Universal Music Group (UMG) Joins With Prolific Hitmaker Diane Warren for International Publishing Agreement

LOS ANGELES, June 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Universal Music Group (UMG), the world's leading music company, has entered into a multi-faceted agreement with renowned songwriter and prolific hitmaker Diane Warren. Ms. Warren's award-winning Realsongs catalog will now be administered by Universal Music Publishing Group outside of North America (she continues to self-administer her copyrights in the U.S.), and she will serve as a global A&R consultant for UMG's recorded music artists around the world. The deal was announced today by UMG Chairman & CEO Lucian Grainge, the company's President & COO Zach Horowitz, Ms. Warren and her manager, Merck Mercuriadis.

"This is a milestone event for UMG as Diane is one of the finest songwriters of her generation, and certainly one of the most commercially successful," stated Mr. Grainge. "On the recorded music side, she will now become UMG's 'go-to-creative' person—available to our labels and artists around the globe to write songs that will help to fully realize their potential.  It's a win-win for everyone."

"Diane Warren's catalog of popular songs is second to none," commented Mr. Horowitz. "Decade after decade, she continues to write perfectly crafted hits for artists from all genres of music, constantly topping the charts throughout the world. The depth and breadth of her catalog is simply remarkable. We couldn't be more excited about welcoming her to Universal Music Publishing Group."

"I'm excited to be joining Lucian, Zach and the entire UMG team," said Ms. Warren. "This is an incredible opportunity to have my songs handled by the world's leading publishing company, with an aggressive and proven team that will ensure our creative efforts are maximized.  And at the same time, being given a unique platform that will provide special access to working with UMG's recording artists on a global basis."

"Our new relationship with UMG brings together publishing and records in such a manner that we can all maximize the benefits in numerous ways," added Mr. Mercuriadis. "I commend Lucian and Zach on their innovation and willingness to push the envelope even further to build such a home for truly inventive creators as Diane."

As one of the world's most renowned songwriters, Ms. Warren was the first songwriter in the history of Billboard to have seven hits, all by different artists, simultaneously placing on their coveted Top Singles chart. She has worked with such iconic superstars such as Aerosmith, Elton John, Tina Turner, Faith Hill, Aretha Franklin, Patti LaBelle, Eric Clapton, Celine Dion, LeAnn Rimes, Mariah Carey, Rod Stewart, Whitney Houston, Cher and Barbra Streisand. Ms. Warren also works with many of today's chart-toppers including Justin Bieber, Britney Spears, The Pussycat Dolls, Carrie Underwood, Joss Stone, Natasha Bedingfield, Christina Aguilera, Enrique Iglesias, Kelly Clarkson, Akon and Jennifer Hudson, to name just a few. Her new single, "I Was Here" for Beyonce, will be released on June 28, followed by songs with Mary J Blige, Nicole Scherzinger, John Legend and Semi Precious Weapons, among many others.

Since her debut in 1983 with Laura Branigan's Top Ten hit "Solitaire," Ms. Warren has amassed a catalog chock-full of evergreen and contemporary hits. These include "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now," "If You Asked Me To," "Because You Loved Me," "UnBreak My Heart," "How Do I Live," "Don't Turn Around," and "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing." Her songs have also been featured in nearly 100 motion pictures. Earlier this year, Ms. Warren earned the Golden Globe for Best Original Song for "You Haven't Seen The Last Of Me" (recorded by Cher for Burlesque), and to date, her songs have received numerous awards and accolades including six Academy Award nominations and numerous Grammy Award nominations. In 2008, she received The Hollywood Reporter and Billboard's inaugural Film & TV Music Career Achievement Award, and has been named ASCAP's Songwriter of the Year six times (five times for Pop and one time for Country) and Billboard's Songwriter of the Year four times (one time as Hot Country Songwriter, two times as Hot Singles Songwriter, and one time as the #1 Songwriter for Pop and R&B).  In 2001, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

About Universal Music Group

Universal Music Group is 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, Def Jam Recordings, Deutsche Grammophon, Disa, Emarcy, Fonovisa, Geffen Records, Interscope Records, Island Records, Lost Highway Records, Machete Music, MCA Nashville, Mercury Nashville, Mercury Records, Polydor Records, Show Dog – Universal Music, Universal Motown, Universal Music Latino, Universal Republic 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 catalog of music in the industry, which includes the last 100 years of the world's most popular artists and their recordings. UMG's catalog 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.

About Realsongs

Realsongs was established in 1986, soon after Diane Warren scored three Top 10 Hits with "I Get Weak" (Belinda Carlisle), "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" (Starship), and "Who Will You Run To?" (Heart).  Diane holds the exclusive rights to all of her music.

From a single-person owned and operated business, to one of the top music publishers in the world, Realsongs has consistently maintained a dynamic presence in the music and film industries. In the nineties, Realsongs was named the #1 Singles Publisher of the Year by Billboard, beating out its competition, huge publishing conglomerates with large rosters of writers. Realsongs was also named one of the Top 5 music-publishing corporations and is the most successful female-owned and operated business in the music industry.  Warren good-naturedly protests, "Why mention that it's female-owned?  It's one of the most successful, period!"  What makes these achievements, and the many that have followed, all the more distinguished is the fact that Realsongs is in the unique business of representing only one songwriter: Diane Warren.

About Universal Music Publishing Group

Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) is the industry's leading global music publishing operation and is part of Universal Music Group. UMPG represents music in every genre from many of the world's top songwriters and catalogs including U2, Elton John, Bernie Taupin, Adele, Justin Bieber, 50 Cent, Mariah Carey, Coldplay, Mumford & Sons, Nelly, Juan Gabriel, Keith Urban, Darius Rucker, Josh Turner, Ciara, Dave Grohl, Prince, Justin Timberlake, Maroon 5, Britney Spears, Beastie Boys, The Clash, The Sex Pistols, ABBA, Gloria and Emilio Estefan, Paul Simon, Henry Mancini, Christina Aguilera, and Linkin Park, among many others. UMPG is also a global leader in the areas of Production Music, Christian and Classical Music. For more information, visit: www.umusicpub.com.

SOURCE Universal Music Group