Duane Eddy and Alice Cooper at NAMM – Image by Brian Tierney for Rolling Stone
During the 1970s in the upstairs bar of the Rainbow Bar & Grill on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood, the Hollywood Vampires were born. It was a gathering place where celebrated artists such as John Lennon, Keith Moon, Jim Morrison, Alice Cooper, Harry Nilsson and countless others would meet and drink into the early morning hours, and the club became legendary.
Three years ago, Hollywood Vampires founding member Alice Cooper and his good friend Johnny Depp decided the time was right to revive the camaraderie and spirit that defined Hollywood Vampires (minus the drinking), creating an environment for great artists to hang, laugh and play together. Cooper and Depp were joined by Aerosmith’s Joe Perry, along with producer Bob Ezrin, and soon the recording began. The new album, Hollywood Vampires, was released on September 11(th), followed by two live performances at The Roxy in Hollywood and an international appearance at “Rock in Rio” in Brazil.
The Hollywood Vampires have partnered with Epic Rights and Global Merchandising Services (“Global”) to create rock-themed apparel, collectibles, wall art and more through their network of licensees. The all-new merchandise, licensing, e-commerce and digital media agreement encompasses concert merchandise, brand opportunities, fan experiences and licensing and retail strategies. In addition, Epic Rights and Global will manage the band’s official online merchandise shop.
Epic Rights’ CEO Dell Furano and Global’s Barry Drinkwater jointly stated: “Hollywood Vampires embodies the spirit of the music and artists that really defined the rock attitude and lifestyle we all secretly aspire to, and the mystique surrounding the club translates effortlessly into classic rock merchandise. Now that Alice and Johnny have resurrected Hollywood Vampires, it is fueling fan demand for merchandise and social media interaction, and the possibilities are limitless.”
Hollywood Vampires cover art (PRNewsFoto/Universal Music Enterprises)
About Hollywood Vampires:
Los Angeles’ favored 1970s celebrity haunt, the Rainbow Bar & Grill, served as the marinade that forged the Hollywood Vampires, an ad hoc collective of some of the era’s biggest rock stars. For those rock luminaries interested in jamming with the group, the simple challenge of out-drinking the rest of the group was rewarded with the opportunity to be a part of a rock fraternity that included John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Keith Moon, Micky Dolenz, Harry Nillson, Elton John’s longtime lyricist Bernie Taupin, and Alice Cooper. Hollywood Vampires was recently reinvigorated by Alice Cooper and Johnny Depp with the release of the latest Hollywood Vampires’ album, which includes performances by Sir Paul McCartney, Dave Grohl, Joe Perry, Joe Walsh, Glen Sobel, Slash, Robby Krieger and more.
About Epic Rights
Epic Rights is a full-service global branding, licensing, and social media marketing company dedicated to building celebrity and entertainment brands via its broad global network of retailers, licensees, and agents. Working with a roster of top clients and brands, Epic Rights services include licensing/branding, music merchandising, social media management, VIP ticketing, and fan clubs. Epic Rights also oversees sponsorships and endorsements, digital archiving of all creative/photo/media assets and manages worldwide e-commerce for its clients in addition to providing in-house legal resources for trademark registration and audit management. Epic Rights is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. For more information visit www.epicrights.com.
About Global Merchandising Services
Global Merchandising Services are music artist, celebrity and brand merchandise experts. Headquartered in London and Los Angeles, Global is a licensing powerhouse with best in class design, product development, and manufacturing and direct-to-consumer sales. Global executes and delivers business through all channels of retail distribution, live events, web stores, pop-up stores, brand origination and development, sponsorship, endorsements and third-party licensing. As the exclusive partner for its extensive roster of musical artists and brands, Global develops unique and innovative merchandise programs for its clients. Winner of 5 consecutive Licensing Industry Awards, 2011-2015 for best celebrity license program, re-affirms Global’s expertise and ability to deliver on a worldwide basis for its clients.