Universal Music Group
To start off, here is a list of your favourite K-idols who rely on UMG and where UMG helps them to promote, usually it’s between Japan or internationally. (hint: those signed in internationally are preparing for an international debut, of course)
Universal Music Group (UMG)
- 4Minute (International)
- B2ST (International)
- BIGBANG (Japan)
- KARA (Japan)
- RAINBOW (Japan)
- Supernova (Japan)
- G.NA(Unknown)
- Super Junior (Unknown)
- EMI Group
- SHINee (Japan)
- IU (Japan)
- T-ara (Japan)
- Jonas Records – direct management by the Jonas Brothers
- Wonder Girls (International)
- Delicious Deli Records
- Kim Hyun Joong (Japan)
- Far East Movement (Japan)
- Interscope-Geffen-A&M Label Group
- Interscope Records - the largest subsidiary of UMG
- SNSD (International)
- Far East Movement (International)
- will.i.am Music Group - direct management by will.i.am
- 2NE1 (International)
- Island Def Jam Music Group
- Def Jam Records - owned by LA Reid, that judge on X Factor (yes, the bald one)
- Psy (International)
In fact, the only Korean artist that does not rely on UMG to promote internationally is JYJ, who rely on Warner Music Group. Do acknowledge that a lot of your K-idols depend strongly on UMG, even just to get the merchandise shipped to your local record store.
As you may have heard, UMG has blocked some videos under CUBE Entertainment on copyright infringement grounds. That’s because the videos were released under UMG, and UMG has the right to these videos. Why UMG is blocking the videos, we are not really sure, but they have every right to. Remember when Justin Bieber’s YouTube videos were blocked for a short while to the demise of every seven-year-old on Earth? Well, they were restored soon after because he was to become a YouTube partner sponsored by VEVO. That’s about it. YouTube is just redirecting the videos to VEVO.
Worst case scenario, UMG can block the videos on YouTube permanently. This means that the Korean record labels have to re-upload them somewhere else, maybe melon, vimeo, amazon, iTunes, etc. One good thing about it is that if it does happen, the videos would be uploaded in full HD, even those from 2008 and before (like how SNSD's Dancing Queen was filmed in 2008 and is now uploaded in HD)
You may have heard that UMG has some racist intentions like clamping down K-Pop and preventing it from spreading, but no. And before you try to boycott UMG, bear in mind. 40% out of every record sold last year in the entire world belong to UMG. There used to be 4 major record labels internationally; Universal Music Group, EMI, Sony Music Entertainment and Warner Music Group, which together make up 90% of the market share. But recently, EMI merged with UMG, making UMG even bigger than it was before.
UMG’s most valuable asset as of now is Lady Gaga, but a whole string of other artists sing under the label and its subsidiaries, including Rihanna, Lana Del Rey, Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Coldplay, Ellie Goulding, Kanye West, Eminem and Madonna, just to name a few. UMG’s essentially not much of an evil company. Like other international record labels, the label gets at most 20% of what their artists make, which is little compared to the 40 to 70% in SM, YG and JYP.
So before you think of boycotting UMG, remember that UMG makes little over USD 7 billion a year. That’s one dollar out of the pockets of every human being in existence. What’s more, it belongs to Vivendi, a company that generates $28 billion in revenue a year, so that’s $1 out of everyone’s pocket every 3 months. Put that next to the Big 3 in Korea who make no more than $300 million a year combined.
Now tell it to their faces that the army of Hallyu fans is enough to take UMG out.
So sit the down and finish reading your stupid fanfic.
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