Universal Music Group and Amazon Strengthen Worldwide Partnership

Universal Music Group and Amazon Collaboration

Universal Music Group and Amazon have unveiled an expanded global partnership.

The two companies announced plans to work together to “explore new and expanded product opportunities” that will benefit artists and enhance fan experiences. UMG will also collaborate with Amazon as they broaden their reach into audio, further innovating in areas such as audiobooks, audio and visual programming, and live streaming.

Additionally, they aim to address issues such as eliminating illegal AI-generated content and implementing measures against fraud and misattribution.

“We are thrilled to continue our long-standing and excellent partnership with Amazon Music, which heralds a new era of streaming – Streaming 2.0,” said UMG Chairman and CEO Sir Lucian Grainge. “We value Amazon Music’s deep commitment to our artists and look forward to achieving our shared artist-centric goals through product innovation and accelerating the growth of their services.”

Focus on Product Innovation and Artist Engagement

UMG has previously stated that its Streaming 2.0 strategy shifts focus from streaming scale to increasing value through different subscription tiers and offering merchandise and other products to fans.

“UMG has always been a partner with Amazon Music, and as we continue to innovate and enable more connections between artists and fans through our product and exclusive content, we are redefining what it means to be a streaming service,” said Steve Boom, VP of Audio, Twitch, and Games at Amazon. “We are excited to strengthen our relationship with UMG, which will enable us to find new and meaningful ways for artists to engage with fans globally, while working together to protect the creativity of artists, songwriters, and publishers.”

Recent Developments in UMG’s Partnerships

This follows UMG’s announcement of a new licensing agreement with TikTok earlier this year. This agreement comes after the previous contract expired at the end of January, leading UMG to remove its artists’ music from the platform due to the failure to reach a new agreement.

UMG’s latest agreement with TikTok is expected to “provide increased compensation for UMG songwriters and artists, new opportunities to promote and engage with their recordings and songs, and industry-leading protections for generative artificial intelligence,” as stated in a press release.

In other news, Drake recently filed a second lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG), this time for defamation, among other charges related to Kendrick Lamar’s song “Not Like Us.”

It’s important to note that these filings are “preliminary filings” aimed at obtaining information that Drake could use if he decides to file a formal lawsuit in the future.

A UMG spokesperson called the allegations “offensive and false,” asserting, “We employ the highest ethical practices in our marketing and advertising campaigns. No amount of flimsy and absurd legal arguments in this preliminary statement will disguise the fact that fans choose the music they want to hear.”