Universal Music Expands Merchandising Operation With Acquisition of Epic Rights

By Variety Staff

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Universal Music Group-owned Bravado has acquired Epic Rights, the Los Angeles-based merchandising and branding company that counts KISS, Britney Spears, Aerosmith, *, Def Leppard, Billy Joel and David Bowie, among others, on its roster.

Epic Rights was launched in 2014 by Dell Furano, a pioneer of music merchandising who co-founded Winterland Productions in the 1970s with legendary concert promoter Bill Graham. Furano later became CEO of Sony Signatures, which was acquired by Live Nation in 2008 after which he served as chief executive of Live Nation Merchandise.

As a boutique music artist services company, Epic Rights’ services include retail branding and licensing, VIP ticketing and fan experiences, maintaining artists’ official websites and online merch shops, fan communities, concert merchandising and trademark development.

Said CEO Mat Vlasic in making the announcement: “As the industry’s preeminent brand management company, we are constantly looking for ways to evolve our company while providing fans around the world with an ever-growing array of products and experiences. I’m excited to work with Dell, a true icon in our industry, and expand the Bravado portfolio.”

“I have great respect for Mat and his teams at Bravado and Universal Music — they have taken product development, marketing and global distribution to an entirely new level,” added Furano. “I’m very proud of all that we’ve achieved at Epic Rights, and look forward to expanding Epic’s roster and artist services in this next chapter.”