Spotify and Universal Music Group Ink Licensing Deal, Expanding Label's Role as 'Early Adopter' of Tools

Rebecca Davis editorUniversal Music Group (UMG) announced Monday that it has signed multi-year direct licensing agreements in China with both Tencent Music Entertainment (TME) and its competitor NetEase Cloud Music, breaking the past precedent of signing exclusively with the former. The move signals a shake-up in the major labels’ approach to the Chinese market.

Universal Music Group’s Interscope, her record label for nearly a decade, according to reports.The Queen of Pop is considering returning to Warner Music Group, where she launched her self-titled debut album “Madonna” in 1983 and went on to crank out hits including “Like a Virgin” (1984), “True Blue” (1986), and “Ray of Light” (1998).

Idol franchise, and TikTok announced on Friday (Aug. 7) that they will be partnering up in order to find music's next supergroup.The first-of-its-kind global music collective will be found through an in-app audition process on the popular video-sharing platform.

Cauty has signed a deal with Universal Music Latin Entertainment, Billboard can exclusively reveal today (Aug. 6).

Finnish video game developer Rovio Entertainment Group has appointed IMG as the exclusive consumer products licensing agent for the Angry Birds puzzle game franchise. Since its launch on mobile devices in 2009, Angry Birds has attracted tens of millions of active users and spawned two film adaptations — featuring the voices of Maya Rudolph, Josh Gad and Jason Sudeikis — as well as a host of merchandise and consumer products, and even theme park experiences in Finland, the U.K.

Variety Staff Follow Us on TwitterWarner Music Group’s third-quarter earnings were revealed today (Aug. 4).

grew subscription revenue 2% and advertising revenue dropped 11.5% from Q1 to Q2, Pandora’s advertising revenue fell 17% from Q1 to Q2, and YouTube’s Q2 revenue -- on all videos, including music -- dropped about 6% from Q1.

Tom Grater International Film ReporterFilmNation TV UK has signed a two-year development deal with Reggie Yates, the British broadcaster and director whose debut feature film Pirates was halted mid-shoot by the pandemic.Launched last year as partnership between U.S.

Variety Staff Follow Us on TwitterWarner Music Group (WMG) has named Dr. Maurice Stinnett head of global equity, diversity and inclusion.

Variety Staff Follow Us on TwitterUniversal Music Vietnam (UMV), in partnership with Vietnamese independent label Times Records (Hãng Đĩa Thời Đại), has signed Vietnamese pop sensation Phùng Khánh Linh. The announcement comes on the heels of Universal Music Group opening UMV’s offices in Ho Chi Minh City last month.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentUniversal Music Group and Canal Plus Group’s international operations helped Vivendi stay afloat during the first half of 2020 which saw the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.The European media giant posted a 3% year-on-year increase in revenues to €7.5 billion ($8.87 billion) during the first half of 2020, which ended on June 30.

Just a few months (in fact, exactly three months to the day) after the theatre chain proclaimed it would no longer play movies from the studio, AMC Theatres and Universal Pictures have signed a multi-year agreement that will allow the studio’s films to premiere on premium video on demand (including the theater’s own, AMC Theatres On Demand) within just three weeks of their theatrical debuts.

Universal Pictures and AMC Theatres have put aside a bitter feud and signed a multi-year agreement that will allow the studio’s films to premiere on premium video on-demand within three weeks of their theatrical debuts.The pact, sure to send shockwaves throughout the exhibition industry, has the potential to reshape the ways that movies are marketed and distributed.

Spotify and Universal Music Group have finalized a new and expanded multi-year global licensing agreement. As part of the arrangement, announced Wednesday, the label group deepens its role as an early adopter of Spotify's marketing tools and other tech features that both parties hope will foster more impactful connections between fans and artists in innovative ways.

Variety Staff Follow Us on TwitterGrammy-winning singer, songwriter and producer Brandi Carlile and her musical collaborators, twin brothers Tim and Phil Hanseroth, have signed a worldwide administration agreement with Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG).Carlile has won five Grammys since releasing her critically acclaimed 2018 album “By The Way, I Forgive You,” which was written by Carlile and the Hanseroths and included the song “The Joke.” Carlile also won best country album at the the

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorSpotify and Universal Music Group, one of the industry’s three biggest music companies, announced a multiyear global music licensing pact.Under the deal, UMG will “deepen its leading role as an early adopter of future products” on Spotify’s platform and “provide valuable feedback to Spotify’s development team,” the companies said.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorSpotify and Universal Music Group, one of the industry’s three biggest music companies, announced a multiyear global music licensing pact.Under the deal, UMG will “deepen its leading role as an early adopter of future products” on Spotify’s platform and “provide valuable feedback to Spotify’s development team,” the companies said.

Universal Music Group is making voting easier for its U.S. employees by making Election Day 2020, Nov. 3, a paid company holiday. The company announced the news to staffers in an internal memo Friday (July 17) and obtained by Billboard.  “After all, the right to vote is the very foundation of democracy -- perhaps of freedom itself,” read

Podcasting has become an arms race as major streaming and broadcast companies acquire companies and launch partnerships with celebrities for original programming. In the last month, iHeartRadio, through a deal with WarnerMedia, and SiriusXM, through its acquisition of podcast app Stitcher, have attempted to keep pace with the leader of the pack, Spotify. Amidst a flurry of dealmaking for original content

Mike WiLL Made-It is back at Warner Chappell Music, where he has signed an exclusive worldwide publishing deal, the global publishing arm of Warner Music Group announced Wednesday (July 15).The Atlanta native has brought his production chops -- and his memorable "Mike WiLL Made-It" sonic tag -- to songs like Beyoncé's "Formation," Kendrick Lamar's "Humble.," Future's "Turn on the Lights," Rihanna's "Pour It Up," Juicy J's "Bandz a Make Her Dance," Miley Cyrus' "We Can't Stop" and more.Mike WiLL