Bang & Olufsen and Universal Music Form New Collaboration

COPENHAGEN, Denmark and DEERFIELD, Ill., April 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Bang & Olufsen, the Danish provider of high-end custom made audio and video products and Universal Music, worldwide music leader, announce global, innovative partnership this month. The partnership will begin with a B&O PLAY (Bang & Olufsen's new brand geared towards digitally connected design enthusiasts) launch event at the highly popular Universal Music Yellow Lounge in London on April 8. The innovative partnership is a result of a shared passion for musical excellence. The goal for both companies is to provide music lovers recorded music in the highest possible quality. The cooperation is all about naturally authentic sound – and making the enjoyment of music, at home or on the go – as close as possible to how the artist intended it to be.

The first joint activity brings together Deutsche Grammophon, Universal Music's iconic classical label, and B&O PLAY, Bang & Olufsen's new brand that lets music aficionados enjoy outstanding acoustics in even more places. B&O PLAY has recently introduced a new generation of award-winning design products specially created for digital enjoyment and mobile lifestyles – with uncompromising dedication to premium sound.

Universal Music's next "Yellow Lounge London" event will take place on April 8, 2013 at Fabric in Shoreditch, and B&O PLAY will be making a significant product introduction to all Yellow Lounge attendees. Founded in Berlin, Universal Music's Yellow Lounge movement has brought classical music to new audiences in new locations in a number of major urban centers.  Yellow Lounge London guests will be the first to try out a brand new B&O PLAY product, and compare for themselves how the performances sound both live and in a Deutsche Grammophon recording – played on the latest B&O PLAY equipment. Subsequent B&O PLAY launch events are planned around the world at outside venues. In the USA, an event will be held May 8 in New York City to support the product introduction.

Bang & Olufsen CEO Tue Mantoni notes that the collaboration is a first for Bang & Olufsen. "We are extremely proud to join forces with Universal Music, and to make common cause for excellent sound with a global leader in recorded music. Universal Music works with some of the greatest artists and labels of all time, and they share our mission of bringing people musical experiences that are as close to the original as possible."

Both companies will introduce further aspects of the new collaboration later this year, including exclusive Bang & Olufsen Yellow Lounge events in four major European cities during 2013 – all in the cause of musical excellence.

"We're very pleased to be teaming up with Bang & Olufsen," says Max Hole, chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group International.  "Our artists are driven by excellence in creating their music while Bang & Olufsen stand for excellence in listening to and enjoying music; we're very excited about what we can achieve by working together."

Bang & Olufsen was founded in Struer, Denmark, in 1925 by Peter Bang and Svend Olufsen, two innovative, young engineers devoted to high quality audio reproduction. Since then, the brand has become an icon of performance and design excellence through its long-standing craftsmanship tradition and the strongest possible commitment to high-tech research and development.

Still at the forefront of domestic technology, Bang & Olufsen has extended its comprehensive experience with integrated audio and video solutions for the home to other areas such as the hospitality and automotive industries in recent years. Consequently, its current product range epitomizes seamless media experiences in the home as well as in the car and on the move. For more information on Bang & Olufsen, please visit www.bang-olufsen.com.

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Universal Music Group

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.

Universal Music Group's record labels include A&M/Octone, Angel, Astralwerks, Blue Note, Capitol Records, Decca, Def Jam Recordings, Deutsche Grammophon, Disa, Emarcy, Fonovisa, Geffen Records, Interscope Records, I.R.S., Island Records, Lost Highway Records, Machete Music, Manhattan, MCA Nashville, Mercury Nashville, Mercury Records, Motown Records, Polydor Records, Republic Records, Universal Music Latino, Verve Music Group and Virgin Records, as well as a multitude of record labels owned or distributed by its record company subsidiaries around the world. The Universal Music Group owns the most extensive catalogue of music in the industry, which includes the last 100 years of the world's most popular artists and their recordings. UMG's catalogue is marketed through two distinct divisions, Universal Music Enterprises (in the U.S.) and Universal Strategic Marketing (outside the U.S.). Universal Music Group also includes Global Digital Business, its new media and technologies division and Bravado, its merchandising company.

Universal Music Group is a fully owned subsidiary of Vivendi.

Yellow Lounge London – learn more at http://yellowlounge.co.uk/

SOURCE Bang & Olufsen