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Universal Music UK’s blog on music, the music news stories which interest us most and the wider issues which affect our business. Some food for thought we hope.

Songs for Japan

Songs for Japan

28/03/2011

As Japan recovers from the devastating tsunami and earthquake that struck the country on March 11, 38 of the biggest names in contemporary music have joined together for the worldwide release of Songs for Japan, a compilation of 38 chart-topping hits and classic tracks, available on the UK iTunes Store for £7.99 starting today (www.itunes.com/songsforjapan). Proceeds from the album's sale will benefit the disaster relief efforts of the Japanese Red Cross Society.

Alex Close, A&R Manager for Fiction Records, shares his SXSW

Alex Close, A&R Manager for Fiction Records, shares his SXSW

25/03/2011

Alex Close - A&R Manager, Fiction

Wednesday March 16th

Delayed flight
Touch down at 10.15pm.
On the strip - 6th Street by 11pm.
Margarita in hand by 11.05pm.
Austin I've missed you!
A spring-break student's paradise - bar after bar as far as the eye can see.

Styling Britannia

14/02/2011

Matt Beardsell - Partner, Music

It’s a dream job for any design agency, to re-invent a brand so iconic that it has the the possibility to become part of the fabric of popular culture. When we were appointed by Brits, and Universal Music UK, Chairman David Joseph to create a new BRIT trophy our excitement soon turned to trepidation at the realisation of the task ahead..

On air, on sale

31/01/2011

David Joseph - Chairman, Universal Music UK

We live in an immediate world so it wasn’t a great surprise when Google and iTunes told us that searches for a new song tend to peak two or three weeks before a record is released, a time when the only place our music had been available was on illegal sites.

Noah's Last Night On Earth

03/03/2010

London folk-pop four-piece Noah & The Whale release their new album Last Night On Earth today.

Gary Harris, Fiction's A&R exec, writes from The Great Escape

Gary Harris, Fiction's A&R exec, writes from The Great Escape

18/05/2011

Gary Harris - A&R Exec, Fiction

So here I am on a train making my way to Brighton for 2011’s Great Escape Festival, the UK’s answer to SXSW.

Straight to the hotel to check in and I’m off to the Dome to collect my pass, then on to Komedia to see the Deep Sea Arcade.

The beginning, not the end

28/01/2011

Paul Smernicki - Director of Digital, Universal Music UK

In his report for Forrester, author Mark Mulligan talks about ‘Digital Natives’, 12-15 year olds who have no experience of a world where music was paid for in the way older people would understand - physical products, downloads or even subscription models.

Getting signed

27/01/2011

Fiction A&R execs Gary Harris and Alex Close have written this blog with some useful first steps if you want to turn your music into a career.

Tinchy Stryder

Tinchy Stryder

26/01/2011

Tinchy Stryder, the man behind Star In The Hood, reveals how his deal took his career to the next level.

Guy Garvey

Elbow

25/01/2011

Elbow's frontman talks about his man at Fiction, Jim Chancellor.

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