Universal Music Group (UMG) Promotes Jeffrey Harleston to General Counsel and Executive Vice President of Business & Legal Affairs, North America

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Feb 10, 2011, 01:00 ET

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Feb. 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Universal Music Group (UMG), the world's leading music company, has promoted Jeffrey Harleston to General Counsel and Executive Vice President of Business & Legal Affairs for North America. The promotion, which is effective immediately, was announced today by Zach Horowitz, President & Chief Operating Officer of the company, to whom Mr. Harleston reports. Formerly, Mr. Harleston served as Senior Vice President of Business & Legal affairs for UMG.

In this expanded role, Mr. Harleston will be responsible for overseeing business and legal affairs for UMG's North American operations, as well as helping to coordinate the company's government relations, trade and anti-piracy activities so as to ensure a unified strategy across all of the company's divisions. Mr. Harleston takes over Michael Ostroff's North American responsibilities. Mr. Ostroff retired last month, after 27 years with the company.

"Having the opportunity to work with Jeff over the last 17 years in a variety of capacities, I know that he will bring tremendous value to this critical role," stated Mr. Horowitz. "His proven leadership skills, excellent judgment and broad range of experience, which includes litigation, intellectual property, artist relations, mergers and acquisitions, antitrust and government affairs, make him the perfect choice to lead our North American legal activities."

"This continues to be a time of great change in the music business and with that comes great opportunity to pioneer new business models and deal structures. UMG is on the cutting edge of these changes, so it is particularly exciting to be in the middle of all this through my new role," added Mr. Harleston. "I am grateful to Zach and Lucian Grainge (CEO, UMG) for their support and confidence in me, and I'm looking forward to helping further expand the marketplace for our artists, business partners and employees."

Prior to joining UMG's corporate legal team, Mr. Harleston served as Executive Vice President and General Manager of Geffen Records, where he worked with a number of chart-topping artists, including Mary J. Blige, Common, Nelly Furtado, Ashlee Simpson, Snoop Dogg, and Angels and Airwaves among many others. Mr. Harleston began his tenure with Universal Music Group in 1993, when the company was formerly named MCA Music Entertainment. He held a variety of positions, including Vice President of Business & Legal Affairs for MCA Music. Formerly, Mr. Harleston served as an Associate Independent Counsel for the Office of Independent Counsel: Iran/Contra in Washington, DC. He also worked as an Associate with the law firms of Covington & Burling in Washington, DC and Morrison & Foerster in San Francisco, CA.

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, Polydor Records, Show Dog – Universal Music, Universal Motown Republic Group, Universal Music Latino 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; and Twenty-First Artists, its full service management division.

Universal Music Group is a unit of Vivendi, a global media and communications company.

SOURCE Universal Music Group