UMTV
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This is an article about a record label. For the television production company UMTV see UMTV (production)
UMTV or Universal Music TV is a London based music record label owned by Universal, which specialises in producing compilation albums. It was founded in 1998 when Seagram acquired PolyGram and merged the company's record labels under the same umbrella.
UMTV is currently one of the the leading compilations companies with every release receiving extensive TV advertising. Joint venture compilations include Clubland, The Kiss Presents Series, Kerrang!, MTV Unplugged, Floorfillers, Steve Wright Sunday Love Songs, Virgin Radio, Capital Gold and many more. UMTV has also had success with catalogue campaigns including The Shadows, Status Quo, Tony Christie, Barry White, Sam Cooke and Engelbert Humperdinck.
A small number of individual artists (mainly young people associated with UK TV reality music programmes) were originally signed or transferred to this label in the early 2000s. These included Malachi Cush, Alistair Griffin and Sam and Mark. Despite having considerable chart success they were all dropped after a short period of time, although their recordings have been featured on a number of UMTV compilation albums. More recent signings include Italian crooner Patrizio Buanne and Peter Grant, a 17 year old singer from Leeds, whose debut album of easy listening covers New Vintage was released in August 2006.
UMTV is also associated with sister labels Globe Records, Family Recordings and Manifesto Records.
