music interests in 1945....
 and merged it with Universal Music Group in 1998. However, the name first appeared in 1996 when MCA Music Entertainment Group
MCA Records

MCA Records was an United States-based record label owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part....
 was renamed Universal Music Group.

With the 2004 acquisition of Vivendi's Vivendi Universal Entertainment
Vivendi

Vivendi SA is an international, France media Conglomerate with activities in music, television and film, publishing, telecommunications, the Internet, and video games....
 by General Electric
General Electric

The General Electric Company, or GE is a multinational corporation United States technology and Service s conglomerate incorporated in the State of New York....
's NBC, Universal Music Group was separated entirely from its film studio namesake for the first time.

In February 2006, the group became 100% owned by French
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
 media conglomerate Vivendi SA
Vivendi

Vivendi SA is an international, France media Conglomerate with activities in music, television and film, publishing, telecommunications, the Internet, and video games....
 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 May 25 2007, Vivendi completed its €1.63 billion ($2.4 billion) purchase of BMG Music Publishing, after receiving European Union regulatory approval, having announced the acquisition on September 6 2006.

Labels


Controversy


Payola

In May 2006, an investigation led by then New York
New York

The State of New York is a U.S. state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States and is the nation's List of U.S....
 attorney general
Attorney General

In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may in addition have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions....
, Eliot Spitzer
Eliot Spitzer

Eliot Laurence Spitzer is an United States lawyer and former politician of the Democratic Party . He served as Governor of New York from January 2007 until his resignation on March 17, 2008 in the wake of his involvement in a high-priced prostitution ring....
, concluded with a determination that Universal bribed
Bribery

Bribery, a form of pecuniary corruption, is an act implying money or gift given that alters the behaviour of the recipient. Bribery constitutes a crime and is defined by Black's Law Dictionary as the Offer and acceptance, Gift, Offer and acceptance, or Solicitation of any item of value to influence the actions of an official or other pers...
 radio stations to play songs from Ashlee Simpson
Ashlee Simpson

Ashlee Nicole Wentz , now professionally known as Ashlee Simpson-Wentz, is an American pop rock singer-songwriter, and occasional actor. Simpson-Wentz, who is the younger sister of pop singer Jessica Simpson, rose to prominence in mid-2004 through the success of her number-one album Autobiography and the accompanying reality televi...
, Brian McKnight
Brian McKnight

Brian McKnight is a Grammy-nominated United States singer, songwriter, arranger, record producer, Pop music and Contemporary R&B musician. He is a multi-instrumentalist who can play nine instruments: piano, guitar, bass guitar, Drum kit, Percussion instrument, trombone, tuba, French horn and trumpet....
, Big Tymers
Big Tymers

Big Tymers was a Hip hop music duo from New Orleans, Louisiana, consisting of Cash Money Records co-founder Birdman and former Cash Money in-house record producer Mannie Fresh....
, Nick Lachey
Nick Lachey

Nicholas Scott Lachey is an United States pop music singer, actor, television host, and reality television who rose to fame in the late 1990s as a member of the boy band 98 Degrees....
, Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Lohan

Lindsay Dee Lohan is an United States actress, fashion model and pop music singer. Lohan started in show business as a Child modeling for magazine advertisement and television commercials....
 and other performers working for Universal labels. The company paid $12 million to the state in settlement.

YouTube

In May 2007, UMG was accused of abusing DMCA in order to squelch criticism, by forcing YouTube
YouTube

YouTube is a Video hosting service website where users can upload, view and share video clips. Three former PayPal employees created YouTube in February 2005....
 to remove a Michelle Malkin
Michelle Malkin

Michelle Malkin is an American commentator and blogger. Her weekly Print syndication column appears in nearly 200 newspapers and websites. She has been a guest on MSNBC, Fox News Channel, C-SPAN, and national radio programs....
 video critical of singer Akon
Akon

Aliaune Thiam , better known by his stage name Akon , is a Wolof peopleSenegalese-American hip hop music singer-songwriter and record producer....
. Eventually, UMG backed off its claims after being challenged by the Electronic Frontier Foundation
Electronic Frontier Foundation

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is an international non-profit organization advocacy and legal organization based in the United States with the stated purpose of being dedicated to preserving the right to freedom of speech, such as protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, in the context of today's digital age ....
. Recently, UMG has been accused of abusing its power by removing numerous non-profit tribute videos and instrumental covers created by users who use or play songs of bands signed to UMG's labels. UMG is also the "Most Viewed" YouTube user with over 3.4 billion views.

Pay-per-listen

In September 2007, Universal came up with a new way of tackling music piracy by "paying the pirates", beginning with a pilot of tracks from will.i.am
Will.i.am

William Adams , better known by his stage name will.i.am is a Jamaican American who has won an Emmy Award and a Grammy Award. Will.I.Am is a hip hop musician, rapper, dancer, songwriter, animation voice and founding member and frontman of Black Eyed Peas....
 (will.i.am music group
Will.i.am music group

will.i.am music group is a vanity label founded by Hip-Hop artist will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas. Other than will.i.am, there are popular artists such as Fergie , Macy Gray and Sergio Mendes signed to the label....
).

MySpace.com

In December 2007, Colbie Caillat
Colbie Caillat

Colbie Marie Caillat is an American pop music singer-songwriter and guitarist from Malibu, California, California. Her father, Ken Caillat, co-produced Fleetwood Mac's Rumours and Tusk albums; Caillat recalls being around the likes of Mick Fleetwood and John McVie as a child....
 inadvertently announced that The Universal Music Group recently enacted a new policy on MySpace.com that will reduce all songs from artists within The Universal Music Group to 90 seconds.

Imeem.com

In December 2007 The Label announced a deal with Imeem
Imeem

imeem is a social media service where users interact with each other by watching, posting, and sharing content of all digital media types, including blogs, photos, audio, and video....
 which allows users of the social network to listen to any track from Universal's catalogue for free with a portion of the advertising generated by the music being shared with the record label. Two weeks after the deal was announced Michael Robertson speculated on the secret terms of the deal and argued that ultimately this was a bad deal for imeem. This speculation lead to a flame war on the Pho digital media email list as imeem representatives denied his claims and dismissed his theories as unfounded.

International Music Feed (IMF)

On January 7 2008 UMG had announced that the IMF channel would be going off the air as the music group had sold the channel to another network dedicated to showcases of the fine arts. As of January 9 2008, Channel 157 on Dish Network
Dish Network

Dish Network Corporation is a direct broadcast satellite service provider that offers satellite television, audio programming, and interactive television services to households and businesses in the United States....
 had officially become Ovation TV
Ovation TV

Ovation TV is a digital cable television channel that airs programming dedicated to the Fine Arts. It features programming devoted to Music , Opera, Dance, and Film....
.

See also

  • List of RIAA member labels
    List of RIAA member labels

    The RIAA lists its member labels on their website . However, their website lists not only includes RIAA labels but non-RIAA labels that are distributors that report to the RIAA....
  • List of record labels
    List of record labels

    This is a list of notable record labels.Owing to the large number of entries, the list has been divided by the first letter of the label's name, with labels starting with a number added to this page:...


External links