A Conversation with Mathew Vlasic, President of Sony Music’s Archive 1887 – HuffPost 6.10.10
The following is a Q&A with Mathew Vlasic, the guy who can explain why the faces of classic artists and bands are now being woven into products of the Sony Music’s new company, The Thread Shop, through its Archive 1887 line of clothing. Vlasic serves as Archive 1887’s president, and he offers insights into why this company’s branding differs from other labels’ approaches to merchandising.
Mike Ragogna: Sony Music is not the only label with a merch company. How does Archive 1887 differ from what the other labels are doing? Do you see this as a viable new revenue stream?
Mathew Vlasic: Archive 1887 is a fashion brand launched by Sony Music’s merchandise company, The Thread Shop, for summer 2010. We created this line to present a more fashion-forward product for vendors like Barney’s who cater to a different consumer than traditional music merchandise retailers.
MR: How did you choose which artist’s photos to use on the shirts?
MV: We have access to over 2 million photos so it was extremely daunting. In the end, it really boiled down to a combination of what we thought were the strongest for our first season and the artists’, or their estates’, desire to work with us.
MR: What photographers are involved in Archive 1887?
MV: We work with Mick Rock and Jim Marshall images as well as Don Hunstein, a Sony Music staff photographer from 1956-1986.
MR: Where are the shirts sold and how much do they sell for?
MV: We are sold at Barney’s New York and better department stores, plus specialty boutiques across North America and will be expanding to other territories in the near future. The shirts retail between $49 and $58.
MR: Who is your target market for these shirts ?
MV: It’s quite a large target market; everyone from fans who are looking for an authentic music t-shirt to fashionable consumers who value quality materials and rare graphics. Anyone who appreciates art, music and fashion, as this is really a great demonstration of the three coming together in one innovative product. Plus everyone gets the bonus of discovering great iconic music.
MR; Tell me about the music playlist that comes with each shirt?
MV: Each shirt comes with a curated playlist that features music from many of the artists in the line. The idea here is to try and broaden the musical tastes of those who do not have the classics readily available to them.
MR: How many more designs does Archive 1887 plan to make?
MV: We plan to keep going for as long as the archive is full of treasures to discover! We will put out a collection roughly four times a year with new graphics as well as carry over styles.
MR: How did this idea come about?
MV: First and foremost we were inspired by the music, history and imagery that can be found in our archive. We wanted to bring the experience of being there during great moments in music history to our customer by sharing our access to imagery, photos and iconic memorabilia. What better medium than clothing (which almost everyone wears) to share these relics.
MR: Are any of these shirts worked into new 360 deals with the artists?
MV: No, they are all separate merchandising deals for the most part that were worked out with the artists or through their estates based upon strong relationships we have carried with them for many years.
MR: Do you foresee Archive 1887 expanding into other forms of merchandise?
MV: Yes and plans are already in place for additional products that will reflect our incredibly high quality of standards and design.
MR: Will there be any multi-label cooperativeness, maybe even in the “Playlist” merch?
MV: The artists in the line are drawn from different labels within Sony Music Entertainment so yes, very much so.
MR: What does the future hold, in general, for Archive 1887? At what point will the venture be considered successful?
MV: Well there are different measures of success. Did we succeed in getting our message out, did we succeed in properly positioning our artists, did we succeed in making a great product, did we succeed in creating a new revenue stream? All of these will be factored into the answer to that question and now is a bit too early to make any judgments. I will say that I personally would consider it successful if we can expose the music and imagery of our iconic artists to both a new generation of fans as well as the existing fan base.