Licensing programs tied to music labels—as opposed to the musicians on their rosters—have been on the rise over the last year.
In April of 2014, Def Jam Enterprises, the 30-year-old label founded by Russell Simmons, signed IMG Licensing and UniWorld Group, a marketing firm, to represent it in seeking licensing and marketing opportunities. The label is known as a home for stand-up comedy recordings as well as music.
More recently, in November, Entertainment One partnered with The Hundreds, a streetwear brand known for its pop culture collaborations, to create a limited-edition capsule collection of apparel and accessories featuring the logo of Death Row Records. The Hundreds x Death Row collection was sold through specialty retail channels.
Meanwhile, Act III Licensing, which has long represented Stax Records (along with its sister labels within the Concord Music Group) announced last summer that it was teaming with producer Stuart Benjamin to develop a Broadway musical for an anticipated spring 2016 debut. A tie-in book is also planned.
Of course, these examples represent just a tiny percentage of the thousands of independent labels, new and old, that have existed over time. What the three labels have in common is a strong association with a particular genre of music: rap and hip-hop in the case of Def Jam and Death Row and soul music in the case of Stax. These genres in turn offer a defined brand image, often associated with a particular fashion style.
Like many of the artists whose music they record and distribute, executives at the three labels hope to parlay these licenseable attributes into apparel and other categories.
Comments are closed.