Universal Music Greater China (UMGC) has appointed former Warner Music exec Ming Lu to the newly created role of Vice President of Artist Development and Entertainment Strategy.
Ming Lu’s role will be to “unlock creative and commercial opportunities for UMGC’s artist roster” by spearheading initiatives that will develop Chinese-language artists and facilitate collaborations across film, TV, gaming, advertising and other entertainment sectors, UMGC said in a statement on Thursday (December 14).
He will report directly to UMGC’s recently-appointed Chairman and CEO, Timothy Xu.
Prior to joining UMGC, Ming Lu served as Senior Director responsible for Chinese artist management and IP development at Warner Music, where he capitalized on the rising popularity of hip-hop among young Chinese music fans, signing and developing several successful hip-hop acts.
Ming Lu’s music career began at Modern Sky, China’s largest independent record label, where, starting in 2007, he worked as an artist manager, working with bands such as New Pants and Re-TROS.
He played a key role in developing Modern Sky’s Strawberry Music Festival, an annual event held in Beijing since 2009, which had been attended by more than 6.5 million people as of 2022.
Later, as Modern Sky’s Director of Artist Management, Ming Lu signed over 30 artists and produced more than 20 albums.
“I’m delighted to welcome Ming Lu to the UMGC management team,” Timothy Xu said in a statement.
“With his keen insights on youth culture and strategic approach in the entertainment businesses, Ming Lu will be instrumental to drive the innovation and growth at the very heart of our business – providing the full spectrum of services and utmost opportunities for artists.”
Calling Universal Music Group “a global leader in music entertainment,” Ming Lu said joining the company “is a profound honor and fulfills a long-held aspiration of mine. My sincere gratitude goes to Timothy Xu for this opportunity and his trust.”
He added: “In my role, I will dedicate myself to advancing artist development with the broader scope of entertainment opportunities, focusing on cultivating talent and enhancing artist services. It is an exciting prospect to help bridge Chinese music culture with the global market, thus broadening the horizons for Chinese artists internationally.”
“With his keen insights on youth culture and strategic approach in the entertainment businesses, Ming Lu will be instrumental to drive the innovation and growth at the very heart of our business – providing the full spectrum of services and utmost opportunities for artists.”
Timothy Xu, Universal Music Greater China
Ming Lu’s appointment comes three months after Timothy Xu was appointed UMGC’s Chairman and CEO, succeeding the company’s longstanding chairman, Sunny Chang.
Xu came to the company having served as Chairman and CEO, Greater China, for Sony Music, as well as President and CEO of Taihe Music Group (TMG), which bills itself as having the world’s largest market share of Chinese music.
“It is an exciting prospect to help bridge Chinese music culture with the global market, thus broadening the horizons for Chinese artists internationally.”
Ming Lu, Universal Music Greater China
UMGC operates in mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, a combined market that has seen remarkable growth in recent years.
According to IFPI data, China broke into the Top 5 of the world’s largest music markets in 2022. Its fifth-place ranking exceeded that of France (No.6), South Korea (No.7) and Canada (No.8). China generated USD $1.2 billion for recorded music rights holders in 2022, IFPI said, amounting to a 28.4% YoY increase.
Established in 2021, Universal Music Greater China’s flagship label brands include Republic Records China, Capitol Records China, EMI China, PolyGram Records China, and Universal Music China.
Parent company Universal Music Group is itself partly owned by China-headquartered businesses, a Tencent-led consortium, Concerto Partners LLC, owns around 20% of Universal Music Group N.V, which is listed on the Amsterdam Euronext stock exchange. The Tencent consortium acquired that 20% stake over two stages, in 2020 and 2021.Music Business Worldwide
