U.K. RETAILERS ENDORSE UMG'S
ANTI-EXCLUSIVES STANCE

The U.K.’s Entertainment Retailers Association has welcomed Lucian Grainge’s strict stance against exclusives in the wake of the fall-out over Frank Ocean’s self-released Blonde.

ERA, which represents digital music services and retailers in Blighty, has stood with Grainge, who has issued a blanket ban on UMG partaking in exclusive deals with the likes of Apple in future.

The trade association argues that limiting releases to one platform, for any length of time, results in confusion for customers, threatens the growth of the music streaming market, and puts physical retailers at a disadvantage. ERA CEO Kim Bayley has called for other labels to follow Universal’s lead.

“We have long believed that a level playing field is the key to healthy competition in the entertainment market,” she said. “The premium music streaming sector has grown rapidly with a clear promise to consumers that they can effectively access all the music they might want for a single flat fee per month.

“The proliferation of exclusives means consumers are effectively forced to take out multiple subscriptions to gain access to all key releases. We believe this is damaging not just to individual services but to the market as a whole.”

Premature reaction or a sign of things to come? Only time will tell.