Universal Music Group – Commitment to providing you with the best online entertainment shopping experience
Preoder Program
Credit Card Payment
Returns and Refunds
International Orders
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Advanced preorder is available for selected Universal Music Group titles. These titles are noted with a Preorder icon. If you live in the U.S. and would like to receive your music selection on or about release date, please place your order with standard shipping no later than 10 days in advance of release. RUSH orders will arrive by release date if placed by 9 AM EST the Thursday prior to the release date. Standard orders after this date will arrive approximately 5 to 7 days after the release date.
Please note that you will be charged in full at the time of your order placement, and prior to the shipment of your purchase. Please refer to the Terms and Conditions for further information regarding charges and shipping.
Please be advised that when placing your order, we will retrieve an authorization for the full order amount, and will complete the charge to your card within 1 to 4 days. Shipment of your standard purchase will occur within 7 days from the date of the charge. Please check information related to preorders as delivery times vary based on the preorder program.
What credit cards are accepted on your site?
We accept American Express, MasterCard, Visa cards and PayPal. We do not accept checks or money orders.
Is it safe to use my credit card?
We aim to provide you with a safe and convenient online shopping experience. When placing an order online, your information is transmitted using Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology, an approved industry standard that is used by vendors to ensure the security of online business. It negotiates and employs the essential functions of mutual authentication, data encryption, and data integrity for secure transactions.
Why was my credit card not accepted?
- Verify if you entered your payment information correctly on your order
- Make sure the billing address you provided is the same address associated with your credit card
- Did your billing address change recently or did you get a new card with a new expiration date?
- Most banks have limits on how much money can be charged or accessed in a single day. If you exceed this daily amount, your bank may block your account from any further activity regardless of available funds in the account. Your bank may require you to request a higher purchase limit to complete the transaction.
You can return most new, unopened items, excluding digital downloads, within 10 days after receipt for a full refund. Bundles containing a digital download component cannot be returned. The exception being defective individual products within the bundle, in that case the defective product will be replaced.
Items should be returned in their original shipping container.
Please contact customer service for a return merchandise authorization (RMA#) and instructions on how to return the item.
All approved returns should be credited to your account within one or two billing cycles, and funds are refunded to the original payment method used for your purchase.
If you received a damaged, defective or wrong item, please contact customer service. In most cases we will send you a replacement and if necessary, return instructions.
International Orders may be subject to import taxes, customs duties and fees levied by your country’s customs department upon arrival. When ordering from Universal Music the recipient of the shipment is the importer of record and is responsible for any of these import fees, as well as complying with all laws and regulations of the destination country. Universal Music does not collect duties and taxes and we can not predict what your particular charges may be. Customs policies vary widely from country to country, so please contact your local customs office for more information.
Your order will not arrive by the US Street date and may take an additional 3 -4 weeks to get to you. International shipments including Canada and Mexico are sent by DHL Global mail. Unless otherwise specified. International shipments may be held by your local Customs Authority or post office for an additional 10 to 14 days depending upon the customs laws in your country.
How do you calculate taxes?
Applicable sales and use taxes are based on your shipping address for orders shipped to US and Canadian addresses.
Taxes for international orders shipped outside the US or Canada are dependent on country specific importation taxes.
How will order charges appear on my Credit Card or PayPal statement?
Charges related to your order will appear as “ADS*Universal Music” on your Credit Card or PayPal statement.
Who is Arvato Digital services?
Arvato Digital Services is the merchant of record for Universal Music Group.
Why do I need to sign in?
When you register with Universal Music for the first time, you create Your Account, an information page which records details of your contact, delivery and payment information. Once entered, your details can be stored in Your Account and you will not have to re-enter them again when you make your next order. Signing in also allows you to:
- Track your order status and order history
- Access your account information at any time and edit any of your account details
- Manage your subscriptions and receive news on your favorite artists
Why do I need a password?
Your password is unique to your email address and ensures that your account details remain secure.
How will I know if my order has been received?
An order confirmation will appear as the final step in your order process. In addition, you'll receive an email confirmation with an order number and brief summary of purchase. If you checked out as a registered user, you can always track your order status here.
When will my order arrive?
Your shipping confirmation email should contain the Shipping Carrier (UPS or Mail). It is shipped via UPS you can use the tracking number to track your package on the Shipping Carrier websites. Orders generally take about 5-7 days to arrive. Please check on delivery information regarding preorders.
How do I change or cancel an order?
Once you receive an order confirmation by email, it means your order is already being processed and cannot be changed or cancelled by you or our Customer Care team.
We advise to follow the return and refund process by obtaining a return merchandise authorization through our customer service team.
Can I play my downloads on any music device?
The mp3 tracks are DRM free, meaning that you can play them on your computer, mp3 player, mobile phone, or any other music device without restriction. Consult the user manuals of your individual music devices to find out how to upload your track/s.
How long does it take to download a track?
This will depend on your connection speed, the file size of the track and Internet traffic.
How to retrieve and download your purchased media
It's possible to download the media you purchased from your order confirmation email. Try the following to initiate a new download:
- Open your order confirmation email
- Right-click on the download link next to the line item in your receipt
At this point, you will be authenticated and your download will begin. If you have attempted to download and receive an error that your download limit has been reached, you should contact the customer service support at UMGstores@arvatousa.com to obtain a new valid URL.
Download retries can be attempted within the limit of the service (e.g. 5 download retries allowed).
Where are my downloads saved?
When you download a track, you will be prompted to select a folder for the file to be saved in.
How to locate downloaded media
The location of your download depends on your Operating System/Browser combination. If you're having trouble locating your download, one option is to right-click on the download link in your email receipt and select the "Save As" option (wording not exact) which will let you choose where you would like to save the download. Alternatively, you can search for files and folders on your system. The default location for a few popular browsers on Mac and Windows as follows:
On MAC (Firefox)
- Launch Firefox
- Then sign up for the offer using your email address -
- Press the keyboard combination: Command-J
- Right-click on the file in the downloads dialog and select the option "Show in Finder"
On MAC (Safari)
- Safari's default location on Mac is the Downloads folder –
- Launch Safari –
- Press the keyboard combination: Command+Option+L–
- Right-click on the file in the downloads dialog and select the option to "Show in Finder–
- Press the keyboard combination: Command+Option+L–
On Windows (Internet Explorer)
- The IE default downloads folder on Windows XP is C:\Documents and Settings\username\My Documents –
- The IE default downloads folder on Windows Vista is C:\users\username\Downloads–
On Windows (Firefox)
- Firefox defaults to saving your files on your Desktop
What file types do we deliver?
Unless noted otherwise, we deliver MP3 files when saving music to a folder or to a portable device. Digital booklets are delivered as PDF files, and an album's accompanying cover art comes as a JPEG.
How to operate a FLAC download?
FLAC requires special software to be played and cannot be played in most media players. Sourceforge is a good website to find FLAC friendly media players. Please navigate to the following site for FLAC players and troubleshooting techniques: http://sourceforge.net/
What is MP3?
Our MP3 bitrate is 320kbps, the top-tier industry standard and will play on any MP3 player. You can read more about MP3 here - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MP3
What is FLAC?
FLAC files are lossless and can be as good or better than CD quality but will not play in iTunes. You can read more about FLAC here - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FLAC
I paid for my music files but when I try to download them nothing seems to happen.
One reason the download procedure may not start is if you have a popup blocker on your computer. You will need to disable that popup blocker prior to clicking on the download link. Here are a few methods to help you find and disable your popup blocker(s):
If you are running Windows XP:
1. Click the Tools menu at the top of the browser window
2. You will see an option for popup blocker, click this option
3. On the next screen you will see an option to turn off (those are the specific words in the menu) the popup blocker. Please do so; you can re-enable it later.
You may be running 3rd party toolbars that have pop-up blocker features: within your browser window just below the address bar, you may have some Toolbars installed, such as Google, Yahoo, MSN Search, My Search, etc. You will have to find the option in each of these to disable the popup blockers. Note that it is possible to have more than popup blocker running so make sure to disable them all. You can right-click on the toolbars and you will see a list of toolbars that you have installed on your system. If there are listings that do not have a checkmark beside them and you think it could be a searching toolbar, put a checkmark beside it so it will show up in the browser. It will be easier to customize if the Toolbars are all visible.
Computer firewalls can also contain popup blockers. To find these please go to the system tray which is the series of small icons by the clock in the Windows Taskbar. By passing the mouse curser over each icon you will get a small box with a description of what the program is. If you have any that are firewalls (Ex: Norton Internet Security or Personal Firewall, McAfee Firewall, Zone Alarm, Freedom, Telus Security...) right click on the icon and choose the shut down or disable option. This option can be named different things depending on the particular program.
Once you have disabled your popup blockers and firewalls, use the link provided in your order confirmation email or access your Order History to try to download the files.
IMPORTANT: If you are trying to download through a corporate web site or domain, please check with your network administrator before disabling any protection such as firewalls or other network settings.
What if my download process is interrupted?
If the track download is interrupted for any reason (i.e. knocked offline, hit wrong button), you can return to the original download link and start the process over. If you receive a prompt for "This file is already saved, would you like to replace it?" click Yes and continue the download process.
Download retries can be attempted within the limit of the service (e.g. 5 download retries allowed). When the limit is reached, you should contact the customer service support at UMGstores@arvatousa.com to obtain a new valid URL.
I have a "corrupt" file. What is the issue?
The file may be corrupt because it did not fully download. Please download the music file again.
What if my file is "damaged"?
If the file is damaged or you receive an error message, we will work with you to resolve the issue and provide a proper file. Before contacting customer service, please consider disabling any firewall programs and attempt to download again. If you continue to have issues, please send an email to UMGstores@arvatousa.com with specific details about your issue and list the email address used to obtain it.
Why did I get a window warning that “Some files can harm your computer. If the file information below looks suspicious, or you do not fully trust the source, do not open or save this file.”?
This is a standard Microsoft window response which will appear whenever you download any file from the internet. It is a way to confirm that you are purposefully downloading a file, as opposed to clicking on an unknown link.
I don't see the music in my iTunes. How do I add it?
Your computer will attempt to import your music into iTunes, if it detects that iTunes is your default media player. If this didn't happen, or you chose the Manual option, adding the music is as easy as following the steps below:
- Open iTunes, then go to File, and select Add File to Library.
- In the Add to Library window, browse to your downloaded music folder -- usually named Downloads, My Music, or iTunes Library.
- Select the titles you wish to import and click Open.
- The music you selected should now be listed in your iTunes library.
Is my download DRM free?
DRM (Digital Rights Management) is a tool used to protect content from being improperly used or shared. All downloaded media (audio and video) is 100% DRM-free unless otherwise explicitly noted, meaning our customers have enhanced freedom and ease of use and storage on different devices.
Why is my download taking so long?
Files that are larger than 1GB cannot be reliably downloaded by Internet Explorer 6 or 7 and Windows versions earlier than Windows XP, and will frequently have glitches and other troubles after download (if download completes) due to a Windows codec problem. We recommend you use Firefox, Chrome or Safari to download your digital files. For video files, we also recommend that you get VLC Player for playback, as it will provide you with a better viewing experience. VLC is a free download and can be safely installed on any computer.
- VLC Player for PC http://www.videolan.org/vlc/download-windows.html
- VLC Player for Mac http://www.videolan.org/vlc/download-macosx.html
What if I still have questions?
You can always contact us. We'll get back to you as soon as possible and try to resolve whatever problem you have. Please try to include as much background information as possible. Contact us at UMGstores@arvatousa.com or via phone at 1-866-611-4072.
