Merchandise rights for The Beatles across retail, licensing and e-commerce in North America have returned to Universal Music Group’s merchandise and brand management company, Bravado.
The deal, between Apple Corps Ltd. and Bravado, reunites the legendary band’s merchandise business with their recorded music catalog.
UMG has been home to The Beatles’ iconic recorded music catalog since 2012.
The Beatles’ previous merch home for North America was with Sony Music’s The Thread Shop, following a deal signed in December 2019.
Prior to the deal with The Thread Shop in 2019, the Beatles merch was handled by Bravado in North America.
According to the announcement issued today (September 1), Bravado will work with Apple Corps Ltd. to expand The Beatles’ presence in the region by “leveraging the company’s retail and licensing partnerships and its robust ecommerce network to supercharge direct-to-consumer efforts”.
Universal says that in the decade it has been home to The Beatles’ recorded music catalog, UMG and Apple Corps “have worked hand in hand to find innovative projects and campaigns to further introduce the band’s timeless music to new generations of fans around the world”.
Apple Corps Ltd. was founded by The Beatles in 1968 to oversee the band’s creative and business interests.
Back in May, Bravado announced the “centralization” of both the Bravado and Epic Rights licensing rosters.
Under the new structure, Epic Rights’ SVP Global Licensing, Lisa Streff, oversees global licensing strategies across both companies.
In addition to The Beatles, Bravado and Epic’s centralized global roster includes the likes of AC/DC, Blackpink, David Bowie, Def Leppard, Guns & Roses, Justin Bieber, KISS, Slipknot and The Weeknd, among others.
Bravado’s new Beatles online retail store is available starting today.
“Bringing The Beatles back to Bravado was a top priority of mine – not only as a fan of their music but as someone who is inspired by the creative and cultural impact they continue to have around the world.”
Matt Young, Bravado
Matt Young, President of Bravado, said: “Bringing The Beatles back to Bravado was a top priority of mine – not only as a fan of their music but as someone who is inspired by the creative and cultural impact they continue to have around the world.
“The responsibility of representing such an iconic and beloved brand isn’t lost on me and we look forward to working with Jeff Jones and the Apple Corps team to continue to bring The Beatles’ vision to life.”Music Business Worldwide
