Even before sweeping four major GRAMMY’s Kacey Musgraves, the past year saw the contemporary country artist explode in popularity, and though many think of her as a new artist, Musgraves’ recording career can be traced back quite a ways, and to a much smaller label than UMG. _________________________ Guest post…
Category archives: Major Labels
Before Universal: Kacey Musgraves And Triple Pop
Even before sweeping four major GRAMMY’s Kacey Musgraves, the past year saw the contemporary country artist explode in popularity, and though many think of her as a new artist, Musgraves’ recording career can be traced back quite a ways, and to a much smaller label than UMG. _________________________ Guest post…
Universal Music Topped $7 Billion In Revenue Last Year
While many may believe that major labels have one foot in the grave, some recent revenue figures out from Universal Music Group tell a different and far more lucrative story, with UMG raking in over 7.1 billion over the past year, thanks to major artists like Drake, Taylor Swift, and…
Brit Awards 2019 – Full List Of Winners
The UK music industry gathered at the O2 Arena on Wednesday for the annual Brit Awards, with The 1975 taking top honors, winning album of the year for their hit A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships. The 1975 also took home the 2019 Brit Award for British group. Other winners…
Truth: The Next Big Data Opportunity
As the reality of data harvesting settles in among consumers, music tech companies are forced to choose where they in the coming privacy war, a where in which honesty and transparency could provide the greatest competitive advantage. ___________________________ In this recent post to MusicThinkTank, Annabel Youens explores how honesty could…
Indie Labels On The State Of The Music Union: If Content Is King, How Does It Feel To Be A Prince?
Over the past couple of decades, changes to the music ecosystem in relation to the fall and rise of major labels is frequently rehashed at music industry events, but the fate of the indies is often neglected. Here Neil Turkewitz his experience at a recent panel discussing precisely this issue….
UMG Revenue Grew 10% In 2018, Streaming Up 37%
Universal Music Group revenue grew 10% to $6.8 billion USD in 2018 when compared to 2017. The “A Star Is Born” soundtrack, Drake, Post Malone, The Beatles and XXXTentacion were the yer’s best sellers for the world’s largest music group. Recorded music revenues grew 9.8% led by streaming revenues which…
Bankrupt RPM Distribution Owes $6.7 Million To Labels
Following the sudden closure of Canada’s largest independent vinyl distributor RPM last month, details surrounding the company’s bankruptcy have begun to emerge. A sworn statement filed by RPM president Paul Herzog in Ontario court reveals the company owes $8.9 million CND / $6.7M USD in liabilities. The majority of the…
Record Store Day Names Pearl Jam 2019 Ambassador
Record Store Day has named Pearl Jam its 2019 ambassador. The band follows last year’s hip-hop duo Run The Jewels, as well as, previous acts like St. Vincent, Metallica, and Jack White. Record Store Day is scheduled to take place on Saturday, April 13, 2019. Speaking about the band’s involvement…
UMG Acquires Independent Music Distributor Ingrooves
Universal Music Group is acquiring independent music distributor Ingrooves Music Group. Ingrooves will continue to operate as a standalone company led by CEO Bob Roback. UMG has been a minority investor in Ingrooves since 2006. The acquisition of Ingrooves is expected to close before the end of the current quarter…