Universal Music Group

Background

Though the history of Universal Music Group N.V. dates as far back as the 1930s, the current group (UMG) was created with the acquisition of PolyGram by Universal on December 10, 1998. The name appeared two years before, when MCA Music Entertainment Group was renamed. From its inception until 2001 UMG was part of Universal Studios before Vivendi's acquisition of Universal in 2000 which was completed in 2001, that same year, Vivendi became Vivendi Universal. On May 11, 2004, Vivendi sold 80% of Universal along with USA Network, Sci-Fi (now Syfy) and Universal Parks & Resorts (now Universal Destinations & Experiences) to General Electric, the then-parent company of NBC which led to the formation of NBC Universal, Inc. (now NBCUniversal Media LLC). Since 2001, UMG is a separate entity and is part-owned by Vivendi SE, which also bought the BMG Music Publishing brand in 2007, and later some of the recorded music operations of EMI in 2012. In 2018, Tencent acquired a minority stake in UMG. In 2021, UMG officially split from Vivendi as the company went public and became a Dutch-owned music giant.

Labels under UMG consist of Republic Records, Island Records, Def Jam Recordings, Capitol Records, Motown, Virgin Records, Decca Records, Verve Records, Interscope Geffen A&M Records and Deutsche Grammophon. Other divisions are either genre or foreign-based like UMG Latin Entertainment, UMG Christian, UMG Nashville, UMG UK, UMG Africa, UMG Asia or UMG Canada.

Universal Music Group

1st Logo (1998-2002)

Logo: Same as the 1997 Universal Pictures logo, but when it's almost complete, "MUSIC" fades below (in the same font), and the silvery DVD Video logo underneath.

Technique: Same as the Universal Pictures logo.

Music/Sounds: Same as the Universal Pictures logo.

Availability: Can be found on older music DVDs of UMG artists.

2nd Logo (2002-2006)

Logo: We see the end of the 1997 Universal Pictures logo (when the rotating letters settle down on the globe). Then, a flash occurs, creating rainbows that surround the Universal globe and go in all directions. The Universal globe becomes a CD, as the words "UNIVERSAL MUSIC" (in the same font as its standard counterpart) fly from the top to the inset of the logo. While this happens, the CD fades out while another flash occurs; this time, the flash is red, below the CD, and horizontal. The DVD logo appears after the flash.

Technique: CGI.

Music/Sounds:

A majestic tune with synth-like sounds near the end, which was composed by Juanito Lopez (aka DJ Juanito).
The 1997 long version theme of Universal Television with a whoosh sound.

Availability: It can be seen on quite a few music DVDs.

Universal Music Group HD

(2006-)

Logo: We start with the second half of the 1997 Universal Pictures logo, which adds "UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP" below. Then, a transparent HD flies and stops underneath, flashing and stretching into "HIGH DEFINITION" words over the globe.

Technique: CGI.

Music/Sounds: Same as the first variant of the 2nd logo's music, but the thud sound is heard.

Availability: It can be seen on music Blu-rays released by Universal Music or its regional branches.

◄	Uni Distribution Corp.

Universal Music Group