Soundtracks from Italian cinema's golden age get new lease of life

[June 30, 2020]  LONDON (Reuters) - Soundtracks from the golden age of Italian cinema are to be made available to a new generation of music and film lovers under a new partnership between Universal Music Group (UMG) and Sugar, Italy's leading independent label.

More than 2,000 historic soundtracks from films including Federico Fellini's 'La Dolce Vita' and 'Amarcord' and Luchino Visconti's 'Il Gattopardo' (The Leopard) and scores from composers such as Ennio Morricone will be reintroduced and distributed via Decca Records.

Under the partnership, UMG Italy will also distribute recordings from Sugar's roster of contemporary artists including Italy's biggest pop-rock stadium act Negramaro and pop-jazz artist Raphael Gualazzi.

"Having one, truly unique, worldwide distribution solution for the entire breadth of Sugar recordings is a very important step, as we look to grow our reach and visibility into new territories," Filippo Sugar, CEO of the 88-year-old Italian music company, said in a press release.

Universal and Sugar have cooperated before on numerous projects, including a live-streamed Easter performance this year by Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli from an empty Duomo cathedral in Milan at the peak of Italy's coronavirus crisis.

UMG, based in the United States, is one of the world's biggest record labels.

(Reporting by Reuters TV; Writing by Gareth Jones; Editing by Mike Collett-White)

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