Lucian Grainge - CMU | the music business explained

Buzzword bingo ahoy! It’s Papa Grainge’s annual pat on the back, and he’s got a bone to pick with distributors

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Universal Music • 6 min read

Buzzword bingo ahoy! It’s Papa Grainge’s annual pat on the back, and he’s got a bone to pick with distributors

If you can’t buy them, beat them! Universal Music's top banana Sir Lucian Grainge is declaring war on nefarious behaviour and heinous practices in the non-major music company controlled recesses of the industry. If everyone did business as spotlessly as UMG, the world would be so much better! Right?…

Sam Taylor • 07 Feb 2025

As big money calls the shots at Universal Music: is Lucian losing control?

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Lucian Grainge • 6 min read

As big money calls the shots at Universal Music: is Lucian losing control?

As Pershing Square forces humiliating U-turn on US listing, does Universal Music top dog’s €100m ‘megabonus’ begin to look more like an exit package, while questions mount over who really pulls the strings at the “world's most successful music company”…

Sam Taylor • 17 Jan 2025

Spotify’s Ek puts a damper on ‘super premium’ hype, bigs up AI and innovation as the future

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Spotify • 5 min read

Spotify’s Ek puts a damper on ‘super premium’ hype, bigs up AI and innovation as the future

The super premium opportunity maybe isn’t as exciting as some people would have you believe, and no one can really agree what it would even be anyway. That was a key takeaway from yesterday’s Spotify earnings call, as Daniel Ek doubles down on AI and innovation as the future of streaming…

Sam Taylor • 13 Nov 2024

Lil Rod’s lawyer says sources “reliable” and UMG “shouldn’t think they’re in the clear” on Diddy allegations - whilst major says “no evidence” it was involved in “freak-offs”

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Diddy • 3 min read

Lil Rod’s lawyer says sources “reliable” and UMG “shouldn’t think they’re in the clear” on Diddy allegations - whilst major says “no evidence” it was involved in “freak-offs”

Universal Music is still angry at being named as a defendant in an explosive lawsuit that was filed against Diddy earlier this year. It wants the lawyer that prepared that lawsuit to be sanctioned by the court. In a hearing this week, that lawyer insisted his sources were reliable…

Chris Cooke • 17 Oct 2024

The music industry is entering the era of “Streaming 2.0” and could be on course for 2 billion paying subscribers says Universal Music boss Lucian Grainge

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Universal Music • 6 min read

The music industry is entering the era of “Streaming 2.0” and could be on course for 2 billion paying subscribers says Universal Music boss Lucian Grainge

Universal Music's Capital Markets day at Abbey Road Studios offered significant insight into how UMG sees the current global music business, where it sits, and how it's going to grow in coming years…

Sam Taylor • 18 Sep 2024

Lucian Grainge is back on the win-win, but which DSP is off his christmas card list? It’s not hard to guess.

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Universal Music • 5 min read

Lucian Grainge is back on the win-win, but which DSP is off his christmas card list? It’s not hard to guess.

UMG’s Q2 earnings call was an unusually sombre affair, with good reason. With UMG’s market cap dropping by billions of dollars, the major’s CEO Lucian Grainge saw the prospect of his massive bonus turn from a near cert to a distant dream. And all because a couple of DSPs aren’t pulling their weight…

Sam Taylor • 26 Jul 2024

Setlist Podcast: Arena ticket levy by September, MPs demand

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Setlist • 4 min read

Setlist Podcast: Arena ticket levy by September, MPs demand

The warning from MPs to the UK government that there is an urgent need to support grassroots music venues, calls for SXSW London to shift its planned June 2025 date, and more…

Andy Malt & Chris Cooke • 11 May 2024

Lucian’s lunch money under threat as shareholder pressure mounts over “excessive” pay packet

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Lucian Grainge • 4 min read

Lucian’s lunch money under threat as shareholder pressure mounts over “excessive” pay packet

Lucian Grainge is inches away from getting a massive bonus as the UMG share price nears €30 per share, while investors are looking for signs that his STIs could be out of control. That’s short-term incentives, you filthy dogs…

Sam Taylor • 07 May 2024

Universal submits scathing response to allegations made against it in Diddy lawsuit

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Universal Music • 2 min read

Universal submits scathing response to allegations made against it in Diddy lawsuit

Universal Music and its CEO Lucian Grainge were named as co-defendants in a recent lawsuit targeting Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs. But the allegations made against the music company and its boss were so “knowingly false”, they should never have been included in the lawsuit, a new legal filing states…

Chris Cooke • 01 Apr 2024

€111 million in TikTok revenue is nothing when you’re Lucian Grainge - but, he says, “my phone is always open” if Shou Zi Chew wants to be friends again

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Universal Music • 8 min read

€111 million in TikTok revenue is nothing when you’re Lucian Grainge - but, he says, “my phone is always open” if Shou Zi Chew wants to be friends again

The Lucian-Shou bromance is over, and Lucian would like Shou to know that he really doesn’t care and they were never really friends anyway. So much so that he spent an hour telling everyone just how much he doesn’t care. Really. Doesn’t care. Not at all.…

Sam Taylor • 29 Feb 2024

Universal Music made €11.1 billion in 2023; CEO hits out at TikTok on earnings call

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Universal Music • 3 min read

Universal Music made €11.1 billion in 2023; CEO hits out at TikTok on earnings call

Universal's "former deal" with TikTok made €111 million in 2023 says Lucian Grainge but "his phone is open 24 hours a day. We hope that we will be able to find solutions".…

Sam Taylor • 28 Feb 2024

Setlist Podcast: Major label bosses put the spotlight on superfans

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Setlist • 4 min read

Setlist Podcast: Major label bosses put the spotlight on superfans

Universal and Warner bosses' new year memos, Viagogo's "misleading" advertorial, and more…

Andy Malt • 12 Jan 2024