Universal signs up Lloyd Webber ringtones

By Simon Aughton

Posted on 16 Aug 2006 at 14:32

Universal Music has acquired exclusive worldwide digital and mobile rights to the entire catalogue of Andrew Lloyd Webber songs from popular musicals including Evita, The Phantom of the Opera and Jesus Christ Superstar.

From this week, songs from the new London production of Evita will be made available online with the remainder of the Lloyd Webber catalogue available to download from 22 August.

Many of the songs will also be released as realtones for mobile phones over the next few months.

Lloyd Webber, who has sold over 30 million singles and albums since the original Jesus Christ Superstar concept album in 1970, welcomed the deal between Universal and the Really Useful group, the company he set up to manage his assets.

'I am delighted to be able to announce these significant deals between the Really Useful Group and Universal Music and thrilled that my entire catalogue can now be downloaded (I say this although the bulk of my own music collection is on vinyl!),' he said.