Universal Music Group

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Type	Subsidiary of Vivendi
Industry	Music & entertainment
Founded	1934 (as Decca Records USA) 1989 (MCA Music Entertainment Group formed) 1996 (first UMG incarnation from MCA) 1998 (second UMG incarnation from PolyGram)
Headquarters	Santa Monica, California United States
Key people	Lucian Grainge: Chairman & CEO Zach Horowitz: President & COO Boyd Muir: CFO Max Hole: Chief Operating Officer of UMG International
Revenue	€4,449 million (2010)
Operating income	€140 million (2010)
Employees	6,967 (2010)
Parent	Universal (1996–2006) Vivendi (100%)
Divisions	Universal Music Publishing Group Universal Music Group Distribution Universal Pictures Interscope-Geffen-A&M The Island Def Jam Music Group Universal Republic Records Universal Music Group Nashville Verve Music Group Decca Label Group Universal Music Latin Entertainment Universal Music Enterprises Universal Strategic Marketing Show Dog-Universal Music V2/Co-operative Music Polydor Records Mercury Music Group Island Records Group Universal Music TV London Records Bravado Twenty-First Artists eLabs Silver Scope EMI
Website	universalmusic.com

Universal Music Group (UMG) is a multinational music company. It is the largest of the "big four" record companies by its leading market share and its multitude of global operations. Universal Music Group is a wholly owned subsidiary of French media conglomerate Vivendi.

Universal Music Group owns a music publisher, Universal Music Publishing Group, which became the world's largest following the 2007 acquisition of BMG Music Publishing.

The UMG corporate headquarters are located in Santa Monica, California, United States.

History[link]

Early history[link]

"Universal Music" was once the music company attached to film studio Universal Pictures. Its origins go back to the formation of the American branch of Decca Records in 1934.^[1] The Decca Corporation of England spun American Decca off in 1939.^[2] MCA Inc. bought American Decca in 1962. The present organization was formed when its parent company Seagram purchased PolyGram and merged it with Universal Music Group in 1998. However, the name first appeared in 1996 when MCA Music Entertainment Group was renamed Universal Music Group. The PolyGram acquisition included Deutsche Grammophon which traces its ancestry to Berliner Gramophone making Deutsche Grammophon UMG's oldest unit. UMG's Canadian unit traces its ancestry to a Berliner Gramophone breakaway firm the Compo Company.

Acquisition by Vivendi[link]

With the 2004 acquisition of Vivendi's Vivendi Universal Entertainment by General Electric's NBC, Universal Music Group was entirely separated from Universal Pictures. This is the second time a music company has done so, the first being Time Warner and Warner Music Group completely separating from each other. In February 2006, the group became 100% owned by French media conglomerate Vivendi SA when Vivendi purchased the last 20% from Matsushita, the group's sole owner from 1990 to 1995 and co-owner from 1995 to 2006. On June 25, 2007, Vivendi completed its €1.63 billion ($2.4 billion) purchase of BMG Music Publishing, after receiving European Union regulatory approval, having announced the acquisition on September 6, 2006.^[3][4]

2010s & EMI purchase[link]

Doug Morris stepped down from his position as CEO on January 1, 2011. Former Chairman/CEO of Universal Music International Lucian Grainge was promoted to CEO of the company. Grainge later replaced him as chairman on March 9, 2011.^[5] Morris became the next chairman of Sony Music Entertainment on July 1, 2011.^[6] With Grainge's appointment as CEO at UMG, Max Hole was promoted to COO of UMGI, effective July 1, 2010.^[7] Starting in 2011 UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M Records will be signing contestants from American Idol. On January 2011, UMG announced it was donating 200,000 master recordings from the 1920s to 1940s to the Library of Congress for preservation.^[8]

In March 2011, Barry Weiss became Chairman & CEO of The Island Def Jam Music Group & Universal Republic Records.^[9] Both companies are in the process of restructuring under Weiss.^[10]

On November 11, 2011 UMG won its bid for EMI's recorded music operations.^[11] The purchase is currently awaiting regulatory approval. ^[12]

In December 2011, David Foster was named Chairman of Verve Music Group.

In 2012, Teriy Keys CEO of Righteous Organised Always Determined Ltd (UK). R.O.A.D. Group signed a multi-layer deal with Universal Musical Group.

Labels[link]

Multimedia content delivery[link]

Universal Music Group co-developed Vevo, a site designed for music videos inspired by Hulu.com, which similarly, will allow for free, ad-supported streaming of music videos and other music content. The music videos are shown in better quality than the original ones on YouTube. ^[13]

Locations[link]

Santa Monica[link]

The UMG main global headquarters are located at 2220 Colorado Avenue in Santa Monica. The Santa Monica headquarters oversees all of its legal obligations in the US and Canada such as Human Resources, and any legal issues surrounding the company. Interscope-Geffen-A&M and Verve Music Group are based at their LA headquarters with Jimmy Iovine heading Interscope-Geffen-A&M and David Foster heading Verve. ^[14] The Island Def Jam Music Group has some offices at the Santa Monica headquarters. The building is also home to Universal Music Enterprises (UME). UMG Chairman & CEO Lucian Grainge works out of the company's Santa Monica headquarters. Universal Music Publishing is headquartered at 2100 Colorado Avenue, which is down the block from UMG's offices. Universal Music Group Distribution is headquartered in nearby Universal City, CA.

New York City[link]

Even though California is where a lot of UMG's corporate decisions are made, UMG has a major workforce in New York which considers it as a secondary headquarters. UMG's New York City headquarters deals mainly with Universal's marketing, Information Systems, and finance. It is also where several of UMG's labels are headquartered. The Island Def Jam Music Group, Universal Republic Records, Decca Label Group, A&M/Octone and the newly re-launched Geffen Records are all based in New York.

London[link]

Universal Music Group International (UMGI) is headquartered in High Street Kensington, London. UMGI manages UMG's offices in most countries outside of North America.

Other locations[link]

Universal Music Latin Entertainment is headquartered in Miami, Florida while Universal Music Group Nashville is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. Universal Music Group's parent company, Vivendi, is headquartered in Paris, France.

Controversy[link]

Payola[link]

In May 2006, an investigation led by then New York attorney general, Eliot Spitzer, concluded with a determination that Universal Music Group bribed radio stations to play songs from Ashlee Simpson, Brian McKnight, Big Tymers, Nick Lachey, Lindsay Lohan and other performers under Universal labels. The company paid $12 million to the state in settlement.^[15]

YouTube[link]

In May 2007, UMG was accused of abusing the Digital Millennium Copyright Act in order to squelch criticism, by forcing YouTube to remove several videos that contain UMG's music in it. This has caused much anger and frustration to many YouTubers. One of the videos UMG took off is a Michelle Malkin video critical of singer Akon.^[16][17] Eventually, UMG backed off its claims after being challenged by the Electronic Frontier Foundation.^[18][19] In the same year, UMG was accused of using the Digital Millennium Copyright Act to indiscriminately remove content related to the artist Prince, most notably a twenty-nine second home video in which children danced to one of Prince's songs.^[20]

Imeem.com[link]

In December 2007 UMG announced a deal with Imeem which allows users of the social network to listen to any track from Universal's catalogue for free with a portion of the advertising generated by the music being shared with the record label.^[21] Two weeks after the deal was announced Michael Robertson speculated on the secret terms of the deal and argued that ultimately this was a bad deal for imeem. This speculation lead to a flame war on the Pho digital media email list as imeem representatives denied his claims and dismissed his theories as unfounded.^[22] Imeem is a defunct website and all traffic was deferred to MySpace.

Megaupload[link]

On December 9, 2011, Megaupload published a music video titled: "The Mega Song", showing artists including Kanye West, Snoop Dogg, Alicia Keys and will.i.am endorsing the company.^[23] The music video was also uploaded to YouTube, but was removed following a takedown request by UMG. Megaupload said that the video contained no infringing content, commenting: "we have signed agreements with every featured artist for this campaign".^[24] Megaupload requested an apology from UMG, and filed a lawsuit against the company in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, on December 12, 2011.^[25][26] UMG denied that the takedown was ordered under the terms of the Digital Millenium Copyright Act, and said that the takedown was "pursuant to the UMG-YouTube agreement," which gives UMG "the right to block or remove user-posted videos through YouTube's CMS (Content Management System) based on a number of contractually specified criteria."^[27] The video was subsequently returned to YouTube, with the reasons for the UMG takedown remaining unclear.^[28] Lawyers for will.i.am initially claimed that he had never agreed to the project, but on December 12, he denied any involvement in the takedown notice.^[29] On January 19, universalmusic.com was taken down by hacker group "Anonymous" following the arrest of Megaupload executives.

See also[link]

Companies portal

• List of record labels
• List of RIAA member labels
• List of Universal Music Group artists

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official commercial site
• Official corporate site
• UMG History page
• Universal Music Group's channel on YouTube
• Universal Music Group on Facebook
• Vivendi Entertainment
• Universal Music Group Career Opportunities listed on EntertainmentCareers.Net

v t e Music industry Genres Avant-garde · Blues · Contemporary R&B · Country · Crossover · Dance · Drum and bass · Easy listening · Electronica · Experimental · Folk · Funk · Gospel · Hip hop · Instrumental · Jazz · Latin · Motown · New age · Operatic pop · Pop · Reggae · Rock · Soul · Soundtrack · World Sectors and roles Album cover design · Artists and repertoire (A&R) · Distribution · Entertainment law · Music education · Music executive · Music journalism · Music publisher · Music venue · Musical instruments · Promotion · Radio promotion · Record label · Record shop · Road crew · Talent manager · Tour promoter Production Arrangement · Record producer · Recording artist · Session musician · Songwriter · Sound engineer Record labels Major: EMI · Sony Music Entertainment · Universal Music Group · Warner Music Group · Independent: Independent UK record labels Release formats Album · Extended play (EP)/Mini album · Single Awards American Music Award · ARIA Music Awards · Billboard Music Awards · Brit Awards · Choice Music Prize · Classic Brit Awards · Diapason d'Or · Echo Award · Golden Disk Awards · Grammy Award · Grand Prix du Disque · Juno Award · Latin Grammy Awards · Meteor Music Awards · MTV Europe Music Awards · MTV Video Music Awards · MuchMusic Video Awards · Music of Black Origin Awards · New Zealand Music Awards · NRJ Music Award · TEC Awards · World Music Awards Charts ARIA Charts · Billboard Hot 100 · Canadian Hot 100 · RIANZ Singles Chart · Irish Singles Chart · UK Singles Chart Sales certifications ARIA (Gold · Platinum) · BPI (Silver · Gold · Platinum) · CRIA (Gold · Platinum · Multi-Platinum · Diamond) · PROMUSICAE (Gold · Platinum) · RIAA (Gold · Platinum · Multi-Platinum · Diamond) Publications Billboard · HitQuarters · Hot Press · Kerrang! · Mojo · NME · Q · Rolling Stone · Smash Hits · Top of the Pops Retailers Amazon.com · Fnac · HMV Group · Online music stores (iTunes Store) · Trans World Entertainment · Virgin Megastores Television Black Entertainment Television · Country Music Television · Fuse TV · Idol · Juice TV · MTV · MuchMusic · The Music Factory · Star Academy · Viva · The Voice · The X Factor Other A-side and B-side · Christian music industry  · Hidden track  · Grammy Museum  · White label Category

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The King & Carter Jazzing Orchestra photographed in Houston, Texas, January 1921

The Jalisco Philharmonic Orchestra is an example of a musical ensemble.

A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music, typically known by a distinct name. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families (such as piano, strings, and wind instruments) or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles. In jazz ensembles, the instruments typically include wind instruments (one or more saxophones, trumpets, etc.), one or two chordal "comping" instruments (electric guitar, piano, or organ), a bass instrument (electric bass guitar or double bass), and a drummer or percussionist. In rock ensembles, usually called rock bands, there are usually guitars and keyboards (piano, electric piano, Hammond organ, synthesizer, etc.) and a rhythm section made up of a bass guitar and drum kit.

Classical chamber music[link]

The Kneisel String Quartet, led by Franz Kneisel, is an example of chamber music. This American ensemble debuted Dvořák's American Quartet, opus 96.

In Western Art music, commonly referred to as classical music, smaller ensembles are called chamber music ensembles. The terms duet, trio, quartet, quintet, sextet, septet, octet, nonet and dectet are used to describe groups of two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine and ten musicians, respectively. A group of eleven musicians, such as found in The Carnival of the Animals, is called either a "hendectet" or an "undectet" (see Latin numerical prefixes). A solo is not an ensemble because it only contains one musician.

Four parts[link]

Strings[link]

A string quartet usually consists of two violins, a viola and a cello. An upper string quartet features two violins and two violas. A lower string quartet features 1 viola, 2 cellos and a double bass.

Wind[link]

A woodwind quartet usually features a clarinet, bassoon, flute and oboe. A brass quartet features 2 trumpets, a trombone and a tuba. A wind quartet features a horn, flute, oboe and bassoon. A lower wind quartet features a tuba, a bassoon, a bass clarinet and a trombone.

Five parts[link]

The string quintet is a common type of group. It is similar to the string quartet, but with two violas, two cellos, or more rarely, the addition of a double bass. Terms such as "piano quintet" or "clarinet quintet" frequently refer to a string quartet plus a fifth instrument. Thus, a piano quintet is usually a string quartet plus a piano. Mozart's Clarinet Quintet is similarly a piece written for an ensemble consisting of 2 violins, a viola, a cello and a clarinet, the last being the exceptional addition to a "normal" string quartet.

Other common groupings in classical music are the woodwind quintet, usually consisting of flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon and horn and the brass quintet, consisting of two trumpets, one french horn, a trombone and a tuba.

Six or more instruments[link]

Classical chamber ensembles for more than six musicians are occasionally used, such as septets (seven musicians), octets (eight musicians), or nonets (nine musicians). However, in many cases a larger classical group is referred to as an orchestra of some type. A small orchestra with fifteen to thirty members (violins, violas, cellos, double basses, and several woodwind or brass instruments) is called a chamber orchestra In the American education system, sitting groups are known as wind ensembles or concert bands (to differentiate from marching bands). Music is similar to that of a pops orchestra, orchestrated for woodwinds, brass, and percussion. A sinfonietta usually denotes a somewhat smaller orchestra (though still not a chamber orchestra). Larger orchestras are called symphony orchestras or philharmonic orchestras.^[1]

A pops orchestra is an orchestra that mainly performs light classical music (often in abbreviated, simplified arrangements) and orchestral arrangements and medleys of popular jazz, music theater, or pop music songs. A string orchestra has only strings, i.e., violins, violas, cellos and basses.

A symphony orchestra is an ensemble usually comprising at least thirty musicians; the number of players is typically between seventy and ninety-five and may exceed one hundred. A symphony orchestra is divided into families of instruments. In the string family, there are sections of violins (I and II), violas, cellos, and basses. The winds consist of the woodwind family of instruments (flutes and piccolo, oboes and English horn, clarinets [made up of the E♭ clarinet, clarinet, and bass clarinet], saxophones, and bassoons [often including contrabassoon]) and the brass family (horns, trumpets, trombones, euphonium and tuba). The percussion family includes the timpani, bass drum, snare drum, and any other percussion instruments called for in a score (e.g., triangle, glockenspiel, chimes, cymbals, wood blocks).

When orchestras are performing baroque music (from the 17th century and early 18th century), they may also use a harpsichord or pipe organ. When orchestras are performing Romantic-era music (from the 19th century), they may also use harps or unusual instruments such as the wind machine. When orchestras are performing music from the 20th century or the 21st century, occasionally instruments such as electric guitar, theremin, or even an electronic synthesizer may be used.

Jazz ensembles[link]

Count Basie and band, with vocalist Ethel Waters, from the film Stage Door Canteen (1943)

Three parts[link]

In jazz, there are several types of trios. One type of jazz trio is formed with a piano player, a bass player and a drummer. Another type of jazz trio that became popular in the 1950s and 1960s is the organ trio, which is composed of a Hammond organ player, a drummer, and a third instrumentalist (either a saxophone player or an electric jazz guitarist). In organ trios, the Hammond organ player performs the bass line on the organ bass pedals while simultaneously playing chords or lead lines on the keyboard manuals. Other types of trios include the "drummer-less" trio, which consists of a piano player, a double bassist, and a horn (saxophone or trumpet) or guitar player; and the jazz trio with a horn player (saxophone or trumpet), double bass player, and a drummer. In the latter type of trio, the lack of a chordal instrument means that the horn player and the bassist have to imply the changing harmonies with their improvised lines.

Four parts[link]

Jazz quartets typically add a horn (the generic jazz name for saxophones, trombones, trumpets, or any other wind instrument commonly associated with jazz) to one of the jazz trios described above. Slightly larger jazz ensembles, such as quintets (five instruments) or sextets (six instruments) typically add other soloing instruments to the basic quartet formation, such as different types of saxophones (e.g., alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, etc.) or an additional chordal instrument.

Larger ensembles[link]

The lineup of larger jazz ensembles can vary considerably, depending on the style of jazz being performed. In a 1920s-style dixieland jazz band, a larger ensemble would be formed by adding a banjo player, woodwind instruments, as with the clarinet, or additional horns (saxophones, trumpets, trombones) to one of the smaller groups. In a 1940s-style Swing big band, a larger ensemble is formed by adding "sections" of like instruments, such as a saxophone section and a trumpet section, which perform arranged "horn lines" to accompany the ensemble. In a 1970s-style jazz fusion ensemble, a larger ensemble is often formed by adding additional percussionists or sometimes a saxophone player would "double" or "triple" meaning that they would also be proficient at the clarinet, flute or both. Also by the addition of soloing instruments.

Rock and pop bands[link]

The Black Keys are a two-part band consisting of drummer and a vocalist/guitarist lineup.

Two parts[link]

Two-member rock and pop bands are relatively rare, because of the difficulty in providing all of the musical elements which are part of the rock or pop sound (vocals, chords, bass lines, and percussion or drumming) with trios or quartets. Two-member rock and pop bands typically omit one of these musical elements. In many cases, two-member bands will omit a drummer, since guitars, bass guitars, and keyboards can all be used to provide a rhythmic pulse. Examples of two-member bands are The Lightning Strikers, Local H, Pet Shop Boys, Hella, Flight of the Conchords, Death from Above 1979, Francis Xavier, I Set My Friends On Fire, Middle Class Rut, No Age, The Pity Party, Little Fish (band), The White Stripes, Big Business, Two Gallants, Lightning Bolt, The Ting Tings, The Black Box Revelation, Satyricon, The Black Keys, Panic! At the Disco, Tenacious D, They Might Be Giants (until 1992), Simon and Garfunkel, Hall & Oates, and The Pack A.D..

When electronic sequencers became widely available in the 1980s, this made it easier for two-member bands to add in musical elements that the two band members were not able to perform. Sequencers allowed bands to pre-program some elements of their performance, such as an electronic drum part and a synth-bass line. Two-member pop music bands such as Soft Cell, Blancmange and Yazoo used pre-programmed sequencers. Other pop bands from the 1980s which were ostensibly fronted by two performers, such as Wham! and Tears for Fears, were not actually two-piece ensembles, because other instrumental musicians were used "behind the scenes" to fill out the sound.

Two-piece bands in rock music are quite rare. However, starting in the 2000s, blues-influenced rock bands such as The White Stripes and The Black Keys utilized a guitar and drums scheme. However, this is predated by the Flat Duo Jets from the '80s. Death From Above 1979 featured a drummer and bass guitarist. Tenacious D is a two-guitar band; One Day as a Lion and The Dresden Dolls both feature a keyboardist and a drummer. The band Welk consists of a two-man psychedelic flute band, with the occasional synthesizer. Two-person bands have grown in popularity in experimental rock music. W.A.S.P. guitarist Doug Blair is also known for his work in the two-piece progressive rock band signal2noise, where he manages to be the lead guitarist and bassist at the same time, thanks to a special custom instrument he invented (an electric guitar with five regular guitar strings paired with three bass guitar strings). Heisenflei of Los Angeles duo The Pity Party plays drums, keyboards, and sings simultaneously. Providence-based Lightning Bolt is a two-member band. Bassist Brian Gibson augments his playing with delay pedals, pitch shifters, looping devices and other pedals, occasionally creating harmony. Local H, No Age, Blood Red Shoes, PS I Love You, The Redmond Barry's and Warship are other prominent two-person experimental rock bands.

Example line-up[link]

• Lead vocals, Bass, Guitar
• Drums, Percussion, Backing vocals

or

• Lead vocals, Keyboard, Guitar
• Drums, Percussion, Backing vocals

or

• Lead vocals, Bass, Drum machine
• Lead guitar, Backing vocals, Drum machine

or

• Lead vocals, Guitar
• Bass Guitar, Backing vocals

or

• Lead vocals, Keyboards
• Lead Vocals, Bass

or

• Lead Vocals, Keyboards, Guitar
• Drums, Keyboards

Three parts[link]

The smallest ensemble that is commonly used in rock music is the trio format. In a hard rock or blues-rock band, or heavy metal rock group, a "power trio" format is often used, which consists of an electric guitar player, an electric bass guitar player and a drummer, and typically one or more of these musicians also sing (sometimes all three members will sing, e.g. Bee Gees or Alkaline Trio). Some well-known power trios with the guitarist on lead vocals are The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, Nirvana, Green Day, Violent Femmes, Gov't Mule, The Minutemen, Triumph, Shellac, Sublime, Chevelle, Muse, Short Stack, ZZ Top, and the original lineup of Wolfmother.^[2] A handful of others with the bassist on vocals include Primus, Motörhead, The Police, The Melvins, Blue Cheer, Dinosaur Junior, Rush, The Presidents of the United States of America, Venom, and Cream. Some power trios feature two lead vocalists, both of which play their respective instruments. For example, in the band blink-182 vocals are split between bassist Mark Hoppus and guitarist Tom DeLonge.

An alternative to the power trio are organ trios formed with an electric guitarist, a drummer and a keyboardist. Although organ trios are most commonly associated with 1950s and 1960s jazz organ trio groups such as those led by organist Jimmy Smith, there are also organ trios in rock-oriented styles, such as jazz-rock fusion and Grateful Dead-influenced jam bands such as Medeski Martin & Wood. In organ trios, the keyboard player typically plays a Hammond organ or similar instrument, which permits the keyboard player to perform bass lines, chords, and lead lines. A variant of the organ trio are trios formed with an electric bassist, a drummer and an electronic keyboardist (playing synthesizers) such as the progressive rock band Emerson, Lake & Palmer, and Atomic Rooster. Another variation is to have a vocalist, a guitarist and a drummer, an example being Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Another variation is two guitars, a bassist, and a drum machine, examples including Magic Wands and Big Black.

A power trio with the guitarist on lead vocals is popular record company lineup, as the guitarist and singer will usually be the songwriter. Therefore you only have to present one face to the public, the backing band is easy to house, and the songs will likely stay simple and accessible as the frontman will have to sing and play guitar at the same time.

Example line-up[link]

• Lead vocals guitar
• Backing Vocals, Bass
• Drums, Percussion

or

• Lead vocals, Lead guitar
• Bass guitar, Keyboards
• Drums, Percussion

or

• Lead vocals, Keyboards
• Lead guitar
• Bass guitar

or

• Lead vocals, Bass guitar
• Lead guitar, Backing vocals
• Drums, Percussion, Backing vocals

or

• Bass guitar, Lead vocals, Backing vocals
• Lead guitar, Lead vocals, Backing vocals
• Drums, Percussion

or

• Backing vocals, Bass guitar
• Lead guitar, Backing vocals
• Drums, Percussion, Lead vocals

or

• Lead vocals, Lead guitar
• Bass guitar, Backing vocals, Harmonica
• Drums, Percussion

or

• Lead vocals,
• Lead guitar, Backing vocals
• Bass guitar, Backing vocals

Four parts[link]

The new Wolfmother lineup, with a vocalist/lead guitarist, rhythm guitarist, bassist and drummer lineup.

Red Hot Chili Peppers is a four part band with a lead vocalist, guitarist, bassist, and drummer lineup.

The four-piece band is the most common configuration in rock and pop music. Before the development of the electronic keyboard, the configuration was typically two guitarists (one lead guitarist and one rhythm guitarist, with the latter on vocals), a bassist (typically the electric bass guitar) and a drummer (e.g. The Beatles, KISS, Foo Fighters, Weezer, Metallica, The Clash, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Kinks, The Fray, Sonic Youth, The Smashing Pumpkins, Arctic Monkeys, Franz Ferdinand, Against Me!, CN Blue, and the new lineup of Wolfmother^[2]). This is popular with bands for its versatility. However, it has been noted^{[by whom?]} the main complaint is that it takes too much effort to keep so many instruments in tune when they are played by every member of the band.

Another common formation was a vocalist, electric guitarist, bass guitarist, and a drummer (e.g.The Who, Led Zeppelin, The Ramones, Sex Pistols, Red Hot Chili Peppers, R.E.M., Blur, The Smiths, Echo and the Bunnymen, The Stone Roses, Creed, Black Sabbath, Van Halen, Rage Against the Machine, The Stooges, Joy Division, U2 and Coldplay). Instrumentally, these bands can be considered as trios. This format is popular with new bands, as there are only two instruments that need tuning, the line-and-counterpoint formula prevalent with their material is easy to learn, four members are commonplace to work with, the roles are clearly defined and generally are: melody line, rhythm section with counterpoint melody, and vocals on top.

Some bands, such as My Chemical Romance, had previously been a five piece, but omitted a drummer after disagreements with the band, and now have a line up featuring a lead vocalist, lead guitarist, rhythm guitarist, and a bassist. However, the band has a touring drummer who is not an official band member. A similar scenario is with the band Phoenix, who follow the same format.

In some early rock bands, keyboardists were used, performing on piano (e.g. The Seeds and The Doors) with a guitarist, singer, drummer and keyboardist. Some bands will have a guitarist, bassist, drummer, and keyboard player (for example, Small Faces, King Crimson, The Guess Who, Pink Floyd, Queen, Coldplay, The Killers, The Monkees and Blind Faith).

Some bands will have the bassist on lead vocals, such as Thin Lizzy, The Chameleons, Pink Floyd, NOFX, +44, Slayer, The All-American Rejects or even the lead guitarist, such as Dire Straits and Creedence Clearwater Revival. Some bands, such as The Beatles, have a lead guitarist, a rhythm guitarist and a bassist that all sing lead and backing vocals, that also play keyboards regularly, as well as a drummer. Others, such as The Four Seasons, have a lead vocalist, a lead guitarist, a keyboard player, and a bassist, with the drummer not being a member of the band.

Example line-ups[link]

• Lead vocals
• Lead guitar, Backing vocals
• Bass guitar, Backing vocals
• Drums, Percussion

or

• Lead vocals
• Lead guitar, Backing vocals
• Keyboards, Backing vocals
• Bass guitar, Backing vocals

or

• Lead vocals, Rhythm guitar
• Lead guitar, Backing vocals
• Bass guitar, Backing vocals
• Drums, Percussion

or

• Lead vocals, Bass guitar
• Lead guitar, Backing vocals
• Keyboards
• Drums, Percussion

or

• Lead vocals, Piano, Rhythm guitar
• Lead guitar, backing vocals
• Bass guitar, Backing vocals
• Drums, Backing vocals

or

• Lead vocals, Lead guitar
• Rhythm guitar, Backing vocals, Keyboards, Harmonica
• Bass guitar, Backing vocals
• Drums, Percussion, Backing vocals

or

• Lead vocal, Bass guitar
• Lead guitar, Backing vocals
• Rhythm guitar, Backing vocals
• Drums, Percussion, Backing vocals

or

• Lead vocals, Lead guitar
• Bass guitar, Backing vocals
• Keyboards
• Drums, Percussion

or

• Lead vocals, Keyboards/Piano
• Lead guitar, Backing vocals
• Bass guitar, Backing vocals
• Drums, Percussion

or

• Lead vocals,
• Lead guitar, Backing vocals
• Keyboards/Piano, Backing vocals
• Drums, Percussion

or

• Lead Guitar, Vocals
• Saxophone, Vocals
• Rhythm Guitar
• Drums

Five parts[link]

The Strokes are a five-part band with a lead vocalist, two guitarists, bassist, and drummer lineup.

Five-piece bands have existed in rock music since early times. The Beach Boys, The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, Def Leppard, AC/DC, Oasis, Pearl Jam, Guns N' Roses, Radiohead, The Strokes, Styx, The Yardbirds, F.T. Island, 311 and The Hives are examples of the common vocalist, lead guitar, rhythm guitar, bass, and drums lineup. An alternative to the five-member lineup replaces the rhythm guitarist with a keyboard–synthesizer player (examples being the bands Journey, Nightwish, Maroon 5, Dream Theater, Genesis, Jethro Tull, The Zombies, The Animals, Bon Jovi, Yes, Snow Patrol, Fleetwood Mac, Marilyn Manson and Deep Purple, all of which consist of a vocalist, guitarist, bassist, keyboardist, and a drummer) or with a turntablist such as Hed PE, Incubus or Limp Bizkit. Alternatives include a keyboardist, guitarist, drummer, bassist, and saxophonist, such as The Sonics and Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs. Another alternative is three guitarists, a bassist and a drummer, such as Radiohead, Foo Fighters (2010-today) and The Byrds. Some five-person bands feature two guitarists, a keyboardist, a bassist and a drummer, with one or more of these musicians (typically one of the guitarists) handling lead vocals on top of their instrument (examples being Children of Bodom, Sturm und Drang, Relient K and Ensiferum). In some cases, typically in cover bands, one musician plays either rhythm guitar or keyboards, depending on the song (one notable band being Firewind, with Bob Katsionis handling this particular role).

Other times, the vocalist will provide another musical voice to the table, most commonly a harmonica; Mick Jagger, for example, played harmonica and percussion instruments like maracas and tambourine. Ozzy Osbourne was also known to play the harmonica on some occasions (i.e. "The Wizard" by Black Sabbath). Vocalist Robert Brown of lesser known steampunk band Abney Park plays harmonica, accordion, and darbuka in addition to mandolin.

Line-up[link]

• Lead vocals
• Lead guitar, Backing vocals
• Rhythm guitar, Backing vocals
• Bass guitar, Backing vocals
• Drums, Percussion

• Lead vocals, Keyboards, Piano
• Lead guitar, Backing vocals
• Bass guitar, Backing vocals
• Rhythm guitar, Backing vocals
• Drums, Percussion

or

• Lead vocals, Rhythm guitar
• Lead guitar, Backing vocals
• Bass guitar, Backing vocals
• Keyboards, Synthesizers
• Drums, Percussion

or

• Lead vocals
• Lead guitar, Backing vocals
• Keyboards, Backing vocals
• Bass guitar, Backing vocals
• Drums, Percussion, Backing vocals

or

• Lead vocals, Rhythm guitar, Piano
• Lead guitar, Piano, Keyboards, Backing vocals
• Bass guitar, Backing vocals
• Keyboards, Rhythm guitar, Backing vocals
• Drums, Percussion, Backing vocals

or

• Lead vocals, Rhythm guitar, Keyboards
• Rhythm guitar, Backing vocals
• Lead guitar, Backing vocals
• Bass guitar, Backing vocals
• Drums, Percussion

or

• Lead vocals, Rhythm guitar, Percussion, Keyboards
• Lead guitar, Piano, Electronics, Bass, Percussion
• Lead guitar, Backing vocals, Synths, Drums, Percussion
• Bass guitar, Synths
• Drums, Percussion, Backing vocal

Larger rock ensembles[link]

Iron Maiden is a six part band with a lead vocalist, three guitarists, a bassist, and drummer lineup. (Not shown in this image are Bruce Dickinson and Nicko McBrain.)

Larger bands have long been a part of rock and pop music, in part due to the influence of the "singer accompanied with orchestra" model inherited from popular big-band jazz and swing and popularized by Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald.To create larger ensembles, rock bands often add an additional guitarist, an additional keyboardist, additional percussionists or second drummer, an entire horn section, and even a flutist. An example of a six-member rock band is Linkin Park with a lead vocalist, rap vocalist/keyboardist, lead guitarist, bassist, turntablist, and drummer. The American heavy metal band Slipknot is composed of nine members, with a vocalist, two guitarists, a drummer, a bassist, two custom percussionists, a turntablist, and a sampler.

In larger groups (such as The Band), instrumentalists could play multiple instruments, which enabled the ensemble to create a wider variety of instrument combinations. More modern examples of such a band are Arcade Fire and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. More rarely, rock or pop groups will be accompanied in concerts by a full or partial symphony orchestra, where lush string-orchestra arrangements are used to flesh out the sound of slow ballads.

Rhys Chatham and Glenn Branca started doing performances in the late 70s with orchestras consisting of ten to hundred (Branca) and even four hundred guitars (Chatham). Boredoms did performances with 77 drummers and 88 drummers in 2007 and 2008.^{[citation needed]}

Example line-up[link]

• Lead vocals
• Lead guitar
• Rhythm guitar, Backing vocals
• Bass guitar, Backing vocals
• Drums, Percussion
• Keyboards

or

• Lead vocals, Guitar
• Lead guitarist, Backing vocals
• Rhythm guitarist
• Bass guitar, Backing vocals
• Horns (anything from saxophone to a horn section)
• Keyboards, Piano
• Drums

or

• Lead vocals
• Lead guitar, Backing vocals
• Bass guitar, Vocals
• Drums, Percussion
• Keyboards, Piano
• Rhythm guitar, Backing vocals
• DJ, Emcee, Drum machine, Sampler, Synthesizers
• Percussion

or

• Lead Vocals, Rhythm Guitar
• Backing Vocals, Lead Guitar
• Backing Guitar, Backing Vocals
• Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals
• Drums, Percussion
• Keyboards, Piano, Backing Vocals
• Pedal Steel Guitar, Backing Vocals
• Violin Backing Vocals

The above line-up was used by Bon Jovi during the Lost Highway tour.^{[citation needed]}

Musical drama[link]

This section requires expansion.

Sung dramas such as operas and musicals usually have numbers where several of the principals are singing together, either on their own or with the chorus. Such numbers (duets, trios, etc.) are also referred to as 'ensembles'.

Other western musical ensembles[link]

In the 20th century, the wind symphony or wind ensemble became popular, especially in academic circles. A wind ensemble consists entirely of wind instruments and percussion instruments, but may also include a double bass. Schools from elementary level onward often have a school band program which is usually centered around its wind ensemble, often known as a concert band.

A choir is a group of voices. By analogy, sometimes a group of similar instruments in a symphony orchestra are referred to as a choir. For example, the woodwind instruments of a symphony orchestra could be called the woodwind choir.

A group that plays popular music or military music is usually called a band. A group that plays while marching on a football field, without being a marching band, is called a drum and bugle corps.^[awkward] These bands perform a wide range of music, ranging from arrangements of jazz orchestral, or popular music to military-style marches. Drum corps perform on brass and percussion instruments only. Some corps perform on bugles in the key of G, while others perform on brass instruments in multiple keys, depending on the group. Drum and Bugle Corps incorporate costumes, hats, and pageantry in their performances.

Other band types include:

• Brass bands: groups consisting of around 30 brass and percussion players;
• Jug bands;
• Mexican Mariachi groups typically consist of at least two violins, two trumpets, one Spanish guitar, one vihuela (a high-pitched, five-string guitar), and one Guitarrón (a Mexican acoustic bass that is roughly guitar-shaped), and one or more singers.

See also[link]

Music portal

• List of musical ensemble formats
• Music
• Live band karaoke
• Alexandrov ensemble

References[link]

External links[link]

• Music, Historical images. From New York Public Library Digital Gallery
• Bands and Musician Listing
• Vivre Musicale