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David Renzer has been promoted to Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG), it was announced today by Zach Horowitz, President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Universal Music Group. Most recently, Renzer served as President of UMPG. In this new role, Renzer will continue to preside over the company’s global activities and reports directly to Horowitz.

” David has presided over a period of remarkable growth for Universal Music Publishing Group,” stated Horowitz. “This promotion recognizes his dedication, passion and vision, all of which have helped to make UMPG one of the world’s premier music publishing companies.”

” During my eight years at UMPG, the company has gone through a dynamic transformation, emerging as one of the industry’s leading music publishers,” added Renzer. “What we’ve achieved over the years is a testament to the commitment of Universal Music Group to the publishing business, to the UMPG staff, which I consider the best in the business, and to our world-class songwriters and catalog.”

” David’s expert knowledge of the marketplace and impressive artist experience make him a terrific asset to UMG,” commented Doug Morris, Chairman & CEO of Universal Music Group. “I’m confident that he will continue to be a driving force as we bring our publishing division to even greater heights.”

Since joining Universal (then MCA Music Publishing) in March, 1996, Renzer has spearheaded the integration of Polygram Music Publishing and Rondor Music into the Universal Music Publishing family, and has worked with his team to sign some of today’s most important songwriters from around the world. Renzer and his team have also acquired over 70 major catalogs including Def Jam (LL Cool J, Public Enemy), Interscope (No Doubt, Tupac), All Nations Music (“She Works Hard for the Money,” “You’ve Got The Magic Touch”, “Birds and the Bees” and the catalogs of the Statler Bros. and Gatlin Bros.), Anxious Music (Annie Lennox, Texas), John Phillips (Mamas and Papas), Ronnie Van Zant (Lynyrd Skynyrd), Momentum Music (Gary Numan “Cars,” Love and Rockets, So Alive), Matraca Berg ( “Strawberry Wine” ), Stephen Bray ( “Get Into The Groove” ), and such important international catalogs as Trema in France and Koch in Germany, among many others. Further, he has launched important genre specific divisions including Universal Christian Music Publishing and Universal Music Publishing Group Latin America.

Currently, UMPG is enjoying success with recent signings and new artist/writer deals, including: Mariah Carey, Paul Simon, Prince, Ludacris, Dave Grohl, Michel Sandou (France), Alejandro Lerner (Argentina), and the Clarence Avant/Interior Music catalogs (Bill Withers, SOS Band). They join an already impressive roster which includes U2, 50 Cent, Ja Rule, Ashanti, Shania Twain, 3 Doors Down, Anastasia, The Killers, Franz Ferdinand, The Darkness, Godsmack, Ice Cube, Vanessa Carlton, Mary J. Blige, The Corrs, Eve, Musiq, Jill Scott, Brian McKnight, No Doubt, Blink-182, New Found Glory, Beastie Boys, Fatboy Slim, DMX, Rivers Rutherford, Rudy Perez, Gloria and Emilio Estefan, Glen Ballard, and the catalogs of Elton John, Henry Mancini and Leonard Bernstein, among many others.

The company has also been the recipient of numerous awards, including the recent Broadcast Music Incorporated’s (BMI) Publisher of the Year award in urban music, and the American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers’ (ASCAP) prestigious Latin Music Publisher of the Year award, which it won for three consecutive years.

About Universal Music Group

Universal Music Group (UMG) is the world’s largest music company with wholly owned record operations or licensees in 71 countries. In addition to Universal Music Publishing Group, UMG consists of record labels Decca Record Company, Deutsche Grammophon, DreamWorks Records, Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Island Def Jam Music Group, Lost Highway Records, MCA Nashville, Mercury Nashville, Mercury Records, Philips, Polydor, Universal Music Latino, Universal Motown Records Group, 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 is marketed through two distinct divisions, Universal Music Enterprises (in the U.S.) and Strategic Marketing (outside the U.S.). Universal Music Group also includes eLabs, a new media and technologies division.