Photo: Jamie Diamond
UNIVERSAL MUSIC PUBLISHING GROUP, AUTHENTIC BRANDS GROUP ENTER AN EXCLUSIVE, GLOBAL PUBLISHING AGREEMENT TO REPRESENT ELVIS PRESLEY’S CATALOG
The Legendary Catalog Includes “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” “It’s Now or Never,” “Jailhouse Rock,” “A Little Less Conversation,” “Don’t Be Cruel,” “Memories,” “Amazing Grace,” “All Shook Up,” “Viva Las Vegas,” “Love Me Tender” and More
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Image and film credits. ELVIS™ and ELVIS PRESLEY™ are trademarks of ABG EPE IP LLC Rights of Publicity and Persona Rights: Elvis Presley Enterprises, LLC. © 2022 ABG EPE IP LLC
Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG), a leading, global music publisher, and Authentic Brands Group (ABG), a global brand owner, marketing and entertainment company and owner of Elvis Presley Enterprises, today announced an exclusive global publishing deal to represent the historic song catalog of the “King of Rock ‘n’ Roll” Elvis Presley.
Photo: Jamie Diamond
A global music icon and one of America’s most prominent cultural catalysts, Presley helped revolutionize rock and roll, transforming it into a mainstream, commercial genre, pioneering the future of music itself. With songs that are among the most recognizable and popular in history, Presley’s vast musical legacy spans pop, country, R&B, contemporary and gospel.
As part of the expanded relationship, UMPG and ABG will represent Presley’s catalog of legendary hits worldwide, excluding the UK, including “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” “It’s Now or Never,” “Memories,” “A Little Less Conversation,” “Don’t Be Cruel,” “Jailhouse Rock,” “Love Me Tender,” “Viva Las Vegas,” “Teddy Bear,” “Amazing Grace,” “All Shook Up,” “Tears On My Pillow” and countless more everlasting songs.
The agreement builds upon Universal Music’s existing relationship with ABG. In November 2021, Universal Music Group (UMG), the world leader in music-based entertainment, and ABG, one of the world’s leading intellectual property owners and entertainment companies, announced a strategic initiative to acquire and actively manage artist brands. In working together, the companies joined forces to expand the legacies and cultural impact of artists worldwide across a wide range of consumer touchpoints to drive opportunities in merchandise, memorabilia, endorsements, brand experiences and content, among many others.
Widely acclaimed as the best-selling solo music artist of all time, Presley has sold more than 500 million records. He holds the record for most songs charting on Billboard’s Top 40 with 114 hits, including an astonishing 40 within the top 10 and 18 reaching number one. Presley won three Grammy Awards, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Country Music Hall of Fame, Gospel Hall of Fame, Rockabilly Hall of Fame and the Honky Tonk Hall of Fame, among others. Presley also holds numerous records including the most RIAA certified Gold and Platinum albums, the most albums charted on the Billboard 200, the most number-one albums by a solo artist on the UK Albums Chart, and the most number-one singles by any act on the UK Singles Chart.
Marc Cimino, Chief Operating Officer at UMPG, said: “Elvis Presley has had an unprecedented and lasting global impact on music and pop culture. Jody Gerson and I, along with UMPG’s teams around the world, couldn’t be more excited and honored to work with ABG in making sure that Elvis’ iconic legacy endures for generations to come.”
As one of the world’s leading brand owners, ABG’s portfolio includes iconic celebrity brands such as Presley, Marilyn Monroe and Muhammad Ali, and creates memorable brand experiences that come to life across key consumer touchpoints, platforms and emerging media.
“2022 is shaping up to be a banner year for Elvis, highlighted by the highly-anticipated theatrical release this June of ‘Elvis’ directed by Baz Luhrmann, as well as the debut of Netflix’s upcoming animated action series ‘Agent King’,” said Marc Rosen, President, Entertainment at ABG. “We are honored to work in partnership with UMPG as guardians of Elvis’ incomparable catalog, bringing his music and cultural influence to audiences around the world.”
It is hard to overstate the impact that Presley had on pop music and American popular culture. Presley’s unswerving devotion to the music itself – rather than existing norms – ultimately paid off. Channeling R&B, gospel and country influences through his unique voice and audacious charisma onstage, Presley struck a spark with diverse audiences that helped ignite the age of Rock ‘n’ Roll. In many ways, Presley’s cultural impact was amplified by his early and enthusiastic embrace of TV, film and video – a crossover that would revolutionize the way people danced, inspired visual artists, laid the foundation for MTV and modern music videos, and ultimately transformed the entire genre of live performance.
With Presley’s catalog now represented by UMPG and ABG, his music will continue to reach, captivate and inspire fans for generations to come.
Photo: Jamie Diamond
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About Universal Music Publishing Group
Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) is a leading global music publisher with 51 offices in 41 countries. Headquartered in Los Angeles, UMPG represents music across every genre from some of the world’s most important songwriters and catalogs. These include ABBA, Adele, Alabama Shakes, Bad Bunny, J Balvin, Bastille, Beach Boys, Beastie Boys, Bee Gees, Louis Bell, Irving Berlin, Leonard Bernstein, Jeff Bhasker, Justin Bieber, Benny Blanco, Nicholas Britell, Chris Brown, Tommy Brown, Mariah Carey, Brandi Carlile, Michael Chabon, Kenny Chesney, Desmond Child, Cirkut, The Clash, Coldplay, Luke Combs, Alexandre Desplat, Jason Derulo, Neil Diamond, Disclosure, Dua Lipa, Bob Dylan, Billie Eilish, Danny Elfman, Eminem, Gloria and Emilio Estefan, Omer Fedi, Florence + the Machine, Future, Martin Garrix, Fred Gibson, Selena Gomez, Ariana Grande, Al Green, Josh Groban, Halsey, Kid Harpoon, Emile Haynie, Jimi Hendrix, Don Henley, H.E.R., Hit-Boy, Sam Hunt, Imagine Dragons, Carly Rae Jepsen, Tobias Jesso Jr., Billy Joel, Elton John/Bernie Taupin, Joe Jonas, Nick Jonas, Alicia Keys, Kendrick Lamar, Lil Baby, Lil Yachty, Linkin Park, Logic, Demi Lovato, the Mamas & the Papas, Steve Mac, Maroon 5, Dave Matthews, Megan Thee Stallion, Shawn Mendes, Metallica, Metro Boomin, Julia Michaels, Miguel, Nicki Minaj, Maren Morris, Mumford & Sons, Nas, Randy Newman, New Order, Ne-Yo, Nija, Pearl Jam, Post Malone, Quavo, Otis Redding, R.E.M., Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rex Orange County, Lionel Richie, Rosalía, Carole Bayer Sager, Gustavo Santaolalla, Schoolboy Q, Sex Pistols, Carly Simon, Blake Slatkin, Britney Spears, Stax (East Memphis Music), Sting, Harry Styles, Swedish House Mafia, Taylor Swift, SZA, Shania Twain, Justin Timberlake, U2, Keith Urban, Jack White, Zedd and many more.
About Authentic Brands Group
Authentic Brands Group (ABG) is a brand development, marketing and entertainment company, which owns a portfolio of global media, entertainment and lifestyle brands. Headquartered in New York City, ABG elevates and builds the long-term value of more than 50 consumer brands and properties by partnering with best-in-class manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers. Its brands have a global retail footprint across the luxury, specialty, department store, mid-tier, mass and e-commerce channels and in more than 5,500 freestanding stores and shop-in-shops around the world.
ABG is committed to transforming brands by delivering compelling product, content, business and immersive experiences. It creates and activates original marketing strategies to drive the success of its brands across all consumer touchpoints, platforms and emerging media.
ABG’s portfolio of iconic and world-renowned brands generates more than $21 billion in global annual retail sales, and includes Marilyn Monroe®, Elvis Presley®, Muhammad Ali®, Shaquille O'Neal®, David Beckham®, Dr. J®, Greg Norman®, Neil Lane®, Thalia®, Sports Illustrated®, Reebok®, Eddie Bauer®, Spyder®, Volcom®, Airwalk®, Nautica®, Izod®, Forever 21®, Aéropostale®, Juicy Couture®, Vince Camuto®, Lucky Brand®, Nine West®, Jones New York®, Frederick's of Hollywood®, Adrienne Vittadini®, Van Heusen®, Arrow®, Tretorn®, Tapout®, Prince®, Vision Street Wear®, Brooks Brothers®, Barneys New York®, Judith Leiber®, Herve Leger®, Frye®, Hickey Freeman®, Hart Schaffner Marx®, Thomasville®, Drexel® and Henredon®.
For more information, visit authenticbrands.com.
About Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley is one of the most influential pop culture figures of the 20th century. Often referred to as the "King of Rock ‘n’ Roll," Elvis’ commanding voice and charismatic stage presence unleashed a musical and cultural revolution that changed the world. Over the course of his extraordinary career, Elvis was nominated for 14 Grammy Awards (3 wins), sold over 1 billion records worldwide, received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and was named “One of the Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Nation” by the United States Jaycees, as well as the 2018 recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In addition to his musical accolades, Elvis starred in 33 films and made numerous television appearances.
More than 60 years after his global debut, Elvis’ legacy is stronger than ever. His life and music have inspired countless hit musicals, movies and TV series’, fiction and non-fiction books, musical covers, and commercial endorsements, as well as a robust merchandise program spanning collectibles and fashion collaborations. Elvis’ highly anticipated return to the silver screen will be ushered in with Baz Luhrmann’s biopic “Elvis” starring Tom Hanks and Austin Butler, debuting in theaters June 24. Additionally, Netflix has also ordered an animated action-comedy series “Agent King” coming later this year.
An enduring symbol of “The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll’s” stardom, Graceland, Elvis’ Memphis home, is the second most-visited home in the United States after the White House, drawing over 600,000 visitors annually and tens of thousands of fans for its Elvis Week celebration. With more than 15 million fans across social media and a growing multimedia presence, the “King of Rock ‘n’ Roll” continues to inspire today’s most influential musicians, designers, entertainers, and social influencers and captivate audiences around the world.