Beach Boys sell music catalogue and intellectual property to Irving Azoff-led company
Future plans for the Beach Boys IP could lead to VR-driven entertainment.
Photo: Pictorial Press Ltd / Alamy
The Beach Boys have sold a controlling interest in their intellectual property to Iconic Artists Group, a new company headed by music mogul Irving Azoff.
The sale includes master recordings, a portion of the band’s publishing, memorabilia and the Beach Boys name itself. The sum Iconic paid in the deal has not been disclosed.
Beach Boys members Mike Love, Brian Wilson and Al Jardine, as well the sons of the late Carl Wilson, Jonah and Justyn, will retain an interest in the band’s assets. However, all business decisions will be left to Iconic.
Iconic’s plans for the Beach Boys IP may also stretch beyond reissues and anniversary edition box sets. Speaking to Rolling Stone, company CEO Olivier Chastan cited the possibility of media that’s driven by “VR, AR, 3D, CGI, natural language processing” and more.
“That, to me, is probably the most interesting aspect of what’s going to transform our business,” Chastan said. “In five years, I could send you a text and say, ‘At 2pm, let’s put our Oculus Rift glasses on, and let’s go see the Beach Boys record Good Vibrations at Western Recorders.’”
Chastan also suggested the possibility of digitally replicating the band with the same de-aging tech used in the Martin Scorsese hit movie, The Irishman.
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