Jens-Otto Paludan

Last updated
Jens-Otto Paludan Jens-Otto Paludan.jpg
Jens-Otto Paludan

Jens-Otto Paludan (born July 18, 1963) was CEO of Universal Music in Denmark from 1994 to 2007. [1] [2]

In 1990 Paludan graduated with an MBA from Copenhagen Business School. His education led to a position as marketing manager at the publishing firm MIX, where he was responsible for the marketing of the music and youth magazine MIX. From MIX he came directly to MCA Music Entertainment as CEO and thus started the company from scratch, and in 2000 he was appointed CEO of Universal Music Denmark following the acquisition of PolyGram.

Jens-Otto Paludan was thus the driving force behind the biggest Danish music sensation ever - Aqua - which sold +14 million albums and 10 million singles worldwide. [3] [4] In addition, he obtained great international success with Safri Duo, [5] Junior Senior, Barcode Brothers and DJ Encore, among others. Jens-Otto Paludan is thus the Danish record company executive, who has sold the most records with Danish artists, outside Denmark, ever.

After his time with Universal Music, Paludan worked as self-employed as well as serving on various boards of directors. Thus, he was co-founder of the web agency Reload! A/S in 2008, where he is still co-owner and chairman. In addition, he was MD of his own management company from 2008 to 2013, where he exclusively represented a.o.; Casper Christensen, Andreas Bo and Pernille Rosendahl. During this period he produced the stand-up show "Now As People" with Casper Christensen / Frank Hvam, and also produced the show "Plagiarism" with Andreas Bo.

In 2011 he was co-founder of the fashion portal ANYWEAR, and in 2015 the Scandinavian rights to the platform were sold to the Bonnier-owned publishing firm Benjamin Media.

From 2008 to 2012, Paludan was a member of the board of directors of The Royal Theatre (The Danish National Theatre for Opera / Ballet / Drama). He has also been a member of the board of artFREQ since 2008, served on the board of IFPI from 1999 to 2005 and as chairman from 2005 to 2007, member of the board of Gramex in 2006 and as chairman in 2007, member of the board of MXD from 2005 to 2007, and member of the board of GDC from 1995 to 2002 and as chairman from 2002 to 2004.

Jens-Otto has also been featured in two small film roles, one in connection with the TV-edition of the show "Now As People", and later in a role as himself in the movie "Clown Forever".

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Safri Duo</span> Danish electronic percussion duo

Safri Duo is a Danish electronic percussion duo composed of Uffe Savery and Morten Friis. Initially classically oriented, they later made a track mixing both tribal sound and modern electronica. Released in 2000, "Played-A-Live ", became one of the most popular songs in Europe in 2001. The single and subsequent album, Episode II each sold one million units worldwide, making Safri Duo the most internationally successful Danish act since Aqua.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">René Dif</span> Danish musician and actor

René Dif is a Danish musician, singer-songwriter, DJ and actor, best known as the male lead vocalist of the Danish-Norwegian Eurodance group Aqua.

<i>Aquarium</i> (Aqua album) 1997 studio album by Aqua

Aquarium is the debut studio album by Danish band Aqua, released on 26 March 1997. The album is best known for including the globally successful single "Barbie Girl", which went on to become a widely recognizable hit around the world, as well as the popular track “Lollipop (Candyman)”. The album also featured the songs "Doctor Jones" and "Turn Back Time". In early 1997, the release of Aquarium was initially preceded by the singles "Roses Are Red" and "My Oh My", which was released a second time in 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doctor Jones</span> 1997 single by Aqua

"Doctor Jones" is a song by Danish-Norwegian dance-pop group Aqua, released as the fourth single from their debut album, Aquarium (1997). It was the follow-up to their most successful song, "Barbie Girl", and first released as a single in most of Europe in October 1997 by Universal Records. In December 1997, "Doctor Jones" was released in Australia and peaked at No. 1 for seven consecutive weeks. In January 1998, the song was released in the United Kingdom and became the group's second No. 1 single, topping the chart for three weeks. Throughout the rest of Europe, the song reached the top 10 in 11 countries, topping the charts of Croatia and Ireland. Its music video, directed by Peder Pedersen, continued the same cinematic style as in "Barbie Girl", this time using Indiana Jones characters from the film series of the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lollipop (Candyman)</span> 1997 single by Aqua

"Lollipop (Candyman)" is a song by Danish-Norwegian dance-pop group Aqua. It was released as the fifth overall single from their debut album, Aquarium, in Australasia, North America, and mainland Europe. However, it was not released in the United Kingdom. "Lollipop" features a prominent role for René Dif, with vocals also from main vocalist Lene. The US CD and cassette single include "Good Morning Sunshine" as the B-side.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cartoon Heroes</span> 2000 single by Aqua

"Cartoon Heroes" is a song by Danish-Norwegian dance-pop group Aqua from their second studio album, Aquarius. The song was sent to radio stations worldwide on 1 January 2000 and was released as a retail single on 31 January 2000. It was their first release anywhere for over 14 months due to the time spent touring the world, resting, and recording Aquarius.

<i>Aquarius</i> (Aqua album) 2000 studio album by Aqua

Aquarius is the second studio album by Danish–Norwegian band Aqua. The album was released on 28 February 2000 by Universal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aqua (band)</span> Danish Eurodance group

Aqua is a Danish-Norwegian Europop band, best known for their 1997 single "Barbie Girl". The group formed in 1995 in Copenhagen and achieved international success around the globe in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The band released three albums: Aquarium in 1997, Aquarius in 2000 and Megalomania in 2011. The group sold an estimated 33 million albums and singles, making them the most profitable Danish band ever.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danish Music Awards</span> Danish award show

The Danish Music Awards (DMA) is a Danish award show. The show has been arranged by IFPI since 1989, and was originally called IFPI-prisen ("IFPI-Award") until 1991, when it changed its name to Dansk Grammy. It was changed to its current name, Danish Music Awards in 2001, after the American Grammy Awards registered the name "Grammy" as their trademark. In 2011, IFPI joined together with TV2 and KODA to present the awards ceremony.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Played-A-Live (The Bongo Song)</span> 2000 single by Safri Duo

"Played-A-Live " is a song by Danish percussion duo Safri Duo. It was released in November 2000 as the lead single from their first mainstream studio album, Episode II. The Michael Parsberg-produced song, which has a mix of tribal drums with electronic music twists, sold 1.5 million copies worldwide and became the fourth-fastest-selling single ever in Europe. The single topped the Danish Singles Chart. Outside Denmark, the single also topped the Swiss Singles Chart and peaked at number two in the Netherlands, Germany, and Belgium. It reached number six in the United Kingdom and number seven on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart.

Nordic popular music, also referred to as Scandinavian popular music, includes pop and rock music of the Nordic countries. The musical scene is known for its biggest bands like ABBA, Roxette, A-ha, Michael Learns to Rock, Ace of Base, and Aqua. These are by far the biggest non-metal acts to come out of Sweden, Norway and Denmark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbie Girl</span> 1997 single by Aqua

"Barbie Girl" is a song by Danish-Norwegian dance-pop group Aqua. It was released in April 1997 by Universal and MCA as the third single from the group's debut studio album, Aquarium (1997). The song was written by band members Søren Rasted, Claus Norreen, René Dif, and Lene Nystrøm, and was produced by the former two alongside Johnny Jam and Delgado. It was written after Rasted saw an exhibit on kitsch culture in Denmark that featured Barbie dolls. The accompanying music video was directed by Danish directors Peder Pedersen and Peter Stenbæk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Copenhagen Records</span> Record label

Copenhagen Records is a Danish record label formed on 5 January 2004 by former EMI Recorded Music Denmark staff members to give artists more artistic autonomy. It houses artists spread over a wide range of genres, from rock to rap, and from pop artists to comedians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Back to the 80s (song)</span> 2009 single by Aqua

"Back to the 80s" is a song by Norwegian-Danish band Aqua. The song was written by members Søren Rasted, Claus Norreen, and produced by Rasted, for their second greatest hits album (2009). "Back to the 80s" was Aqua's first single in eight years, following the release of the 2001 single "We Belong to the Sea". "Back to the 80s" was released on 25 May 2009 as the lead single from Greatest Hits and topped the Danish Singles Chart for six weeks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helele</span> 2010 single by Velile and Safri Duo

"Helele" is a Zulu language song by South African singer Velile Mchunu and Danish percussion duo Safri Duo. It was released on 7 May 2010 as the only new single from Safri Duo's Greatest Hits album. The song was the official trailer song for the 2010 FIFA World Cup broadcast on German television channel RTL and Switzerland's Schweizer Fernsehen and Télévision Suisse Romande in June–July. "Helele" is based on the 1971 song "Aieaoa" by French producer Daniel Vangarde and Belgian producer Jean Kluger in the group Yamasuki. It was famously covered by Belgian group Black Blood in 1975 and English girl group Bananarama in 1981. "Helele" peaked at number one in Switzerland, number two in Germany and number eight in Austria.

Daze is a Danish Eurodance band, best known for their singles "Superhero", "Toy Boy" and "Together Forever ". The group's members are Trine Bix, Jesper Tønnov and Lucas Sieber.

<i>Megalomania</i> (Aqua album) 2011 studio album by Aqua

Megalomania is the third studio album by Danish band Aqua. It was released on 3 October 2011 by Universal Music Group and WaterWorks, over 11 years after the release of their second studio album, Aquarius (2000). The album peaked at number two in Denmark and was certified gold by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbie World</span> 2023 single by Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice with Aqua

"Barbie World" is a song by Trinidadian rapper Nicki Minaj and American rapper Ice Spice from Barbie the Album, the soundtrack of the film Barbie (2023). It was released by Atlantic Records, 10K Projects, and Capitol Records as the soundtrack's third single on June 23, 2023. Produced by RiotUSA, the song heavily samples the 1997 single "Barbie Girl" by Danish Europop band Aqua, who are credited as performers and co-writers in the song.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Playmate to Jesus</span> 2011 single by Aqua

"Playmate to Jesus" is a song by Danish-Norwegian pop band Aqua from their third studio album, Megalomania. The song, which was released in 2011, is about universal love and "what goes around comes around". Despite the song's positive critical reaction, it only charted in Denmark, becoming the group's second lowest-charting single. The music video, directed by Michael Sauer Christensen and filmed in Lyngby, Denmark, premiered on 22 September 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Superhero (Daze song)</span> 1997 single by Daze

"Superhero" is a song by Danish Eurodance band Daze, released in 1997 as the first single from their double platinum debut album, Super Heroes (1997). The song is written by Jesper Tønnov Rasmussen and Lucas Sieber, and produced by Johnny Jam and Delgado. It was very successful in Scandinavia, peaking at number two in Denmark, Finland and Norway. In Sweden, it narrowly missed the top 10, reaching number 11. The single became the fastest selling single of 1997 in Denmark as well as reaching number one on the Danish radio and club chart. "Superhero" has sold both gold and platinum all over Scandinavia, and after the song's success, Daze won the Best Dance Act of the Year award at the Danish Grammy Awards.

References

  1. "Paludan Appointed Chair Of IFPI Denmark". Billboard.com. September 13, 2005. Retrieved 2015-09-20.
  2. "Paludan Splits With Universal Denmark". Billboard.com. November 9, 2007. Retrieved 2015-09-20.
  3. "Barbie loses battle over bimbo image". BBC News. July 25, 2002. Archived from the original on 2015-07-13. Retrieved 2015-09-20.
  4. "Barbie song appeal strikes an off note for high court". CNN.com. January 27, 2003. Retrieved 2015-09-20.
  5. "Safri Duo To Perform With Aqua At Eurovision". Billboard.com. May 10, 2001. Retrieved 2015-09-20.