Universal Music Group Launches Mercury Studios, Alice Webb to Lead

Rebecca Davis editorUniversal Music Japan has appointed Rui Suzuki as its Tokyo-based chief financial officer starting on Jan.

Vivendi said Friday that aTencent-led consortium had exercised its option to acquire an additional 10 percent stake of Universal Music Group. TheFrench entertainment and telecom conglomerate confirmed the deal was based on an enterprise value for UMG of €30 billion, or $36.76 billion at current exchange rates, which values the 10 percent stake in the music major at $3.7 billion.

A consortium led by China’s Tencent has exercised an option to purchase a further 10% of Vivendi’s Universal Music Group. The deal values the company at €30BN.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefFrench media conglomerate Vivendi said on Friday that a consortium led by China’s Tencent will exercise its option to acquire a further 10% stake in Universal Music Group, raising its holding to 20%.A Tencent consortium completed its deal to buy 10% of UMG in March this year. It retained an option running until January 2021 to double its stake, through a second purchase on the same valuation.

Shirley Halperin Executive Editor, MusicUniversal Music Group chairman and CEO Sir Lucian Grainge was one of the first music industry executives to contract COVID-19 this year, entering the hospital shortly after his 60th birthday celebration at the end of February.

For as far back as Pearlena Igbokwe can remember, she's had a single wall, in every home and office that she's occupied, painted a golden hue. "The color of sunshine," she says, revealing her love for the kind of shock of color that can immediately warm up a room and put those within it at ease.

Pearlena Igbokwe To make sense of all that has transpired in 2020 and what it portends for the media and entertainment sectors going forward, Variety spoke with a cross section of industry leaders about the broad theme of change. For more, click here.In the midst of challenges, chaos and disruption, it’s leadership that makes the difference.

Lawmakers in Mexico on Tuesday approved a controversial reform to the National Security Law to "regulate and monitor all activities of foreign agents," which critics say will dramatically set back U.S. and Mexico relations and hamper efforts in the battle against drug cartels.

The death of country music legend Charley Pride is being questioned by several of the genre’s stars, who are wondering whether his performance at the County Music Association’s indoor awards show a month before he acquired Covid-19 may be connected.

Janet W.

Variety Staff Follow Us on TwitterGreg Dorfman has been promoted to Executive Vice President, Promotion for Elektra Music Group. Dorfman, who has been with the Warner Music family for over 25 years, will now oversee the day-to-day operations of EMG’s promotion department, including the Elektra, Fueled By Ramen, and Roadrunner labels.

Universal Music Publishing Group, part of Vivendi's Universal Music Group, on Monday unveiled the acquisition of Bob Dylan's entire catalog of songs. The "landmark agreement encompasses more than 600 copyrights spanning 60 years, from 1962's cultural milestone 'Blowin' In The Wind' to this year's epic 'Murder Most Foul'," the music major said.

Bob Dylan has struck a historical deal with Universal Music to sell his entire songwriting catalogue.According to the New York Times, the music icon has sold his back catalogue for an eye-watering $300 million (£225 million), giving Universal the ownership of over 600 songs spanning a period of almost six decades.It includes career-cementing early classics such as ‘Blowin’ in the Wind’, ‘The Times They Are A-Changing’ and ‘Like A Rolling Stone’, all the way through to 2020’s ‘Rough and Rowdy

Bob Dylan, whose music career has stretched from the early-1960s folk scene to a critically acclaimed album released earlier this year, has sold his entire song catalog to Universal Music Publishing Group.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorThe song-catalog bonanza of 2020 just hit a peak that is not likely to be topped: Universal Music Publishing Group has acquired Bob Dylan’s entire catalog of songs in a blockbuster agreement encompassing more than 600 copyrights spanning 60 years, ranging from 1962’s “Blowin’ in the Wind” to this year’s “Murder Most Foul.” His catalog was previously administered by Sony/ATV Music Publishing.Terms were not disclosed, but a source tells Variety that the deal was

Music giant Universal Music Group has beefed up its production arm, forming a new studio to develop narrative content with music at its core.