Elvis Presley’s catalog will be administered by Universal Music Publishing and represented by Authentic Brands Group, the companies announced Tuesday.
As part of the expanded relationship, UMPG and ABG will represent Presley’s catalog of hits worldwide (excluding the U.K.), which includes such classics as “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,” “Amazing Grace,” “All Shook Up,” “Tears on My Pillow” and countless more.
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The deal, terms of which were not disclosed, comes at an auspicious time, as Baz Luhrmann’s biopic “Elvis,” starring Tom Hanks and Austin Butler, arrives in theaters June 24 and premieres next month at the Cannes Film Festival. ABG’s formidable portfolio includes such iconic celebrity brands such as Presley, Marilyn Monroe and Muhammad Ali.
While Presley has songwriting credits on just a handful of songs, ABG holds the rights to his catalog.
Presley, who died in 1977, is widely recognized as the best-selling solo music artist of all time, with more than 500 million records sold and a record for most songs charting on Billboard’s Top 40 with 114 hits, including 40 within the top 10 and 18 reaching number one. He also holds the record for the most RIAA-certified gold and platinum albums, the most albums charted on the Billboard 200, the most No. 1 albums by a solo artist on the U.K. Albums Chart, and the most No. 1 singles by any act on the U.K. Singles Chart.
The agreement builds upon Universal Music’s existing relationship with ABG. In November 2020, UMG and ABG, a major intellectual property owner and entertainment company, announced a strategic initiative to acquire and actively manage artist brands. According to the announcement, 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.
UMPG COO Marc Cimino said: “Elvis Presley has had an unprecedented and lasting global impact on music and pop culture. [CEO] 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.”
“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 ABG entertainment president Marc Rosen. “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.”
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