In the late ‘80s, megawatt music group New Kids On The Block captured the international spotlight and dominated the pop music charts with their hit album
Hangin’ Tough
(1988) followed by the wildly successful
Step-By-Step
(1990). With the unimaginable fame, fandom and frenzy came a hunger for consumer products that saw early 1990s store shelves packed with licensed New Kids merch ranging from bedding, apparel, pins, trading cards and action figures, among countless other products.
As fans gobbled up products, the New Kids merchandise program ballooned into tour sponsorships, the first sponsored major entertainment-branded Super Bowl half-time show and much more.
In the newest episode of "The Licensing Mixtape" podcast, one of the inadvertent pioneers of music merchandise licensing, NKOTB member Danny Wood, tells
License Global
content editor Bibi Wardak about the group’s experiences licensing in the early years – and how he and the group today are fully in the driver’s seat, steering each aspect of their sophisticated, fan-driven, hands-on consumer products offerings including their wildly popular lines at Walmart, Target, Urban Outfitters, Forever 21 and more. The group has also been at the helm of a popular annual themed cruise, a branded television show and several internationally successful tours teaming up with the likes of Backstreet Boys, Boyz II Men, TLC and more.
Wood also shared insight into how the group is coping with the halt of live events and physical shows in 2020 by authentically engaging their beloved fan base via virtual events, as well releasing a quarantine-themed new single, “
,” starring Boyz II Men, Jordin Sparks, Naughty By Nature and Big Freedia with a star-studded music video featuring Mark Wahlberg, Carrie Underwood, Nicole Scherzinger and Jenny McCarthy. The song benefits
, an organization that aims to end child hunger in America. Wood is also the founder of
, an organization he created in honor of his late mother that directly benefits breast cancer patients.
Hear the full interview in the latest episode of "The Licensing Mixtape," and be sure to subscribe to the podcast on
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