Press Releases

Universal Music International Signs Up Hyperwave

World's largest music company selects Hyperwave's knowledge management software to power corporate Intranet

June 04, 2001

Hyperwave today announces a revolution in the way Universal Music accesses internal corporate information. Universal Music International (UMI) will use Hyperwave's suite of knowledge management software to provide employees with instant access to news and information. UMI has bought thousands of user licenses from Hyperwave, which means that access to the intranet will be rolled out to all UMI staff world-wide.

Universal Music Group's (UMG) global operations encompass the development, manufacture, marketing, sales and distribution of recorded music through a network of subsidiaries, joint ventures and licensees in 63 countries around the world. With over 12,000 employees worldwide, UMG leads the music industry, representing artists such as Elton John, Texas and Limp Bizkit. Universal Music International is a division of the Universal Music Group.

Universal Music International approached Hyperwave after the Hyperwave Information Server was successfully implemented in Universal Music's Hamburg offices. The new intranet is being led by the head office of UMI, based in the UK, which has installed the Hyperwave Information Server and will roll out the Hyperwave eKnowledge Portal later this year. The intranet will be used primarily to publish and share information amongst employees enabling them to access and view data instantly, vastly speeding up existing daily business processes.

One major benefit that Hyperwave has brought to UMI is the ability to provide a portal to other web applications and intranet sites that have been developed within UMI, making the site a gateway to all kinds of other information.

Web designers will create a customised user interface by designing specialised templates for information such as calendars and discussion forums. Another benefit of the new intranet is the form and presentation of the information to the end-user.

One of Universal Music's key objectives was to install a collaborative knowledge management system that would provide more cohesion within the various hubs of the Universal Music Group. Lisa Bond, Vice President, Communications at UMI commented, "Hyperwave's software will help us build on our overall group structure by allowing us to communicate and share knowledge with colleagues at a global level. Initially 50 people at UMI will be contributing to the intranet content but there is now vast potential for users with write-privileges as the system develops."

Commenting on previous attempts to install a group-wide intranet, Lisa Bond continued, "The Hyperwave product has broken barriers and has gained the confidence of our staff by providing a secure and reliable means to share resources which is really easy to use."

Says Terry Jordan, VP Worldwide Marketing at Hyperwave, "The rapid implementation time means that basic functionality will be available to UMI within a matter of weeks. Our wish is for Hyperwave to become the defacto standard for the Universal Music International intranet world-wide."

About Universal Music International

Universal Music Group is the world's leading music company with wholly-owned record operations or licensees in 63 countries around the world. Its businesses also include Universal Music Publishing Group, one of the industry's largest global music publishing operations.

Universal Music Group consists of record labels A&M Records, Decca Record Company, Deutsche Grammophon, Geffen Records, Interscope Records, Island Def Jam Music Group, Jimmy and Doug's Farmclub.com, MCA Nashville, MCA Records, Mercury Records, Motown Records, Philips, Polydor, Universal Records, and Verve Music Group as well as a multitude of record labels owned or distributed by its record company subsidiaries around the world.

The Universal Music Group owns the most extensive catalog of music in the industry which is marketed through two distinct divisions, Universal Music Enterprises (in the U.S.) and UM3 (outside the U.S.). Universal Music Group is a unit of Vivendi Universal, a global media and communications company.

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