Universal Music Group Lands Global Beatles Merchandise and E-Commerce Rights
Universal Music Group has signed an exclusive, long-term global partnership with Apple Corps Ltd covering merchandise, licensing, and e-commerce for The Beatles, announced on August 19 (Music Business Worldwide).
The deal grants UMG worldwide physical and digital merchandise rights for the band, building on the label group's existing stewardship of The Beatles' recorded music catalogue. Apple Corps Ltd, the company founded in 1968 to oversee The Beatles' creative and business interests, struck the agreement with the world's biggest music label, as described by Reuters.
UMG's merchandise and brand management arm, Bravado, already handled The Beatles' merchandise in North America under an arrangement dating to September 2022. The new partnership widens that remit to every global territory.
The timing lines up with a broader slate of Beatles-branded projects. Apple Corps is planning a fan experience at 3 Savile Row — the London address where the band performed their rooftop concert in 1969 — set for 2027, along with biopic films about each member slated for 2028.
Tom Greene, CEO of Apple Corps, commented on the new global merchandising deal, calling the partnership a natural extension of the relationship between the two companies. Sir Lucian Grainge, Chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group, said that building on relationships forged over the past 14 years was a highlight of his career. Dickon Stainer, Chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group UK, rounds out the executives named in the announcement.
The Beatles deal follows a pattern UMG has refined with other legacy acts. In 2018, the label's agreement with The Rolling Stones saw Bravado take on global merchandising rights, retail licensing, brand management, and e-commerce while expanding UMG's recorded music relationship with the band. That same year, Universal struck a global deal covering Elton John's recorded music, merchandise, and music publishing — a template of consolidating rights that had previously sat with separate partners under a single corporate roof.
UMG has also been widening its licensing reach beyond traditional retail. In August 2024, the company announced an expanded music licensing agreement with Facebook-parent Meta Platforms. In February 2026, UMG and ClicknClear signed a global licensing deal enabling athletes to license UMG music for use in choreographed sports routines.
For fans, the practical effect is straightforward: Beatles-branded products — from T-shirts and vinyl to digital merchandise tied to the upcoming films — will be produced, licensed, and sold worldwide under one coordinated operation rather than a patchwork of regional deals. The 2027 Savile Row fan experience and the 2028 biopics will give that merchandise pipeline a fresh wave of demand to meet.
