As a result of the Ukraine war, many Western companies have put their business in Russia on hold.

Now the world's largest music company is withdrawing from the country.

As Universal Music announced on Tuesday evening German time, all activities will be stopped immediately and the offices in Russia will be closed.

Universal is pushing for an end to the violence as soon as possible and is complying with international sanctions.

Benjamin Fisher

Editor in Business.

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Universal and the other two global music giants - Warner and Sony Music - previously announced they would support charities.

The latter have not yet announced any suspension of their activities in Russia.

According to information from industry sites, both companies also want to announce a decision soon.

According to the label industry association International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), the Russian market for music recordings was only number 17 globally in 2019. However, compared to the previous year, there was an increase in sales of 50.3 percent.

Total sales were $171.7 million.

Given Russia's large population and growth opportunities, the appeal for the industry is obvious.

Live Nation retired early on

Of course, the universal withdrawal is by no means the first reaction of this kind from the music industry. The largest live entertainment group in the world, the US company Live Nation, to which the Ticketmaster platform also belongs, declared a week ago that it would not Organize more concerts in Russia and no longer want to be active in the market.

In addition to a number of statements of solidarity from artists, various musicians and bands such as Björk, Nick Cave, The Killers and Green Day canceled performances in Russia.

The dates of Rammstein singer Till Lindemann's solo tour in Russia have also been cancelled.

The German rock band has long had a large fan base in Russia.

The group said on Instagram a few days ago: "Rammstein would like to express their support for the Ukrainian people who are resisting the shocking attack by the Russian government." government and we want to remember the humanity that Russian and Ukrainian citizens share”.

Spotify still active, presence in Russia closed

The audio streaming service Spotify closed its presence in Russia "indefinitely" a week ago.

In addition, access to content from Russian state media was restricted and the offer of RT and Sputnik in the EU and "other markets" was removed.

However, the service itself is still available in Russia to "maintain the global flow of information," the Swedish company said.

Spotify only expanded to Russia and Ukraine in July 2020.

Last but not least, the British collecting society PRS put its cooperation with the Russian RAO on hold on Tuesday.

The American BMI also announced such a step.

At the same time, the British counterpart to the German Gema emphasized that the aim is not to punish Russian composers, songwriters and publishers who advocate peace.

In the umbrella organization of collecting societies (CISAC), the PRS wants to work towards an examination of the further membership of Russian organizations and, in addition, continue to look for possibilities with the partners to support the "Voices for Peace".