UMG Moving To New NYC HQ
• Universal Music Group (UMG) announced that it has leased new office space at PENN 2, Vornado Realty Trust’s recently completed office tower along Seventh Avenue in the heart of The Penn District. The building will serve as the new headquarters of Def Jam Recordings, Island Records, Mercury Records and Republic Records (all part of the REPUBLIC COLLECTIVE), Bravado, UMG’s industry-leading merchandise company, and Verve Label Group (including Verve, Impulse! and Decca Records US). The building will also serve as the East Coast offices for Universal Music Publishing Group as well as several UMG corporate functions.
As part of a 22-year lease, UMG will occupy the entire fourth through seventh floors of PENN 2, as well as a ground-floor space along Seventh Avenue for a future premium retail experience and a private lobby on 33rd Street, which will feature a visitor center and direct elevator access to its floors. UMG will also have the ability to showcase its artists on large scale LED signage within The Penn District.
The new HQ will be located within The Bustle, a 430-foot-wide expanse of office space stretching from 31st to 33rd Street on Seventh Avenue and includes 88,000 square feet of double-height, 23-foot-high, column-free office space where UMG will build its New York offices and state-of-the art studio production facilities that will bolster UMG’s global network of the world’s leading recording studios that already includes the iconic Abbey Road Studios in London, Capitol Studios in LA and East Iris Studios in Nashville.
Boyd Muir, UMG’s Chief Operating Officer said, “UMG’s relocation of its New York offices to the new PENN 2 Tower reflects our vision and ambition. Located in the heart of Midtown Manhattan and literally adjacent to Madison Square Garden, one of music’s most storied venues where so many of our artists perform to a packed house, PENN 2 will serve as an ideal nexus for our employees, artists and songwriters. Beyond office space, PENN 2 will house music studios and retail spaces, featuring a range of artist merchandise and exclusive products. We look forward to working with the team at Vornado as we work towards a 2027 move-in date.” [Photo: Vornado Realty Trust]
