Music

(all information compiled from the Vivendi Universal Website)

Through Universal Music Group (UMG), Vivendi Universal is the world's leading music company with wholly owned record operations or licensees in 63 countries around the world and with the largest global music publishing businesses, Universal Music Publishing Group.

Vivendi Universal is a frontrunner in digital distribution of music, and is deeply involved in the fight to protect artists' rights. With pressplay, UMG is also a major player in online music.

Key Facts:

UMG is the global market leader with 23,5% of the world music market in 2001 (source: IFPI) and the most extensive music catalog. It is the industry leader in 65% of the markets where it operates. One of every four albums sold worldwide in 2001 was a Universal album.

UMG is the global leader in jazz and classical music, with 41% of the worldwide classical music market

UMG's unparalleled artist roster includes: Ashanti, Erykah Badu, Mary J. Blige, Andrea Bocelli, Bon Jovi, Sheryl Crow, Eminem, Johnny Hallyday , Enrique Iglesias, Jay-Z, Elton John, Ronan Keating, Diana Krall, Limp Bizkit, Nelly, No Doubt, Florent Pagny, Luciano Pavarotti, Sandy & Junior, Shaggy, Sting, Texas, Shania Twain, U2 and Russell Watson.

The Universal Music Publishing Group controls over one million copyrights including songs by Prince, U2, Shania Twain and No Doubt as well as some of the world's most popular songs: I Wanna Hold Your Hand, Candle in the Wind, California Girls, I Will Survive, and Strangers in the Night (end November 2002).

62 UMG albums sold more than 1 million copies in 2001.

The 44th Grammy Awards in 2002 were highly successful for Universal Music, with the company winning a total of 32 Awards. U2 won four awards including Record of the Year for the song Walk On and Best Rock Album for All That You Can't Leave Behind. The soundtrack from O Brother Where Art Thou? also garnered four Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, and it reached No. 1 on the Billboard charts in March 2002.

In 2002, numerous Universal albums sold over one million units. At end November, Eminem’s The Eminem Show was the best selling 2002 album worldwide with over 12 million copies. Other best selling Universal albums include Nelly’s Nellyville (7 million), Shania Twain’s Up! (6 million), U2’s Best Of 1990-2000 (4.5 million), Ashanti’s Ashanti (4 million) and Enrique Iglesias’ Escape (3.5 million).

Launched in the U.S. in December 2001, pressplay is an online music subscription service that gives consumers on-demand access to online music.

All five major labels (Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, EMI Recorded Music, BMG, and Warner Music Group) and many independent labels provide music to pressplay on a non-exclusive basis.

Subscribers can enjoy this music by streaming, downloading, burning or transferring select tracks to portable devices.

Principal record labels, music, publishing, other businesses and alliances: