Universal Music Group

Universal Music Group:
Who owns the company?
• Vivendi SA

Where is it based?
• New York city

What other countries does it have offices?
- Has offices in 72 countries:
• Argentina
• Austria
• Australia
• Baltics
• Belgium
• Brazil
• Canada
• Chile
• China
• Colombia
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Hong Kong
• Hungary
• India
• Indonesia
• Ireland
• Italy
• Japan
• Korea
• Malaysia
• Mexico
• Netherlands
• New Zealand
• Norway
• Polska
• Portugal
• Romania
• Russia
• Singapore
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• Taiwan
• Thailand
• Venezuela

Is it part of the same company as:
- a music publishing group – YES – Universal Music Publishing Group
- a music distribution company – YES – Universal Music Group Distribution
- a film or television studio – YES – Canal Plus Group
- a radio station – NO
- a company which makes hardware/software – NO
- a video games company – YES – Activation Blizzard
- a telecommunications company – YES – Global Village Telecom

Record Sales:
• $6.14 billion (2007)

Record Labels Bought By Universal Music Group:
• Interscope Geffen A&G
• Verve Records
• Decca label Group
• Island Def Jam Music Group
• Universal Motown Republic Group

How far do you think developments in technology have changed the way the music industry operates?

Music is now available practically everywhere, you can listen to it on the radio, music channels on the TV, downloads songs on the internet or buy a CD in a shop. But it wasn't always like this, before technology was improved music was only played on the radio and sold in shops as records or tapes.

There are many advantages to the developments in technology, such as artists who are not signed or are not very popular can put their music out on the internet for anyone to listen to for free. Many artists now are days are getting more fans by putting their songs onto YouTube. As more people hear them and tell their friends, the artists fan group increases.

Also for the audience there are many advantages, you can listen to music whenever you want and get hold of it in some way different ways. Most people download songs off illegal websites, this is free and has mostly new songs on so you don't have to wait for them to be release on CD. Song used to be played on the radio and more recently the TV but now there are so many channels and radio stations, the songs are played on the channel aimed at that particular audience.

There are disadvantages to the changes, such as the artists are no longer getting money for their songs as they are on the internet for free. If they don't put their song up on the internet then they may lose some fans. Also shops lose some of their income as less people are buying CDs and records.

Most artists want a record label, as they provide many services for the artist, they pay for the recording and manufacturing of the albums, they help promote and advertise them and develop their music. But now a days there is less need for a record label as with all the developments of technology new artists are making it on their own.

Record Lables

1. Record labels enable artists, through advances and marketing/sales support, to treat music making as a full-time career. They exploit the artists' recording commercially and collect and pay the resulting royalties on their behalf.

2. Record labels provide these services for an artist:

• They traditionally pay for the recoding and making of the albums
• Promote and advertise artists
• Develop artists music
• Manufacture albums
• Enforce copyright laws

3. An artist would want to be signed as they would have all their promotions and manufacturing pad for them, also they would be well advertised. Basically would get a much better career out of it.

4. Record labels turn to the financial community to provide money. They use royalties, tour tickets, sales of albums and singles and get banks to invest in them, these revenue streams make their money.

5. The 'big four' (majors) are well know record labels, these are:

-Sony BMG:
Beyonce
Justin Timberlake

-Universal Music Group
Justin Bieber
Black Eyes Peas

-EMI
Kyle Minogue
Dizzee Rascal

-Warner Music Group
Michael Buble
Madonna

AS Media Studies Unit G323 - exam

Section B: Institutions and Audiences

For Section B, we shall be studying the music industry. We shall focus on case studies of two record labels within the contemporary music industry which target British audiences, including their patterns of production, distribution, marketing and consumption by audiences. This will be accompanied by study of the strategies used by record labels to counter the practice of file sharing and their impact on music production, marketing and consumption.

Candidates should be prepared to understand and discuss the processes of production, distribution, marketing and exchange as they relate to contemporary media institutions, as well as, the nature of audience consumption and the relationship between audiences and institutions. In addition candidates should be familiar with:

·         the issues raised by media ownership in contemporary media practice;

·         the importance of cross media convergence and synergy, in production, distribution and marketing;

·         the technologies that have been introduced in recent years at the levels of production, marketing and exchange;

·         the significance of proliferation in hardware and content for institutions and audiences;

·         the importance of technological convergence for institutions and audiences;

·         the issues raised in the targeting of national and local audiences (specifically, British) by international and global institutions;

·         the ways in which the candidates’ own experiences of media consumption illustrate wider patterns and trends of audience behaviour.