To submit your music to Universal Music Group, you should research their roster and labels and prepare a professional press kit. Properly submitting demos, contacting press managers, and demonstrating tactful persistence in follow-ups may give you a better chance. They own many different record labels and imprints, each with its own A&R departments.
FAQ Record labels
Record labels under UMG do not accept pirated or illegally copied music. When creating your demo, keep in mind that it’s important to showcase both your talent and the type of music you’re passionate about. To promote your music to other labels, Spotify playlists, blogs, radio stations, YouTube channels, and TikTok influencers, start your campaign today. Universal Music Group (UMG) is the world’s largest music company. NFounded in 1912, the facility is currently owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment and houses the division’s film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, TriStar Pictures, and Screen Gems. The complex was the original studios of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer from 1924 to 1986 and Lorimar-Telepictures from 1986 to 1989.
Universal Music Group
In return, according to the 360 deal, the artist agrees to give the company a percentage of an increased number of their revenue streams. In a 360 deal this often includes a percentage of sales of recorded music worldwide, live performances, royalties, publishing and more. Costs for packaging, budget records and other costs might be deducted from the artist’s royalties as well. They are home to such artists as Lady Gaga, Eminem, Justin Bieber, Rihanna and many more of your favorite pop stars out there today.
What Happens After You Submit Your Demo to Universal Music Group?
If someone messages you and asks for an exchange, run the other way (or just delete the email). In other words, signing to a major label does not guarantee success, but it can provide artists with resources and support that can increase their chances of success. Staying proactive will ultimately help you make progress within a competitive industry and enhance your chances of success.
- Demo submissions should be directed to UMG’s record labels, but kindly note that they are unable to accept unsolicited material.
- While you may receive a lower score, you also risk losing out on important opportunities.
- Runner-up is BandLab, which has become popular among indie musicians and artist.
- But keep in mind, this doesn’t mean anything about your music or you as an artist.
Getting your music on a TV commercial, film, or TV show could generate quick exposure to your music and could be a nice shortcut to getting attention from the major labels. Sync music supervisors play a big role in getting your music licensed, and they are responsible for placing music in film, TV, and other media. Make sure your music is commercial enough to be synchronized and licensed. By combining these components into a polished, high-quality press kit, you effectively communicate your strengths, dedication, and professionalism to Universal Music Group. This preparedness speaks volumes about your commitment to your craft and increases your chance of catching the attention of UMG’s management team. Universal Music Group is home to the most iconic and influential labels & brands in music.
Mastering helps to optimize playback across all systems and media formats. Traditionally, mastering uses several tools like equalization, limiting, compression and stereo enhancement. Mastering can do a lot for your song but it really can’t fix it.
Typically, demos are recommended to one of our labels’ A&R departments by a manager, agent, producer, radio DJ or other industry professional. At least in the eyes of record labels, it’s not all about having the perfect demos with precise timing, soaring vocals, and a rollicking guitar solo. While indie artists need to be both the artist and the business, record labels are all business.
UMG’s list of subsidiaries includes Abbey Road Studios, Interscope, Geffen, Motown, Def Jam, Island, EMI, Verve, and more. Many of the labels Universal owns also have their own sets of subsidiary labels. Secondly, you need to have a strong online presence and be actively promoting your music. Thirdly, you need to have a professional attitude and be easy to work with.
Founded in 1934, UMG has a rich history of discovering and promoting some of the biggest names in music, including Lady Gaga, Kendrick Lamar, and Taylor Swift. In addition to its impressive artist roster, UMG also owns a number of influential music publishing companies, such as Polygram and the Rondor Music Group. If you’re hoping to get your music noticed by Universal Music Group (UMG), submitting your demo to one of the company’s record labels is a good place to start.
UMG’s Spinnup site offers both digital distribution and a network of scouts who have relationships with many of Universal Music’s labels. UMG is responsible for managing a vast and diverse catalog of music, including popular artists and record labels such as Capitol Records, Interscope Geffen A&M, and Def Jam Recordings. It is involved in various aspects of the music industry, including distribution, marketing, and publishing. In most cases, record labels work directly with artists and producers to coordinate the writing and production of the recordings.
By presenting multiple demos, you offer a comprehensive understanding of your talent, style, and versatility. Along with preparing impressive demos, identifying and contacting press managers in your target genre further streamlines the submission process. Sony Music Entertainment (SME) is another major player in the music industry, with a strong focus on pop and electronic music. Founded in 1929, SME has a long history of fostering the careers of some of the biggest names in the business, such as Michael Jackson, Beyoncé, and Calvin Harris. The company also owns a number of record labels, including Columbia, RCA, and Epic. To increase your chances of having your demo accepted by Universal Music Group, submit it to their record labels instead of directly to UMG.
Follow UMG’s guidelines when submitting your demo so you give yourself the best chance possible of getting noticed by the right people. In addition to submitting your demo directly to Universal Music Group, promoting it through social media can also help increase its visibility. Another thing to keep in mind is that UMG will never, ever ask you for money to submit your music. Unfortunately, scammers are out there trying to take advantage of artists and the hope of having their music heard.
Fourth is Cloudbound, a mastering tool that is available 24/7. On the fifth spot we find Metropolis Studios and last but not least is eMastered. But of course, you can always choose for personal contact with a professional mastering engineer like audiobyray.com. When an artist signs a deal with a label, they should see themselves as an investment of the record label.
This can be used for anything and everything in the artist’s music career. Keep in mind though, that every dime the record label invests in the artist, they expect to get back. If the music label never recoups what they’ve invested in the artist, the artist will never see any of the royalties that their music generated. All of that advanced money must first be paid back to the record label. Universal Music Group is home to about 15 different record labels.
Sony Music Entertainment is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. Universal Music Group is the global music leader, with wholly owned operations in 60 territories. Its businesses also include Universal Music Publishing Group, one of the industry’s premier music publishing operations worldwide.