Bootsy Collins signs with ALG Brands

ALG Brands has been tapped to represent the original Starchild, Bootsy Collins, for licensing and branding opportunities, it was announced today by ALG CEO Ashley Austin. The firm will manage Collins’ personality rights and will oversee the evolution of his intellectual property via brand collaborations, media projects, licensed products and more.

“I’m getting excited, the Funk has united with ALG,” says Collins. “Time to give up the ‘P’ – Funk that is, baba! Bootsy baby!!!”

“Bootsy is prolific in all aspects of the entertainment business,” says Austin. “His image is iconic, his sound is authentic, and his vibe is on a whole other level. It is an honour to be invited into his orbit, and we are so excited to work with him and his amazing team to bring the power of The One to new media, branding, and licensing initiatives.”

Born in Cincinnati, OH, Bootsy Collins is an all-time great funk and R&B bassist, singer, bandleader and music producer. From 1969 to 1971, Collins performed with James Brown’s backup band, dubbed the J.B.’s, his bass driving records like “Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine.” In 1972, Bootsy joined George Clinton’s Parliament/Funkadelic; Collins and Clinton soon established a lifelong personal and musical friendship. He launched Bootsy’s Rubber Band as a spinoff of Parliament-Funkadelic in 1976 and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997 as part of the P-Funk collective.

Beyond the music, Collins is one of the most colourful personalities in entertainment. Bootsy’s custom-built, star-shaped Space Bass, top hat, wild glasses, ever-present smile, and instantly recognisable voice have ensured his long status as a cultural icon. Beloved by original funkateers, next generation hip-hoppers, electronic pioneers, metalheads and more, the forever young Bootsy Collins is the definition of a living legend.

US rock band KISS back on the road with worldwide tour and global roster of licensing partners

America’s platinum record selling rock band, KISS is hitting the road once again, continuing its End of the Road World Tour this year, and bringing with it a truly global licensing programme that spans multiple categories across international markets.

Headed up by the band’s exclusive global licensing agent, Epic Rights, a full roster of global partners makes up the licensing list as the rockers kick their worldwide parade back into action. The End of the Road World Tour launched in 2019 but hit the pause button while the world grappled with the coronavirus pandemic.

The tour will now set out to wow audiences in 2021 with rescheduled shows and new additional concert dates. And with the return of the show, comes the return of the band’s established merchandise machine. KISS continues to be among the most merchandised bands in history, and a pioneering force in the music merchandise and licensing industry. KISS branded merchandise is currently available in major retailers around the world, including Nordstrom, Macy’s, Urban Outfitters, Hot Topic, Torrid, Tilly’s, Pacsun, Cotton On, Target, Walmart, and more.

New KISS deals across the US include those with the likes of Dead Sled Coffee and its pre-packaged coffee, Robert Graham and a new fashion and accessories launch, and Lauren Moshi who will be deliver high-end apparel to the market. A line of seasonal apparel will also launch via Ugly Christmas Sweater for the 2021 holiday season.

Meanwhile, international partnerships include those with Brands for Fans and its KISS branded gin and dark rum launching in the UK this year, as well as Europe, Japan, and Australia; Metal Departments for real money gambling worldwide, Fexpro for apparel and accessories in Mexico, Central America, and South America, Konnekt for apparel and accessories in Japan, and EastPak for bags, backpacks, and accessories in the US, Europe, Middle East, Asia, and Canada.

“Our licensing partners from around the world continue to do an outstanding job collaborating creatively with us to further build our retail program,” said KISS.

“And we are eternally grateful to our legion of fans that continue to engage and support us, and we cannot wait to get back on the road this year with an explosive tour to remember! We’re pumped and can’t wait to celebrate the wildest and hottest show ever!”

Lisa Streff, EVP global licensing at Epic Rights, added: “KISS’ licensing program is hotter than ever. The band’s merch continues to grow bigger and better year after year into new and unique categories with expansion into new markets around the world, as well as the return of their highly successful global tour in this summer.

“The strong interest from our licensing partners worldwide, as well as the remarkable sell-in and sell through success at retail, is a testament to the never-ending strength of this evergreen giant.”

The complete list of new licensees for the KISS brand is as follows: 

Worldwide & International Deals: 

  • Metal Departments (real money gambling) – Worldwide
  • Brands for Fans (spirits) – UK, Europe, Japan, Australia
  • Absolute Garments (tops for H&M) – Worldwide
  • Bradford Exchange (collectibles) – United States, France, Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden, Australia, New Zealand
  • Wren & Glory (fashion denim jackets) – Worldwide
  • Ropa Viva (apparel) – Mexico
  • Fexpro (apparel & accessories) – Mexico, Central America, South America
  • Gloria Jeans (apparel) – Russia
  • Konnekt (apparel & accessories) – Japan
  • Replay (apparel collection) – Worldwide
  • Eastpak (bags, backpacks, accessories) – Europe, Middle East, Asia, United States and Canada
  • Aquarius (playing cards, puzzles & board games) – US, Australia, New Zealand, Europe
  • Smartshake (protein drink shakers) – Worldwide
  • Shinko (t-shirts & tote bags) – Japan

 North American Deals: 

  • Dead Sled Coffee (brew-at-home coffee) – United States 
  • Robert Graham (fashion & accessories) – United States, Canada
  • Darring USA (denim & apparel capsule collection) – United States
  • Gotham City (wall art & calendars) – United States, Canada, Mexico
  • Ideastream (storage boxes) – United States,  Canada
  • Lauren Moshi (high-end apparel) – United States
  • My Custom Sports Chair (chairs) – United States, Canada
  • Ugly Christmas Sweater (seasonal apparel) – United States
  • Toynk (toys & games) – United States, Canada
  • J&F Design (plus-size apparel) – United States, Canada
  • Intimo (loungewear, sleepwear, accessories & bags) – United States

Renewed Deals:

  • Liquid Blue (apparel) – United States and Canada 
  • Fun.com (costumes) – Worldwide
  • UD Replicas (costumes) – Worldwide
  • Advanced Graphics (life-size cardboard cut-outs) – United States and Canada
  • Zippo (lighters) – Worldwide

Swedish death metal band Arch Enemy launches merchandise partnership with Bravado

The Swedish death metal band, Arch Enemy has entered into a new deal with Bravado, the merchandise arm of Universal Music Group, to develop and distribute a new collection of band merchandise across Europe.

With 25 years of successful album releases, extensive touring, and a dedicated global fanbase, the brand will now work with the merchandise heavyweight on a range of stylised items and eco-friendly products, spanning its entire merchandise business for Europe, including tour merch, online products, and retail.

Michael Hahn, general manager, Bravado Germany, said: “We are proud to have Arch Enemy on our roster, they have such an extraordinary legacy. We look forward to creating a range that is truly authentic, something they and their fans can cherish.”

Angela Gossow, Kult Management, added: “I am stoked to be working with a company with such focus on customer care, high quality, certified, organic garments and fair-trade standards. It was time to step up the game whilst staying true to our DIY policy of creating artwork designs and picking selected merchandise items ourselves.

“We are control freaks, yet happy to benefit from the large-scale professional infrastructure and support of Bravado Europe. Especially in times like these we appreciate the support and constructive cooperation with the Bravado team. Thank you all for being a part of our journey for 25 years now. We are here to stay!”

David Bowie lands on Tonies platform with 1978 classical music recording of Peter & The Wolf

It’s happened. David Bowie has landed in the toy space thanks to the latest launch from the kids’ audio system, Tonies and the 1978 recording of the cultural icon narrating the double bill Peter and The Wolf/Carnival of the Animals.

Destined to take children on a musical adventure, the classical music Tonie will launch on June 9th this year, taking the form of the story’s Wolf, adorned with its own Aladdin Sane red and blue lightning bolt. The launch will introduce children to the sounds of both classical music and the pop icon, David Bowie.

The new Peter and the Wolf / Carnival of the Animals Tonie will play a double bill symphonic fairy tale as Bowie narrates the story of Peter and the Wolf, while the Philadelphia Orchestra brings it to life, followed by the Camille Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals.

Sergei Prokofiev, the Russian composer, pianist, and conductor, wrote the musical composition of Peter and the Wolf in 1936 to introduce children to orchestra. Each animal and character within the story is represented by different instruments, with Peter conveyed in the narration by the strings whilst the wolf is represented by the French horn.

As well as encouraging independent play, the new classical music Tonie will look to ignite all areas of child development. Research conducted by music charity, the Apollo Music Projects, found that classical music has a direct impact on children’s listening and concentration skills, while also evoking positive feelings. Helping to create a sense of relaxation and calm, classical music can have a positive impact on a child’s emotional wellbeing.

Tim Schumacher, head of Sony Classical, said: “We are so excited to see this wonderful music narrated by David Bowie in 1978, specifically composed and recorded to give children easy access to the world of classical music and help them enjoy it, being released by Tonies.

“To us at Sony, it seems like the perfect fit: a beautiful musical adventure and tales created for children to be enjoyed on an audio player which was also created just for children.”

Pinky Laing, UK partnerships at Tonies, added: “Tonies is committed to helping children through the power and magic of storytelling and music. We are delighted to be releasing our new classical music Tonie that tells the story of Peter and the Wolf and plays the beautiful symphonies by the Philadelphia Orchestra and Camille Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals.

“Music has been proven to help development with children in their early years. Classical music in particular helps to promote a sense of calm and relaxation, which is all so important for young children today. With the launch of our new Tonie we are continuing our commitment to engage young minds, support the wellbeing of children and help the next generation to learn and develop.”

The new releases from Tonies next month don’t end there, as the firm also gears up to release its new Monster Inc Tonie with a running time of 33 minutes and aimed at children aged three years old and upwards, and its Oi Frog and Friends Tonies with a running time of 35 minutes.

The new Tonies are available from selected toy retailers, bookshops and via the Tonies website www.tonies.com, and will RRP £14.99.

Global Merchandising Services appoints Adam N. Sokoloff as its vice president of retail, North America

Global Merchandising Services, the award-winning music, artist, celebrity, and brand merchandise company, has appointed the licensing industry expert, Adam N. Sokoloff as its new vice president of retail, North America.

The licensing industry personality previously held the role of director of sales at Bioworld, a company with which Sokoloff spent 11 years in varying roles. As director of sales, Sokoloff worked to implement sales initiatives and programmes with key retailers to help build up the successful apparel business.

Sokoloff took up his role as vice president of retail for the firm on May 3rd this year. He will be based out of Athens, Georgia.

The move will expand Global Merchandising Services’ international reach, one that is operated out of the company’s headquarters in London and Los Angeles.

Global executes and delivers business through all channels of retail distribution, live events, web stores, pop-up stores, brand origination and development, sponsorship, endorsements, and third-party licensing. 

True and the Rainbow Kingdom lands Warner Music deal for singles and album releases this year

Brand-Ward Services and Guru Studio, a leader in children’s entertainment, have detailed a major new collaboration with Warner Music for the popular preschool animated series, True and the Rainbow Kingdom.

The new deal will see Warner Music launch its first True and the Rainbow Kingdom single later this month, which will then be followed by additional singles and albums throughout 2021. It follows the release of TRUE: Tunes, the franchise’s first album which was released by Guru Studios last year. The album garnered over 100,000 streams in the first 30 days.

Warner is expecting to see similar success with its own singles and album release this year.

“There’s been incredible demand for True products and content from kids and parents all over the world,” said Jonathan Abraham, VP of sales and business development at Guru Studio. “This is the first of many announcements we have coming up for True products.”

Trudi Hayward, co-founder of Brand-Ward Services, said: “We are delighted to be working with Warner Music on such a musically inspired show. Fans of the show will be able to sing along to their favorite True tunes, which can be as entertaining and engaging as watching the show.”

True and the Rainbow Kingdom is produced by animation powerhouse Guru Studio based on the artwork of FriendsWithYou, and is executive produced by world-renowned artist Pharrell Williams. The series first launched on Netflix in 2017, and has since become a ratings hit around the world.

Following the successful launch on Tiny Pop in April 2020, the demand for the hit preschool series continues to grow. On AVOD platforms such as YouTube and YouTube Kids, True and the Rainbow Kingdom has amassed a sizable audience with over 525 million views and over 2.7 billion minutes watched.

In the UK consumer products are getting ready to launch for True and the Rainbow Kingdom, with soon to be announced global partners, licensees and retailers launching products later this year.

TCG Entertainment to bring Ella Fitzgerald to the stage again with symphony orchestra live touring event

The Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation has partnered with the touring live productions specialist, TCG Entertainment on a project to bring the music of the iconic jazz singer to audiences around the world with a live symphony orchestra.

In a deal brokered by the Foundation’s global licensing and brand management agency, Evolution USA, the official licensed production will allow audiences to experience the greatest hits of Ella Fitzgerald with the arrangements of an orchestra, as well as multi-media elements, including never before seen assets from the Foundation’s archive.

Shows are scheduled to launch in 2022.

The partnership with the Foundation and Evolution is part of TCG’s overall strategy to grow its portfolio of official live events and immersive experiences for music fans around the world. 

Ella Fitzgerald in Concert will include arrangements of her greatest songs performed by a live symphony orchestra. The show will also include multiple singers and a full band. A multimedia version of the show will  also be produced and include video, photography, spoken word, writings, and other never before seen items provided directly by the Foundation’s archivists.  

These concerts are scheduled to start touring during the 2022 season and will perform throughout the United States and in international markets around the world.  

Stephen Cook, president of TCG Entertainment, said: “We are humbled and excited to be working with the Foundation and Evolution on bringing this iconic artist’s music to the concert hall in an official and entirely new way. These shows will perform in symphony halls, theaters and performing arts centers around the world.”  

Stanley Lerman, chief operating officer of Evolution, added: “We were seeking a best in class production partner to bring Ella’s phenomenal body of work to new audiences in a very unique way that would create lasting memories and share her lifelong legacy. We are excited to partner with the talented TCG team to create and tour this highly immersive symphony show on behalf of the Foundation.” 

Iconix Brand Group celebrates 50 years of Starter with Zara spring/summer capsule collection

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the athletic brand, Starter, the Iconix Brand Group has scored a new partnership with the global high street brand, Zara to develop and sell a capsule collection for spring/summer 2021.

Established in 1971, the Starter brand quickly became an innovator in global sports brands by connecting fans with their favourite teams and players, and pioneering the fusion of sports clothing with popular culture by partnering with major professional sports leagues, colleges, Olympic sports, and individual athletes.

What began with the now iconic star logo and the idea that ‘Every athlete dreams of being a starting player,’ the brand went on to become a leading part of sports fans’ lives. Starter quickly expanded beyond sport, drawing influence from music and pop culture, too, with key moments including Joe Torre of the New York Mets stepping onto the field wearing the first authentic Starter satin jacket.

Daisy Laramy-Binks, managing director of Iconix Europe, said: “I am delighted to see the iconic global Starter brand and the powerhouse that is Zara come together for this exciting partnership which will provide the Zara customer with a fashion-forward take on American heritage sportswear at its best.”

The multi-category collection for spring/summer 2021 to mark the 50th celebration will include pieces such as women’s T-shirts, a vest dress, crop top, shorts, joggers, reversible bucket hat, and a bodysuit. The color story will encapsulate Spring Summer hues of pink, white and the Starter brand’s signature blue, to give a contemporary sports-inspired look.

Zara has become a key fast fashion High Street retailer, with the parent company Inditex selling in 202 markets through its online platform or its over 7,000 stores in 96 markets, Zara has the highest store count of 2,118 across all of the Inditex brands.

Nurturing a highly intimate relationship with its customers, Zara’s designers respond instinctively to their changing needs, reacting to the latest trends and constant feedback received across its Woman, Man and Kids’ collections, to deliver new ideas in the right place and at the right moment.

The collection is now available on Zara.com and in select stores Internationally (where permissible due to the lockdown restrictions).

Bulldog Licensing inks first partnership for Rolling Stone with Iconospheric

Bulldog Licensing has brokered a new partnership between Iconospheric and the iconic music and culture brand, Rolling Stone, marking the fist to be signed by the licensing agency since it picked up the popular property earlier this year.

The new Iconospheric collection will feature a range of products including apparel, accessories, home, and gift merchandise all of which will celebrate Rolling Stone’s heritage and authority across music, culture, and politics. Rolling Stone’s platform reaches a global audience of over 600 million people per month.

Through the partnership, Bulldog Licensing continues to widen its consumer product offerings in the UK, spanning gift, accessories, stationery, wall art and home.

Rob Corney, MD, Bulldog Licensing, said: “Iconospheric is the perfect first partner for the UK Rolling Stone programme. We love their approach to design and it means that we will have high quality Rolling Stone merchandise available all year round.

“This collaboration showcases our ability to deliver a wide range of quality products that represent the influence of a truly iconic brand. The interest in the programme has been very strong thus far, and we look forward to announcing additional key partners soon.” 

The Iconospheric x Rolling Stone collection launched yesterday and is available for purchase online at  iconospheric.com/pages/rolling-stone-collection.

The art of Hatsune Miku | The virtual pop sensation that’s selling out concerts, inspiring art projects, and growing a global licensing programme

Even by the standards of a generation that grew up on the animated band, Gorillaz or witnessed the explosion of the BT21 brand (a lifestyle brand comprising characters devised by members of the K-Pop brand BTS), Hatsune Miku presents an interesting concept.

Officially, Hatsune Miku is a Vocaloid software voicebank that has been developed by Crypton Future Media that takes on the appearance of a 16 year old singer designed in the style of the Japanese anime art form. To the legions of fans of Hatsune Miku across Japan and increasingly, the Western World, she is a virtual pop sensation.

Utilising Yamaha Corporation’s Vocaloid 2, Vocaloid 3, and Vocaloid 4 singing synthesizing technologies, Hatsune Miku has performed at sell-out concerts onstage as an animated projection with a definitive look that has led to a large scale licensing operation across Japan. And the appeal is spreading.

Most recently, this virtual pop-star was announced the first licensed partner for the Japanese restaurant Shoryu Ramen and its range of DIY Ramen Kits. The partnership marked the latest development for the brand’s move in on the UK market,and, while there is still some distance to go before its popularity hits the same notes as its Japanese reverence, the European licensing agency, Reemsborko is excited by the potential.

Here, Licensing.biz catches up with Max Arguile, director of Reemsborko to learn more about Hatsune Miku’s global licensing plans and understand the deep passion that the virtual pop star’s audience has for the brand.

Hello Max, thanks for chatting. So, Hatsune Miku is an interesting concept. A vocal software package that takes on the shape of an anime 16 year old pop star. It sounds like a hard sell, but we’ve seen the extensive list of licensing partners signed to the brand already. It’s clear this brand works. But what drives it? What is it about Hatsune Miku that caught the audience attention?

It is interesting, and with Hatsune Miku, the fans are involved from the very beginning via the creative aspect of the property. Hatsune Miku and five other characters originate from a voice software package that allows you to generate a song from scratch. Using that software, fans have created music and video contents featuring the characters, and published them on the internet for other fans to enjoy. There are more than half a million of these fan-created videos that can be viewed online.

The fans also make a lot of artwork of Miku and friends, which is also uploaded. The whole thing adds up to a vibrant online community of Miku fans that sometimes don’t even have the chance to meet up in real life, like when the Miku Expos happen.

And what are these Miku Expos, because they sound fun?

Miku Expos are live tours, the last of which was in early 2020 – five dates starting with Brixton Academy in London, then France, Germany, Holland, and Spain. I went to the London date and was blown away by the ardour of the fans, many of whom (men and women) were in cosplay, dressed as Miku or one of the other characters.

The next day, keen for a chance to congregate once more, hundreds of them came to an in-store event at Westfield Shepherds Bush in order to meet up and contribute to a collaborative art project.

OK, let’s explore that a bit more… what do these collaborative art projects look like?

Alongside every Miku Expo, wherever possible, Crypton will organise a meet-up in the same town as the concert. This is advertised in advance and they will have the tour merchandise and other Miku merchandise on sale at the venue for perhaps two weeks in advance of the concert, culminating in a collaborative art project.

The venues can be a local comic shop, but in our case it was a Japanese restaurant/supermarket. The venue gets increased traffic in the lead up to the gig (the merch often sells out and needs to be replenished by the day of the concert) and on the activity day there can be 100 to 200 people that arrive and take part in the project.

It used to be old school felt tip pens and paper but in this case it was mostly digital. On arriving at the front of the queue, the fans were invited to download an app to their phone or tablet – this revealed black and white artwork. The first 50 people got an exclusive Miku stylus to use when doing the colouring. Once they had finished, they uploaded the artwork to a site to be shared with other fans. The venue had a hugely increased footfall on Sunday morning in January and they sold a lot of product in general, the fans loved being able to make Miku artwork together and just hang out.

So, art projects and cosplay events to one side, for the moment, what do you think Hatsune Miku is bringing to the licensing space? Why does it translate well for European audiences, and how does the licensing approach differ between the Japanese and the European markets?

Hatsune Miku is essentially, a fun property based around creativity. It has the loo and feel of anime, which is one of the biggest trends in licensing right now. Miku’s appeal is international, so is perfect for licensees with that distribution but for me it means I can also now talk to licensees in other territories that may only need to service their local market.

In Japan, this is a brand that is licensed on a very large scale, but internationally it still has some distance to go before reaching the same level. Although buyers can still be resistant to change and wary of something unfamiliar, once in-store, it always works. The reactions we’ve had from licensees once their product goes into retail just exceeds all expectations. Trademark has told that the brand has become one of the top selling properties in HMV, and it has sustained that popularity.

Given the brand’s roots and creation, is Hatsune Miku a good representation of the surge in popularity of anime and manga across the European markets?

Yes and no. Unlike most animé, there is no narrative content behind the brand – in that sense it is closer to Hello Kitty than traditional animé, but there is no committee that meets once a week and might get to review your submissions (but might not) so the approval process on Miku is much slicker.

The team at Crypton are not just the best for approvals in animé, they are one of the best I have ever worked with in 25 years of licensing. In terms of markets, Ben Woodman from GB eye put it very well when he told me that “Miku is a key animé property, her popularity has grown across Europe in the last 12 months and despite the pandemic, we’ve seen our Miku sales increase year on year.”

With various streaming platform really ramping up their anime content over the past 12 months, it seems like the pandemic could have presented a real opportunity to tap directly into emerging audiences. What lasting effect do you think the past year will have in the popularity of manga/anime IP?

Licensing around tent-pole theatrical releases will come back, eventually,  but right now, while cinemas are closed, licensees could be forgiven for avoiding film licenses. Everyone stayed home in 2020 and 2021 will unfortunately see much of the same. People have been used to getting entertained at home and the big winners, I have been told umpteen times by licensees, are gaming and animé brands.

Investment in the production of original animé by Netflix is expanding, Amazon and HBO are continuing to secure classic animé properties, and Crunchyroll has just hit 4 million paid subscribers (their fastest growth to date because they only reached 3 million last year).

Beyond that, the purchase of Crunchyroll by Funimation will soon yield an animé powerhouse in the West. So yes, there is a lot of activity in the industry which will ensure not only that classic properties are more available but that new content continues to be created. It is a great time to be an animé fan.

You’ve shown us a list of the licensing partners that Hatsune Miku is already signed up. There are 18 of them, signed in just the past year, including AR badges and pop-up restaurants. It was only a year ago that you had just two deals. That’s some impressive licensing there, Max. How will you continue to innovate and push the envelope in the licensing of the brand?

I have lots of plans in place to keep the Hatsune Miku brand innovative in the licensing space. The adult colouring book from Anthem fits very nicely from a creative perspective, and the WristWorld mobile game (a company run by teenagers in Oklahoma) is also notable. I also love the limited edition screen-prints from Under The Floorboards and the Rubber Road range – the Christmas decoration is sold out and the rubber duck is in progress. If we can do that and it be commercial, then surely the sky is the limit?

What are your expectations for the brand this year and beyond? Will anime/manga continue to grow in popularity across Europe, and what does the future hold for Hatsune Miku?

The expectations are that yes, anime/manga will continue to grow across Europe. For Miku, there should be return to live touring next year but since performing in front of fans is not possible right now (not even for virtual pop stars), Crypton is putting on a free online gig this summer.

Launched on Kickstarter, the target of $240K was reached in 24 hours – the fans sure love Miku. Check out the Kickstarter campaign here.