LONDON — Universal Music Group is to merge its historic Island and EMI label divisions as a part of a widespread restructuring of the corporate’s U.Okay. enterprise that will even see the launch of recent Audience and Media Division to help artists and labels.

The announcement was made on Tuesday (July 9) by David Joseph, chairman and CEO Universal Music U.Okay. and Ireland, in an inner memo, which has been seen by Billboard.

The reorganization of Universal Music’s U.Okay. operations follows modifications the corporate made to its U.S. groups earlier this yr with the formation of Interscope Capitol Labels Group and Republic Corps.   

That construction is now being loosely mirrored in the United Kingdom with the creation of what Joseph known as “two new powerhouse frontline label groups” — Island EMI Label Group, headed by Louis Bloom as president, and the newly fashioned Polydor Label Group, led by Ben Mortimer.

Both label teams will likely be dwelling to a number of labels “all with creative autonomy,” stated Joseph’s memo. Each division will even comprise a crew devoted to supporting artists from the broader UMG household, stated the Universal U.Okay. boss.

In line with the restructuring, which comes into impact Oct. 1, Universal is shuffling its govt ranks.  

EMI Records co-president Jo Charrington has been appointed president of a “reimagined” U.Okay. arm of Capitol, which is able to sit throughout the wider Polydor Label Group, as will 0207 Def Jam, led by president Alec Boateng. (Billboard understands that Boateng’s brother and co-president of 2017 Def Jam Alex Boateng is to stay with Universal and will likely be given a job inside a world division).  

EMI Records’ different co-president, Rebecca Allen, will take up the position of president of Universal’s Audience and Media Division (AMD), a newly fashioned U.Okay.-based division devoted to serving artists and labels that may have a worldwide remit.

Joining Allen in the Audience and Media crew will likely be Suzy Walby (media), Kate Wyn Jones (Audience and Digital Strategy) and information and strategic department The Square perception crew, led by Jack Fryer.  

In his inner employees memo, Joseph stated the “industry first” AMD crew “will revolutionise how we deliver for our artists” and will develop into Universal U.Okay.’s largest division.

Not talked about in the memo is the dimensions or variety of job losses that may end result from the modifications, though it does state that the session interval for workers whose roles are doubtlessly in danger begins as we speak and will proceed till mid-September.

In the United Kingdom, it’s a authorized requirement that firms should comply with so-called “collective consultation” guidelines whether it is making 20 or extra workers redundant inside any 90-day interval. Universal U.Okay. declined to touch upon employees redundancies.

Not impacted by the modifications are Laura Monks and Tom Lewis, who will proceed in their present roles of Decca co-presidents, which is able to stay a stand-alone label. Hannah Neaves stays sole president of Universal Music Recordings.

“As a company, we must continue to be forward-looking, innovative, and bold. Developing artists now requires more creativity and patience than ever before,” stated Joseph in his inner memo.

Joseph went on to say that the restructure would “strengthen our labels’ capabilities to deepen artist and fan connections.”  

“We are committed to being the number one place for artists, fans and talent,” surmised the U.Okay. CEO. “I have an incredible appreciation for our team given what we have achieved in the past and what I know we will achieve in the future.”