Taylor Alison Swift is an American singer-songwriter. She is known for narrative songs about her personal life, which have received widespread media coverage. At age 14, Swift became the youngest artist signed by the Sony/ATV Music publishing house and, at 15, she signed her first record deal.
Her 2006 eponymous debut album was the longest-charting album of the 2000s in the US. Its third single, "Our Song", made her the youngest person to single-handedly write and perform a number-one song on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. Swift's second album, Fearless, was released in 2008.
Buoyed by the pop crossover success of the singles "Love Story" and "You Belong with Me", it became the US' best-selling album of 2009 and was certified diamond in the US. The album won four Grammy Awards, and Swift became the youngest Album of the Year winner.
Universal Music Posts $3.2 Billion Revenue in Second Quarter, Publishing up 10% as Streaming Revenue Dips
variety.comJem Aswad Executive Editor, Music Universal Music Group, the world’s largest music company, has reported a mixed second quarter for 2024, with revenue of $3.2 billion, an increase of 8.7% year-over-year, or 9.6% in constant currency.
Recorded music revenue grew 5.8% year-over-year, or 6.8% in constant currency; music publishing grew 10.1% year-over-year, or 10.4% in constant currency; and merchandising grew 44.6% year-over-year, or 43.7% in constant currency, according to the report.
Recorded music top sellers included Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Seventeen and Morgan Wallen. While recorded music subscription revenue grew 6.5% year-over-year (6.9% in constant currency), streaming revenue decreased 4.2% year-over-year, or 3.9% in constant currency, while physical revenue grew 9.5% year-over-year, or 14.4% in constant currency and license and other revenue grew 18.0% year-over-year on both a reported and constant currency basis.
The report follows a challenging first quarter that saw UMG fighting a challenging battle over royalties with the social media platform TikTok and undergoing substantial layoffs.
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