{"id":743047,"date":"2026-08-19T14:52:09","date_gmt":"2026-08-19T14:52:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/743047\/"},"modified":"2026-08-19T14:52:09","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T14:52:09","slug":"umg-strikes-global-deal-for-the-beatles-merch-licensing-and-e-commerce","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/743047\/","title":{"rendered":"UMG strikes global deal for The Beatles\u2019 merch, licensing, and e-commerce"},"content":{"rendered":"

Universal Music Group<\/a> has signed an exclusive, long-term global partnership with Apple<\/a> Corps Ltd. covering merchandise, licensing, and e-commerce for The Beatles.<\/p>\n

The agreement was announced on Wednesday (August 19).<\/p>\n

It hands UMG worldwide physical and digital merchandise rights for the band and builds on Universal\u2019s existing stewardship of The Beatles\u2019 recorded music catalog.<\/p>\n

Apple Corps Ltd. was founded in 1968 to oversee The Beatles\u2019 creative and business interests.<\/p>\n

UMG\u2018s merchandise and brand management company, Bravado<\/a>, has handled The Beatles\u2019 merch in North America since September 2022<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The new agreement\u00a0broadens\u00a0UMG\u2018s role globally.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are delighted to partner with UMG on a new global merchandising deal,\u201d said Tom Greene, CEO of Apple Corps Ltd.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere has never been a more exciting time to work on The Beatles as we look ahead to the 3 Savile Row fan experience in 2027, and our biopic movies in 2028.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Beatles\u2018 message has never been more relevant or needed in the world today, and we look forward to delighting millions of fans with everything we have planned.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sir Lucian Grainge<\/a>, Chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group, said: \u201cThe Beatles embody music\u2019s power to change the world, and that influence makes them one of the most iconic and enduring cultural brands of all time.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re grateful for Apple Corps\u2018 trust as we deepen our global partnership, while protecting and growing The Beatles\u2019 legacy through authentic fan experiences worthy of their artistry.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a lifelong Beatles fan, building on the relationships forged over the past 14 years is one of the great highlights of my career.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Beatles embody music\u2019s power to change the world, and that influence makes them one of the most iconic and enduring cultural brands of all time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sir Lucian Grainge, Universal Music Group<\/p>\n

Dickon Stainer, Chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group UK, added: \u201cThe Beatles continue to play an unmatched role in putting UK music front and center on the global stage.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis new agreement with Apple Corps will ensure audiences across the world are opened up to their unique genius.\u201d<\/p>\n

UMG has previously built comparable worldwide arrangements around \u2018evergreen\u2019 superstar acts.<\/p>\n

Its 2018 agreement with The Rolling Stones<\/a> saw Bravado take on global merchandising rights, retail licensing, brand management, and e-commerce, while also expanding UMG and The Stones\u2019 recorded music relationship.<\/p>\n

Also in 2018, Universal inked<\/a> a global deal across Elton John\u2019s records, merch, and music publishing.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Universal also provides services to Taylor Swift across her records, merch<\/a>, and music publishing.<\/p>\n

The Beatles deal arrives during a run of activity at Apple Corps under Greene, who became only the third CEO in the company\u2019s history when he was appointed in September 2025.<\/p>\n

Greene previously ran key pillars of the Harry Potter universe: Pottermore Publishing and Wizarding World Digital, a joint venture between Warner Bros<\/a>\u00a0and Pottermore.<\/p>\n

At the time he left Wizarding World Digital, the Harry Potter Fan Club had grown to over\u00a050 million members, supported by immersive digital experiences, daily content publishing, and an \u201cinnovative ecommerce offering\u201d.<\/p>\n

At the center of Apple Corps new activity: Sam Mendes\u2018 four-film Beatles project is scheduled for theatrical release in April 2028 through Sony<\/a> Pictures Entertainment and Neal Street Productions.<\/p>\n

Elsewhere, Apple Corps released Anthology 4 and the Anthology Collection on November 21, 2025.<\/p>\n

A restored edition of the Anthology docuseries followed on Disney+ later that month.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Beatles\u2018 message has never been more relevant or needed in the world today, and we look forward to delighting millions of fans with everything we have planned.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tom Greene, Apple Corps Ltd.<\/p>\n

In May, Apple Corps confirmed that 3 Savile Row in London will open as a ticketed attraction in 2027<\/a>.<\/p>\n

And a Rubber Soul special edition, newly mixed by Giles Martin and Sam Okell, is due on October 2.<\/p>\n

UMG\u2019s \u2018Merchandising and Other\u2019 revenue stood at\u00a0EUR \u20ac167 million (USD $194.2m) in Q2 2026, according to results published on July 30. <\/a>That was down 10.7% YoY at constant currency.<\/p>\n

The division also recorded an Adjusted EBITDA loss of \u20ac5 million ($5.8m) in the quarter, against a \u20ac1 million profit a year earlier.<\/p>\n

UMG attributed the Q2 fall to a decline in touring income \u201cdue to the timing of tours,\u201d plus lower direct-to-consumer revenue.<\/p>\n

The division generated around USD $915 million in revenue in 2025.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

UMG has been home to The Beatles\u2019 recorded music catalog since 2012.<\/p>\n

UMG owns Abbey Road Studios, where the company says The Beatles recorded 190 of their 210 songs between 1962 and 1970.Music Business Worldwide<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Universal Music Group has signed an exclusive, long-term global partnership with Apple Corps Ltd. covering merchandise, licensing, and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":743048,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[96,128,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-743047","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-music","tag-entertainment","tag-music","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/743047","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=743047"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/743047\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/743048"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=743047"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=743047"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=743047"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}