99-591: Cash Money Records is an American record label founded in 1991 by brothers Ronald "Slim" Williams and Bryan "Baby" Williams . The label gained prominence in the late 1990s for having signed and released albums for New Orleans –based musical acts including Lil Wayne , Juvenile , B.G. , and Hot Boys . It became an imprint of Universal Records , a division of Universal Music Group in March 1998, and remained so during its following iterations as Universal Republic , Universal Motown and ultimately Republic Records . In
198-518: A Sony -led consortium for $ 2.2 billion. Among the other companies that had competed for the recorded music business was Warner Music Group which was reported to have made a $ 2 billion bid. IMPALA opposed the merger. In March 2012, the European Union opened an investigation into the acquisition The EU asked rivals and consumer groups whether the deal would result in higher prices and shut out competitors. On September 21, 2012,
297-513: A Hot Girl " (#65). All of Cash Money's albums and singles in this period were solely produced by the label's in-house producer, Mannie Fresh . Their A&R at Universal, Dino Delvaille, said: When they first came into the business, they were very reluctant to make records with other people. They probably felt that people would steal their style or flavor, and I had to work hard to get them to open up to making records with Cam'ron , Puffy , and Clipse, among others. The label's success continued into
396-516: A co-publishing venture with the Atria Publishing Group called Cash Money Content. In February 2013, Birdman released a compilation mixtape with Cash Money and Young Money, entitled Rich Gang: All Stars . Shortly afterwards, he announced a compilation album entitled Rich Gang: Flashy Lifestyle that was due to be released on May 21, 2013—it featured members of Cash Money, Young Money, and various collaborators. The first single from
495-565: A community Thanksgiving giveaway, where over 2000 Thanksgiving turkeys are personally handed out for free. Access to free medical screening is also provided at these events. In February 2009, the Williams brothers were featured in CNBC 's Newbos: The Rise of America's New Black Overclass , a documentary show profiling several black multi-millionaires. Williams appeared in Lil Wayne's Behind
594-476: A former wife of Tom Petty that seeks class action status for artists whose master recordings were believed to have been destroyed in the Universal Studios fire. On December 9, 2011, Megaupload published a music video titled: "The Mega Song", showing artists including Kanye West , Snoop Dogg , Alicia Keys and will.i.am endorsing the company. The music video was also uploaded to YouTube, but
693-758: A global partnership agreement with UMG across recorded music, music publishing, brand management, and licensing rights. On November 19, 2018, singer-songwriter Taylor Swift signed a new multi-album deal with UMG, in the United States, her future releases will be promoted under the Republic Records imprint. In addition to the promised ownership of her master recordings, UMG agreed to, in case it sells portions of its stake in Spotify , distribute proceeds among its artists and make them non-recoupable. In December 2018, Queen's " Bohemian Rhapsody " became
792-508: A global, multi-year agreement with Facebook becoming the first of The " Big Three " to license its recorded music and publishing catalogs for video and other social experiences across Facebook , Instagram and Oculus . Sony and Warner signed similar contracts with Facebook the following year. Furthermore, on December 19, 2017, UMG signed a multi-year licensing agreement with YouTube . In June 2018, Universal Music Japan announced an exclusive license agreement with Disney Music Group . With
891-418: A judge ruled that Cash Money owed Wayne and his label $ 1.5 million for "direct, contributory and vicarious inducement of copyright infringement, unfair competition and breach of contract." Despite this, legal disputes have continued to occur between the two parties, mostly pertaining to withheld and delayed music releases. In 2010, Williams and his brother started an oil exploration business, "Bronald Oil". It
990-492: A lawsuit. On January 20, 2015, Wayne self-released Sorry 4 the Wait 2 , a sequel to his 2011 mixtape , to compensate for the continued delay of Tha Carter V . Upon Sorry for the Wait 2 ' s release, it was noted that Wayne disses Birdman and Cash Money Records several times throughout. Birdman was reported to be upset with this. In late January 2015, Lil Wayne filed a $ 51 million lawsuit against Birdman and Cash Money over
1089-533: A mixed critical reception and debuted at number 7 on the Billboard 200. On December 4, 2014, just five days before Tha Carter V was due to be released, Wayne issued a statement saying the album would not be released on its expected release date due to his displeasure with Birdman refusing to release the album, although it had been completed. Wayne also expressed his feelings by stating he felt he and his creative partner were being held "prisoner". Lil Wayne filed
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#17327797789951188-469: A new in-car audio collaboration with Apple Music and Universal Music Group. With this new audio standard, UMG allows its artists to base their song approval process on how the final mix sounds in a Mercedes‑Benz and introduced the "Approved in a Mercedes‑Benz" label as a standard. In November 2022, Universal Music Group acquired a 49% stake in Play It Again Sam (PIAS Group), which brings together
1287-456: A new multi-year licensing agreement with Spotify In June 2021, Pershing Square Tontine Holdings , a special-purpose acquisition company run by investor Bill Ackman, announced it would acquire 10 percent of UMG before it went public, in a $ 4 billion transaction. The deal collapsed in July 2021 due to regulatory concerns, and it was announced that Ackman's Pershing Square Holdings would complete
1386-817: A new multi-year licensing agreement with Spotify , the world's leading streaming service, and in May 2017, UMG signed a deal with Tencent , China's biggest gaming and social media firm. In July 2017, " Despacito " by Luis Fonsi , Daddy Yankee and featuring Justin Bieber , became the most streamed track of all time. By 2018, the song had broken several Guinness World Records , including Most Weeks at Number 1 on Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart and most-viewed video online. In August 2017, UMG and Grace/Beyond agreed to develop three new music-based television series, 27 , Melody Island and Mixtape . 27 would focus on musicians at
1485-419: A result of the fire. Representatives for R.E.M. announced they would investigate the effects the fire may have had on the band's archival materials, while Hole , Steely Dan , Rosanne Cash and Geoff Downes made statements on their possible losses from the fire. A representative for Eminem confirmed that the rapper's master recordings were digitized months before the fire, but could not confirm whether
1584-614: A series of independent labels. In January 2023, Sherry Lansing was named the Chairman of Board of Directors of the Universal Music Group. In August 2023, it was announced UMG had acquired the UAE -based music marketing, digital publishing and distribution agency, Chabaka. In 2023, Universal Music Group and Deezer announced their initiative to explore potential new business models for music streaming that better recognize
1683-474: A similar settlement was entered into with music publishers and distributors Sony Music , Warner Music , Bertelsmann Music Group , EMI Music and Universal Music Group and certain retailers, without admission of liability or wrongdoing, with various states. In settlement of the claim, the companies collectively agreed to pay a $ 67.4 million fine and distribute $ 75.7 million in CDs to public and non-profit groups. It
1782-523: A single on the service titled "Glory". On July 4, 2015, Wayne released Free Weezy Album exclusively through Tidal under Young Money and Republic Records. On July 15, prosecutors allege Birdman and Young Thug conspired to murder Lil Wayne and were involved in the April 26 shooting. On July 16, Birdman filed a $ 50 million lawsuit against Jay Z's Tidal streaming service over Lil Wayne's Free Weezy Album . The lawsuit claims that Cash Money Records exclusively owns
1881-471: A three-year, $ 30 million distribution deal with Universal Records in March 1998, under which the Williams brothers were given a $ 2 million advance each year and a credit of $ 1.5 million for each of the six artists that they had at the time. After recouping, Universal Records would retain 15% of profits from album sales, while Cash Money retained 85%, as well as 50% of their publishing royalties and ownership of all master recordings. Dino Delvaille, who orchestrated
1980-513: A valuation of €46 billion. As of April 2024, UMG's catalogue includes over 3 million recordings and 4 million compositions. As of November 2024, UMG is facing accusations of violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act ; and using deceptive business practices and false advertising under New York state law, to illegally inflate music streams using bots, payola and other methods. The company's origins go back to
2079-512: A worldwide basis. The exclusive deal also saw UMG granted unlimited access to all rights pertaining to Disney's 85-year back catalog of soundtracks and albums. On April 2, 2013, the gospel music divisions of Motown Records and EMI merged to form a new label called Motown Gospel. In May 2013, Japanese company SoftBank offered $ 8.5 billion to Vivendi for the acquisition of UMG, but Vivendi rejected it. In July 2018, JPMorgan said that UMG could be worth as much as $ 40 billion and then increased
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#17327797789952178-581: A young age. The rich musical history and culture within New Orleans is the primary influence that molded Williams into the world-renowned musician that he is today. The New Orleans musical culture is based on the habits and livelihoods of the people that reside within the city. Ultimately, the local identity within New Orleans has a direct impact on musical culture, and it is the unique cultural environment in which Williams grew up that molded his personal and musical career. As Williams' label pushed forward
2277-532: Is a hip hop collective and side project introduced by Birdman in 2013, initially composed of members from the Cash Money Records roster. The group's debut single, " Tapout " (featuring Future ) was released in March 2013. Georgia rappers Young Thug and Rich Homie Quan became the core of the Rich Gang, debuting with guest appearances on the group's 2014 single " Lifestyle ". The duo were also
2376-862: Is also headquartered in Hollywood. Universal Music Group operates a secondary office in Woodland Hills that includes finance, royalty, and operations functions. Universal Music Latin Entertainment is headquartered in Miami, Florida . Universal Music Group Nashville is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee . UMG has offices in New York City where Island Records , Def Jam Recordings , Republic Records , Verve Label Group , and Spinefarm Records are headquartered. Universal Music Spain
2475-465: Is an American entrepreneur and record executive who co-founded the record label Cash Money Records in 1991, along with his younger brother, rapper Bryan "Birdman" Williams . He has served as executive producer for most of the label's major releases since 1997. In contrast to his brother, he has not been credited on any musical production or performance. Ronald Jay Williams was born on November 11, 1964, to Johnnie Williams and Gladys Brooks. His father
2574-640: Is based in Madrid , Spain. Universal Music Group Global (formerly known as Universal Music Group International (UMGI) ) operates offices in London. Universal Music GmbH, the German subsidiary, is headquartered in Berlin . It moved in 2002 from Hamburg to the district Friedrichshain at the river Spree . In February 2024 the company moved out of the iconic building also called "Eierspeicher" into another office down
2673-598: Is expected to be of $ 3.36 billion. In February 2020, Vivendi announced it was planning to go public in an IPO within three years. On June 16, 2020, Universal rebranded Virgin EMI Records as EMI Records and named Rebecca Allen (former president of UMG's Decca label) as the label's president, bringing back the EMI brand. The same day, UMG announced launch of its new affiliates in Morocco and Israel. In July 2020, UMG signed
2772-638: Is over a third bigger than initial valuation. In January 2022, UMG (through INgrooves ) acquired the Icelandic record label Alda Music, which owned the rights to nearly 80 percent of all music released in Iceland. In February 2022, Universal Music Group announced a partnership with Curio, an NFT platform, to create NFT collections for its record labels and artists. On May 31, 2022, Universal Music Group announced Baa1/BBB long-term credit ratings from Moody's and S&P. In October 2022, Mercedes-Benz launched
2871-668: The Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit " Slow Motion ". In 2007, former Hot Boys member Lil Wayne was named president of Cash Money Records and CEO of Young Money Entertainment . Later that year, Lil Wayne stepped down as president to focus on his career, especially Tha Carter III . In 2008, Lil Wayne re-signed with Cash Money, ensuring that his next few albums will be produced by the label. In September 2008, Cash Money released rocker Kevin Rudolf 's smash-hit debut single " Let It Rock " featuring label-mate Lil Wayne. On October 15, 2008, at
2970-678: The Hot Boys ' Guerrilla Warfare , B.G.'s Chopper City in the Ghetto , and Lil Wayne 's Tha Block Is Hot also saw great chart success, were all certified Platinum by the RIAA, and furthered the label's reputation. These albums contained major Billboard hits such as Juvenile's " Back That Azz Up " (#19 on the Billboard Hot 100 ), B.G.'s " Bling Bling " (#36), and the Hot Boys' " I Need
3069-465: The MOBO Awards , British R&B singer Jay Sean announced that he had signed with Cash Money Records. In February 2009, the Williams brothers were featured in CNBC 's Newbos: The Rise of America's New Black Overclass , a documentary show profiling several black multi-millionaires. In early 2009, it was announced that former Roc-A-Fella Records artist Freeway signed with the label, although he
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3168-487: The "Annenberg Inclusion Initiative", becoming the first music company to do so. The initiative is meant to create change for representation of women and underrepresented racial and ethnic groups in the media industry. In December 2017, Universal Music Group acquired Stiff and ZTT labels, along with Perfect Songs Publishing, from Trevor Horn 's SPZ Group; BMG Rights Management , through Union Square Music subsidiary, retained its back catalogues. That same month, UMG signed
3267-714: The 'ethical use' of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Also in October 2023, UMG formed a new partnership with BMG Rights Management to develop collaborative initiatives to enlarge opportunities for BMG-signed artists all over the world. Unable to reach a licensing agreement with TikTok, UMG removed its music from the platform in January 2024, During UMG's fourth-quarter earnings call on February 29, Grainge said: "There must not be free rides for massive global platforms such as TikTok." The company reported that quarterly revenue rose 9 percent, to 3.2 billion euros ($ 3.5 billion). Following
3366-487: The 2000s. Between 2001 and 2003, the label sold 7 million albums. The song "Still Fly" by the Big Tymers was nominated for two Grammy Awards . However, B.G. and Juvenile left the label by 2002, claiming financial mismanagement. In April 2003, Juvenile returned to the label for a reported $ 4 million deal, and in return, he signed over the rights to Juve The Great , an album which sold over a million copies and contained
3465-531: The Beatles (formerly of Parlophone) and Robbie Williams (formerly of Chrysalis). The Beatles catalogue was transferred to UMG's newly formed Calderstone Productions , while Williams' catalogue was transferred to Island Records . Universal Music Group completed their acquisition of EMI on September 28, 2012. In November 2012, Steve Barnett was appointed chairman and CEO of Capitol Music Group . He formerly served as COO of Columbia Records . In compliance
3564-579: The Cash Money Brothers, drug kingpin Nino Brown's gang from the 1991 crime film New Jack City . Bryan Williams told some of his close friends the motivation for starting the label: I was hoping it would get us out of the projects and into a positive way of life. And we wanted to help other people get out of this poverty... Cash Money's first artist, New Orleans–based rapper Kilo G, issued his debut album, The Sleepwalker , in 1992 as
3663-659: The Greek market, as part of its divesture plans, Universal Music retained Minos EMI and sold Universal Music Greece to Greek investors who renamed it Cobalt Music. Edel AG acquired the MPS catalogue from Universal in January 2014. On March 20, 2013, UMG announced the worldwide extension of their exclusive distribution deal with the Disney Music Group , excluding Japan. As a result of this deal DMG's labels and artists have access to UMG's roster of producers and songwriters on
3762-528: The Hot Boys–B.G. and Juvenile in particular–caught the attention of Universal Records executives. Wendy Day effectively negotiated a deal between Cash Money and the Universal Music Group (UMG) subsidiary (known currently as Republic Records ), which became a 70%-30% distribution deal. Later, UMG acquired a portion of Cash Money Records, making it a subsidiary of the company. Cash Money signed
3861-633: The Music episode, which premiered September 10, 2009. Universal Music Group Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as Universal Music Group or Universal Music ) is a Dutch – American multinational music corporation under Dutch law . UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum , Netherlands and its operational headquarters are located in Santa Monica , California. The biggest music company in
3960-872: The Philippines and more. Company's legal headquarters are in the Netherlands. Universal Music Group's largest corporate shareholder, Tencent , is headquartered in Shenzhen , China. Tencent's ultimate largest controlling corporate shareholder, Naspers , is headquartered in Cape Town , South Africa. On March 8, 2022, UMG suspended all its operations in Russia , following the country's invasion of Ukraine . In 2023, UMG announced its expansion with its new office in Casablanca , Morocco. As of January 2022,
4059-631: The Top 10 artists, including all of the top five, as well as all of the top eight artists ranked by on-demand audio streams. In August 2018, UMG announced a strategic expansion in Africa, opening an office in Abidjan to oversee French-speaking Africa, and also unveiling a Universal Music Nigeria office in Lagos to focus on signing local artists and taking them global. In September 2018, singer Elton John signed
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4158-492: The acquisition was completed on June 25, 2007. In June 2007, UMG acquired Sanctuary, which eventually became UMG's entertainment merchandising and brand management division, Bravado. In 2008, Universal Music Group agreed to make its catalog available to Spotify , then a new streaming service, for use outside the U.S. on a limited basis. Doug Morris stepped down from his position as CEO on January 1, 2011. Former chairman/CEO of Universal Music International Lucian Grainge
4257-545: The addition of Japan, UMG distributes releases from Disney Music Group globally. In July, the Rolling Stones signed a worldwide agreement with UMG covering the band's recorded music and audio-visual catalogues, archival support, global merchandising and brand management. That same month, Vivendi announced it would explore selling as much as half of Universal Music Group to one or more investors. In Nielsen's 2018 US Music Mid-Year report, UMG made history with eight of
4356-452: The age of 27, an age at which several iconic musicians died . Melody Island was an animated series based on tropical island music with live craft segments. Mixtape had twelve episodes, with each episode connected to a song. In October 2017, UMG announced the launch of its Accelerator Engagement Network, an initiative aimed to help develop music-based startups around the world. In November 2017, USC Annenberg announced UMG's partnership in
4455-473: The bounce music sound in the United States, it was evident that local identity and his cultural roots influenced his precise music selection, management and production. On November 27, 2007, Williams was arrested for marijuana possession in Tennessee. He was among 16 people charged for possession of more than 1/2 an ounce of marijuana. His brother Birdman was also arrested and detained overnight. Their RV
4554-425: The company was renamed Universal Studios, Inc. , and its music division was renamed Universal Music Group; MCA Records continued as a label within the Universal Music Group. In May 1998, Seagram purchased PolyGram and merged it with Universal Music Group in early 1999. Seagram's entertainment assets were then sold to French media conglomerate Vivendi in 2000, along with UMG. In May 2004, Universal Music Group
4653-554: The company's catalog division, are headquartered in Santa Monica. Def Jam , Island and Republic Records also maintain offices there. UMG chairman & CEO Lucian Grainge is based at the company's Santa Monica offices. Universal Music Publishing is also headquartered in the city. Capitol Music Group is headquartered at the Capitol Records Building in Hollywood. Universal Music Latin Entertainment
4752-475: The company's shares were held by: In 2000, music companies including UMG entered into consent agreements with the Federal Trade Commission , with no admission of liability, whereby they agreed to discontinue the use of Minimum Advertised Price programs under which subsidized cooperative advertising was provided to retailers that agreed to adhere to minimum advertised pricing. In 2002,
4851-1472: The conditions of the European Commission after purchase of EMI, Universal Music Group sold the Mute catalogue to the German-based BMG Rights Management on December 22, 2012. Two months later, BMG acquired Sanctuary Records for €50 million ($ 58 million). On February 8, 2013, Warner Music Group acquired the Parlophone Label Group (consisting of Parlophone Records , Chrysalis Records , EMI Classics , Virgin Classics and EMI Records' Belgian, Czech, Danish, French, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Slovak and Swedish divisions) for $ 765 million (£487 million). Later in February, Sony Music Entertainment acquired UMG's European share in Now That's What I Call Music for approximately $ 60 million. Play It Again Sam acquired Co-Operative Music for £500,000 in March 2013. With EMI's absorption into Universal Music complete, its British operations consist of five label units: Island, Polydor, Decca, Virgin EMI and Capitol. In
4950-533: The court holding a trial on whether UMG had a subjective belief that the video was infringing and not fair to use before sending its request to YouTube. In April 2016, UMG had the audio muted of a video clip showing Katherine Jenkins singing the British national anthem. They claimed that the recording of " God Save the Queen " was copyrighted, and YouTube initially complied with this request, but subsequently offered
5049-475: The deal, later told HitQuarters : "I made certain they retained (the rights) of their work. They deserve it." Cash Money's first success under Universal was Juvenile 's November 1998 release, 400 Degreez . The album peaked at number 9 on the Billboard Top 200 and would ultimately go on to sell over five million copies worldwide. The success of 400 Degreez solidified Cash Money as a powerhouse label in
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#17327797789955148-474: The delay of Tha Carter V . In January 2015, Wayne stated that when he leaves Cash Money, he would take Drake and Nicki Minaj with him. On June 22, TMZ reported new details on the lawsuit. According to documents filed by Lil Wayne, Birdman and Cash Money have mismanaged Young Money, including Drake and Minaj. The documents allege that Birdman and Cash Money haven't paid people. In June 2015, Wayne joined Jay-Z 's Tidal as an artist owner and exclusively released
5247-527: The disbandment of Island Def Jam Music , one of four operational umbrella groups within Universal Music. Universal CEO Lucian Grainge said of the closure, "No matter how much we might work to build 'IDJ' as a brand, that brand could never be as powerful as each of IDJ's constituent parts." Island Records and Def Jam now operate as autonomous record labels. David Massey and Bartels, who worked respectively at Island and Def Jam Records, were named to
5346-594: The earnings call, UMG began a "strategic organizational redesign" that included company-wide layoffs. Universal Music Group co-developed with Google Vevo , a site designed for music videos inspired by Hulu , which similarly allows free ad-supported streaming of videos and other music content. On May 24, 2018, Vevo announced that it would no longer continue distributing videos to Vevo.com, instead opting to primarily focus on YouTube syndication. UMG's operational headquarters are located in Santa Monica . Interscope-Geffen-A&M and Universal Music Enterprises (UME),
5445-459: The fire which swept through Universal Studios Hollywood on June 1, 2008, caused "the biggest disaster in the history of the music business". In space rented from NBCUniversal, according to an official document marked "Confidential", the fire destroyed at least 118,230 "assets" ( master recordings ), or about 500,000 song titles, owned by UMG. "The vault housed tape masters for Decca , the pop, jazz and classical powerhouse; it housed master tapes for
5544-525: The formation of the American branch of Decca Records in September 1934, and its name and company logo originate from Carl Laemmle 's Universal Pictures . Although the movie studio and the music business share a common history, today the former is part of Comcast and the latter an independent commercial entity. During World War II , many record companies donated their metal masters to recycling for
5643-441: The label's first release. The label then signed the hip hop group U.N.L.V. , composed of rappers Lil Ya, Tec 9 and Yella Boy. They released the projects 6th & Baronne (1993), Mac Melph Calio (1995), and Uptown 4 Life (1996) under the label. They were some of the original bounce rappers that help create a sound in New Orleans, along with the label's following releases. Kilo G's second and final album, The Bloody City (1995),
5742-452: The label. Since then, the label has grown its production division by signing more producers. In October 2009, Cash Money Records, Birdman, Lil Wayne and various music distribution outlets were sued for copyright infringement by Thomas Marasciullo, who claims his voice was used without permission. The rappers asked him to record some "Italian-styled spoken word recordings" in 2006. The lyrics were allegedly used on "Respect" and other tracks from
5841-422: The late 2000s, Cash Money signed and released projects for a number of prominent hip hop artists, including Drake , Nicki Minaj , and Tyga . Wayne launched Young Money Entertainment in 2005, which operated as an imprint of the label and Republic Records until 2018—a joint venture colloquially branded as Young Money Cash Money Billionaires (abbreviated as YMCMB ). The label has been commonly regarded as among
5940-671: The major Grammy Awards for the year, with Sam Smith receiving Best New Artist , Record of the Year and Song of the Year awards and Beck winning Album of the Year . In March 2016, Universal Music Canada donated the archives of EMI Music Canada to the University of Calgary . In May 2016, UMG acquired Famehouse, a digital marketing agency. That same year, Paul McCartney and the Bee Gees both signed to UMG's Capitol Records, including their catalog releases. In April 2017, UMG signed
6039-515: The most successful urban contemporary music labels of the 2000s to 2010s. Artists signed to Cash Money Records have achieved a combined 12 number one albums on the Billboard 200 chart and seven number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart ( Juvenile 's " Slow Motion ", Lil Wayne 's " Lollipop ", Jay Sean's " Down " and Drake 's " One Dance ", " God's Plan ", " Nice for What ", and " In My Feelings "). The label's name alludes to
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#17327797789956138-453: The most-streamed song from the pre-streaming era and the most-streamed classic rock song of all time. In February 2019, UMG fully acquired music distributor INgrooves . In June 2019, YouTube and UMG announced that they were upgrading more than 1,000 popular music videos to high definition, releasing them through 2020. In August 2019, Tencent and Vivendi started negotiation to sell 10% Vivendi's stake of Universal Music to Tencent. The deal
6237-404: The national hip-hop scene. The album featured guest appearances from Cash Money artists Turk, Lil Wayne, B.G., Baby, and Mannie Fresh (both individually and as their groups the Hot Boys and Big Tymers), as well as a guest appearance from Jay-Z , the first time an East Coast rapper collaborated with Cash Money. After the deal, Cash Money achieved a new level of success. Later albums in 1999 such as
6336-481: The new record labels independently. Barry Weiss , who previously moved from Sony Music to lead Island Def Jam Music in 2012 when Motown Records was incorporated into Island Def Jam, stepped down from Universal Music. Additionally, as part of the changes to the labels, Motown Records transferred to Los Angeles to become part of the Capitol Music Group and previous Vice President Ethiopia Habtemariam
6435-487: The news via Twitter. They are the first in house producer Cash Money has had since Mannie Fresh. On August 19, 2010, Birdman signed DJ Khaled to the label, also signing his label We the Best Music Group as a subsidiary of Cash Money. On February 24, 2012, Cash Money Records signed the nu metal band Limp Bizkit . Wayne said the same day they were close to signing Ashanti . In 2011, Cash Money Records signed
6534-596: The physical master reels of his recordings were affected. UMG archivist Patrick Kraus assured that the Impulse! Records , John Coltrane , Muddy Waters , Ahmad Jamal , Nashboro Records , and Chess Records masters survived the fire and were still in Universal's archive. Howard King filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles on June 21, 2019, on behalf of Soundgarden , Hole , Steve Earle , the estate of Tupac Shakur and
6633-484: The primary artists on Rich Gang: Tha Tour Pt. 1 (2014). Later Rich Gang members—such as Derez De'Shon , Robb Banks , and Money Man —were part of the group despite not being signed to Cash Money as solo artists. From its founding until 2005, Mannie Fresh was the well-known production head of all Cash Money releases, as the label's resident producer. The label would be without a proper in-house producer until August 2010, when production duo Cool & Dre signed to
6732-442: The primary distributor. Williams has been involved in community-focused initiatives through Cash Money Content. In 2014, Williams publicly supported Cash Money Content's online pro-reading campaign stating; "Reading is an important step in the right direction toward making a difference in our community". Giving back to the community has always been a major focus of Williams. Since the late 1990s, Williams and his brother have hosted
6831-435: The project, " Tapout " was released on March 19, 2013, and features Lil Wayne, Future , Mack Maine , and Nicki Minaj, with production by 808 Mafia 's Southside and TM88 . "Fly Rich" featuring Stevie J, Future, Tyga, Meek Mill and Mystikal was also released as a promotional single. The album's release date was then pushed back to July 23, 2013, while the title was also shortened to just Rich Gang . The album garnered
6930-677: The purchase instead. In September 2021, IPO , Euronext Amsterdam announces an introduction price of €18,50 and Vivendi set an initial valuation for UMG at €33 billion ($ 38.3 billion). Vivendi distributed 60% of its UMG shares and retaining 10%. The family of French businessman Vincent Bolloré is revealed as the majority shareholder with 28% of UMG shares, through its holding company Bolloré (18%) and its subsidiary Vivendi (10%), headed by his son Yannick Bolloré . Tencent emerged as UMG's biggest corporate shareholder with 20% of shares. Pershing Square Holdings held 10% of UMG shares. In its IPO, UMG hits €54 billion ($ 62.6 billion) valuation which
7029-407: The rappers' collaboration album Like Father, Like Son and Birdman's 5 * Stunna . In 2011, Cash Money Records, Lil Wayne, Universal Music Group, and Young Money Entertainment were sued for US$ 15 million by Done Deal Enterprises, who claim Lil Wayne's song " BedRock " was stolen from Done Deal. Ronald %22Slim%22 Williams Ronald Jay " Slim " Williams (born November 11, 1964)
7128-466: The rights to Lil Wayne's music, although he is now independent and the label no longer owns these rights. On April 12, 2017, Birdman accepted a plaque in honor of Cash Money Records having sold one billion units. On September 13, 2018, it was announced that Young Money was no longer a joint business venture with Cash Money. Ownership of the imprint was granted entirely to Lil Wayne as part of the legal settlements with Birdman that were finalized. Rich Gang
7227-439: The roster. In May 1997, Birdman organized the rap group Hot Boys , which at the time included Juvenile, Turk, B.G. and Bulletproof. Lil Wayne later joined the group, shortly after the death of his father. Bulletproof was voted out the group before recording any major releases, according to Turk. Bulletproof, who referred to himself as the #2 Stunna, was later killed in 2002. Cash Money's commercial breakthrough came in 1998 when
7326-812: The sale of EMI to UMG was approved in the European Union and the United States by the European Commission and Federal Trade Commission respectively. However, the European Commission approved the deal only under the condition the merged company divest one third of its total operations to other companies with a proven track record in the music industry. UMG divested Mute Records , Parlophone , Roxy Recordings , MPS Records , Cooperative Music , Now That's What I Call Music! , Jazzland , Universal Greece, Sanctuary Records , Chrysalis Records , EMI Classics , Virgin Classics , and EMI's European regional labels to comply with this condition. UMG retained
7425-476: The scope of the incident and affected assets." Following the publication of the New York Times story, Questlove of The Roots confirmed that the master tapes for two of the band's albums, including unused material and multi-track recordings, were lost in the fire. Similarly, Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic said he believed the masters for the band's 1991 album Nevermind were "gone forever" as
7524-584: The state in settlement. In 2007, with the help of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Stephanie Lenz sued UMG's publishing company for allegedly improperly requesting that, pursuant to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act , YouTube remove a 29-second home video in which Lenz's child danced to a recording of Prince's song " Let's Go Crazy ". After years of litigation, the suit settled in 2018, prior to
7623-583: The storied blues label Chess ; it housed masters for Impulse! , the groundbreaking jazz label. The vault held masters for the MCA, ABC, A&M, Geffen and Interscope labels; as well as some smaller subsidiary labels. Nearly all of these masters—in some cases, the complete discographies of entire record labels—were wiped out in the fire." In a statement issued on June 11, 2019, UMG said The New York Times article contained "numerous inaccuracies, misleading statements, contradictions and fundamental misunderstandings of
7722-656: The street. Universal Music Group's Universal Music Polska is located in Warsaw . Universal Music Group's Universal Music Canada is located in Toronto . Universal Music Japan is headquartered in Shibuya , Tokyo. UMG operates in more than 60 territories around the world including Australia, Central America, Brazil, France, India, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Sub-Saharan Africa, Central and Eastern Europe, New Zealand, Russia, Ukraine, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia,
7821-612: The takedown was ordered under the terms of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act , and said that the takedown was "pursuant to the UMG-YouTube agreement," which gives UMG "the right to block or remove user-posted videos through YouTube's CMS (Content Management System) based on a number of contractually specified criteria." The video was subsequently returned to YouTube, with the reasons for the UMG takedown remaining unclear. Lawyers for will.i.am initially claimed that he had never agreed to
7920-556: The valuation to $ 50 billion in 2019. In August 2013, UMG became the first company in the US to have nine of the Top 10 songs on the digital charts, according to SoundScan and weeks later, became the first company to hold all 10 of the Top 10 spots on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart . In September 2013, UMG received a SAG-AFTRA American Scene Award for the company's commitment to diversity as exemplified by its "entire catalog and roster of artists." On April 1, 2014, Universal Music announced
8019-440: The value created by artists. Indeed, in September 2023, they announced their launch of an artist-centric streaming model designed to better remunerate the artists and music that fans mostly enjoy. Also in 2023, Universal Music Group introduced a HBCU scholarship program for aspiring doctors. In October 2023, UMG and BandLab Technologies formed a partnership to protect the rights of artists as well as songwriters and guarantee
8118-440: The video with the original audio track. In December 2007, UMG announced a deal with Imeem that allowed users of the social network to listen to any track from Universal's catalogue for free with a portion of the advertising generated by the music being shared with the record label. All traffic was redirected to MySpace after that company acquired Imeem on December 8, 2009. According to Jody Rosen of The New York Times ,
8217-535: The war effort. However, Universal was an exception and donated more than 200,000 of their historic master recordings to the Library of Congress . The Decca Record Co. Ltd. of England spun American Decca off in 1939. MCA Inc. merged with American Decca in 1962. In November 1990, Japanese multinational conglomerate Matsushita Electric agreed to acquire MCA for $ 6.59 billion. In 1995, Seagram acquired 80 percent of MCA from Matsushita. On December 9, 1996,
8316-530: The website being taken down from the internet. The company was re-registered and began operating in 2013. Cash Money Content was created in 2010 as an additional component of the Cash Money Records brand. The launch of Cash Money Content saw Williams and his brother's creation of a book publishing business and film making organization. The book side of the business was created in partnership with Simon & Schuster's Atria Books division, acting as
8415-506: The world, it is one of the " Big Three " record labels, along with Sony Music Group and Warner Music Group . Tencent acquired ten percent of Universal Music Group in March 2020 for €3 billion and acquired an additional ten percent stake in January 2021. Pershing Square Holdings later acquired ten percent of UMG prior to its IPO on the Euronext Amsterdam stock exchange. The company went public on September 21, 2021, at
8514-526: Was an ex-military man and owner of multiple businesses in New Orleans . The business commitments of Johnnie did not allow for a complete presence in Ronald's early life, but he made timely child support payments, ensuring his children had what they needed. Williams lived his early years on Saratoga street in New Orleans, in a small home atop Gladys' bar. The bar, which was named after and run by his mother,
8613-533: Was cast under separate management from Universal Studios, when Vivendi sold 80% of the latter to General Electric , who subsequently merged it with NBC to form NBCUniversal . This came two months after the separation of Warner Music Group from Time Warner . In February 2006, Vivendi purchased the remaining 20 percent of UMG from Matsushita Electric . On September 6, 2006, Vivendi announced its €1.63 billion ($ 2.4 billion) purchase of BMG Music Publishing ; after receiving European Union regulatory approval,
8712-440: Was estimated that consumers were overcharged by $ 500 million and up to $ 5 per album. In May 2006, an investigation led by then New York Attorney General , Eliot Spitzer , concluded with a determination that Universal Music Group bribed radio stations to play songs from Ashlee Simpson , Brian McKnight , Big Tymers , Nick Lachey , Lindsay Lohan and other performers under Universal labels. The company paid $ 12 million to
8811-565: Was founded with the goal to develop oil exploration properties in the United States and Central America . The company has had varying presence since its inception. A 2010 Bloomberg News investigation into the company revealed a number of inconsistencies with claims made by the business and its actual operations in the key areas targeted on their website. Namely, it was discovered that oil and gas regulators within these jurisdictions had never heard of Bronald Oil. This report coincided with
8910-519: Was never officially signed to the label. On August 16, 2009, Bow Wow announced that he signed with Cash Money Records. In 2009, they took part in a major label bidding war for Queens native rapper Nicki Minaj . Eventually, they won the bidding war and Nicki Minaj was signed to them exclusively for Young Money. Cash Money Records popularity grew after signing Minaj and Canadian rapper Drake . On August 5, 2010, production group Cool & Dre signed with Cash Money Records. The production group announced
9009-507: Was president of production as head of film and television development and production, and theater producer Scott Landis as special advisor on theatrical development and production. UMG Executive Vice President Michele Anthony and Universal Music Publishing Group Chairman and CEO Jody Gerson have oversight of the pair. On February 11, 2017, PolyGram Entertainment was relaunched as a film and television unit of Universal Music Group under David Blackman. In 2015, UMG's Capitol Records earned all
9108-593: Was promoted to CEO of the company. Grainge later replaced Morris as chairman on March 9, 2011. Morris became the next chairman of Sony Music Entertainment on July 1, 2011. With Grainge's appointment as CEO at UMG, Max Hole was promoted to COO of UMGI, effective July 1, 2010. In January 2011, UMG announced it was donating 200,000 master recordings from the 1920s to 1940s to the Library of Congress for preservation. In 2011, EMI agreed to sell its recorded music operations to Universal Music Group for £1.2 billion ($ 1.9 billion) and its music publishing operations to
9207-514: Was promoted to Label President for Motown Records. Universal Music Group entered into film and TV production with the 2014 purchase of Eagle Rock Entertainment . UMG's first major film production was Amy , which won an Oscar for Best Documentary, while taking part in Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck and The Beatles: Eight Days a Week documentaries. In January 2016, UMG hired David Blackman from Laurence Mark Production where he
9306-487: Was pulled over by police for making an improper lane change on a road trip from New Orleans to New York for a BET network shoot. Between 2009 and 2012, Williams was involved in a lawsuit between his label Cash Money Records and EMI music on behalf of label artist Lil Wayne . This came despite the Williams brothers' mentorship of Wayne throughout his career. The legal battle was in relation to unpaid licensing fees on Grammy award -winning album Tha Carter III . In 2012,
9405-556: Was removed following a takedown request by UMG. Megaupload said that the video contained no infringing content, commenting: "we have signed agreements with every featured artist for this campaign". Megaupload requested an apology from UMG, and filed a lawsuit against the company in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California , on December 12, 2011. UMG denied that
9504-516: Was spent riding minibikes, skating and playing basketball. People that knew him at the time described him as "quiet" yet "always thinking". The influence of father Johnnie Williams on Ronald "Slim" Williams is evident when observing his independent, business-minded nature. As the owner of multiple businesses, his father's willingness to work hard for money was instilled within him from a young age. This 'hustler' attitude fueled him and his brother's business-minded hunger and pursuit of independence from
9603-490: Was the label's first project to be produced entirely by Mannie Fresh , who would do so on most of the label's following releases. Kilo G was murdered in 1997. From 1993 to 1995, the label signed several other hip hop artists in the New Orleans area, including B.G. , Lil Wayne , and Juvenile , each of whom already had buzz in the streets. By this time, Turk and another local rapper by the name of Bulletproof (a.k.a. Lil Derrick; born Derrick Williams, Birdman's nephew) joined
9702-414: Was the local hangout spot for all types of people from the neighborhood; hustlers, pimps, prostitutes, businessmen and drug dealers. The dangers of this home environment became most present when Williams' father was non-fatally shot during an attempted robbery of the bar while the children were home. Williams' mother Gladys Brooks died very young in 1975. The death occurred when Ronald was 10 years old and
9801-514: Was unexpected. As his father, Johnnie failed to sign his birth certificate, Ronald and his siblings were placed under state care in the foster system for two years. When Williams' father was able to win back custody of the children in court, the children moved uptown to Valence street where they lived in Johnnie's family home with the children of his wife at the time. In total, Ronald had 10 brothers and 12 sisters. The rest of Ronald's early life
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