Mumford & Sons picked up the coveted Album Of The Year award for their second album 'Babel' at last night’s Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. Adele won her ninth Grammy, for Best Pop Solo performance for her live version of ‘Set Fire to the Rain’ performed at The Royal Albert Hall.
Universal Music Publishing is proud to announce the signing of an exclusive worldwide deal for the entire Billy Joel catalogue, including the hit songs ‘Uptown Girl’, ‘Tell Her About It’, ‘Just the Way You Are’ and 'We Didn’t Start the Fire’. Since having his first chart and sales success in the early 1970s, Billy Joel has remained one of the world's most popular artists.
Courteeners release their third studio album ‘Anna’ today on V2. It's been two years since the band's last album ‘Falcon’, which charted at No. 6 and followed their No. 4 debut ‘St. Jude’. “I realised that our first LP was very raw and ready,” explains frontman and lyricist Liam Fray, “while the second one had those big, slow numbers. For this one I felt we had to go back to that rawness, but with an electronic edge.”
Delphic release their second studio album ‘Collections’ today, the follow up to their critically aclaimed 2010 debut ‘Acolyte’. Produced by Ben Allen (Bombay Bicycle Club, Animal Collective) and Tim Goldsworthy (Massive Attack, LCD Soundsystem) ‘Collections’ fuses elements of electronica, hip-hop and house against a background of modern day pop – often walking the line between euphoria and melancholy.
The The’s 1983 official debut ‘Soul Mining’ is one of the defining albums of the 80’s.'This is the Day' and 'Uncertain Smile' were the enduring pop hits but 'Giant' is the album’s percussive cornerstone. Matt Johnson went on to record the stunning 'Infected'.
UMPG is proud to represent both of these landmark albums.
Everything Everything release their second studio album ‘Arc’ today – the follow up to their Mercury nominated debut ‘Man Alive’. “The album in general we wanted to be far less uptight and less controlled-sounding than Man Alive” says , Jeremy Pritchard (bass/keyboard). ‘Arc’ takes in broad influences, from the summer 2011 riots to a remote Cumbrian shed, and has attracted 4 star reviews from both The Guardian and The Independent.
Fryars is the musical brainchild of London based 22 year old Benjamin Garrett. His critically acclaimed debut album ‘Dark Young Hearts’ released in 2009, won him fans across the musical spectrum - from Kanye to Depeche Mode. His new EP ‘In My Arms’, released today, is a slice of romantically bleak but beautiful electronic pop that gives a hint of what’s to come on on his forthcoming album.
Songwriters and artists signed to Universal Music Publishing received an impressive twenty four nominations for the 2013 BRIT Awards, with Mumford & Sons receiving a trio of nominations, Best Group, Best Album for ‘Babel’ and Best Live Act. Paloma Faith, Coldplay, Jessie Ware, Olly Murs and Plan B each received two nominations. There are also nominations for The xx, Richard Hawley and The Vaccines.
Universal Music Publishing artists have featured in several end of year lists highlighting new talent for 2013, including AlunaGeorge, Laura Mvula, Disclosure, Gabrielle Aplin and Rascals.
This Christmas marked 25 years since the original release of The Pogues & Kirsty MacColl’s classic Christmas song ‘Fairytale of New York’. To celebrate this anniversary the single was re-released on December 3rd in two formats with new cover art. Since its original release in the Eighties 'Fairytale of New York' has become one of the most loved Christmas pop songs of all time and has made an appearance in the Top 20 every year since 2005. Last year music licensing body PPL announced it as the most-played Christmas song of the century, and it has now sold over a million copies in the UK.