FEATURE
Space Archives and Rock n Roll from V.I.P in Germany
Hamburg-based V.I.P. Entertainment & Merchandising AG has been appointed to represent the vast imagery contained in the International Space Archives (ISA) in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The Mission Patches, photos, films and video contained in the archive come from a variety of sources including NASA and the international space programs of Russia, Japan, China, India and the European Union. “Apollo 11 is certainly of particular interest” believes VIP´s Michael A. Lou, as in July this year it celebrates the 50th anniversary of the landing on the moon. “But also the large amount and the variety of other official space mission emblems and digital material offers almost countless possibilities for apparel, collectibles, stationery items, tech and electronic gadgets,”continued Lou. Worldwide supervising agent LMI Ltd. already reports an impressive group of licensees from around the world including New Era from South Korea, Sanrio from Japan, H3 sportswear from the US, Sahinler from France, Mistyarn from Australia, Westminster Collection from the U.K. and others.
TOTAL BRAND LICENSING
On a different note, Rockoff Retail Ltd., Liverpool, a leading wholesaler of Merchandising Products, has appointed V.I.P. as its exclusive sales agents for Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Apart from about 100 world-renown bands and artists (AC/DC, Bob Marley, David Bowie, Elton John, The Beatles, Elvis Presley, KISS, Lady Gaga, Madonna, Prince, Queen, Rolling Stones, to name but a few) Rockoff also stocks Disney, Star Wars, DC-Comics, Marvel and other popular character products. Starting from shirts, caps, jackets and hoodies over bags, mugs and stationery products to jewellery, key rings, metalware and collectibles. With almost 30.000 SKU´s and over 2.5 million article in stock Rockoff claims to beone of the largest suppliers of Merchandising Products in Europe. “For sure we are having the largest stock, hence instant delivery,” assures Rockoff MD Gary Blain. As a long established licensing agent in the German-speaking market, V.I.P will try to leverage its contacts with leading licensees and other prospects to further expand Rock-
off´s business. V.I.P.´s CEO Michael A. Lou is confident that the large variety of designs and materials along with the immediate availibility will be of significant advantage in his market. As reported in MusikWoche in November, Germany´s leading trade magazine for the music industry, Lou does not consider falling record sales as any danger for the music-based merchandising business. Quite the contrary, he believes that the increasing digitalization even helps because music becomes easier accessible for an even broader target group. “For instance, the Beatles have sold about 1 million records over 50 years,” he explains. “But during the three years that Beatles songs have been available on streaming platforms they have been streamed more than 3 billion times. In addition their Social Media presence (43 million Facebook Fans, 2,88 million Twitter followers and over 1 million. on Instagram provides an excellent marketing platform.”
PAGE 43