Doug Morris

Old News: A New Boss for Universal Music in 2011

Peter Kafka in Media on February 10, 2010 at 4:37 am PT

This one counts as news in a technical sense, only: The people who own the world’s biggest music company have finally announced plans to bring in new management. Vivendi says it will install Lucian Grainge as head of its Universal Music Group unit in 2011, replacing longtime head Doug Morris. The Grainge era will really start this summer, since Universal’s international boss will be moving to New York in July, when he and Morris will be “co-CEOs” for a six-month stint.

Yahoo: You (Don't) Always Have Other Options

John Paczkowski in News on February 8, 2008 at 11:00 am PT

Yahoo: You (Don’t) Always Have Other Options

John Paczkowski in News on February 8, 2008 at 11:00 am PT

Total Music or Total Collusion?

John Paczkowski in News on February 8, 2008 at 12:01 am PT

Universal Music Group CEO Doug Morris’s attempt to wrest control of the digital music market from Apple has–shock!–run afoul of U.S. regulators. The Justice Department has begun investigating Universal for proposing to its three main competitors that they collaborate on “Total Music,” a service that would bake the cost of an “all-you-can-eat” music subscription into [...]

Under Terms of the Deal, Imeem's Soul Will Be Held in Escrow

John Paczkowski in Social on December 10, 2007 at 5:25 am PT

Offering its entire catalog of digitized video and music for free to the 19 million users of an upstart social-networking site was once about the farthest thing from Universal Music Group’s mind. Now, with the Internet rejiggering the music industry’s economic structure, it’s at the very top of it. And so this morning, UMG said it would allow members of social network Imeem to stream its music for no charge, in exchange for a cut of the revenue from advertising aired while songs are playing.

Under Terms of the Deal, Imeem’s Soul Will Be Held in Escrow

John Paczkowski in Social on December 10, 2007 at 5:25 am PT

Offering its entire catalog of digitized video and music for free to the 19 million users of an upstart social-networking site was once about the farthest thing from Universal Music Group’s mind. Now, with the Internet rejiggering the music industry’s economic structure, it’s at the very top of it. And so this morning, UMG said it would allow members of social network Imeem to stream its music for no charge, in exchange for a cut of the revenue from advertising aired while songs are playing.

Comments on Universal Music Group Head Doug Morris's Digital Meltdown

Kara Swisher in News on November 29, 2007 at 12:54 am PT

The post I did yesterday on Universal Music Group head Doug Morris and his grumpy interview with Wired about digital issues got some interesting comments, all of which concluded that the veteran music exec had lost his marbles. In the interview, Morris took aim at Apple’s popular music player and service, blamed college students for [...]

Hollywood Doesn't Get It, Part 3,553

Kara Swisher in News on November 28, 2007 at 1:21 am PT

Doug Morris is still a very, very grumpy man about the digital arena. We did not think it could get worse than NBC honcho Jeff Zucker (pictured here), who demanded a vig for every iPod sold because “Apple sold millions of dollars worth of hardware off the back of our content and made a lot [...]