Universal consolidates licensing rosters of merchandise companies Bravado and Epic Rights – Music Business Worldwide

Bravado, Universal Music Group’s merchandise and brand management company, has announced what it calls the “centralization” of both the Bravado and Epic Rights licensing rosters.

The new structure will see Epic Rights’ SVP Global Licensing, Lisa Streff, oversee global licensing strategies across both companies.

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.

Universal spent an undisclosed sum buying L.A-based Epic Rights in January 2019, which was integrated into its former rival Bravado as a subsidiary brand. Epic Rights artist roster included KISS, AC/DC, Def Leppard, David Bowie, John Lennon, Britney Spears, and NSYNC, among others.

Subsequent to that deal, one co-founder of Epic Rights, music merch pioneer, Dell Furano, sadly passed away last year, aged 71, after a battle with cancer.

According to an announcement issued today (May 17), Streff will now work closely with the existing Bravado and Epic Rights retail and brand management teams and will report to Jesper Poulsen, General Manager, Bravado.

The announcement follows last month’s news that Poulsen, Epic Rights’ co-founder, was being appointed General Manager of Bravado.

In November, Matt Young, who left Warner’s WEA after 13 years in September, was hired as President of Bravado.

Streff joined Epic Rights in 2014 as SVP of Licensing.

Streff will continue to spearhead the development of global merchandising licensing programs for Epic Rights’ artists while adding the oversight of programs for Bravado’s clients, such as The Rolling Stones, Back Sabbath, Sex Pistols, Run DMC, Beastie Boys, Spice Girls, Avril Lavigne and many more.

According to its financial filings, Universal Music Group generated €363 million ($429m) from ‘Merch and Other’ in 2021, up 45.4% year-on-year.

Across the 12 months of the previous, and pandemic-hit, year (calendar 2020), according to company filings, Universal’s global ‘Merchandise + Other’ revenues fell by more than a third (-39.6%) on an organic basis versus 2019. That represented a decline of over $200 million per year.

In October 2020, Universal parted ways with Bravado’s long-time CEO, Mat Vlasic, who had led the company since 2016.

“We are continuing to grow our global licensing and retail business with a more unified and complementary strategy across both Bravado and Epic Rights, while maintaining individual strategies and priorities.”

Matt Young, Bravado

Bravado’s president Matt Young said: “We are continuing to grow our global licensing and retail business with a more unified and complementary strategy across both Bravado and Epic Rights, while maintaining individual strategies and priorities.

“With Jesper leading the team as General Manager and Lisa driving global licensing strategy, we have the right team in place to ensure growth for our artists in this area.”

“Creating this strategic alignment of our Retail and Licensing teams gives us a competitive advantage unmatched in the industry.”

Jesper Poulsen

Poulsen added: “I have had the pleasure of working with Lisa for close to 10 years and proud of how our team built Epic Rights’ global retail footprint.

“Lisa has been instrumental in developing innovative campaigns; creating unique licensing opportunities and partnerships with best in class licensed products for our artists and their fans.

“Creating this strategic alignment of our Retail and Licensing teams gives us a competitive advantage unmatched in the industry.”

“This is a magical time to be in music licensing and merchandising.”

Lisa Streff

Streff said: “Since joining Epic Rights, it has truly been an incredible ride to play an integral role in the growth of what was essentially a start-up organization to now being part of the biggest global merch company.

“This is a magical time to be in music licensing and merchandising.

“I am honored and excited to collaborate with Matt, Jesper and the Bravado team in this expanded role and to work with some of the biggest artists in the world under the Bravado banner, while continuing to spearhead the programs for our Epic Rights’ talent.”

Elsewhere in the major label merch world, in January, Sony Music Entertainment made a strategic investment in Ceremony of Roses (CoR), a “boutique” merchandising company founded by music and fashion entrepreneur Brad Scoffern.

In doing so, SME launched a new global media, branding, design and events company, which maintained the Ceremony of Roses brand.

Sony Music has also in recent years bought the likes of UK merch company Kontraband, plus the music merch division of The Araca Group and another merch firm called Probity.

Just over three years ago, Warner Music Group spent $180 million buying merch maker (and e-commerce store) EMP in Europe.Music Business Worldwide