News
arvato digital services operate media archive and asset delivery for Universal Music Group International
Gütersloh, April 2, 2009— arvato digital services, international provider of media services and integrated supply chain solutions, announced yesterday that it will assume responsibility for operating and maintaining the complete central media archive of Universal Music Group International (UMGI) and the relevant production-asset delivery.
Universal Music Group is the world’s leading music company. UMGI is the division that manages UMG’s businesses in countries outside of North America.
The cooperation involves a long-term contract for operating and maintaining the UMGI digital and physical media archive. “We are proud that Universal Music Group International has chosen us as a professional media services provider. We already established a digital archive 15 years ago which in the meantime offers 1.5 petabytes of storage capacity – this is about 1.5 million gigabyte. The archive contains well over 100,000 titles and has been constantly and consequently developed. Our physical tape archive also offers the highest security and quality standards”, says Sven Deutschmann, CEO arvato digital services Manufacturing EMEA.
Universal Music Group has the largest music catalogue in the world. The contract with arvato digital services relates to the preparation, preservation and digitisation of UMGI’s analog audiovisual carriers and digital media from the beginning of the 20th century to present, as well as the physical archiving of more than 400,000 audio and video tapes and the digital storage and archiving of the audio, video and graphic components. All those assets can then be called up at any time in the requested file-format for the digital and physical supply chain in order to fulfill the requirements of the online-distribution partners and the traditional finished product suppliers.
Rahmyn Kress, Senior Vice President Supply Chain Management at UMGI: “We are delighted to have found such an industry-leading and reliable partner as arvato digital services. Our new partner will process and archive our content and preserve it for the future”.
As a matter of precaution, arvato digital services has notified the cooperation to the German Federal Cartel Office whose clearance is still pending.
About arvato digital services
arvato digital services provides a comprehensive range of services and solutions to its business partners in the IT/high-tech, games, video, and audio sectors. Customers all over the world benefit from its 8,000 employees and five decades of experience. The global footprint of arvato digital services includes 18 countries on five continents.
arvato digital services is a leading provider of integrated solutions that include every step of the value chain, from post-production, replication and fulfillment to distribution/supply chain management and financial services to electronic software distribution. These processes are supported by end-to-end IT systems. With these solutions, arvato digital services creates value for its customers and ensures that they are well-equipped for the challenges of the market.
Together with arvato print, arvato systems and arvato services, we are a part of arvato AG, the internationally networked media and communication service provider. arvato AG is a division of Bertelsmann AG, headquartered in Gütersloh, Germany.
Press contact:
arvato digital services GmbH
Public Relations
Simone Biermann
Tel: +49 (5241) 80 1938
E-mail: simone.biermann@bertelsmann.de
About Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group is the world’s leading music company with wholly owned record operations or licensees in 77 countries. Its businesses also include Universal Music Publishing Group, the industry’s leading global music publishing operation.
Universal Music Group's record labels include A&M/Octone, Decca, Deutsche Grammophon, Disa, Emarcy, Fonovisa, Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Island Def Jam Music Group, Lost Highway Records, Machete Music, MCA Nashville, Mercury Nashville, Mercury Records, Philips, Polydor Records, Universal Motown Republic Group, Universal Music Latino, Universal Records South, and Verve Music Group as well as a multitude of record labels owned or distributed by its record company subsidiaries around the world. The Universal Music Group owns the most extensive catalog of music in the industry, which includes the last 100 years of the world's most popular artists and their recordings. UMG's catalog is marketed through two distinct divisions, Universal Music Enterprises (in the U.S.) and Universal Strategic Marketing (outside the U.S.). Universal Music Group also includes eLabs, its new media and technologies division; Bravado, its merchandising company; Twenty–First Artists, its full service management division; and Helter Skelter, its live music agency.
Universal Music Group is a unit of Vivendi, a global media and communications company.
Press contact:
Adam White
VP, Communications
Universal Music Group International
adam.white@umusic.com
Office: +44 (020) 7471 5665
Mobile: +44 (0)7808 924 030
Post: 364-366 Kensington High Street, London W14 8NS
