Universal Music Publishing Group
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Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) is a global
The company is home to major songwriters and artists, including Taylor Swift, Bad Bunny, Drake, Kendrick Lamar, The Weeknd, Rosalía, Steve Lacy, Elton John, Adele, SZA, Harry Styles, Post Malone and more. UMPG has recently made historic catalogue acquisitions, including Bob Dylan, Sting, and Neil Diamond.[2] UMPG's catalogue consists of over four million songs, with offices in 40 countries.[3][4]
History
UMPG was formerly known as MCA Music Publishing until it merged with PolyGram in 1998 when
In August 2000, UMPG acquired Rondor Music from Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss for roughly $400 million. It included former music publishing arms of A&M Records, I.R.S. Records, Stax Records, and Shelter Records, as well as Sea of Tunes. The purchase added 60,000 copyrights to Universal's library.[9]
In 2006, Universal Music Publishing Group acquired BMG Music Publishing from
On May 7, 2013, UMPG acquired American music publisher Criterion Music Corporation.[12]
On January 1, 2015, Jody Gerson was named the chairman and CEO of Universal Music Publishing Group, becoming the first woman CEO of a global music company and the first female to run a major music publishing company.[13][14] Gerson made history as the first publishing executive and first woman to be named Billboard's 'Executive of the Year' for their Power 100 list.[3] She was also named Variety Hitmakers' Executive of the Year in 2019.[15] In December 2015, she was named Executive of the Year by Billboard Magazine in its Women in Music issue.[16]
In March 2023, UMPG was ranked No. 1 on Billboard's Publishers Quarterly on the Hot 100 for the third consecutive quarter, which is taken from official Hot 100 chart data. Additionally, the portfolio publisher made history holding more than 30% market share for the past three quarters, a record that has not been achieved by any publisher since 2014.[1][17]
On February 27, 2024, TikTok announced that its license to use UMPG's catalogue would expire on March 1. At the beginning of February 2024, Universal Music Group had removed its entire recorded catalogue from the app.[18]
Services
UMPG is the music publishing partner of many film/TV studios globally, including Universal Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures, Lionsgate, MGM, Paramount, Disney Europe (and other territories), Viacom, Amazon, HBO, DreamWorks, DreamWorks Animation, Legendary Pictures, MarVista Entertainment, NBC, and Sesame Workshop, among many others.[19]
UMPG administers the 60,000 title Rondor Music Catalog and also owns or administers a multitude of others including:
International
UMPG has 48 offices across 40 countries around the world.
References
- ^ a b "Taylor Swift Is Top Songwriter; Sony, Universal Duel as Top Publishers – Billboard". Billboard. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
- ^ "Jody Gerson to Receive 2023 Ralph Peer II Award From International Music Publishers". Billboard. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
- ^ a b "Jody Gerson, Billboard's Power Executive of the Year". Billboard. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
- ^ a b "Gibson Announces Brand Partnership with Universal Music Publishing in China". KramerGuitars.com. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
- ^ "Seagram buys PolyGram from Philips for $10.6bn". independent.co.uk. May 22, 1998. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
- ^ "CMJ New Music Report". CMJ Network, Inc. March 22, 1999. Retrieved April 4, 2018 – via Google Books.
- ISBN 978-0-85712-877-5.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
- ^ "Universal Music Agrees to Acquire Rondor in $400 Million Stock Deal". Wall Street Journal. August 3, 2000.
- ^ "European Commission - PRESS RELEASES - Press release - Mergers: Commission approves Universal's proposed takeover of BMG's music publishing business, subject to commitments". europa.eu. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
- ^ "Zach Horowitz Appointed Chairman/CEO of Universal Music Publishing Group | Billboard". Billboard.biz. April 18, 2012. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
- ^ "Universal Music Publishing Acquires Criterion Music Corp".
- ^ "Jody Gerson: the first female CEO of a major music company". Music Business Worldwide. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
- ^ "No. 8: Jody Gerson - Power 100". Billboard. Retrieved February 13, 2018.
- ^ "Five Years In, How Hitmakers' Top Executive Jody Gerson Remade UMPG in Her Image". Variety. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
- ^ "Women in Music 2015: Jody Gerson Named Executive of the Year". Billboard. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
- ^ "UNIVERSAL MUSIC PUBLISHING GROUP CELEBRATES NO. 1 MUSIC PUBLISHER RANKING FOR THIRD CONSECUTIVE QUARTER". Yahoo Finance. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
- ^ https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/tiktok-has-already-started-removing-universals-music-publishing-catalog-from-its-platform
- ^ "Universal Music Publishing Group Guide". Music Gateway. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
- ^ "Lionsgate & UMPG Sign Exclusive Long-Term Agreement". Billboard. August 2, 2018. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
- ^ "UMPG and Disney Music Publishing partnership goes global". musicweek.com. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
- ^ "Our company". Universal Music Australia. August 6, 2020. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
- Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (2020). "Directors' Report"(PDF). Annual Financial Report 30 June 2020 (Report). AMCOS. p. 1.
- ^ Brandle, Lars (January 13, 2021). "The Wiggles sign global deal with Universal Music Publishing Group". The Industry Observer. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
External links
- Universal Music Publishing Group US
- Universal Music Publishing Group UK
- Universal Music Publishing Group Australia & NZ
- Universal Music Publishing Group Italy
- Universal Music Publishing Group Germany
- Universal Music Publishing Group Netherlands
- Universal Music Publishing Group Spain
- Universal Music Publishing Group Sweden