UNIVERSAL STAR

By Jeffrey Ressner/Los Angeles

If Doug Morris' recent career were a rock single, it could well be Shake, Rattle and Roll. Morris was purged from top-ranked Warner Music following a nasty 1995 corporate bloodbath that shook out top management. "It was unprofessional...and unclassy," says Morris of the event. Though rattled, he soon became chairman of Seagram's Universal Music Group. And now he's on a roll. He boosted Universal's market share to third place from fifth and tripled earnings to $72 million this fiscal year, making music one of the few bright spots in Seagram's media diversification.

Universal was formerly MCA, which was skewered by critics as the "Music Cemetery of America." "When I got here, there were definitely some pluses and minuses," says Morris. The upside included a fine R.-and-B. stable and country enclave. The downside: everything else. Morris bought half of Interscope, accepting its explicit lyrics in return for instant street credibility and album sales. "Interscope has always been noisy," he says, smiling. "But underneath the rap furor, there's a core of strong music with fine management."

Morris suggests that the secret to his success is simple: pick people who pick catchy songs. He should know, having written the 1966 hit Sweet Talkin' Guy. "He's the only person heading a music distributor who's had success at two major companies," says author Fred Goodman, whose Mansion on the Hill traces the ascent of music moguls. Perhaps the most tantalizing part of his latest job is competing with his old employer. "I don't feel any need for vindication," says Morris about Warner. "That's not to say I don't want our company to be the industry leader, because I do." And in the music business, revenge is a dish best served loud.

--By Jeffrey Ressner/Los Angeles