Universal seals global Beatles merchandise deal as biopics approach
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Universal Music Group has struck a new global exclusive licensing deal with Apple Corps covering The Beatles' merchandise, licensing and e-commerce operations, the companies announced on 19 August. The agreement, which builds on Universal's long-standing role as home to the band's recorded music through Capitol, comes as four separate Beatles biopics move towards their planned simultaneous release in April 2028, deepening the commercial partnership between the two organisations around one of music's most enduring brands.
The four films, first announced in 2024 and directed by Sam Mendes, will each tell the story from the perspective of one band member, with Harris Dickinson, Paul Mescal, Joseph Quinn and Barry Keoghan playing John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr respectively, and James Norton as manager Brian Epstein. They mark the first time the surviving members and the estates have granted full life rights alongside full music rights to a production. The deal also precedes the planned 2027 opening of The Beatles At 3 Savile Row, a seven-floor London fan experience featuring Apple Corps' archive, a merch store and a recreation of the Let It Be studio and rooftop concert site, with UMG chief Lucian Grainge and Apple Corps CEO Tom Greene both framing the tie-up as protecting and expanding the band's legacy for fans.
- Universal and Apple Corps sign global Beatles merch and e-commerce licensing deal
- Deal precedes four Beatles biopics due simultaneously in April 2028
- London's "3 Savile Row" fan experience and merch store planned for 2027
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Universal Music Group has agreed a new worldwide deal with Apple Corps, the company that manages The Beatles' business affairs, to handle the band's merchandise, licensing and online retail. Universal already looks after The Beatles' recorded music catalogue through its Capitol label, so this deal extends that relationship into the wider business of selling branded goods and running e-commerce for the group.
The announcement lands as interest in The Beatles is set to grow sharply, with four separate biographical films about the band due for simultaneous release in 2028. Directed by Sam Mendes, each film focuses on one member, with actors including Paul Mescal and Barry Keoghan in the lead roles, and the productions are notable for being the first to secure full life story and music rights from the surviving members and the band's estates.
Also on the horizon is a permanent Beatles-themed attraction planned for London in 2027, featuring archive material and recreations of famous studio and performance locations. Together, these developments mark a significant commercial expansion around The Beatles' name and legacy, decades after the band split up.
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- Music Business Worldwide — UMG strikes global deal for The Beatles’ merch, licensing, and e-commerce
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Originally published by Billboard as “Universal Signs Licensing Deal For The Beatles Merch, E-Commerce As Biopics Near”.