Photo credit: Luca Rossetti
Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG), the leading, global publishing division of Universal Music Group, today announced that legendary tenor Andrea Bocelli has been signed to an exclusive, global publishing agreement through UMPG’s Classics & Screen department. One of the most successful and influential classical singers in modern history, Bocelli this year celebrates his 30th anniversary in music. Through the new agreement, UMPG will represent Bocelli’s future works, as well as his latest album, “A Family Christmas”.
Having set countless sales records, Andrea Bocelli has sold over 90 million albums to date and generated more than 16 billion streams. The celebrated tenor has become a long-standing ambassador for Italian culture around the world and drew worldwide attention in 2020 with his record-breaking ‘Music for Hope’ event which became one of the biggest musical live stream performances of all-time. Across his illustrious career, Bocelli has received six Grammy Award nominations, six Latin Grammy Award nominations, a Golden Globe, seven Classical BRITs, seven World Music Awards, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
One of the world’s most recognisable voices, Bocelli has performed for four Presidents of the United States of America, three Popes, the British Royal Family, and many Prime Ministers. He has sung at high-profile ceremonies including the Olympics, the World Cup, the UEFA Euro 2020 Opening Ceremony, the Premier League final, the Ballon d’Or, the Universal Expo in Shanghai in 2010 and in Milan in 2015. He has performed in all the greatest concert halls and opera houses around the world, as well as major international arenas. Bocelli recently sang at the 24th Annual Latin GRAMMY Awards and the 96th Oscars. He will also become the first classical artist in history to headline London’s BST Hyde Park 2024.
Veronica Berti Bocelli, CEO of Almud Music, and Maverick Management’s Francesco Pasquero said: “We are honored to be joining the Universal Music Publishing Group family. Building upon our long-standing partnership with Universal Music Group, this collaboration marks a significant milestone in Andrea’s journey. As we celebrate Maestro’s 30th anniversary this year, we are excited to continue expanding Andrea’s legacy and reach even greater heights with the support of UMPG.”
Natasha Baldwin, Executive Vice President of Classics and Screen at UMPG, said: “Andrea Bocelli is not only a legendary tenor, but an artist who has established his place in the canon of classical and popular music. As we celebrate his third decade in the industry and immense contributions to music history, we are absolutely thrilled to welcome Andrea to UMPG Classics & Screen family as his global publisher.”
The new publishing agreement builds upon Bocelli’s historic relationship with Universal Music Group, the world’s leading music-based entertainment company, having distributed his albums for over a quarter of a century through its longstanding relationship with Sugar Music. In 2021, Bocelli signed directly to UMG for the first time after more than 25 years of collaboration (in particular with Decca Records), in a global, multifaceted recording agreement. All of his previous recordings will remain under Sugar Music, in an exclusive license agreement with UMG.
Across his meteoric career, Bocelli’s works have become hallmarks of cultural significance. From his early career singing with Luciano Pavarotti, to major international success with “Con te partirò (Time To Say Goodbye)” with Sarah Brightman, “The Prayer” with Celine Dion, and “Vivo per lei”, among many others. Bocelli is renowned for his unique voice and his collaborations beyond the world of classical music – in particular, he has duetted with such major names as Ed Sheeran, Jennifer Lopez, Christina Aguilera, Dua Lipa, Bono, Ariana Grande, Stevie Wonder, Alison Krauss, Tony Bennett, Josh Groban, and even The Muppets.
In 2017, autobiographical film “The Music of Silence” – inspired by Bocelli’s self-penned novel of the same name – was released to resounding critical and commercial success. This year sees the release of a new documentary about the singer, entitled “Andrea Bocelli: Because I Believe”, with never-before-seen insights into the singer’s story, on- and off-stage. Bocelli has also sung on the soundtracks to a number of major films, he has had his very own Simpsons Christmas special, and his influence has even seeped into popular culture with references on shows such as “The Kardashians” and “The Bold and the Beautiful”.
Andrea Bocelli is a record-breaking artist. He made history with his 2018 pop album “Sì,” taking first place in the UK and US charts, the first time ever to be achieved by an Italian artist. He broke records again on Easter Day 2020, uniting millions around the world with his emotionally charged “Music for Hope” performance from the historic Duomo cathedral in Milan, one of the biggest musical live stream performances of all-time. The broadcast saw 2.8 million peak concurrent viewers – the largest simultaneous audience for a classical live stream in YouTube history. In November that year, Andrea Bocelli’s album. “Believe” was accompanied by another major live stream, ‘Believe in Christmas’, which became the most successful classical music live stream to date, selling more than 70,000 tickets to fans in 120 countries.
Musically gifted from birth, Andrea Bocelli is one of the most celebrated singers in modern history. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Opera Singing from the “G. Puccini” Music Conservatory in La Spezia and a Bachelor’s degree in Law from the University of Pisa, Italy. He was honored by the Italian Republic with a Grande Ufficiale Italian Order of Merit (Grand Officer of the Italian Republic) and he was bestowed the title of Ambassador of the Italian Republic of San Marino. During the Opening Ceremony of the World Economic Forum 2015 in Davos (Switzerland), he was given the prestigious Crystal Award, in recognition of his work an artist and philanthropist. In 2016, the University of Macerata awarded him with an Honorary Degree in Modern Philology.
In 2011, he founded the Andrea Bocelli Foundation (ABF) to empower people and communities in vulnerable situations. It has since grown into an independent non-profit led by world-class professionals that oversee the strategic development of projects in Italy and abroad.