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News |  02 Apr 2014 20:27 |  By RnMTeam

Universal Music group restructures Island Def Jam Music Group

MUMBAI: Def Jam Recordings, Motown Records and Island Records will enjoy the status of stand-alone labels, after Universal Music Group (UMG) announced that it has reorganised its East Coast recorded music operations.

Henceforth, Def Jam Recordings, Island Records and Motown Records will be stand-alone labels within the UMG family. The labels will build on their strengths by enhancing their individual management, marketing, publicity and A&R teams and re-emerge as distinct creative enterprises.

With the transition of Island Def Jam into three stand-alone labels, East Coast Label Group chairman and CEO Barry Weiss, according to the statement issued, stated that he has decided to step down from his current position in order to enter into discussions with UMG about a new venture together.

In the new structure, Def Jam Recordings will be led by Steve Bartels, who has been promoted to CEO position. Dion "No I.D." Wilson and Kyambo "Hip Hop" Joshua have been appointed as executive vice presidents and co-heads of A&R.

Ethiopia Habtemariam, SVP of Motown Records, has been promoted to president of the label. She will also continue in her current role as EVP and head of Urban Music at Universal Music Publishing Group. Motown will be a label within Capitol Music Group, alongside such labels as Blue Note, Harvest and Virgin Records. Since UMG’s purchase of EMI, Capitol has been revitalised and has expanded.

Under the leadership of David Massey, Island Records will expand its own marketing, publicity and A&R departments to grow the Island brand and produce the best in rock, alternative and pop music.

Karen Kwak, EVP and head of A&R for Island Def Jam Music Group (IDJ) has been promoted to the newly-created position of EVP A&R, U.S. Recorded Music. In this new position, Kwak will serve all of UMG’s labels in the U.S.

UMG chairman and CEO Lucian Grainge said, "By re-establishing Def Jam, Island and Motown as stand-alone labels within the UMG family, we are positioning them to recapture the uniqueness of their brands and serve artistes with the singularity of vision, focus and creativity that was at the core of their original success."

In the year 1999, Def Jam, Island and Motown were consolidated into the Island Def Jam Music Group and now they have gone back as standalone labels from immediate effect.

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