EMI Partners With Retailers To Push Beatles Reissues

Operation: Beatles Everywhere is a good way to describe EMI Music’s global launch of its digitally remastered Beatles catalog on Sept. 9, which coincides nicely with the release of The Beatles: Rock Band.

EMI’s bold move is to push the much-anticipated Beatles reissues through corporate partnerships with the likes of Restoration Hardware, Starbucks, Whole Foods, Ralph’s, Pathmark, 7-Eleven and Blockbuster; each on board to promote the CD collection. Most people might not associate the Fab Four with a furniture store, but hey, Sgt. Pepper’s knows no bounds.

Besides, a vanilla latte’ and a copy of Rubber Soul at the local Starbucks doesn’t sound bad. Feel free to replace the latte’ with a tasty slurpee.

“It will allow us to reach the everyday places people shop,” said Bill Gagnon, svp, catalogue marketing for EMI Music North America. “We’re bringing the music to where they are.”

Everything is pointing to a big September 9 for the Beatles and Apple Corps (its parent company); not only will consumers see the 14 remastered Beatles CDs and the video game, but also merchandise via Live Nation Merchandise, ranging from Beatles guitar straps (Planet Waves) to vintage-style tees. Apple Corps oversees the Beatles’ business assets.

On the retail side, according to a Billboard report, the promotional plans include:

• Restoration Hardware will showcase the full range of remastered discs along with the limited edition $89.99 Box of Vision tabletop CD display unit and book, The Beatles: Rock Band, USAopoly’s Beatles-themed Trivial Pursuit game, and other Beatles booty in a Fab Four-furnished living room. The Beatles will meet the cover of Restoration Hardware’s holiday catalog, too, said Steve Glasenk, vp-licensing, Live Nation Merchandise.
• Target and Best Buy will build Beatles boutiques within stores to showcase the music, the licensed lifestyle product and the MTV Games-produced/Electronic Arts-distributed game.
• Retail exclusives abound: Bloomingdale’s will sell a high-end edition of Rock Band featuring replicas of John’s and George’s guitars and Paul’s bass in their very own travel cases. Best Buy will run a midnight sales promotion and sell a crate that contains a T-shirt and a CD.
• Bloomingdale’s will sell a high-end edition of Rock Band featuring replicas of John’s and George’s guitars and Paul’s bass in their very own travel cases. Best Buy will run a midnight sales promotion and sell a crate that contains a T-shirt and a CD.

And yet, no Beatles on iTunes. Hard to figure. But perhaps that’s the big, grand finale to the scorched earth assault for the legendary band from Liverpool.

The remastered Beatles CDs will come with the albums’ original cover art and liner notes, as well as additional photographs and writings. Each CD includes a short documentary video.

According to Wall Street Journal, pre-order sales for all the new Beatles CD box sets are among the top 15 pre-order music best-sellers in Amazon.com’s history. The retailer has sold out during pre- order sales and says it will restock.

It’s not often a musical event like this comes along, so give credit to EMI for taking the ‘by any means necessary’ approach to making sure that you know there are remastered Beatles CD out there. The campaign is aimed at both the die-hard and casual fan, and seeing as no fan of any kind is able to get the Beatles online, the retailers might be just the ticket for EMI to have a really (really) big success with their Beatles reissue.

It’s going to be all Beatles all the time for awhile, so get ready.