Tag: UMG

Singapore – Universal Music Singapore, a record label under the Universal Music Group (UMG), appoints music industry veteran Alice Kent as the new general manager to bolster the company’s presence in Singapore and across the region. 

In her newly appointed role, Kent will supervise all aspects of the company’s operations, including the company’s artist and repertoire (A&R) projects, marketing strategies, partnership ventures, and business expansion efforts. 

Alice Kent previously served as the marketing, partnerships, and business development director for Live Nation Entertainment Singapore. She also worked for Warner Music Group Singapore as their business development, sync, and partnerships director and for Sony Music Entertainment Asia as the regional marketing director. 

Calvin Wong, CEO of Southeast Asia and SVP Asia for Universal Music Group, commented on the appointment, saying,”We welcome Alice’s enthusiasm and industry savvy to Universal Music Singapore as General Manager.” 

“She brings with her a pioneering spirit and a wealth of experience from her decades of working in the music and entertainment industry, covering many aspects of the business from brand partnerships, label marketing, and artist management to sync deals, non-traditional sales, live shows, and concerts. All of which, combined with her passion for music, will help Universal Music Singapore drive continued growth,” he continued. 

Kent carries with her an expanded portfolio, which includes collaborations with Billie Eilish and the Singapore Tourism Board, partnerships with Singtel and PayPal, and even securing sponsorship agreements for K-Pop group BlackPink. 

“I am honoured and excited to be part of the dynamic and multi-faceted Universal Music team. I look forward to making a positive impact and bringing my industry expertise and creativity to the strong body of work and artist roster that Universal Music has,” Kent said. 

She further added, “Singapore is such a diverse and dynamic market, and this is where I will be focusing on the growth potential for all creative partnerships and brand deals. In addition, I intend to take a keen eye on domestic and regional artists’ prospects while strengthening our repertoire and artist development efforts, building upon Universal Music’s leading position.”

Seoul, South Korea – Big Hit Entertainment, the South Korea-based entertainment group which handles various K-pop artists, including world-known group BTS, has announced it is entering an expanded strategic partnership with global music corporation Universal Music Group (UMG).

The partnership entails both companies working closely together in increasing opportunities for artists through innovation and technology, while expanding the global reach of K-pop music and culture around the world.

Furthermore, the partnership will allow UMG artists to explore enhanced ‘direct to fan’ communications through Big Hit’s Weverse, a dynamic community-based platform that allows loyal artist fans to engage, share and interact, see and hear new content and purchase new products.

“Our two companies indeed share values and visions in that we both pursue constant innovations and are committed to providing our fans with genuine music and content of the highest and uncompromising level of quality. In this sense, I strongly believe that UMG and Big Hit will create a synergy that will rewrite the global music history,” said Bang Si-Hyuk, chairman and CEO of Big Hit Entertainment.

The partnership, announced through the recently-established live-streaming platform of Big Hit Entertainment called KBYK’s VenewLive, also stated details about assembling and debuting a new global K-pop boy group together in the U.S. for the first time.

“We will strive to secure competitive platform leadership and develop a top group of artists through the close partnership between our two companies, enabling K-pop to transcend all borders and languages. This project is especially significant as it will apply Big Hit’s ‘success formula’ established over the past 16 years to the U.S., the center of the global music market,” said Lenzo Yoon, CEO of global and business at Big Hit Entertainment.

Members of this new boy group will be selected through a global audition program, which is on track to begin airing in 2022 and will be launched in conjunction with a major U.S. media partner. The debuting global act will work based on the K-pop system – a full production that combines music, performance, fashion, music video, and communications with fans.

Lucian Grainge, Chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group, said, “With their innovative approach to developing artists and embracing new technology, Big Hit has become one of the most dynamic companies in music entertainment. We’re thrilled to be working together as we launch a new joint venture between our companies that will further accelerate K-pop as a global cultural phenomenon.”

The upcoming audition program will also seek the help of Geffen Records, leveraging their extensive industry network and partners to oversee the music production, marketing, and global distribution operations. Big Hit will utilize its global expertise to lead the discovery, training, and development of new artists, fan content production processes, and management of fan communications through the Weverse platform.

John Janick, Chairman, and CEO at Interscope Geffen, commented, “We are all incredibly excited about this joint venture project between Geffen Records and Big Hit. This partnership offers both of us an incredible opportunity to work together helping to shape the future of music globally to the benefit of artists and fans alike.”

Singapore – Universal Music Singapore, a music-based entertainment division of Universal Music Group (UMG) has announced that former Warner Music Singapore Managing Director Simon Jerome Nasser has been appointed to the position of managing director and head of live for Southeast Asia.

As a core member of the regional executive team, he will be overseeing UMG’s operations within Singapore, leading and developing domestic and international activity within the market. He will be based within UMG’s regional office in Singapore and will report to Calvin Wong, chief executive officer of Universal Music Southeast Asia (UMG SEA) and senior vice president for Asia.

As head of live for SEA, Nasser will be managing UMG’s live activity across the region and will work closely with UMG’s global vice president of live events Jimmi Riise to expand and develop strategic live opportunities for UMG’s domestic and international talent, labels, and partners in the region.

Nasser joins the company with more than thirty years of music industry experience in the region. He held the MD position in Warner Music Group (WMG) from 2015-2020where he discovered, developed, and broke both domestic and international talent within Singapore and the wider SEA region.

Nasser has significant experience in the live arena, having helped promote tours and shows in recent years within SEA for domestic and international artists including Kylie Minogue, FUN, Anne-Marie, The Click Five, YouTube Stars, and MLTR among others. 

A promoter of industry rights within Singapore and the wider region, Nasser is also the current chairman of the Recording Industry Association Singapore, Music Rights Singapore, and Recording Industry Performance Singapore.

In making the announcement, Wong said, “I am excited for Simon to join me in Singapore and to help us to build an exciting future for UMG across the region. His skillset is unparalleled in the market, his passion is infectious and his track record at breaking artists locally is second to none. I am sure his legacy will continue to shine in his new role.”

Meanwhile, Riise added, “I am delighted that Simon will now lead our live business activity within Southeast Asia. His vast experience and deep local knowledge will help provide a new focus to our activity across SEA and will allow us even greater synergy between our recorded music and live operations in the region, to create maximum impact for our artists and their fans.”

Commenting on his appointment, Nasser said, “I am excited to join the team UMG here in Singapore and SEA. Music has been and will always be my big passion in life. It is a privilege and blessing to now be part of UMG, the global industry leader, and the market-leader here in Singapore. I’m humbled to be given this opportunity to work within a team of incredible leaders and amazing artists to embrace my passion and love for music, a DNA for life.”

“Over the coming months and years, we will focus on developing our domestic artists and labels, nurturing their creative vision to help them reach new audiences across the region and globally while identifying and creating exciting growth opportunities for Universal Music Singapore. The current live landscape in SEA allows us to help artists, partners, and brands curate personalized, innovative, and valuable experiences and performances that will embrace the digital space, live streaming, and of course, public live events as they become more frequent again in the years to come,” he added.