UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP (UMG) AND SCOOTER BRAUN’S SCHOOLBOY RECORDS EXPAND THEIR STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP

Scooter Braun And Justin Bieber

Universal Music Group (UMG) is expanding its global creative investments by entering into a broad-reaching agreement with prominent artist manager and entrepreneur Scooter Braun. The announcement was made today by Lucian Grainge, Chairman & CEO of UMG and Mr. Braun. This announcement builds upon Braun’s recent success—he’s currently involved with three artists who have had singles in the Top Ten on Billboard’s Hot 100 list for the past five weeks: “Boyfriend” by Justin Bieber, “Call Me Maybe” by Carly Rae Jepsen and “Glad You Came” by The Wanted.

“As a young man, you always look for more than just a business venture, but mentors,” said Mr. Braun. “Lucian has offered me both the opportunity to work with an amazing company with amazing resources, but even more so, the opportunity to draw from his vast amount of knowledge, having been in the business as long as he has. Lucian doesn’t just look at the business as a music business, but as a worldwide multimedia business. He’s allowed me to be as creative as I want with my artists so that we can build for the future to come.”

“With the barriers of entry to our industry nearly non-existent thanks to the global reach of the internet, it’s now easier than ever for music entrepreneurs to get started,” stated Mr. Grainge. “And we want to be at the forefront of that expansion. Through our global creative investment program, we put real resources and creative support behind entrepreneurs such as Scooter. This is a win-win: entrepreneurs benefit from our support and expertise, while our artists and business partners benefit from their innovation. And there is no one more representative of this than Scooter. He is among the very best in the next generation of entertainment executives and the fact that he’s accomplished so much at such a young age is testament to his vision and drive. I’m looking forward to our collaboration and the level of talent and creativity that will surely accompany it.”

Braun began his career as a party promoter and quickly leveraged his success into a marketing position at So So Def Records, working for Jermaine Dupri while still a sophomore at Emory University in Atlanta. He first discovered Asher Roth on MySpace, and broke him from the blogs with Roth’s 2009 Top 5 Billboard release Asleep in the Bread Aisle and his multiplatinum hit “I Love College.” At 25, he discovered then-13-year-old Justin Bieber and launched him into superstardom. Under Mr. Braun’s tutelage, Bieber’s first album, the seven-track EP My World became a huge success, making him the first artist to have seven songs from a debut album chart on the Billboard Hot 100. Bieber’s next album, My World 2.0 debuted at either number one or within the top ten in several countries. The single, “Baby,” is currently ranked as the most viewed and most discussed YouTube videos of all time. To date, Bieber has sold over 15 million albums worldwide. His newest addition to Schoolboy Records is pop sensation Carly Rae Jepsen with her new hit “Call Me Maybe,” one of the fastest growing singles worldwide in UMG history. For more information on Braun’s ventures please visit www.scooterbraun.com.

UMG’s global creative investment program focuses on nurturing new creative talent and recognizes the importance of helping music entrepreneurs enter and navigate the music marketplace. UMG’s involvement builds on its expertise and long-term commitment to supporting new businesses, as it partners with some of the most innovative entrepreneurs in and out of the music industry, creating platforms for their growth that are specific to their own individual needs and priorities.

About Universal Music Group

Universal Music Group is the world’s leading music company with wholly owned operations in 60 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, Motown Records, Polydor Records, 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 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 Global Digital Business, its new media and technologies division and Bravado, its merchandising company.

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

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