Universal Music Group

Dutch–American music corporation

"Universal Records" redirects here. For defunct record labels with the name, see Universal Records (1988) and Universal Records (1995−2006). For the Chicago recording studio, see Universal Recording Corporation. For other uses, see Universal Records (disambiguation).

Universal Music Group N.V.

Operational headquarters in Santa Monica, California

Formerly|

* Decca Records (USA business) (1934–1971)
* MCA Records (1971–1989)
* MCA Music Entertainment Group (1989–1996)

Company type| Public

Traded as

* Euronext Amsterdam: UMG
* AEX component

ISIN| NL0015000IY2
Industry|

* Entertainment
* Music

Founded| September 1934; 90 years ago (1934-09) (American branch of Decca Records)
1972; 53 years ago (1972) (as MCA Records)
9 December 1996; 28 years ago (1996-12-09) (Current form)
Headquarters|

Hilversum, Netherlands (corporate)
Santa Monica, California

U.S. (operational)

Area served

| Worldwide (except for Russia & Belarus)

Key people

* Lucian Grainge (chairman & CEO)
* Sherry Lansing (chairwoman of the board)

Services| Music publishing
Revenue|  €11.108 billion (US$14.7 billion) (2023)[1]

Operating income

|  €1.418 billion (US$1.88 billion) (2023)[1]
Owners|

* Bolloré family (28%) (18% directly and 10% through Vivendi)
* Tencent (20%)
* Pershing Square Holdings (10%)

Number of employees

| 8,319 (2018)[2]
Divisions| List of Universal Music Group labels
Website| universalmusic.com

Universal Music Group N.V.[3] (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as Universal Music Group or Universal Music) is a Dutch–American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands, and its operational headquarters are located in Santa Monica, California.[4][5] The biggest music company in the world,[6] it is one of the "Big Three" record labels, along with Sony Music Entertainment and Warner Music Group. Tencent acquired ten percent of Universal Music Group in March 2020 for €3 billion[7][8][9] and acquired an additional ten percent stake in January 2021.[10] Pershing Square Holdings later acquired ten percent of UMG prior to its IPO on the Euronext Amsterdam stock exchange. The French Bolloré family still owns 28 percent of UMG (18 percent directly, and ten percent through Vivendi, the Bolloré family's investment company). The company went public on 21 September 2021, at a valuation of €46 billion.[11][12]

As of April 2024, UMG's catalogue includes over three million recordings and four million compositions.

## History

[edit]

Further information on UMG's history prior to 1996: MCA Records § History

### Early history

[edit]

The company's origins go back to the formation of the American branch of Decca Records in September 1934, and its name and company logo originate from Carl Laemmle's Universal Pictures. Although the movie studio and the music business share a common history, today the former is part of Comcast and the latter an independent commercial entity.[13][14] During World War II, many record companies donated their metal masters to recycling for the war effort. However, Universal was an exception and donated more than 200,000 of their historic master recordings to the Library of Congress.[15] The Decca Record Co. Ltd. of England spun American Decca off in 1939.[16] MCA Inc. merged with American Decca in 1962.[17]

In November 1990, Japanese multinational conglomerate Matsushita Electric agreed to acquire MCA for $6.59 billion.[18][19] In 1995, Seagram acquired 80 percent of MCA from Matsushita.[20][21] On 9 December 1996, the company was renamed Universal Studios, Inc.,[22] and its music division was renamed Universal Music Group; MCA Records continued as a label within the Universal Music Group. In May 1998, Seagram purchased PolyGram[23] and merged it with Universal Music Group in early 1999.[24] Seagram's entertainment assets were then sold to French media conglomerate Vivendi in 2000, along with UMG.

### 2004: Consolidating into a Vivendi subsidiary

[edit]

In May 2004, Universal Music Group was cast under separate management from Universal Studios, when Vivendi sold 80% of the latter to General Electric, who subsequently merged it with NBC to form NBCUniversal. This came two months after the separation of Warner Music Group from Time Warner. In February 2006, Vivendi purchased the remaining 20 percent of UMG from Matsushita Electric.[25] On 6 September 2006, Vivendi announced its €1.63 billion ($2.4 billion) purchase of BMG Music Publishing; after receiving European Union regulatory approval, the acquisition was completed on June 25, 2007.[26][27]

### 2007–2012: UMG acquisitions and EMI purchase

[edit]

In June 2007, UMG acquired Sanctuary, which eventually became UMG's entertainment merchandising and brand management division, Bravado.[28][29][30][31] In 2008, Universal Music Group agreed to make its catalogue available to Spotify, then a new streaming service, for use outside the U.S. on a limited basis.[32]

Doug Morris stepped down from his position as CEO on 1 January 2011. Former chairman/CEO of Universal Music International Lucian Grainge was promoted to CEO of the company. Grainge later replaced Morris as chairman on 9 March 2011.[33] Morris became the next chairman of Sony Music Entertainment on 1 July 2011.[34] With Grainge's appointment as CEO at UMG, Max Hole was promoted to COO of UMGI, effective 1 July 2010. In January 2011, UMG announced it was donating 200,000 master recordings from the 1920s to 1940s to the Library of Congress for preservation.[35] In 2011, EMI agreed to sell its recorded music operations to Universal Music Group for £1.2 billion ($1.9 billion) and its music publishing operations to a Sony-led consortium for $2.2 billion.[36] Among the other companies that had competed for the recorded music business was Warner Music Group which was reported to have made a $2 billion bid.[37] IMPALA opposed the merger.[38] In March 2012, the European Union opened an investigation into the acquisition[39] The EU asked rivals and consumer groups whether the deal would result in higher prices and shut out competitors.[40]

On 21 September 2012, the sale of EMI to UMG was approved in the European Union and the United States by the European Commission and Federal Trade Commission respectively.[41] However, the European Commission approved the deal only under the condition the merged company divest one third of its total operations to other companies with a proven track record in the music industry. UMG divested Mute Records, Parlophone, Roxy Recordings, MPS Records, Cooperative Music, Now That's What I Call Music!, Jazzland, Universal Greece, Sanctuary Records, Chrysalis Records, EMI Classics, Virgin Classics, and EMI's European regional labels to comply with this condition. UMG retained the Beatles (formerly of Parlophone) and Robbie Williams (formerly of Chrysalis). The Beatles catalogue was transferred to UMG's newly formed Calderstone Productions, while Williams' catalogue was transferred to Island Records.[42][43]

### 2012–2017: EMI integration and divisions reorganization

[edit]

Universal Music Group completed their acquisition of EMI on 28 September 2012.[44] In November 2012, Steve Barnett was appointed chairman and CEO of Capitol Music Group. He formerly served as COO of Columbia Records.[45] In compliance the conditions of the European Commission after purchase of EMI, Universal Music Group sold the Mute catalogue to the German-based BMG Rights Management on 22 December 2012.[46] Two months later, BMG acquired Sanctuary Records for €50 million ($58 million).[47] On 8 February 2013, Warner Music Group acquired the Parlophone Label Group (consisting of Parlophone Records, Chrysalis Records, EMI Classics, Virgin Classics and EMI Records' Belgian, Czech, Danish, French, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Slovak and Swedish divisions) for $765 million (£487 million).[48][49] Later in February, Sony Music Entertainment acquired UMG's European share in Now That's What I Call Music for approximately $60 million.[50] Play It Again Sam acquired Co-Operative Music for £500,000 in March 2013.[51] With EMI's absorption into Universal Music complete, its British operations consist of five label units: Island, Polydor, Decca, Virgin EMI and Capitol.[52] In the Greek market, as part of its divestiture plans, Universal Music retained Minos EMI and sold Universal Music Greece to Greek investors who renamed it Cobalt Music.[53][54] Edel AG acquired the MPS catalogue from Universal in January 2014.[55]

On 20 March 2013, UMG announced the worldwide extension of their exclusive distribution deal with the Disney Music Group, excluding Japan. As a result of this deal DMG's labels and artists have access to UMG's roster of producers and songwriters on a worldwide basis.[56] The exclusive deal also saw UMG granted unlimited access to all rights pertaining to Disney's 85-year back catalogue of soundtracks and albums.[57] On 2 April 2013, the gospel music divisions of Motown Records and EMI merged to form a new label called Motown Gospel.[58] In May 2013, Japanese company SoftBank offered $8.5 billion to Vivendi for the acquisition of UMG, but Vivendi rejected it.[59] In July 2018, JPMorgan said that UMG could be worth as much as $40 billion[60] and then increased the valuation to $50 billion in 2019.[61] In August 2013, UMG became the first company in the US to have nine of the Top 10 songs on the digital charts, according to SoundScan[62] and weeks later, became the first company to hold all 10 of the Top 10 spots on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart.[63] In September 2013, UMG received a SAG-AFTRA American Scene Award for the company's commitment to diversity as exemplified by its "entire catalog and roster of artists."[64][65]

On 1 April 2014, Universal Music announced the disbandment of the Island Def Jam Music Group, one of four operational umbrella groups within Universal Music. CEO Lucian Grainge said of the closure, "No matter how much we might work to build 'IDJ' as a brand, that brand could never be as powerful as each of IDJ's constituent parts."[66] Island Records and Def Jam operated as autonomous record labels. David Massey and Bartels, who worked respectively at Island and Def Jam Records, were named to the new record labels independently.[66] Barry Weiss, who previously moved from Sony Music to lead Island Def Jam in 2012 when Motown was incorporated into it, stepped down from Universal Music. Additionally, as part of the changes to the labels, Motown Records transferred to Los Angeles to become part of the Capitol Music Group. Ethiopia Habtemariam, who was previously the label's vice president, was promoted to the label's president, chairwoman and CEO.[66] Habtemariam vacated her position and left Motown on 29 November 2022.[67] A month following the Island Def Jam disbandment, longtime Interscope Records CEO Jimmy Iovine departed from the label, which ended his 29-year relationship with UMG (which under the MCA banner, acquired Interscope for $200 million in 1995).[68][69] Iovine's departure also made way for a restructuring at Interscope Geffen A&M Records, resulting in the hiring of Interscope chief operational officer John Janick as its new chairman and CEO.[70] Grainge said of the reorganization, "Since coming to UMG nearly two years ago, he has consistently shown why he is widely regarded as one of the most talented, innovative and entrepreneurial executives in the music business today and will be a key player in the future generation of industry leaders. John is the ideal executive to be writing the next chapter in IGA's illustrious history."[71] In 2024, UMG later restructured various labels into its respective "East" and "West" coastal group of umbrella units. Island, Def Jam, Republic and Mercury Records were reorganized under the New York City banner called Republic Corps.,[72] while Interscope, Geffen and Capitol Records were brought under the Santa Monica banner, alias Interscope Capitol Labels Group.[73]

Universal Music Group entered into film and TV production with the 2014 purchase of Eagle Rock Entertainment. UMG's first major film production was Amy, which won an Oscar for Best Documentary,[74] while taking part in Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck and The Beatles: Eight Days a Week documentaries. In January 2016, UMG hired David Blackman from Laurence Mark Production where he was president of production as head of film and television development and production, and theater producer Scott Landis as special advisor on theatrical development and production. UMG Executive Vice President Michele Anthony and Universal Music Publishing Group Chairman and CEO Jody Gerson have oversight of the pair.[75] On 11 February 2017, PolyGram Entertainment was relaunched as a film and television unit of Universal Music Group under David Blackman.[76]

In 2015, UMG's Capitol Records earned all the major Grammy Awards for the year, with Sam Smith receiving Best New Artist, Record of the Year and Song of the Year awards and Beck winning Album of the Year.[77] In March 2016, Universal Music Canada donated the archives of EMI Music Canada to the University of Calgary.[78] In May 2016, UMG acquired Famehouse, a digital marketing agency.[79] That same year, Paul McCartney and the Bee Gees both signed to UMG's Capitol Records, including their catalog releases.[80][81] In April 2017, UMG signed a new multi-year licensing agreement with Spotify, the world's leading streaming service, and in May 2017, UMG signed a deal with Tencent, China's biggest gaming and social media firm.[82][83][84] In July 2017, "Despacito" by Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee and featuring Justin Bieber, became the most streamed track of all time. By 2018, the song had broken several Guinness World Records, including Most Weeks at Number 1 on Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart and most-viewed video online.[85][86]

In August 2017, UMG and Grace/Beyond agreed to develop three new music-based television series, 27, Melody Island and Mixtape. 27 would focus on musicians at the age of 27, an age at which several iconic musicians died. Melody Island was an animated series based on tropical island music with live craft segments. Mixtape had twelve episodes, with each episode connected to a song.[87] In October 2017, UMG announced the launch of its Accelerator Engagement Network, an initiative aimed to help develop music-based startups around the world.[88] In November 2017, USC Annenberg announced UMG's partnership in the "Annenberg Inclusion Initiative", becoming the first music company to do so. The initiative is meant to create change for representation of women and underrepresented racial and ethnic groups in the media industry.[89][90] In December 2017, Universal Music Group acquired Stiff and ZTT labels, along with Perfect Songs Publishing, from Trevor Horn's SPZ Group;[91] BMG Rights Management, through Union Square Music subsidiary, retained its back catalogues. That same month, UMG signed a global, multi-year agreement with Facebook becoming the first of The "Big Three" to license its recorded music and publishing catalogs for video and other social experiences across Facebook, Instagram and Oculus.[92] Sony and Warner signed similar contracts with Facebook the following year. Furthermore, on 19 December 2017, UMG signed a multi-year licensing agreement with YouTube.[93]

### 2018–2022: Continued growth, Tencent, public offering

[edit]

In June 2018, Universal Music Japan announced an exclusive license agreement with Disney Music Group.[94] With the addition of Japan, UMG distributes releases from Disney Music Group globally. In July, the Rolling Stones signed a worldwide agreement with UMG covering the band's recorded music and audio-visual catalogues, archival support, global merchandising and brand management.[95] That same month, Vivendi announced it would explore selling as much as half of Universal Music Group to one or more investors.[96][97] In Nielsen's 2018 US Music Mid-Year report, UMG made history with eight of the Top 10 artists, including all of the top five, as well as all of the top eight artists ranked by on-demand audio streams.[98] In August 2018, UMG announced a strategic expansion in Africa, opening an office in Abidjan to oversee French-speaking Africa, and also unveiling a Universal Music Nigeria office in Lagos to focus on signing local artists and taking them global.[99][100] In September 2018, singer Elton John signed a global partnership agreement with UMG across recorded music, music publishing, brand management, and licensing rights.[101]

On 19 November 2018, singer-songwriter Taylor Swift signed a new multi-album deal with UMG, in the United States, her future releases will be promoted under the Republic Records imprint. In addition to the promised ownership of her master recordings, UMG agreed to, in case it sells portions of its stake in Spotify, distribute proceeds among its artists and make them non-recoupable.[102][103][104] In December 2018, Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" became the most-streamed song from the pre-streaming era and the most-streamed classic rock song of all time.[105] In February 2019, UMG fully acquired music distributor INgrooves.[106] In June 2019, YouTube and UMG announced that they were upgrading more than 1,000 popular music videos to high definition, releasing them through 2020.[107] In August 2019, Tencent and Vivendi started negotiation to sell 10% Vivendi's stake of Universal Music to Tencent.[108] The deal is expected to be of $3.36 billion.[109]

In February 2020, Vivendi announced it was planning to go public in an IPO within three years.[110] On 16 June 2020, Universal rebranded Virgin EMI Records as EMI Records and named Rebecca Allen (former president of UMG's Decca label) as the label's president,[111] bringing back the EMI brand. The same day, UMG announced launch of its new affiliates in Morocco and Israel.[112] In July 2020, UMG signed a new multi-year licensing agreement with Spotify[113] In June 2021, Pershing Square Tontine Holdings, a special-purpose acquisition company run by investor Bill Ackman, announced it would acquire 10 percent of UMG before it went public, in a $4 billion transaction. The deal collapsed in July 2021 due to regulatory concerns, and it was announced that Ackman's Pershing Square Holdings would complete the purchase instead.[114] In September 2021, IPO, Euronext Amsterdam announces an introduction price of €18,50[clarification needed] and Vivendi set an initial valuation for UMG at €33 billion ($38.3 billion). Vivendi distributed 60% of its UMG shares and retaining 10%. The family of French businessman Vincent Bolloré is revealed as the majority shareholder with 28% of UMG shares, through its holding company Bolloré (18%) and its subsidiary Vivendi (10%), headed by his son Yannick Bolloré. Tencent emerged as UMG's biggest corporate shareholder with 20% of shares. Pershing Square Holdings held 10% of UMG shares. In its IPO, UMG hits €54 billion ($62.6 billion) valuation which is over a third bigger than initial valuation.[11]

In January 2022, UMG (through INgrooves) acquired the Icelandic record label Alda Music, which owned the rights to nearly 80 percent of all music released in Iceland.[115] In February 2022, Universal Music Group announced a partnership with Curio, an NFT platform, to create NFT collections for its record labels and artists.[116] On 31 May 2022, Universal Music Group announced Baa1/BBB long-term credit ratings from Moody's and S&P.[117] In October 2022, Mercedes-Benz launched a new in-car audio collaboration with Apple Music and Universal Music Group. With this new audio standard, UMG allows its artists to base their song approval process on how the final mix sounds in a Mercedes‑Benz and introduced the "Approved in a Mercedes‑Benz" label as a standard.[118] In November 2022, Universal Music Group acquired a 49% stake in Play It Again Sam (PIAS Group), which brings together a series of independent labels.[119]

### 2023–present: Appointment of Sherry Lansing, 2024 earnings call and restructuring

[edit]

In January 2023, Sherry Lansing was named the Chairman of Board of Directors of the Universal Music Group.[120] In August 2023, it was announced UMG had acquired the UAE-based music marketing, digital publishing and distribution agency, Chabaka.[121][122] In 2023, Universal Music Group and Deezer announced their initiative to explore potential new business models for music streaming that better recognize the value created by artists.[123][124] Indeed, in September 2023, they announced their launch of an artist-centric streaming model designed to better remunerate the artists and music that fans mostly enjoy.[125][126] Also in 2023, Universal Music Group introduced a HBCU scholarship program for aspiring doctors.[127][128]

In October 2023, UMG and BandLab Technologies formed a partnership to protect the rights of artists as well as songwriters and guarantee the 'ethical use' of Artificial Intelligence (AI).[129][130][131] Also in October 2023, UMG formed a new partnership with BMG Rights Management to develop collaborative initiatives to enlarge opportunities for BMG-signed artists all over the world.[132] Unable to reach a licensing agreement with TikTok, UMG removed its music from the platform in January 2024,[133] During UMG's fourth-quarter earnings call on 29 February, Grainge said: "There must not be free rides for massive global platforms such as TikTok." The company reported that quarterly revenue rose 9 percent, to 3.2 billion euros ($3.5 billion).[134] Following the earnings call, UMG began a "strategic organizational redesign" that included company-wide layoffs.[135]

## Labels

[edit]

Main article: List of Universal Music Group labels

## Vevo

[edit]

Universal Music Group co-developed with Google[136][137] Vevo, a site designed for music videos inspired by Hulu, which similarly allows free ad-supported streaming of videos and other music content.[138]

On 24 May 2018, Vevo announced that it would no longer continue distributing videos to Vevo.com, instead opting to primarily focus on YouTube syndication.[139]

## Locations

[edit]

### Los Angeles metropolitan area

[edit]

#### Santa Monica

[edit]

Universal Music Publishing Headquarters in Santa Monica, California

UMG's operational headquarters are located in Santa Monica, California. Interscope-Geffen-A&M and Universal Music Enterprises (UME), the company's catalog division, are headquartered in Santa Monica. Def Jam, Island and Republic Records also maintain offices there. UMG chairman & CEO Lucian Grainge is based at the company's Santa Monica offices. Universal Music Publishing is also headquartered in the city.

#### Hollywood

[edit]

The Capitol Records Building

Capitol Music Group is headquartered at the Capitol Records Building in Hollywood.[140] Universal Music Latin Entertainment is also headquartered in Hollywood.

#### Woodland Hills

[edit]

Universal Music Group operates a secondary office in Woodland Hills that includes finance, royalty, and operations functions.[141]

### Miami

[edit]

Universal Music Latin Entertainment is headquartered in Miami, Florida.

### Nashville

[edit]

Universal Music Group Nashville is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee.[142]

### New York City

[edit]

UMG has offices in New York City where Island Records, Def Jam Recordings, Republic Records, Verve Label Group, and Spinefarm Records are headquartered. By 2027, UMG will move their New York offices to PENN 2 which is adjacent to Madison Square Garden and above Penn Station. [143]

### Madrid

[edit]

Universal Music Spain is based in Madrid, Spain.[144]

### London

[edit]

Universal Music Group Global (formerly known as Universal Music Group International (UMGI)) operates offices in London.[145]

### Berlin

[edit]

Universal Music GmbH, the German subsidiary, is headquartered in Berlin. It moved in 2002 from Hamburg to the district Friedrichshain at the river Spree. In February 2024 the company moved out of the iconic building also called "Eierspeicher" into another office down the street.

### Warsaw

[edit]

Universal Music Group's Universal Music Polska is located in Warsaw.[146]

### Toronto

[edit]

Universal Music Group's Universal Music Canada is located in Toronto.[147]

### Japan

[edit]

Universal Music Japan is headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo.

### Other locations

[edit]

UMG operates in more than 60 territories around the world including Australia, Central America, Brazil, France, India, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Sub-Saharan Africa, Central and Eastern Europe, New Zealand, Russia, Ukraine, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and more.[144] Company's legal headquarters are in the Netherlands. Universal Music Group's largest corporate shareholder, Tencent, is headquartered in Shenzhen, China. Tencent's ultimate largest controlling corporate shareholder, Naspers, is headquartered in Cape Town, South Africa.[148]

On 8 March 2022, UMG suspended all its operations in Russia, following the country's invasion of Ukraine.[149]

In 2023, UMG announced its expansion with its new office in Casablanca, Morocco.[150][151][152][153]

## Shareholders

[edit]

As of January 2022, the company's shares were held by:[3]

* Bolloré family: 28%
* Bolloré SE: 18%
* Vivendi SE: 10%
* Tencent: 20%
* Concerto Investment BV: 10%
* Scherzo Investment BV: 10%
* Pershing Square Holdings: 10%

## Criticisms and controversies

[edit]

### CD price fixing

[edit]

Main article: CD price fixing

In 2000, music companies including UMG entered into consent agreements with the Federal Trade Commission,[154] with no admission of liability,[155] whereby they agreed to discontinue the use of Minimum Advertised Price programs under which subsidized cooperative advertising was provided to retailers that agreed to adhere to minimum advertised pricing.[154]

In 2002, a similar settlement was entered into with music publishers and distributors Sony Music, Warner Music, Bertelsmann Music Group, EMI Music and Universal Music Group and certain retailers, without admission of liability or wrongdoing, with various states. In settlement of the claim, the companies collectively agreed to pay a $67.4 million fine and distribute $75.7 million in CDs to public and non-profit groups.[155] It was estimated that consumers were overcharged by $500 million and up to $5 per album.[156]

### Payola

[edit]

In May 2006, an investigation led by then New York Attorney General, Eliot Spitzer, concluded with a determination that Universal Music Group bribed radio stations to play songs from Ashlee Simpson, Brian McKnight, Big Tymers, Nick Lachey, Lindsay Lohan and other performers under Universal labels. The company paid $12 million to the state in settlement.[157]

### YouTube

[edit]

In 2007, with the help of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Stephanie Lenz sued UMG's publishing company for allegedly improperly requesting that, pursuant to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, YouTube remove a 29-second home video in which Lenz's child danced to a recording of Prince's song "Let's Go Crazy".[158] After years of litigation, the suit settled in 2018, prior to the court holding a trial on whether UMG had a subjective belief that the video was infringing and not fair to use before sending its request to YouTube.[159][160][161] In April 2016, UMG had the audio muted of a video clip showing Katherine Jenkins singing the British national anthem. They claimed that the recording of "God Save the Queen" was copyrighted, and YouTube initially complied with this request, but subsequently offered the video with the original audio track.[162]

### Imeem

[edit]

In December 2007, UMG announced a deal with Imeem that allowed users of the social network to listen to any track from Universal's catalogue for free with a portion of the advertising generated by the music being shared with the record label.[163] All traffic was redirected to MySpace after that company acquired Imeem on December 8, 2009.[164]

### Universal archive fire (2008)

[edit]

Main article: 2008 Universal Studios fire

According to Jody Rosen of The New York Times, the fire which swept through Universal Studios Hollywood on 1 June 2008, caused "the biggest disaster in the history of the music business".[165] In space rented from NBCUniversal, according to an official document marked "Confidential", the fire destroyed at least 118,230 "assets" (master recordings), or about 500,000 song titles, owned by UMG. "The vault housed tape masters for Decca, the pop, jazz and classical powerhouse; it housed master tapes for the storied blues label Chess; it housed masters for Impulse!, the groundbreaking jazz label. The vault held masters for the MCA, ABC, A&M, Geffen and Interscope labels; as well as some smaller subsidiary labels. Nearly all of these masters—in some cases, the complete discographies of entire record labels—were wiped out in the fire."[165][166] In a statement issued on 12 June 2019, UMG said The New York Times article contained "numerous inaccuracies, misleading statements, contradictions and fundamental misunderstandings of the scope of the incident and affected assets."[167]

Following the publication of the New York Times story, Questlove of The Roots confirmed that the master tapes for two of the band's albums, including unused material and multi-track recordings, were lost in the fire.[168] Similarly, Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic said he believed the masters for the band's 1991 album Nevermind were "gone forever" as a result of the fire.[169] Representatives for R.E.M. announced they would investigate the effects the fire may have had on the band's archival materials, while Hole, Steely Dan, Rosanne Cash and Geoff Downes made statements on their possible losses from the fire.[169][170]

A representative for Eminem confirmed that the rapper's master recordings were digitized months before the fire, but could not confirm whether the physical master reels of his recordings were affected.[171] UMG archivist Patrick Kraus assured that the Impulse! Records, John Coltrane, Muddy Waters, Ahmad Jamal, Nashboro Records, and Chess Records masters survived the fire and were still in Universal's archive.[172]

Howard King filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles on 21 June 2019, on behalf of Soundgarden, Hole, Steve Earle, the estate of Tupac Shakur and a former wife of Tom Petty that seeks class action status for artists whose master recordings were believed to have been destroyed in the Universal Studios fire.[173][174]

### Megaupload

[edit]

On 9 December 2011, Megaupload published a music video titled: "The Mega Song", showing artists including Kanye West, Snoop Dogg, Alicia Keys and will.i.am endorsing the company.[175] The music video was also uploaded to YouTube, but was removed following a takedown request by UMG. Megaupload said that the video contained no infringing content, commenting: "we have signed agreements with every featured artist for this campaign".[176] Megaupload requested an apology from UMG, and filed a lawsuit against the company in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, on 12 December 2011.[177][178]

UMG denied that the takedown was ordered under the terms of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, and said that the takedown was "pursuant to the UMG-YouTube agreement," which gives UMG "the right to block or remove user-posted videos through YouTube's CMS (Content Management System) based on a number of contractually specified criteria."[179] The video was subsequently returned to YouTube, with the reasons for the UMG takedown remaining unclear.[180] Lawyers for will.i.am initially claimed that he had never agreed to the project, and on 12 December, he denied any involvement in the takedown notice.[181] Megaupload dismissed its case against UMG in January 2012 following the closure of the site by US authorities.[182]

### Copyright termination lawsuit

[edit]

On 5 February 2019, John Waite and Joe Ely filed a class-action lawsuit against UMG claiming that the company was violating their right to terminate grants of copyright after 35 years in accordance with copyright law of the United States by ignoring Notices of Termination. On 3 May 2019, UMG filed a motion to dismiss the case, stating the Notices of Termination were not valid because the songs were not grants of copyright but works for hire.[183]

### Removal of UMG songs from TikTok

[edit]

On 1 February 2024, music released by UMG was muted or removed from TikTok after UMG and TikTok failed to reach a licensing agreement.[184] The companies reached an agreement in May 2024 after which UMG's music was restored.[185]

### Allegations by Drake

[edit]

Main article: Not Like Us § Legal actions

In a November 2024 pre-action petition, rapper Drake sought discovery from UMG and Spotify because they may have illegally conspired to use bots and payola to artificially inflate streams of Kendrick Lamar's song "Not Like Us" in violation of the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act and violated New York state law against deceptive business practices and false advertising.[186] UMG denied the claims in a statement, calling Drake's legal arguments "contrived and absurd".[186]

### Salt-N-Pepa

[edit]

In May 2025, girl group Salt-N-Pepa sued UMG for the rights to their catalog. The duo says UMG has pulled its songs from streaming platforms in retaliation for its efforts to reclaim ownership of its masters.[187]

## See also

[edit]

* Companies portal
* United States portal
* France portal
* Netherlands portal

* List of record labels
* List of Universal Music Group artists
* List of Universal Music Group labels

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "Universal Music Group N.V. Reports Financial Results for the Fourth Quarter and Full Year Ended December 31, 2023" (PDF). Universal Music Group Official Website. February 28, 2024. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
2. ^ "Vivendi Annual Report 2018" (PDF). Vivendi. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 30, 2019. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
3. ^ a b "Universal Music Group Prospectus 14 September 2021" (PDF). Vivendi SE. September 14, 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 14, 2021.
4. ^ "Vivendi: UMG BV Secures Financing". finance.yahoo.com. Archived from the original on March 26, 2021. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
5. ^ "Vivendi: UMG BV Secures Financing". Businesswire.com. March 26, 2021. Archived from the original on April 13, 2021. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
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173. ^ Sisario, Ben (June 21, 2019). "Artists Sue Universal Music Group Over Losses in 2008 Fire". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 25, 2019. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
174. ^ Gardner, Eriq (June 19, 2019). "A Universal Music Fire Case Could Break New Legal Ground". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on June 27, 2019. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
175. ^ Maxwell, Andy (December 9, 2011). "RIAA Label Artists & A-List Stars Endorse Megaupload In New Song". TorrentFreak. Archived from the original on July 14, 2012. Retrieved December 13, 2011.
176. ^ enigmax (December 10, 2011). "Universal Censors Megaupload Song, Gets Branded a "Rogue Label"". TorrentFreak. Archived from the original on July 29, 2012. Retrieved December 13, 2011.
177. ^ Michaels, Sean (December 13, 2011). "Megaupload threatens to sue Universal over YouTube video". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on August 1, 2012. Retrieved December 13, 2011.
178. ^ Maxwell, Andy (December 12, 2011). "Megaupload to Sue Universal, Joins Fight Against SOPA". TorrentFreak. Archived from the original on July 17, 2012. Retrieved December 13, 2011.
179. ^ Lee, Timothy B. (December 16, 2011). "UMG claims "right to block or remove" YouTube videos it doesn't own". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on July 7, 2012. Retrieved December 16, 2011.
180. ^ Sisario, Ben (December 13, 2011). "File-Sharing Company Sues Record Label, for a Change". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 11, 2012. Retrieved December 16, 2011.
181. ^ Masnick, Mike (December 15, 2011). "UMG, MegaUpload Case Gets Even Stranger; Will.i.am Says He Didn't Authorize A Takedown". Techdirt. Archived from the original on September 11, 2012. Retrieved December 17, 2011.
182. ^ Gardner, Eriq (January 21, 2012). "Megaupload Drops Lawsuit Against Universal Music Over Viral Video (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 1, 2019. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
183. ^ Sanchez, Daniel (May 7, 2018). "Universal Music Is Battling to Nullify the 35-Year Copyright Termination Right". Digital Music News. Archived from the original on August 23, 2020. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
184. ^ Rosenblatt, Kalhan (February 1, 2024). "What happens when you can't use songs by Taylor Swift and other artists on TikTok? Users are starting to find out". NBC News. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
185. ^ Tolentino, Daysia (May 14, 2024). "Some of your favorite songs are returning to TikTok". NBC News. Retrieved January 1, 2025.
186. ^ a b Donahue, Bill (November 25, 2024). "Drake Accuses UMG & Spotify of Scheme to 'Artificially Inflate' Kendrick Lamar's 'Not Like Us'". Billboard. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
187. ^ Monroe, Jazz (May 20, 2025). "Salt-N-Pepa Sue Universal Music Group for Rights to Master Recordings". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 25, 2025.

## External links

[edit]

Universal Music Group at Wikipedia's sister projects

* Media from Commons
* Quotations from Wikiquote
* Data from Wikidata

* Official website

Links to related articles

* v
* t
* e

Universal Music Group

People|

* Lucian Grainge
* Sherry Lansing
* James Mitchell
* Manning Doherty
* Bill Ackman
* Philippe Flageul
* Jody Gerson
* Boyd Muir

Interscope Capitol Labels Group|

| Capitol Music Group|

* Capitol Records
* Blue Note Records
* Astralwerks
* Harvest Records
* SharpTone Records
* Capitol Christian Music Group
* ForeFront Records
* Sparrow Records
* Priority Records

|

Interscope Geffen A&M Records|

* Interscope Records
* Geffen Records
* A&M Records
* Interscope Films
* Aftermath Entertainment
* Darkroom
* Dreamville Records
* Kidinakorner
* Lost Highway Records
* LVRN Records
* Nuclear Blast Records
* Blood Blast Disturbtion
* Shady Records
* Cinematic Music Group
* Downtown Records

|

Verve Label Group|

* Deutsche Grammophon
* Decca Records
* Decca Classics
* Mercury KX
* Impulse! Records
* Verve Records
* Verve Forecast Records

Republic Corps|

* Republic Records
* Motown
* Quality Control Music
* Rowdy Records
* Motown Gospel
* Mercury Records
* Cash Money Records
* Young Money Entertainment
* SRC Records
* American Recordings
* Boominati Worldwide
* Brushfire Records
* Casablanca Records
* Federal Films
* Lava Records
* Universal Arabic Music
* XO
* Out of Line
* Def Jam Recordings
* Island Records

Virgin Music Group|

* Virgin Records
* Caroline Records
* Fontana Records
* Neon Gold Records
* Sumerian Records
* V2 Records
* PIAS Group
* PIAS Recordings
* A24 Music

UM Latin Entertainment|

* Capitol Latin
* Disa Records
* Fonovisa Records
* Machete Music
* Universal Music Latino
* Universal Music México

MCA|

* MCA Nashville
* Mercury Nashville Records
* Capitol Records Nashville
* EMI Records Nashville

UM Australia|

* Island Records Australia
* Golden Era Records
* Modular Recordings
* Mercury Records Australia
* EMI Music Australia

UM Japan|

* Polydor Records
* EMI Records
* Universal D
* Eastworld
* Virgin Music
* Def Jam Recordings
* Mercury Tokyo
* Universal Classics

UM UK|

* EMI Records
* Capitol UK
* Island UK
* Motown UK
* Polydor Records
* 0207 Def Jam
* Universal Music On Demand

UM Greater China|

* Capitol Records China
* EMI China
* PolyGram Records China
* Republic Records China
* Universal Music China
* Universal Music Hong Kong
* Universal Music Taiwan

UM France|

* Capitol Music France
* Decca Records France
* Island Def Jam
* MCA France
* Polydor France
* Romance Musique
* PIAS France
* Virgin Records France

UM Philippines|

* Def Jam Philippines
* EMI Records
* Island Philippines
* Republic Records Philippines
* UMG Philippines

Universal Music Africa|

* U-Live Africa
* Motown Gospel Africa
* Def Jam Recordings Africa
* Universal Music Group Nigeria
* Universal Music South Africa
* Blue Note Records Africa
* Virgin Music Africa

Other UMG labels|

* Universal Music Enterprises
* Hip-O Records
* Universal Music Indonesia
* Universal Music Malaysia

Publishing division|

* Universal Music Publishing Group
* Universal Production Music

Film/TV units|

* Eagle Rock Entertainment
* Grace - A Storytelling Company
* PolyGram Entertainment
* Universal Music Animation
* Vevo

Non-UMG distributed labels|

* Big Machine Label Group
* Disney Music Group
* Hollywood Records
* S-Curve Records
* Walt Disney Records
* Roc Nation
* ECM Records
* Dew Process
* Nickelodeon Records
* Because Music
* London Recordings
* Ed Banger Records

| International third-party licensees|

* Dreamus (South Korea (JYP Entertainment))
* Helicon (Israel)
* Tuff Gong (Caribbean)
* YG Plus (South Korea (HYBE Labels))
* Musica Studios (Indonesia)

|

* v
* t
* e

Vivendi

* List of owned assets

Directors|

* Vincent Bolloré
* Arnaud de Puyfontaine
* Pierre Rodocanachi

Main asset|

* Gameloft

Equity investments|

* MFE (4.6%)
* PRISA (9.9%)
* Telefónica (1%)
* TIM Group (23.94%)
* Banijay Entertainment (19.21%)
* Universal Music Group (9.94%)

Defunct/former
assets|

* Activision Blizzard
* Activision
* Blizzard Entertainment
* Budcat Creations
* Infinity Ward
* Luxoflux
* Massive Entertainment
* Neversoft
* Radical Entertainment
* RedOctane
* Shaba Games
* Sierra Entertainment
* Treyarch
* Animation Magic
* Banijay Group
* Canal+ Family
* Canal+ Gol
* Editis
* Gaiam Vivendi Entertainment
* Gala
* GVT
* Knowledge Adventure
* Maroc Telecom
* Louis Hachette Group
* Lagardère
* Lagardère Publishing
* Lagardère News
* Prisma Media
* NBCUniversal
* Rogue Pictures
* Universal Pictures
* SFR
* Sport+
* Veolia
* Vivendi Games
* Fox Interactive
* Universal Interactive
* OCS
* Ciné+ Premier
* Ciné+ Famiz
* Ciné+ Club
* Groupe Canal+
* Canal+ France
* Canal+ Poland
* M7 Group
* StudioCanal
* Havas
* Vivendi Ticketing
* Digitick
* Vivendi Village
* See Tickets
* See Tickets USA
* Flavorus
* MyBestPro
* Watchever
* L’Olympia

* Category
* Commons

* v
* t
* e

Tencent

Services|

* Foxmail
* iflix
* JOOX
* QQ
* QQLive
* Qzone
* Sogou
* Soso
* Tencent Animation and Comics
* Tencent Cloud
* Tencent Maps
* Tencent Video
* Tencent Weibo
* WeBank
* WeChat
* Red envelope

Music|

* KuGou
* Ku Music Asian Music Awards
* QQ Music
* QQ Music Awards
* Tencent Music

Film and television|

* New Classics Media
* Tencent Pictures

Video games|

* Fatshark
* Fulqrum Publishing
* Funcom
* Grinding Gear Games
* Klei Entertainment
* Leyou
* Athlon Games
* Digital Extremes
* Splash Damage
* Miniclip
* QQ Games
* Riot Games
* Radiant Entertainment
* Sumo Group
* Auroch Digital
* The Chinese Room
* Sumo Digital
* Supercell
* Techland
* Tencent Games
* LightSpeed Studios
* TiMi Studio Group
* Tequila Works
* Turtle Rock Studios
* Valhalla Game Studios
* Visual Arts
* Key
* KineticNovel
* WeGame
* Yager Development

Related|

* 360 v. Tencent
* Lao Gan Ma fraud case
* Naspers
* Prosus

People|

* Ma Huateng
* Allen Zhang
* Tony Zhang
* Chen Yidan
* Chen Xiaonan

* v
* t
* e

Music industry

Major companies
and organizations|

| Representatives|

* AMPROFON
* ARIA
* BVMI
* BPI
* Music Canada
* FIMI
* IFPI (worldwide)
* PMB
* PROMUSICAE
* RIAA
* SNEP

|

Publishers|

* BMG Rights Management
* Sony Music Publishing
* Universal Music Publishing Group
* Warner Chappell Music
* Disney Music Publishing

Record labels|

* Major: Sony
* Universal
* Warner
* Independent: Concord
* Independent UK record labels
* AAMG

Retailers|

* Amazon
* Digital music stores (iTunes Store)
* Fnac
* HMV
* Kaspien
* Virgin Megastores

Live music|

* CTS Eventim
* Live Nation
* LiveStyle
* Ticketmaster

Major genres|

* Blues
* Country
* Easy listening
* Electronic
* Experimental
* Folk
* Gospel
* Hip hop
* Jazz
* Latin
* Metal
* New Age
* Pop
* Reggae
* Rhythm and blues
* Rock
* World

Sectors
and roles|

* Album cover design
* Artists and repertoire (A&R)
* Disc jockey
* Distribution
* Entertainment law
* Music education
* Music executive
* Music and fashion
* Music journalism
* Music publisher
* Music store
* Music venue
* Musical instruments
* Professional audio store
* Promotion
* Radio promotion
* Record label
* Record shop
* Road crew
* Talent manager
* Tour promoter

| Production|

* Arrangement
* Songwriter
* Composer
* Lyricist
* Conductor
* Disc jockey
* Hip hop producer
* Horn section
* Record producer
* Rhythm section
* Orchestrator
* Session musician
* Backup singer
* Ghost singer
* Vocal coach
* Ghostwriter
* Sound engineer

|

Release
formats|

* Single (Extended play (EP), 12" single, Cassette single, CD single, Maxi single)
* Album
* Double album, Mixtape
* Music video
* Promotional recording
* Phonograph record
* Eight-track
* Compact cassette
* CD
* DVD
* Airplay
* Music download
* Music streaming service

Live shows|

* Concert
* Concert tour
* Concert residency
* Music festival
* Music competition

Charts|

* ARIA Charts
* Billboard Hot 100
* Billboard Argentina Hot 100
* Billboard Brasil Hot 100
* Canadian Hot 100
* Circle Chart
* G-Music chart
* Irish Singles Chart
* Italian singles chart
* GfK Entertainment charts
* Entertainment Monitoring Africa
* Oricon charts
* New Zealand singles chart
* Rolling Stone Top 100
* Sino Chart
* TME Physical Album Sales Chart
* SNEP singles chart
* Sverigetopplistan
* UK singles chart

Publications|

* Billboard
* HitQuarters
* Hot Press
* Kerrang!
* Mojo
* Musica e dischi
* NME
* Q
* Rolling Stone
* Smash Hits
* Top of the Pops

Television|

| Channels|

* Channel V
* CMT
* Fuse
* Mnet
* MTV
* MTV2
* Tr3s
* MuchMusic
* The Music Factory
* Viva
* VH1
* The Country Network

|

Series|

* Idol franchise
* Popstars
* Star Academy
* The Four
* The Voice
* The X Factor
* Rising Star

Achievements|

* Music award
* Best-selling music artists
* In: Brazil
* Finland
* Germany
* Japan
* United Kingdom (Females)
* United States
* Genre:
* Gospel
* Latin
* Nationality:
* Belgian
* Brazilian
* British
* Italian
* Swedish
* Best-selling albums
* by country
* Latin
* Best-selling singles
* by country
* Highest-paid musicians
* Highest-grossing live music artists
* Highest-grossing concert tours
* by women
* Latin
* Highest-grossing benefit concerts
* Most-attended concert tours
* Most-attended concerts
* Global Recording Artist of the Year
* Wealthiest musical artists

Other|

* Album era
* Album-equivalent unit
* A-side and B-side
* Backmasking
* Bootleg recording
* Christian music industry
* Environmental impact
* Hidden track
* Largest music deals
* Largest recorded music markets
* Most expensive albums
* Most valuable records
* Music certification
* Parental Advisory
* Record sales
* Surprise album
* White label

* Record production portal
* Category

* v
* t
* e

K-pop

* Korean Wave
* Korean ballad
* Korean hip hop
* Korean rock
* Trot

Terminology|

* Cultural technology
* Fan rice
* Sasaeng fan
* Idols
* Slave contract
* Sexualization and sexual exploitation
* Virtual concert

Artists|

* Individual artists
* Idol groups
* Girl groups
* Boy groups

Events|

* Dream Concert
* KCON
* K-pop Cover Dance Festival
* K-Pop World Festival

Websites|

* Allkpop
* Billboard K-Town
* Timeline
* 2020s
* Eatyourkimchi
* Soompi

Music shows|

* Inkigayo (SBS)
* M Countdown (Mnet)
* Music Bank (KBS2)
* Music Universe K-909 (JTBC)
* Music on Top (JTBC)
* Pops in Seoul (Arirang TV)
* Show Champion (MBC M)
* Show! Music Core (MBC)
* The Show (SBS M)
* Simply K-Pop (Arirang TV)

Music charts|

* List of K-pop on the Billboard charts
* Albums
* Songs
* World Digital Song Sales
* Year-end
* Circle Chart
* albums
* singles
* Billboard K-pop Hot 100
* South Korea Songs
* RIAK/MIAK

Notable labels
and publishers|

| Agencies|

* Antenna
* 8D Creative
* Attrakt
* B2M Entertainment
* BPM Entertainment
* Brand New Music
* Brave Entertainment
* C9 Entertainment
* CJ ENM
* Amoeba Culture
* AOMG
* H1ghr Music
* Wake One Entertainment
* Coridel Entertainment
* Cube Entertainment
* DR Music
* Fantagio
* FNC Entertainment
* Hybe Corporation
* Big Hit Music
* Pledis Entertainment
* Source Music
* Imagine Asia
* Dreamcatcher Company
* Jellyfish Entertainment
* JYP Entertainment
* Kakao Entertainment
* IST Entertainment
* Maroo Entertainment
* MLD Entertainment
* MNH Entertainment
* Oui Entertainment
* P Nation
* RBW
* DSP Media
* WM Entertainment
* SM Entertainment
* Label SJ
* Mystic Story
* Woollim Entertainment
* Starship Entertainment
* Star Empire Entertainment
* TOP Media
* YG Entertainment
* The Black Label
* Yuehua Entertainment

|

Publishers|

* Genie Music
* iMBC
* Interpark Music
* Kakao Entertainment
* Music&New
* NHN Bugs
* Pony Canyon Korea
* SBS Contents Hub
* SK Group
* Dreamus
* SK Communications
* Sony Music Korea
* Soribada
* Stone Music Entertainment
* Universal Music Korea
* Warner Music Korea
* YG Plus

Music award shows

Major|

* APAN Music Awards
* Asia Artist Awards
* Asia Song Festival
* Circle Chart Music Awards
* Genie Music Awards
* Golden Disc Awards
* KBS Gayo Daechukje
* Korean Music Awards
* Korean Popular Culture and Arts Awards
* MAMA Awards
* MBC Gayo Daejejeon
* Mnet 20's Choice Awards
* SBS Gayo Daejeon
* Seoul Music Awards
* Soribada Best K-Music Awards
* The Fact Music Awards

Digital music|

* Cyworld Digital Music Awards
* Melon Music Awards

* v
* t
* e

Music of Japan

"Kimigayo" (National anthem)

Traditional|

Instruments

| Genres and styles|

*     * Bugaku
* Bushi
* Dainichido Bugaku
* Danmono
* Gagaku
* Gigaku
* Jōruri
* Kouta
* Min'yō
* Nagauta
* Rōkyoku
* Saimon Ondo [ja]
* Komori-uta (lullaby)
* Warabe Uta [ja]
* Kazoe Uta [ja]
* Ekaki Uta [ja]
* Temari Uta [ja]

|

Post Meiji Restoration

(1868–present)|

* Commercial song [ja]
* Gakusēka (student song) [ja]
* Kōka (school song) [ja]
* Ryōka (dormitory song) [ja]
* Daigaku-Ōenka (cheering song of university) [ja]
* Enzetsuka/Enka
* Gunka (military song)
* Jazz
* Kayōkyoku
* Senji-kayō [ja]
* Gunkoku-kayō [ja]
* Radio calisthenics song
* Ryūkōka
* Shichōsonka (municipality song) [ja]
* Shōka [ja]
* Manshū-Shōka [ja]
* Shin-min'yō [ja]

Post-War

(1945–present)|

| 1945–present|

* Kayōkyoku
* Mood-kayō [ja]
* Idol-kayō [ja]
* Group Sounds
* Image song
* J-pop
* Rock

|

1970–present|

* Anime song
* Chiptune
* City pop
* Denpa song
* Disco [ja]
* Electro
* Electropop
* Eurobeat
* Disco [ja]
* Hardcore punk
* Hip hop
* Metal
* Noise
* Noise rock
* Nu-music [ja]
* Ōenka (cheering song)
* Reggae
* Synth-pop
* Ska
* Visual kei
* Italo Disco
* Italo House
* Juliana’s techno

1990–present|

* Bitpop
* Grime
* Being-kei [ja]
* J-core
* Japanese net label scene
* Kawaii metal
* Komuro-kei [ja]
* Onkyokei
* Shibuya-kei
* Akishibu-kei
* Utaite
* Visual kei
* Eroguro kei
* Nagoya kei
* Vocaloid music

Ethnic and regional|

* Ainu music
* Rekuhkara
* Southern Islands

Charts|

| Oricon|

* Singles Chart
* Combined Singles Chart
* Albums Chart
* Combined Albums Chart
* Karaoke Chart

|

Billboard Japan|

* Hot 100
* Hot Albums

Other|

* RIAJ Digital Track Chart (discontinued)

Achievements|

* List of best-selling music artists in Japan
* List of best-selling Western artists in Japan
* List of best-selling albums in Japan
* List of best-selling singles in Japan

Record companies|

| "Big 10"

(as of 2025[update])|

* Avex Group
* Sony Music Entertainment Japan
* Universal Music Japan
* King Record Co.
* J Storm
* Victor Entertainment
* Being Inc.
* Warner Music Group
* Pony Canyon
* Teichiku Entertainment

|

Others|

* Major
* Independent

Musicians|

* List of musical artists from Japan
* List of Japanese musical groups
* List of J-pop artists
* List of Japanese composers
* List of Japanese hip hop musicians
* List of Japanese singers

Timeline and years|

* 1967
* 1979
* 1980
* 1981
* 1982
* 1983
* 1984
* 1985
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024
* 2025

Online distributors|

* iTunes Store
* Apple Music
* Google Play Music
* Amazon Music
* Spotify
* KKBox (the successor of LISMO Unlimited)
* RecoChoku [ja]
* Music.jp [ja]
* Mora
* Dwango.jp
* E-Onkyo music
* Oricon Music Store
* Line Music
* MySound [ja]
* OTOTOY [ja]
* AWA [ja]

Other topics|

* Awards
* Shinto music

* v
* t
* e

AEX companies of the Netherlands

* ABN AMRO
* Adyen
* Aegon
* Ahold Delhaize
* AkzoNobel
* ArcelorMittal
* ASM International
* ASML
* ASR Nederland
* BE Semiconductor
* DSM Firmenich
* EXOR
* Heineken
* IMCD
* ING
* KPN
* NN Group
* Philips
* Prosus
* Randstad
* RELX
* Shell
* Universal Music Group
* Unilever
* Wolters Kluwer

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF

National|

* Germany
* United States
* France
* BnF data
* Israel

Other|

* MusicBrainz label
* Yale LUX

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template