Six-String

Universal Music Group has launched their new app for the iPhone and iTouch called Six-String. The application is a game basis of guitar hero on the iPhone and iTouch. I took a look at it and really enjoyed how they promote their artist's music, as well as the playing of the game. They made six studio-recorded sounding tracks from varying artists, such as Angels and Airwaves, Beck, Dashboard Confessional, Maroon 5, Wolfmother and many more available on the application and made twenty available for purchase. If I were to analyze the application in the terms of marketing, they created good digital promotion for it. They created a Facebook fan page, a Twitter page, and a Myspace to promote UMG's iPhone and iTouch app. The digital market is growing in size, and in recognition, which begs the question; will music stores exist outside of the computer?

For more information please visit:

http://www.universalmusic.com/artist-news/universal-music-group-launches-six-string%E2%84%A2-on-app-store

Sales Operation

Universal Music Group utilizes the physical and digital form of sales. Although physical music is now becoming a thing fo the past, UMG now is trying a promotional idea by reducing the price of CDs to $10 or less. Their idea is to capture more sales in retail stores, rather than through digital sales, which has increased in the past year. UMG sells through CDs, mp3s, and through merchandising. Their tactics through consumer sales promotion are by performances shows, concerts, and viral marketing. Music is heard everywhere through the airwaves, to the computer. UMG utilizes every listening channel and purchasing gateway to promote their artists' music sales and art. UMG's prospecting is focused on their top retail marketers such as Virgin Megastore, Best Buy and other electronic "big houses". Their new sales proposal on CDs is a hit and miss due to the fact that CDs are now if only a mainstream in cars. UMG is tackling sales through the motive of today's and yesterday's music affinities.


For more information on the Universal Music Group promotion idea on CDs, please visit this website:
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE62J04Z20100320

LIVE CD! LIVE AGAIN!!!

The CD may come back! UMG is now starting their launch of making CD prices of current artists starting from $10 or less at music album retailers. I visited the Barnes & Nobles between Warren and Greenwich st. in New York City to see the retailing of music in the physical form. What I saw brought me back to when I was twelve, the last time I ever needed to go into a music store. I noticed that the racking and filing of CDs like files in a large open file cabinet from genre and artists A-Z was still the same. I also noticed the other media within the music section of Barnes & Nobles such as DVDs. With my gears moving in a marketing set of mind, I perused the music CDs, played my favorite songs on the CDs by scanning them on their interactive sampling machines. UMG's CDs are presented like all products and labels within the music section, although they are the only label to present their featured and hit artists on the front of the entrance to the music section. They were promoting their release of Jimi Hendrix's remake CD, as well as Lady Gaga, unfortunately different genres, but well enough known to have their album covers on the two large wooden pillars in front of the security alarm scanners. I think UMG presents their artists and their products well enough to the point of where they can present it n a physical form. The only way I could suggest an improvement on UMG's part is to have a featured section of computers or digital media to present their new music, as well as any upcoming events for the company and their artists.

Goodbye Virgin Megastore Times Square:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/15/nyregion/15virgin.html
http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/20090114/want-to-buy-a-cd-in-times-square-make-it-quick-virgins-giving-up/

Further Information of UMG's CD tactic can be found here:
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE62J04Z20100320

Digital Records

I visited the company and its products through the most convenient, profitable and innovative way today: the Internet. As unfortunate as it may be, people can now buy and listen to music by still sitting in front of the computer. Through the channels of online retailing and direct marketing UMG has distributed and sold their music online and through computerized innovation. I was able to peruse through all my favorite artists and even have a sample of some new songs that I've never heard before. The online retailing segment of UMG has given their company an 8.4% increase in digital sales. UMG has now made their retailing tactic digital based on this new generational concept. The only way to make music better through their retail market is to find a way to enforce illegal downloading of music, as well as a better partnership with main computer downloading programs. Pertaining to digital distribution, there should be a better focus on the new technology that people use to listen to music. The generation of music may not be as good as history's tunes, but who said music has to be that way? Who said music has to be a certain way to be remembered?

UMG Pushes More Aggressive App Strategy
http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/content_display/industry/e3i9e0f4d3075c501abe333e37d71741da9

Universal Music Group Reports 8.4% Growth In Digital Sales For 2009
http://techcrunch.com/2010/03/01/umg-digital-sales/

LET'S TRY NOT TO PEOPLE! IF WE LOVE OUR MUSIC ARTIST'S SONGS, LETS BUY THEM TO SUPPORT THEM!

Breaking Down the Groovin to the Music

Music is a cultural boom that is on a constant flow of change. Much like music companies evolve as well, at least in order to be profitable. Market segmentation in music lies in all the facets of music: listening, playing, singing, performing, dancing to, and writing. For Universal Music Group, it takes every aspect, every detail and letter of the word "m...u...s...i...c" and transforms it into a marketable segmented criteria. In the culture today, UMG understands the incorporation of music in everyday life through the headphones that are seen in every ear of every person around the world. UMG takes all aspects of market segmentation through label sponsorship, the reanimation of a rock and roll band, artist branding and marketing, and through the sheer love of all music for everyone's groove, while continually making profits as the world's largest record company in the world.


UPDATE: Universal Music Group and Bally Total Fitness's partnership is launched
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=123502



The Rebirth of Rock and Roll Gods, The Rolling Stones rolls back on Main Street
http://www.crawdaddy.com/index.php/2010/03/01/exile-on-main-street-to-be-reissued-in-may/

Tuning to the Consumer's Choice

Universal Music Group goes through many channels in which they appease to the consumer and their "groove" for their choice in purchases. Unfortunately, culture has shifted to a new era in technology, thus making touchable music obsolete. Technology has made a shift in music making everything electronic and through computer files and gigabytes. Universal Music Group has embraced this unfortunate, neo-cultural fact and made it to a profitable market. Many consumers love music, which also go to think who wouldn't love music. Their choice in the purchasing of music is derived from their "groove" of music, and also the price to pay for music. The company has made an increase of 8.4% in digital sales which is contributed to its arousal to the consumers. Universal Music Group has channeled its embrace and creativity into a technological revolution not just in music, but in the world. If anything were to be improved in UMG (Universal Music Group), the largest of the major record companies in music, housing and distribution, there should be an effort to try to get more advertisements that air through the internet, as well as television to help bring out the artists and music that they endorse. Music has an ability to appease to anyone, or at least be known to anyone. The music labels have the ability to share their artists' creations and music to the world, and that is what UMG does.

"UMG, the world's largest music company with artists like U2, Amy Winehouse, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Black Eyed Peas, Rihanna, Eminem, Lil Wayne under contract, as expected finds its revenue from physical product sales (CDs) in a seemingly unstoppable decline. Last year, the company's revenues were ?4,363 million, a 6.2% decrease compared to 2008.Still, Universal Music Group's digital sales grew 8.4% in 2009, which the company attributed to strong growth in online sales yet "tempered by softening demand for mobile products in the United States and Japan".UMG says it will "continue to encourage and support innovation", citing Spotify's iPhone application and MusicStation's presence on the Android Market as examples. Universal is also a major shareholder of VEVO, a service launched in December, 2009 that quickly rose to become the number 1 music property in the United States." - Robin Wauters TechCrunch.com
Monday, March 1, 2010; 1:30 AM

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/01/AR2010030100680.html