Apple Corps Ltd and Universal Music Group announce landmark partnership for The Beatles ahead of biopics

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Apple Corps Ltd and Universal Music Group announce landmark partnership for The Beatles ahead of biopics

NME · 2 hours ago

Apple Corps Ltd, the company founded by The Beatles in 1968 to oversee their business affairs, has struck a new "holistic" partnership with Universal Music Group to manage the band's licensing and merchandising worldwide. Announced on 19 August 2026, the deal covers digital and physical merchandise, licensing and e-commerce, and is timed to build momentum ahead of a major expansion of The Beatles' commercial and cultural presence over the next two years.

The tie-up precedes Sam Mendes' four-part Beatles biopic, billed as a "cinematic event", which is due for simultaneous release in 2028. In 2027, Apple Corps' Savile Row headquarters will open to the public for the first time, offering a fan experience with seven floors of previously unseen archive material, rotating exhibitions, a fan store and a recreation of the studio where "Let It Be" was recorded. Apple Corps CEO Tom Greene and UMG UK chairman Dickon Stainer both welcomed the agreement, framing it as a way to bring The Beatles' story to new and existing fans globally.

  • Apple Corps and Universal Music Group sign global Beatles merchandising and licensing deal
  • Savile Row HQ opens to the public in 2027 with new fan experience
  • Sam Mendes' four-part Beatles biopic arrives simultaneously in 2028

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