Universal Music Group boss Lucian Grainge has paid tribute to George Martin in an internal note to staff.
Grainge called Martin one of the world’s “most creative and influential talents”.
Universal became the part-owner of The Beatles recorded music catalogue when it acquired EMI Music in 2012.
At the time, Martin spoke of his fear that Sony and Universal would buy their way to a “virtual monopoly in the European market”.
However, subsequent to the deal, the EC ruled that Universal had to divest Parlophone – the label where Martin began his recording career – to Warner Music Group, minus the Fab Four’s catalogue.
As part of the deal, UMG took ownership of – and then heavily invested in – Abbey Road Studios, the London-based recording hub so synonymous with Martin’s own career.
George Martin was a founding Patron of the EMI Music Sound Foundation.
Tributes have been paid to Martin by the likes of Ringo Starr, Sir Paul McCartney, Giles Martin, Nigel Godrich and Quincy Jones.
You can read Grainge’s note, sent yesterday (March 9) below.
Dear Colleagues:
Yesterday the world lost one of its most creative and influential talents, Sir George Martin. A producer with few peers in a career spanning 60 years, George discovered and developed some of the world’s greatest artists, sent dozens of songs to the top of the charts, won six Grammys and achieved No. 1 hit records in four consecutive decades.
Simply listing his achievements undersells what George actually accomplished in his 90 years of life. Having taught himself piano as a young boy, he went on to study classical oboe and, as a young man, produced classical, pop and comedy albums.
In fact, he signed one unknown band not only for their intriguing (albeit undeveloped) vocals, but also because their witty wordplay at the audition made him laugh. And with George’s sharp guidance and soulful orchestration, that group – The Beatles – soon took the world by storm.
I think that says a lot about George. Not only that he had a keen sense of where music was headed. Not only that he had deep artistic talent in his own right. But that he was also quick to laugh, play and embrace life’s greatest possibilities. Over the years, whether he was producing classical, pop, jazz, TV, comedy, film or live performances, George never lost that spirit, and through his work, he brought so much joy to so many people.
So even as we mourn his passing, may we all draw inspiration from his life. George’s music – and his memory – live on, not just as part of the foundation of Universal Music, but of contemporary culture around the world.
LucianMusic Business Worldwide
