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Thu, 10 Dec 1998 09:34:19 -0700
Condensed from PRNewswire:
Universal Music Group Announces New Worldwide Structure of Combined
Universal/Polygram Music Operations
NEW YORK, Dec. 10, /PRNewswire/ -- The new worldwide structure of the
Universal Music Group (UMG), which encompasses the combined Universal
and PolyGram music companies, was announced today by Doug Morris,
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of UMG.
"The new Universal Music Group, which will be the market leader in every
region in the world, will embody the best of both Universal and
PolyGram's executives, artist rosters, and business practices,"
commented Mr. Morris. "The integration of these two companies presents a
rare opportunity to create an organization that is well positioned for
profitable growth. UMG will be a lean, flexible organization that will
benefit from economies of scale while nurturing a strong local
entrepreneurial spirit in its management team around the world."
Mr. Morris also announced the appointment of his worldwide executive
team: Bruce Hack, Vice Chairman; Zach Horowitz, President and Chief
Operating Officer; and Jorgen Larsen, Chairman and Chief Executive
Officer, Universal Music International.
Mr. Hack, who formerly served as Chief Financial Officer for Universal
Studios, will be located in New York and will be responsible for the
company's global strategy and business development; its functional areas
including Finance, Human Resources, and Information Technology; and its
global manufacturing, regional distribution centers and U.S. sales. Mr.
Horowitz, who was promoted from his position as President of UMG, will
be based in Los Angeles and, in conjunction with Doug Morris, will
direct the day-to-day operations of the global music company including
the North American record labels. He will also have direct
responsibility for MCA Music Publishing and Universal Concerts.
Mr. Larsen, whose appointment had been announced in June, will be based
in London and will manage and direct UMG's activities outside of North
America. He today announced the appointment of his key international
executives who will direct activities within their regions: Norman
Cheng, Chairman, Universal Music Asia/Pacific (formerly President,
PolyGram Far East) and Manolo Diaz, Chairman, Universal Latin America
(formerly President, PolyGram Latin America). Mr. Larsen will directly
oversee the Universal Music Group's businesses in Europe.
Mr. Larsen also announced the appointment of the managing directors who
will run the integrated companies in the five largest music markets
around the world:
*.Universal Music U.K. -- Located in London, Universal U.K.'s
operations will be directed by Chairman and CEO John Kennedy.
*.Universal Music Germany -- Wolf-D. Gramatke will serve as Chairman
and CEO of Universal Music Germany, based in Hamburg, as well as oversee
Universal Music Austria/Switzerland. Tim Renner has been appointed
President, Music of Universal Music Germany.
*.Universal Music France -- Based in Paris, Universal France will be
overseen by President and CEO Pascal Negre.
*.Universal Music Japan -- Located in Tokyo, Universal Japan will be
directed by President Kei Ishizaka, reporting to Norman Cheng.
* Universal Music Brazil -- Located in Rio de Janeiro, Universal Brazil
will be headed by Managing Director Marcelo Castello Branco reporting
to Manolo Diaz.
In North America, Universal Music Group will be the market leader,
combining the best of both organizations. Management has been assembled
from both Universal and PolyGram.
*.Island Records and Mercury Records will be merged to form a more
powerful label from the combined rosters. Located in New York, this
label group will be headed by Jim Caparro as Chairman and John Reid as
President.
*.An east coast label group, located in New York, will be comprised of
Universal Records and Motown Records and guided by Mel Lewinter,
Chairman. He will be joined by Jean Riggins, currently President,
Black Music, Universal Records. Kedar Massenburg will serve as
President and CEO of Motown Records.
*.Def Jam, which is 60% owned by UMG, will remain in New York under the
management of Chairman Russell Simmons, Chief Executive Officer Lyor
Cohen, and President Kevin Liles.
*.Verve/GRP, located in New York, is the result of the combination of
these two renowned jazz labels. The label will be led by Chairman
Tommy LiPuma and President Ron Goldstein.
*.A west coast group of labels, located in Los Angeles, will be
comprised of Interscope Records, Geffen Records, and A&M Records
and run by Co-Chairmen Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field and President Tom
Whalley. UMG expects to purchase the half of Interscope Records it
does not presently own.
*.MCA Records, located in Los Angeles, will continue to be headed by
President Jay Boberg.
*.MCA Records Nashville will continue to be guided by Chairman Bruce
Hinton and President Tony Brown.
*.Mercury Nashville will continue to operate under President Luke Lewis.
*.Universal Music Group (Canada), located in Toronto, will be headed by
Chairman Ross Reynolds and President Randy Lennox.
UMG's U.S. sales and distribution arm, Universal Music & Video
Distribution, will continue to be headquartered in Los Angeles and led
by President Henry Droz, and Co-Executive Vice Presidents/General
Managers Jim Urie and Craig Kornblau. The merging of the two companies
will place UMVD as the leading single supplier of home entertainment
product in the country.
A new combined special markets and centralized catalog division,
overseen by President Bruce Resnikoff, will be responsible for creating
and acquiring new catalog product (much of which will be released under
the Hip-O label) as well as marketing each of the U.S. labels' catalog
product. They will also handle the exploitation of master recordings
from Universal's various labels through ancillary markets and
non-conventional channels.
Universal Music Group Fact Sheet
Created from the combination of Universal and PolyGram, the new
Universal Music Group (UMG) is the world's premier music company. Its
global operations encompass the development, manufacture, marketing,
sales and distribution of recorded music through a network of
subsidiaries, joint ventures and licensees in 59 countries around the
world. UMG's businesses also include music publishing, live
event/concert promotion, and mail order music/video clubs.
UMG is significantly stronger than either of its predecessors,
integrating the complementary strengths inherent in both current
businesses.
UMG is number one in market share in the US, Europe, Latin America, Asia
(excluding Japan where UMG will be a strong number two) and Australasia,
giving it the critical mass needed to succeed in this competitive
industry. Combining 1997 figures for Universal and PolyGram, Universal
Music Group's overall market share is 23% globally and 25% in the U.S.
With unparalleled depth and diversity of music, Universal Music Group
leads the industry with its presence in countries around the world
featuring every musical genre from rock to pop and R&B to jazz and
classical. Its unmatched global market share and impressive roster of
established and emerging artists positions the Universal Music Group to
become the premier music company of the next millennium.
Extensive Catalog of Music
Representing some of the most influential and important recording
artists of this century, UMG owns an extensive catalog of music. Among
the legendary artists are Abba, Aerosmith, Louis Armstrong, Chuck Berry,
James Brown, The Carpenters, Eric Clapton, Patsy Cline, John Coltrane,
The Commodores, Bing Crosby, Count Basie, Bo Diddley, Bill Evans, Ella
Fitzgerald, The Four Tops, Judy Garland, Marvin Gaye, Jimi Hendrix,
Billie Holiday, Buddy Holly, The Jackson Five, George Jones, Brenda Lee,
Loretta Lynn, The Mamas & The Papas, Bob Marley, Bill Monroe, Van
Morrison, Nirvana, The Police, Smokey Robinson, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Cat
Stevens, Rod Stewart, The Supremes, The Temptations, Conway Twitty,
Muddy Waters, Hank Williams, and The Who.
Record Labels
The record labels under the aegis of UMG include A&M, Geffen, MCA,
Universal, Interscope, Mercury, Island, London, Polydor, Motown and Def
Jam; country music's MCA Nashville and Mercury Nashville; jazz's Verve,
GRP and Impulse!; and classical's Decca, Philips and Deutsche
Grammophon.
Global Operations
The company has operations in 48 countries covering 98% of the global
music market: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada,
Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Finland,
France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland,
Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru,
Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia,
South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand,
Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
Distribution Systems
UMG has the leading distribution system in the world, reaching more
people and countries than any of its competitors. The company owns
state-of-the-art CD manufacturing and distribution facilities
strategically located around the world in the U.S., U.K., Germany, and
France.
Music Publishing
The combined MCA/Polygram Music Publishing Companies will have over 40
wholly owned operating publishing offices worldwide and will be the
third largest publishing company in the world. The combined catalogs
represent a powerhouse music publishing company with incredible strength
in every major music genre. It will control approximately 700,000
copyrights, including some of the world's most popular songs: "I Wanna
Hold Your Hand," "Candle In The Wind," "I Will Survive," "Strangers in
the Night," "Old Man River," "Born To Be Wild" and songs from "West Side
Story," among many others. Among the many catalogs, artists and writers
represented are such contemporary names as U2, No Doubt, Alanis
Morrisette, Glen Ballard, Brian McKnight, Mary J. Blige, The Beastie
Boys, Aqua, and All Saints; legendary composers represented include
Leonard Bernstein, Jerome Kern, Elton John and Bernie Taupin, Abba and
Henry Mancini; and top country writers/artists include Mark D. Sanders
and Gary Burr (both former ASCAP writers of the Year), Kostas, Bob
McDill and Shania Twain.
Concerts
Universal Concerts owns and/or manages venues such as the Universal
Amphitheatre (Los Angeles), Starplex Amphitheatre (Dallas), Lakewood
Amphitheatre (Atlanta), The Gorge (Seattle), Molson Amphitheatre
(Toronto), Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre and Paramount Theatre (Denver),
Blossom Music Center (Cleveland), and the new Coors Amphitheatre (San
Diego).
Mail Order Music/Video Clubs
The Universal Music Group operates the largest mail order music/video
club in Europe, UK-based Britannia, established in 1969, with over two
million subscribers, and the largest music/video club in France, DIAL,
established in 1970.
SOURCE Universal Music Group
-- Prarit....[email protected] U2 news: http://www.members.home.net/u2-news/u2.html
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