Universal Records (Philippines)

Last updated

Universal Records (Philippines)
Universal Records Ph.jpg
Parent company Warner Music Group (19771992)
Independent (1992present)
Founded1977 (as WEA Records Philippines)
Founder Warner Music Group
Bella Dy Tan
StatusActive
Distributor(s)self-distributed
GenreVarious
Country of originPhilippines
Location9/F, Universal Tower, 1487 Quezon Avenue, West Triangle, Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines
Official website universalrecords.com.ph

Universal Records Philippines, Inc. is a Philippine record label founded in 1977 as part of Warner Music Group. [1] It has been an independent label since 1992. The label is currently a member of the Philippine Association of the Record Industry. [2]

Contents

History

WEA Records Philippines Inc. was founded in the Philippines as a subsidiary of Warner Music Group's East Asia division. The company served as the licensee of WEA in the Philippines for 15 years before undergoing a name change to Universal Records Philippines Inc. in 1992. The company's new name reflected a shift in focus from being just a licensee of WEA to becoming a full-fledged independent record label.

As Universal Records Philippines Inc., the company continued to build its reputation in the industry and signed various prominent local artists, such as Gary Valenciano, Regine Velasquez, and Christian Bautista. In 2003, the company signed the pop-rock band Sponge Cola, which became a major success in the local music scene. The band's debut album, "Palabas," achieved double platinum status and won several awards, including Album of the Year at the NU107 Rock Awards.

In 2018, Universal Records Philippines Inc. launched Mustard Music, a sub-label focused on the growth of homegrown indie acts. The new label aimed to provide a platform for emerging Filipino artists to showcase their music and reach a wider audience. Mustard Music's roster includes promising acts such as Janine Teñoso, Keiko Necesario, and Arthur Nery.

Artists

Universal Records Philippines Inc. has signed and worked with numerous prominent Filipino artists throughout its history. Some of the label's notable acts include:

Distributed labels

As of 2011 :

Local

Foreign

Artists

Current artists

Mustard Music (sublabel)

Former artists

Trade name dispute with UMG

Universal Music Group cannot use the Universal name in the Philippines because URPI owns rights to that brand name. Thus, the UMG business in the Philippines became known as MCA Music, Inc., UMG's former global trade name. [5]

On November 3, 2021, MCA Music changed its current name to UMG Philippines.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Regine Velasquez</span> Filipino singer and actress (born 1970)

Regina Encarnacion Ansong Velasquez is a Filipino singer and actress. She is considered one of the most influential figures in Philippine popular culture and is known for her vocal range and belting technique. She had unorthodox voice training during her childhood, where she was immersed neck-deep in the sea. Velasquez rose to prominence after winning the television talent show Ang Bagong Kampeon in 1984 and the Asia Pacific Singing Contest in 1989. Under the name Chona, she signed a recording contract with OctoArts International in 1986 and released the single "Love Me Again", which was commercially unsuccessful. The following year, she adopted the stage name Regine Velasquez for her debut studio album, Regine (1987), under the guidance of Viva Records executive Vic del Rosario and producer Ronnie Henares. She explored Manila sound and kundiman genres on her second and third studio albums, Nineteen 90 (1990) and Tagala Talaga (1991).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Regine Velasquez discography</span> Filipino artist discography

Filipino singer Regine Velasquez has released seventeen studio albums, eight soundtrack albums, one live album, fifteen compilation albums, five extended plays (EPs), ninety-three singles, and twenty-three promotional singles. In 1984, she won the television talent competition Ang Bagong Kampeon and was signed to a record deal with OctoArts International. She released her first single, "Love Me Again", in 1986, under the name Chona. After adopting the stage name Regine Velasquez, she signed with Viva Records in 1987 and released her debut studio album, Regine, that spawned three singles—"Kung Maibabalik Ko Lang", "Urong Sulong", and "Isang Lahi". In December 1989, she represented the Philippines at the Asia-Pacific Singing Contest, performing the songs "You'll Never Walk Alone" and "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going", and won the competition. Her subsequent studio albums Nineteen 90 (1989) and Tagala Talaga (1991) featured the singles "Narito Ako" and "Buhay Ng Buhay Ko", respectively. A cover version of "It's Hard to Say Goodbye" with Paul Anka became the lead single for her fourth studio album, Reason Enough, which was released in July 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Viva Records (Philippines)</span> Philippine record label

Viva Records Corporation, commonly known as Viva Records, is a Philippine record label owned by Viva Music Group, a subsidiary of Viva Communications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">APO Hiking Society</span> Filipino musical group

The Apolinario Mabini Hiking Society, later popularly known as APO Hiking Society, or simply APO, are a Filipino musical group, that comprised Danny Javier, Jim Paredes, and Boboy Garrovillo. Today, the group consists of only Paredes and Garrovillo as a duo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ogie Alcasid</span> Filipino actor, comedian and singer-songwriter (born 1967)

Herminio Jose Lualhati "Ogie" Alcasid Jr. is a Filipino actor, singer, songwriter, comedian, director and producer. He is best known for his songwriting and collaboration with other musical artists. He has appeared in films and television shows, notably as a cast member of Tropang Trumpo (1994–1995) and Bubble Gang (1995–2013), and a host and main performer of SOP (1997–2010) and ASAP Natin 'To (2017–present). He is currently married to Regine Velasquez, with whom he has one child.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Myx Music Awards 2008</span> 3rd annual Myx Music Awards

The following is a list of winners in the 2008 MYX Music Awards, held at the Meralco Theater, Ortigas Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Myx Music Awards 2009</span> 4th annual Myx Music Awards

The following is a list of winners in the 2009 MYX Music Awards, held at the Meralco Theater, Ortigas Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Myx Music Awards 2010</span> 5th annual Myx Music Awards

The Myx Music Awards for 2010 comprised nineteen categories of "favorite" and two special awards.

Side A is a Filipino pop band formed in 1985. They gained recognition in the Philippine music scene in the late 1980s through to the early 2000s. They are best known for their single "Forevermore." In 1993, the group's third album went triple platinum and in the mid-1990s, Side A garnered two Awit Awards.

<i>Kailangan Koy Ikaw</i> (soundtrack) 2000 soundtrack album by Various Artists/ Regine Velasquez

Kailangan Ko'y Ikaw is the soundtrack to the 2000 Viva Films comedy and romance film of the same name starring Regine Velasquez and Robin Padilla. The soundtrack was released by Viva Records on 2000 in CD and cassette format. With the film's immense success, the single "Kailangan Ko'y Ikaw" shot to the top of the charts and the soundtrack sold more than 240,000+ copies in the Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin Nievera discography</span>

Filipino singer-songwriter Martin Nievera has released 28 studio albums, 10 compilation albums, 2 live albums, 2 extended plays (EPs) and thirty-three singles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Valenciano discography</span>

This page presents the albums and singles discography of Filipino multi-awarded singer Gary Valenciano. As of 2000, he has sold more than a million albums in the Philippines, becoming one of the best-selling Filipino recording artist of all time. His album "Shout for Joy" has sold 200,000 copies nationwide.

The Pamusikatan: 7th PMPC Star Awards for Music. It was held at the Kia Theatre, Araneta Center, Cubao, Quezon City on November 10, 2015, hosted by Kim Chiu and Enchong Dee with DJ Tom Taus, directed by Bert De Leon. It was aired on ABS-CBN's Sunday's Best on November 29 at 10:45pm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UMG Philippines</span> Philippine record label branch of Universal Music Group

UMG Philippines Inc. is a record label based in the Philippines and served as its regional branch of the multinational music corporation, Universal Music Group. Formerly known as MCA Music, the record label previously retained the now-discontinued MCA name on legal purposes because of a trademark dispute with an unrelated label known as Universal Records, which preempted the rights to the word "Universal" for recorded music in the Philippines. However, the company adopted the moniker "MCA/Universal", much like Universal Pictures' home video unit from 1990 to 1997, to simplify identification, even though no formal "Universal" branding is exercised. Despite the naming, the label is known outside the Philippines as Universal Music Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pagtingin</span> 2019 song by Filipino folk-pop band Ben&Ben

"Pagtingin" is a song by Filipino folk-pop band Ben&Ben, composed by lead vocalist Paolo Benjamin Guico. It was released alongside "Araw-Araw" on May 2, 2019. It was used for the film LSS released in 2019 under Globe Studios.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Regine Velasquez on screen and stage</span> Filipino actress filmography

Filipino entertainer Regine Velasquez has appeared in motion pictures and television programs. She made her screen debut with a minor role in the 1988 comedy film The Untouchable Family. She went on to appear in supporting roles in the comedies Pik Pak Boom (1988) and Elvis and James 2 (1990). Velasquez made her stage debut in 1992 with the Musical Theatre Philippines production of Romualdo Ramos and Tony Velasquez's Kenkoy Loves Rosing. Her breakthrough came when she played the title role in the film Wanted Perfect Mother (1996). The same year, she starred in the musical comedy Do Re Mi alongside Donna Cruz and Mikee Cojuangco. Among Velasquez's next releases were the fantasy comedy Honey Nasa Langit Na Ba Ako (1998) and Joyce Bernal's romantic comedy Dahil May Isang Ikaw (1999) opposite Aga Muhlach. Her first leading television role was in a 2000 episode of the IBC-13 anthology series Habang May Buhay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">R3.0 (concert)</span> 2017 concert by Regine Velasquez

R3.0 was an arena concert by Filipino singer Regine Velasquez, held on October 21 and 22, 2017, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City. It was a part of Velasquez's promotion of her seventeenth studio album R3.0 (2017) and marked a celebration of the 30th anniversary of her professional debut in 1986. The set list featured songs predominantly taken from the album, with additional songs from her older albums and various covers of pop hits. It was exclusively promoted by Viva Entertainment, with PLDT, Inc. as sponsor. Raul Mitra served as music director, while Paolo Valenciano was tapped as stage director.

References

  1. Profile of URPI Archived February 10, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  2. Universal Records at PARI
  3. 1 2 "David Licauco signs with Universal Records". GMA News Online. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
  4. [http://universalrecords.com.ph/local.htm Local Artists|Archived February 10, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  5. "MCA Music Inc. (Universal Music Philippines)". March 31, 2013. Archived from the original on March 31, 2013. Retrieved August 7, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)