Mumbai: Universal Music Group (UMG) has surpassed its competition to become one of the country’s Top 10 online music destinations, according to new data just released by comScore, a recognized leader in measuring the digital world.

For the month of November, UMG ranked Top 10 within the comScore Entertainment Music category, edging out the next nearest recording company in unique visitors by almost double, according to data from the comScore Media Metrix service. UMG’s online music properties include cutting-edge and dynamic artist-related web sites that feature premium audio and video product, exclusive programming, fan information, compelling editorial content and news, and online shopping.

"With comScore recently announcing that users viewed more than 13.5 billion online videos in October alone, it is clear that the music category continues to represent a strong opportunity for advertisers seeking to reach important audience segments," stated UMG executive vice president global digital initiatives David Ellner. "The fact that UMG has become the leading music company destination online this year is a testament to the diversity and incessant appeal of our artists and their music, and the commitment of our labels to helping create such compelling destinations. Moving forward, we are committed to building on this growth to deliver even more value to our advertisers and to music lovers everywhere."

The Top 10 music destinations according to comScore Media Metrix data for November 2008 include: AOL, Yahoo, MySpace Music, MTV, ArtisDirect, Clear Channel Online, PlayList, MSN Music, MetroLyrics and UMG. Earlier this week, comScore also released October 2008 data from the comScore Video Metrix service, reporting that U.S. Internet users viewed 13.5 billion online videos during the month, representing an increase of 45 percent versus a year ago.