Universal

 UNIVERSAL:

·      Founded in September 1934 by the American branch of Decca records

·      A global music corporation that is mostly owned by the French media conglomerate Vivendi and a small part of it owned by a Chinese company Tencent. 

·      Part of the big three which is the biggest music company in the world along with Sony Music And Warner Music Group. 

·      Universal Music groups origins began in 1962 when US based MCA merged with American Decca

·      In 1998, Seagram acquired music company PolyGram for $10.6 billion they then merged it into Universal Music Group. 

·      Vivendi struck a $1.154 billion deal to buy 20% of UMG they then bought all of it holding fell control over everything in UMG including the film studios. 

·      The structure is Vivendi owns 80% which is in France, Tencent then owns 20% in the Netherlands which merges into Universal Music group B.V. in the Netherlands which goes into the UMG in the US. 

·      The universal International Music B.V. then divides into lots of different companies globally such as Japan, the UK, Germany Australia etc. 

·      They have lots of subsidiaries which include Interscope records, republic records, island records and cash money records. 

·      Lucian Grainge is the chief executive officer of Universal Music Group. He has worked in the music business his whole career and Billboard magazine has named him the most powerful person in the music business.