TASK 1: Music Magazine Institutions Research

Universal Music Group

This is the largest corporation in the world. It is and American-based and French-owned multinational music corporation. This also owns Universal Music Publishing Group. Which is the second largest music publishing company in the world.

Universal Music was first the music company attached to film studio Universal Pictures; its origin is from the American branch of Decca Records in 1934.  The organisation was formed when Seagram purchased PolyGram and merged it with Universal Music Group in 1998.  The name had first appeared in 1996 when MCA Music Entertainment Group was renamed Universal Music Group.

In February 2006, the label became 100% owned by French media conglomerate Vivendi when they purchased the last 20% from Matsushita, the group’s sole owner from 1990-1995 and co-owner from 1995-2006.  On June 25, 2007, Vivendi completed its $2.4 billion purchase of BMG Music Publishing, after receiving European Union regulatory approval. They completed their acquisition of EMI on September 28, 2012.

Future plc

In 2006, it was ranked the sixth-largest media corporation in the UK, it published more than 30 magazines in fields such as; video games, technology, films ad photography. It is the official magazine company of all three games console manufactures. The company also owns the US company; Future US.

Chris Anderson with the sole magazine Amstrad Action first found the company as Future Publishing in Somerset in 1985. An early innovation was the inclusion of free software on magazine covers. Anderson sold Future to Pearson PLC for £52.7 million in 1994, but then brought it back in 1998 with chief executive Greg Ingham and Apax Venture Partners for £142 million but then in 2001 Anderson left Future.