The Island Def Jam Music Group

American record label group formed in 1998 Record label The Island Def Jam Music Group (also simply known as Island Def Jam or by its acronym IDJMG) was an American record label group formed on December 31, 1998, by Universal Music Group. Prior to 2014, Island Def Jam included labels originally established under the umbrellas of Island Records and Def Jam Recordings. On April 1, 2014, Universal Music Group publicly announced the dissolution of the Def Jam Group, leaving IDJMG and its affiliated subsidiaries as separate sister labels. In 2024, Universal Music aligned Island and Def Jam with Republic Records, under a new structure labeled as Republic Corps. History 1999: Seagram buyout of PolyGram and unit formation On December 10, 1998, the Seagram Company acquired PolyGram for $10.6 billion and merged its music label unit with that of MCA Music, forming Universal Music Group. In 1999, following the formation of Universal Music Group, 14 recording labels, including Island Records, Def Jam Recordings, and Mercury Records, merged to form Island Def Jam Music Group. Although Island Def Jam Music Group consolidated the labels, they continued to operate as separate, autonomous labels. Ly