LONDON — Universal Music Group is to merge its historic Island and EMI label divisions as part of a widespread restructuring of the company’s U.K. business that will also see the launch of new Audience and Media Division to support artists and labels.
The announcement was made on Tuesday (July 9) by David Joseph , chairman and CEO Universal Music U.K. and Ireland, in an internal memo, which has been viewed by Billboard .
The reorganization of Universal Music’s U.K. operations follows changes the company made to its U.
S. teams earlier this year with the formation of Interscope Capitol Labels Group and Republic Corps. That structure is now being loosely mirrored in the United Kingdom with the creation of what Joseph called “two new powerhouse frontline label groups” — Island EMI Label Group, headed by Louis Bloom as president, and the newly formed Polydor Label Group, led by Ben Mortimer .
Both label groups will be home to multiple labels “all with creative autonomy,” said Joseph’s memo. Each department will also contain a team dedicated to supporting artists from the wider UMG family, said the Universal U.K.
boss. In line with the restructuring, which comes into effect Oct. 1, Universal is shuffling its executive ranks.
EMI Records co-president Jo Charrington has been appointed president of a “reimagined” U.K. arm of Capitol, which will sit within the wider Polydor Label Group, as will 0207 Def Jam, led by president Alec Boateng .
( Billboard understands .
