Deal Significantly Expands Sony Music’s Presence in the Growing Music Merchandising Landscape.

NEW YORK – August 6, 2019 –The Thread Shop, the innovative merchandising division of Sony Music Entertainment, today announced an agreement to acquire the music merchandise division of The Araca Group, a full-service theatrical production and entertainment merchandising company.

Araca’s music merchandising roster includes a range of contemporary and iconic music artists such as Led Zeppelin, P!NK, Shania Twain, Sugarland and Zayn.

Stated Richard Story, President, Commercial Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, “As artists continue to seek out merchandising opportunities to complement their music revenues, branding, and marketing, Sony Music is significantly expanding its presence in this growing area of the business under the leadership of Howard Lau. The acquisition of The Araca Group’s music merchandise division will further strengthen The Thread Shop’s artist roster and infrastructure and the competitive capabilities we offer to the music community.”

Michael Rego, CEO of The Araca Group added, “We are thrilled at the opportunity this acquisition provides for our music merchandise division. The team at The Thread Shop is artist-focused, passionate and well positioned to build upon the merchandising programs that Araca has created for our music clients.”

In connection with the acquisition, several members of The Araca Group’s music merchandising team will join The Thread Shop to continue active relationships and develop new opportunities for the integrated roster. 

The purchase significantly expands the reach of Sony Music’s in-house merchandising business and further enhances the suite of services and solutions that it offers to the artist community.   

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About The Thread Shop

The Thread Shop is a leading music merchandising company from Sony Music Entertainment focused on enhancing artist revenue, branding and marketing through the development of high-quality products and compelling shopping experiences. The Thread Shop designs, manufactures and markets fashionable and functional merchandise and lifestyle goods that reflect the vision and aesthetic of its artist and brand partners. It offers artist-specific product lines, limited-edition customized merchandise and full-scale tour merchandising through a variety of online and physical retailers, as well as through artist e-commerce sites and pop-up retail environments in tour venues and stores. Its artist partners include A$AP Ferg, Bob Dylan, DJ Khaled, Foreigner, Joan Jett, Lil Nas X, Maluma and Ozuna among others.

About Sony Music Entertainment

Sony Music Entertainment is a global recorded music company with a current roster that includes a broad array of both local artists and international superstars. The company boasts a vast catalog that comprises some of the most important recordings in history. It is home to premier record labels representing music from every genre, including Arista Records, Arista Nashville, Beach Street Records, Black Butter Records, BPG Music, Bystorm Entertainment, Century Media, Columbia Nashville, Columbia Records, Day 1, Descendant Records, Disruptor Records, District 18 Entertainment, Epic Records, Essential Records, Essential Worship, Fo Yo Soul Recordings, House of Iona Records, Insanity Records, Keep Cool, Legacy Recordings, Masterworks, Masterworks Broadway, Ministry of Sound Recordings, Monument Records, OKeh, Palm Tree Records, Polo Grounds Music, Portrait, RCA Inspiration, RCA Nashville, RCA Records Relentless Records, Reunion Records, Same Plate Entertainment, Six Course Music Group, Sony Classical, Sony Music Latin, Star Time International, Syco Music, Verity Records and Visionary Records. Sony Music Entertainment is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. 

About The Araca Group

Founded in 1997 by partners Matthew Rego, Michael Rego, and Hank Unger, The Araca Group is a Tony Award-winning theatrical production company, as well as a leading Broadway, TV and film merchandising company.  Currently represented on Broadway as producer and/or merchandiser:  Wicked, The Book of Mormon, Beautiful the Carole King Musical, Beetlejuice, Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of The Temptations, Come From Away, Hadestown, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Prom, and Oklahoma! Current TV and Film clients include: HBO, National Geographic, Fox, Warner Bros., AMC, TBS, and Cartoon Network.