The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity today announced that Sir Lucian Grainge, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Universal Music Group (UMG), will be honoured at the annual Festival as the 2017 Media Person of the Year. Grainge is the first music executive to be recognised since the award was launched in 1999.
The award will be presented to Grainge at a ceremony on Wednesday, 21 June 2017, during the Festival. The Media Person of the Year award recognises innovators who have shaped the future of media.
During a career spanning nearly four decades in the music business, Grainge signed and worked with many worldwide stars, including ABBA, Justin Bieber, Elton John, Jay Z, Katy Perry, Queen, Rihanna, The Rolling Stones, Sam Smith, U2 and Amy Winehouse.
Widely credited for laying the foundation that has led to the music industry’s return to growth after more than a decade of decline, Grainge developed new approaches to the signing and development of global recording artists and songwriters and championed innovative business models and created partnerships with a wide range of international technology and media partners.
Grainge commented, “While today’s music industry is virtually unrecognizable from the business I started in, one thing that hasn’t changed is that great artists and great music remain at the heart of everything we do. We are proud to demonstrate how traditional media businesses can reinvent themselves in the age of streaming, leverage new technologies and work closely with brand partners to develop exciting opportunities for artists, labels and fans. On behalf of everyone at UMG and all of our recording artists and songwriters, we’re very thankful to Cannes Lions for this honour.”
