Universal Music Group Joins With Prolific Hitmaker Diane Warren For International Publishing Agreement

Los Angeles, CA (Top40 Charts/ Universal Music Group) Universal Music Group (UMG), the world's leading music company, has entered into a multi-faceted agreement with renowned songwriter and prolific hitmaker Diane Warren. Ms. Warren's award-winning Realsongs catalog will now be administered by Universal Music Publishing Group outside of North America (she continues to self-administer her copyrights in the U.S.), and she will serve as a global A&R consultant for UMG's recorded music artists around the world. The deal was announced today by UMG Chairman & CEO Lucian Grainge, the company's President & COO Zach Horowitz, Ms. Warren and her manager, Merck Mercuriadis.

"This is a milestone event for UMG as Diane is one of the finest songwriters of her generation, and certainly one of the most commercially successful," stated Mr. Grainge. "On the recorded music side, she will now become UMG's 'go-to-creative' person-available to our labels and artists around the globe to write songs that will help to fully realize their potential. It's a win-win for everyone."

"Diane Warren's catalog of popular songs is second to none," commented Mr. Horowitz. "Decade after decade, she continues to write perfectly crafted hits for artists from all genres of music, constantly topping the charts throughout the world. The depth and breadth of her catalog is simply remarkable. We couldn't be more excited about welcoming her to Universal Music Publishing Group."

"I'm excited to be joining Lucian, Zach and the entire UMG team," said Ms. Warren. "This is an incredible opportunity to have my songs handled by the world's leading publishing company, with an aggressive and proven team that will ensure our creative efforts are maximized. And at the same time, being given a unique platform that will provide special access to working with UMG's recording artists on a global basis."

"Our new relationship with UMG brings together publishing and records in such a manner that we can all maximize the benefits in numerous ways," added Mr. Mercuriadis. "I commend Lucian and Zach on their innovation and willingness to push the envelope even further to build such a home for truly inventive creators as Diane."

As one of the world's most renowned songwriters, Ms. Warren was the first songwriter in the history of Billboard to have seven hits, all by different artists, simultaneously placing on their coveted Top Singles chart. She has worked with such iconic superstars such as Aerosmith, Elton John, Tina Turner, Faith Hill, Aretha Franklin, Patti LaBelle, Eric Clapton, Celine Dion, LeAnn Rimes, Mariah Carey, Rod Stewart, Whitney Houston, Cher and Barbra Streisand. Ms. Warren also works with many of today's chart-toppers including Justin Bieber, Britney Spears, The Pussycat Dolls, Carrie Underwood, Joss Stone, Natasha Bedingfield, Christina Aguilera, Enrique Iglesias, Kelly Clarkson, Akon and Jennifer Hudson, to name just a few. Her new single, "I Was Here" for Beyonce, will be released on June 28, followed by songs with Mary J Blige, Nicole Scherzinger, John Legend and Semi Precious Weapons, among many others.

Since her debut in 1983 with Laura Branigan's Top Ten hit "Solitaire," Ms. Warren has amassed a catalog chock-full of evergreen and contemporary hits. These include "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now," "If You Asked Me To," "Because You Loved Me," "UnBreak My Heart," "How Do I Live," "Don't Turn Around," and "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing." Her songs have also been featured in nearly 100 motion pictures. Earlier this year, Ms. Warren earned the Golden Globe for Best Original Song for "You Haven't Seen The Last Of Me" (recorded by Cher for Burlesque), and to date, her songs have received numerous awards and accolades including six Academy Award nominations and numerous Grammy Award nominations. In 2008, she received The Hollywood Reporter and Billboard's inaugural Film & TV Music Career Achievement Award, and has been named ASCAP's Songwriter of the Year six times (five times for Pop and one time for Country) and Billboard's Songwriter of the Year four times (one time as Hot Country Songwriter, two times as Hot Singles Songwriter, and one time as the No 1 Songwriter for Pop and R&B). In 2001, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.