SONY'S MERCH TABLE IS COVERED IN ROSES

Sony Music has made a strategic investment in Brad Scoffern’s Ceremony of Roses to launch a global media, branding, design and events company.

Scoffern and partner/Chief Business Officer Mary Healy will lead the new company, which will maintain the Ceremony of Roses brand.

Already home to Adele, Olivia Rodrigo, A$AP Rocky, Baby Keem and others, the merchandise and branding enterprise will become SME’s new flagship merchandising arm.

SME’s New York-based Thread Shop division, which represents The Beatles, Camila Cabello, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Lil Nas X, P!nk and others, will remain a brand under the Ceremony of Roses banner.

“Brad and his team at Ceremony of Roses have proven to be an incredibly creative force in developing forward-looking branding and merchandising services for artists,” said Sony Music Group Chairman Rob Stringer. “We’ve been huge fans of his work with Golf Wang and what Ceremony of Roses has developed for its cutting-edge roster of frontline talent. I look forward to joining forces to bring innovative ideas and concepts to our artists as extensions of their music talent.”

The new company will focus on a broad range of artist merch and manufacturing efforts, including the management and development of artist-backed brands such as Macklemore’s Bogey Boys and Kehlani’s TSNMI. Ceremony of Roses will also continue to support leading festival partners Goldenvoice and Live Nation and maintain a roster of management clients.

Said Scoffern, who established Ceremony of Roses in 2016, “CoR was founded with the goal of enabling and expanding authentic fan/artist connections beyond a tour tee, and through working with incredible artists and mentors, especially Tyler, the Creator and Christian Clancy, I've learned the value of fan engagement and the unique role merchandise and branding play in this relationship.”

In other merch news, these HITS-branded whoopee cushions were not quite as in-demand as we expected.