Ulf Zick stop Common to hitch Utopia in early 2022. Six months later, he’s quitting Utopia to return to UMG.

In April, Ulf Zick exited his function as Managing Director, Worldwide at Common Music Germany to hitch Utopia, the acquisitive Switzerland-headquartered fintech agency headed up by Markku Mäkeläinen.

Zick had spent round 4 years at Common, after becoming a member of the main in February 2018 from Spotify, the place the exec had spent the prior 5 years inside the streamer’s Artist & Label Companies division.

Now, simply six months after becoming a member of Utopia as Chief Advertising and marketing Officer, Zick’s introduced he’s leaving the Swiss firm for a job again at Common.

In accordance with Germany-based music commerce publication, Musikwoche, Common confirmed on Wednesday (November 16) that Zick shall be returning to its international workforce in early 2023.

The publication reviews that Berlin-based Zick has been re-hired as President of Worldwide Repertoire at Common Music Germany, efficient from the start of January 2023.

He’ll even be heading up Common’s Virgin Music Label & Artist Companies division in Germany.

As of January 2023, Zick shall be reporting on to Frank Briegmann, Chairman & CEO of Central Europe at Common Music Group (UMG).

Briegmann is quoted by Musikwoche (translated from German) as saying that Zick’s return is “a praise to [Universal’s] artists and our workforce. Anybody who needs to make a distinction in our business is in good arms with us.”

Briegmann added:  “I used to be and am satisfied that he has glorious {qualifications} to advance the careers of our worldwide artists in Germany on the one hand and to sharpen the constructions at Virgin Music Label & Artist Companies on the opposite.”

“To have the ability to return to Common Music is simply superb.”

Ulf Zick

Ulf Zick mentioned: “To have the ability to return to Common Music is simply superb.”

He added: “It grew to become increasingly more clear to me that – with all my love for Tech & Innovation – I’m above all a Music & Folks individual.

“Working for and with artists provides me the best pleasure and that’s the place I make the largest distinction. I thank Frank very a lot for his belief and I’m actually wanting ahead to seeing the entire UMG household once more.”

Previous to Common, at Spotify, Zick labored for Gibson Guitar Corp as Director, Leisure Relations and served as an Government Advisor for Apogee Electronics in Santa Monica.

As well as, Zick is an skilled artist supervisor, with prior music business expertise operating his personal file label, PR and reserving businesses.

Utopia mentioned again in February that on this function as Chief Advertising and marketing Officer, he can be “chargeable for the general strategic imaginative and prescient and course of Utopia’s advertising, positioning, communications, content material technique, and execution of the model course”.

He reported on to Utopia’s CEO Markku Mäkeläinen.

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Utopia has acquired a number of firms because it launched in 2016.

That acquisition spree has included UK warehouse, achievement, distribution agency Cinram Novum, UK-based bodily and digital music distributor Correct Music Group and Absolute Label Companies, one other UK-based distribution and providers supplier for unbiased artists and file labels.

As well as, earlier this 12 months Utopia acquired Liverpool-based music writer and publishing administration firm Sentric Music Group.

In December 2021 it acquired US-based music business listing ROSTR and Austria-based music information analytics platform, ForTunes.

In October 2021, the agency purchased Nashville-based monetary providers firm, Lyric Monetary and in September, Utopia purchased Quincy Jones-backed emotional information enrichment firm Musimap.

In August, MBW reported that Utopia was making an attempt to boost €300 million in a Collection C spherical that will worth its firm at €2.5 billion.Music Enterprise Worldwide