Lucian Grainge

Sir Lucian Charles Grainge (born 29 February 1960) is the chairman and chief executive officer of Universal Music Group. Grainge has worked in the music business for his entire career. Billboard magazine named Grainge as the most powerful person in the music business on four occasions in the 2010s, and the first Executive of the Decade ever. Early life and career Grainge grew up in a Jewish family in North London. Grainge left Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School for Boys at the age of 18, and began working as a runner at MPC, a talent scout company in 1978. After contacting several record label bosses, he was offered a job by Maurice Oberstein, chairman of CBS Records, working at publishing company April Music's A&R department. His first signing was The Psychedelic Furs. In 1982, he became the director of RCA Music Publishing. Two years later he became an A&R director for MCA Records. He set up PolyGram Music Publishing in 1986 and joined Polydor as general manager of A&R and business affairs in 1993. He was promoted to managing director of Polydor in 1997. Universal Music Group Grainge became the chairman of the UK division of the Universal Music Group, and then in 2005 of Universal Music Group International. He served in this position until 2010. On 1 January 2011 he became CEO of Universal Music Group, and then chairman on 9 March 2011, succeeding Doug Morris. Within his first year as chairman & CEO of Universal, the company acquired EMI's Recorded Music operations. Grainge argued that selling to Universal was the only way to improve EMI, for the benefit of the entire industry. UMG subsequently attempted to revitalise former EMI labels including Capitol Records and Virgin Records. Commenting on the EMI acquisition, BuzzFeed commented that "Grainge will go down as the master architect of what is likely to be the last big deal in the music business".