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Grainge to be Universal chair as well as CEO

By | Published on Thursday 10 March 2011

Universal Music

So, with Doug ‘What A Traitor’ Morris quitting his back seat Chairman role at Universal Music to go knock heads at Sony, who is Universal parent company Vivendi going to recruit to be the chair of its music business?

Hmm, how about that lovely Lucian Grainge chap? But surely he’s already CEO of Universal Music? Yes, but surely he could do two jobs? I mean, with the restructure and head count cull rumoured to be upcoming at Universal, it would look good to have the top dude doing two jobs.

And so it came to be that Vivendi chief Jean-Bernard Levy yesterday announced that Universal Music’s CEO would now also take on the additional title of Chairman, reporting directly into him. Says Levy: “We are delighted to appoint Lucian to the top position in music worldwide. His track record over the last thirty years in the music business is impeccable. He is perfectly qualified to lead UMG through the digital era across the globe”.

But I know what you’re thinking, two jobs, ha, I could do that in my sleep, why hasn’t he got a third? Well, Grainge has also just taken a seat on the board of Vivendi’s gaming business Activision Blizzard, so ha back at you.



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