Universal Music Group opened a new UMusic Shop in London and New York earlier this month, expanding its retail footprint with locations designed to act as creative hubs for fans.
A UMusic Shop opened on 16 December in Camden Market, and is intended to reflect the area’s music heritage. It will feature exclusive artist collections, immersive installations and live performances.
The Camden space will also include a Vinyl Lounge, DJ booth and a recording-studio-style “Sound Room”, which the company says is designed to give visitors a more intimate way to experience music.
The New York shop opened on 10 December at 2 Penn Plaza, marking the company’s first permanent super-fan retail space in North America. It sells curated vinyl, merchandise and accessories linked to artists across the group’s labels. A partnership with New York brand Awake NY has produced an exclusive capsule collection available only in the store.
Two short-term pop-ups ran during the shop’s first week, including an installation tied to the film Song Sung Blue, which was released earlier this month, and another centred on Republic Records artist Conan Gray.
UMusic Hospitality and Lifestyle, the group’s hospitality venture, is overseeing the expansion as part of a wider strategy to develop branded physical spaces linked to its artists and labels.
Susan Mazo, EVP and Chief Impact Officer at Universal Music Group said: “The launch of these two stores in New York and London further expands on our longstanding commitment to enhancing the ability of UMG’s iconic roster of artists, labels, songwriters, and brands to connect with their fans through exclusive experiences, merchandise, and bespoke collections.
“Both cities and locations have rich and deep connections with music culture, and we are excited to introduce these new hubs for fans to meet, share, and connect with the music, artists, and songs they are most passionate about.”
The new locations build on earlier launches in Madrid and Tokyo’s Harajuku district.
