Universal
Music Group (UMG), the world leader in music-based entertainment, today
announced the formation of the Verve Label Group and appointed veteran industry
executive Danny Bennett, a Grammy and Emmy Award-winning music, film and
television producer, and long-time manager of his father, legendary singer Tony
Bennett, as the label group's President & CEO, effective immediately.
The Verve Label Group will be comprised of Verve and UMG's
U.S. classical music labels including Deutsche Grammophon, Decca Records, Decca
Classics, Mercury Classics, and distributed label ECM. The new structure marks
UMG's continued investment in jazz and classical music and the company's
unwavering commitment to building upon its rich history in both genres, while
also opening up new opportunities, developing global cross-over artists and
delivering innovative jazz and classical experiences to fans. The jazz and classical labels will maintain
distinct A&R, marketing and promotions teams, while also leveraging UMG's
global reach to provide artists with deep resources and expertise to develop
their careers.
Under Bennett's leadership, Verve will relocate to New York,
where the label was originally founded 60 years ago as home to jazz legends
Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, Stan Getz and Billie Holiday. With his proven
strategic marketing skills, Bennett will expand the awareness and reach of
UMG's historic jazz and classical catalogue, and develop and promote emerging
artists on a global scale.
Bennett will report to Michele Anthony, Executive Vice
President of UMG. Bennett and Dickon Stainer, President and CEO of Global
Classics for Universal Music Group, will announce shortly a President of Verve
Label Group's classical music labels.
David Foster, one of the most successful record producers in
history, who led the Verve label since 2012, has decided to return full-time to
producing, and will continue to work closely with UMG's labels and artists.
Foster is currently producing albums for UMG artists Carla Bruni and Jordan
Smith.
In making the announcement, Michele Anthony said, "By
forming the Verve Label Group and attracting an industry veteran of Danny's
stature and expertise, Universal Music is making a strong statement about the
high value we place on building on our robust jazz and classical repertoire. We
are committed to growing our presence in these genres even further and creating
crossover successes that deliver artists to new audiences around the world. I
want to thank David for the immense creative impact he had at Verve. On behalf
of everyone here at UMG, we look forward to recording many more hit records
with David for years to come."
Bennett said, "Universal Music is home to the largest
and most historically relevant jazz and classical recordings. It's a tremendous
honor, and I am humbled to be chosen to lead the newly formed Verve Label
Group. I'm indebted to David Foster for leading the iconic Verve label and I
look forward to working with him on many future productions. Additionally, I
offer my profound appreciation to Lucian Grange and Michele Anthony for this
amazing opportunity."
Foster said, "I have loved every minute working with
Verve's incredibly talented roster of artists and staff. At the same time,
during the last few months, as I thought about where I'm happiest, it's in the
recording studio working closely with artists on developing new material. I'm
thrilled Danny is now at the helm of the Verve. The label couldn't be in better
hands and I'm looking forward to working on many more projects together."
Celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, Verve is
Universal Music Group's American contemporary label with an active artist
roster that includes Andrea Bocelli, Diana Krall, Mark Knopfler, Sarah
McLachlan and Barry Manilow. The label was founded in 1956 and quickly made a
name as the home of jazz legends. Verve also oversees the catalog of the
legendary Impulse! Records with an artist roster that includes John Coltrane,
Charles Mingus and many more.
Danny Bennett is a veteran manager and a Grammy and Emmy
Award-winning music, film and television producer. Bennett founded RPM Productions in 1979, an artist
management and strategic marketing company. He is most known for using
progressive marketing skills to redefine the career of his father, Tony
Bennett, prompting Advertising Age to name him one of the Top 100 Marketers.
Bennett has been profiled in a variety of publications including Time Magazine,
The New York Times, Forbes and Billboard. Bennett has also represented
recording artists from diverse musical genres including Elvis Costello and
Jamiroquai and spearheaded innovative and multi-faceted strategic marketing
campaigns for Ozzy Osbourne, Pearl Jam, and John Legend to name a few.
Bennett has managed his father's career for over 35 years, a
period that includes 17 Grammy awards; the release of Duets: An American
Classic, Tony's best-selling album of performances with artists including Paul
McCartney, Elton John, Barbra Streisand and Bono; the Rob Marshall-directed
television special Tony Bennett: An American Classic, which won seven Emmys and
was the most-honored program at the 2007 Emmy Awards; the release of Duets II
featuring performances with Amy Winehouse, Michael Bublé, Aretha Franklin, Josh
Groban, Lady Gaga and John Mayer; as well as the #1, Grammy-award winning album
Cheek To Cheek with Lady Gaga.
In addition to his management and strategic marketing
endeavors, Bennett has produced a variety of feature documentary and broadcast
productions, including Tony Bennett: An American Classic, the Emmy
Award-winning PBS American Masters documentary in association with Clint
Eastwood, Tony Bennett: The Music Never Ends, and the Emmy Award-winning live
music series Live By Request, 36 shows that ran for 9 seasons on the A&E
Network showcasing such artists as David Bowie, Elton John, Rod Stewart, Billy
Joel, James Taylor, Don Henley and the Bee Gees. Live By Request's unique
interactive concept was developed by Tony and Danny Bennett and went on to
become the longest-running live music performance special on U.S. television.
Bennett also collaborated with Academy Award-winner T-Bone Burnett on The Words
and Music of Cold Mountain, a live multimedia event and DVD for Miramax Films.
Most recently, Danny created, produced and directed in partnership with
Netflix, the critically acclaimed documentary film, The Zen Of Bennett, which
was theatrically released and is available on Netflix.
Universal Music Group (UMG) is the world leader in
music-based entertainment, with a broad array of businesses engaged in recorded
music, music publishing, merchandising and audiovisual content in more than 60
countries. Featuring the most
comprehensive catalog of recordings and songs across every musical genre, UMG
identifies and develops artists and produces and distributes the most
critically acclaimed and commercially successful music in the world. Committed to artistry, innovation and
entrepreneurship, UMG fosters the development of services, platforms and
business models in order to broaden artistic and commercial opportunities for
our artists and create new experiences for fans.
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