Fashion Law: Universal Music Partners with Tommy Hilfiger

This is an interesting deal.

“As CD sales have declined, bands have turned to something that was once relegated to the back of the auditorium next to the beer and hot dogs: merchandise.

It’s not just T-shirts. These days, band “merch” includes a host of sometimes bizarre items including dolls, toothbrushes, pinball machines and sunglasses. With major artists such as Madonna and Dr. Dre leading the way — Madonna with her H&M limited-edition clothing line and Dr. Dre with his Beats headphones — dozens of lesser-known bands have found lucre in selling things other than music.

Turning up the volume a notch on this growing segment, Universal Music Group, the label of Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber and the Black Eyed Peas, on Wednesday announced it had struck a deal with fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger to develop rock-‘n’-roll-inspired clothing for high-end boutiques and department stores.

Hilfiger and Universal, through its Bravado business unit, plan to work with bands and musicians to craft branded merchandise that would hit stores later this year. Terms of the venture, which involves Hilfiger personally and not the clothing company that bears his name, were not disclosed. . .”

Los Angeles Times has Full Story.

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