UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif., April 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Universal Music Group Distribution (UMGD), the award-winning sales, marketing and distribution arm of Universal Music Group (UMG), the world's leading music company, will release exclusive vinyl titles from some of its biggest artists in celebration of 'Record Store Day.' The annual event, which takes places on Saturday, April 16, celebrates the importance and vitality of the independent music store.

Artists in the program include such legendary groups as Derek & The Dominos, The Cars, The Rolling Stones, Nirvana, Paul Simon and Duran Duran, as well as such new chart-toppers as Lady Gaga and James Blake. Fontana, the independent distribution arm of UMGD, will also release titles from artists including New York Dolls and Robbie Robertson.

Moreover, a number of UMG artists will participate directly in Record Store Day with in-store performances, in-store signings and Q&A sessions. Among them are Duran Duran (Amoeba signing in San Francisco), Erykah Badu (Coachella/Zia Signing), The Lonely Island (Amoeba Berkeley, Q&A session and signing), Nas & Damien Marley (Coachella/ Zia Signing) and, TV on the Radio (Newbury Comics in Boston).

'Record Store Day' began in 2007 as a celebration of the unique culture surrounding independently owned records stores in the US, and hundreds of similar stores internationally. On this day, independently-owned records stores come together with artists and labels to celebrate music with special releases and promotional products and events.

About Universal Music Group Distribution

Universal Music Group Distribution is a division of Universal Music Group (UMG), the world's leading music company, with wholly owned record operations or licensees in 77 territories. Its businesses also include Universal Music Publishing Group, the industry's leading global music publishing operation.

Universal Music Group's record labels include A&M/Octone, Decca, Deutsche Grammophon, Disa, Emarcy, Fonovisa, Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Island Def Jam Music Group, Lost Highway Records, Machete Music, MCA Nashville, Mercury Nashville, Mercury Records, Polydor Records, Show Dog – Universal Music, Universal Motown Republic Group, Universal Music Latino and Verve Music Group 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 eLabs, its new media and technologies division; Bravado, its merchandising company; and Twenty-First Artists, its full service management division.

Universal Music Group is a unit of Vivendi, a global media and communications company.

SOURCE Universal Music Group