Aside from food, music is the other thing that brings us all together. Music fans across the region can now look forward to a better experience because Universal Music Group (UMG) has just announced a large expansion of its operations across South East Asia (UMG SEA).
Two new flagship label divisions - Def Jam South East Asia and Astralwerks Asia, were launched with the aim to focus on hip-hop and to nurture talents within Asia across the electronic genre (and others) respectively.
UMG SEA also said they plan to extend their focus and commitment to the local music scene, along with the launch of Ingrooves and Spinnup in the region to increase the marketing and distribution services of independent artists and labels in the region.
Coinciding with the official opening of UMG’s new regional headquarters for South East Asia in the heart of Singapore, Universal Music Group’s Executive Vice-President of Market Development Adam Granite’s speech highlighted the commitment and investment made by UMG into the long-term development of the region.
Ingrooves CEO, Bob Roback and Nina Usher, GM of Spinnup also discussed the impact and opportunities their data-driven distribution and marketing platforms can create to help increase success for the independent artists and labels within the Universal Music Group Family. It was also announced that Ingrooves will be expanding its operations within the region and launching in several new markets in the next few months.
Joe Flizzow (Malaysia), Daboyway (Thailand), Yung Raja (Singapore), Fariz Jabba (Singapore), ALIF (Singapore) & A.Nayaka (Indonesia), six of the biggest rappers from the region, were also announced as inaugural signings to Def Jam South East Asia.
Calvin Wong, CEO, Universal Music South East Asia & SVP, Asia said, “This expansion showcases the importance of South East Asia in terms of musical talent and future business opportunities. Music is more accessible than ever before, and we firmly believe there is the potential for regional and global breakthrough for our artists in the future.”
By: Celestine Foo
