Winterland Productions was a

merchandising Merchandising is any practice which contributes to the sale of products to a retail consumer. At a retail in-store level, merchandising refers to displaying products that are for sale in a creative way that entices customers to purchase more i ...

and licensing company in the

pop culture Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * Pop (Gas al ...

industry. The company, which sold

concert T-shirt A concert T-shirt is a T-shirt that is associated with a concert or a concert tour, often for a rock or metal band. Bands and musical groups often promote themselves by creating and selling or giving away T-shirts at their shows, tours, and events. ...

s, music memorabilia, and eventually, official sports team merchandise, was co-founded by legendary concert promoter Bill Graham and music business executive and entrepreneur

Dell Furano Dell Furano (1952 – September 4, 2021) was an American music business executive and entrepreneur, known as an innovator behind the industries of concert performance merchandise and celebrity brand management and licensing. Dell died September 4 ...

History

Origins

In 1974, Graham and Furano (as well as Furano's brother Dave Furano and Donald Hunt) teamed up to co-found Winterland Productions. According to Dell Furano, who at the time was the manager of the

Winterland Ballroom Winterland Ballroom (more commonly known as Winterland Arena or simply Winterland) was an ice skating rink and music venue in San Francisco, California. The arena was located at the corner of Post Street and Steiner Street. It was converted for ...

Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, Folk music, folk, country music, country, jazz, bluegrass music, bluegrass, ...

's drummer

Bill Kreutzmann William Kreutzmann Jr. ( ; born May 7, 1946) is an American drummer and founding member of the rock band Grateful Dead. He played with the band for its entire thirty-year career, usually alongside fellow drummer Mickey Hart, and has continued ...

's wife suggested they set up a table to sell T-shirts in the lobby of the venue after concerts. (The name Winterland Productions referenced the Winterland venue, which was made famous by Graham as a performance site for many famous rock musicians.) Winterland, which is credited as "the first

manufacturing company,"Alec Foege, ''Right of the Dial: The Rise of Clear Channel and the Fall of Commercial Radio'' (2009), p. 172. soon became the leading merchandising and licensing company in the early days of the concert industry. The company established its headquarters in San Francisco, where it did all the design, production, warehousing, and shipping of its products.

Rock Express and expansion

In 1984, Winterland created a retail arm, known as Rock Express, which sold T-shirts, posters, buttons, keychains, bumper stickers, decals, and photographs. In 1991, Winterland signed an agreement to have Rock Express merchandise sold in over 100

Sears Sears, Roebuck and Co. ( ), commonly known as Sears, is an American chain of department stores founded in 1892 by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck and reincorporated in 1906 by Richard Sears and Julius Rosenwald, with what began a ...

department store locations throughout the U.S. In the mid-1980s, Winterland was the sole provider of merchandising for the

Live Aid Live Aid was a multi-venue benefit concert held on Saturday 13 July 1985, as well as a music-based fundraising initiative. The original event was organised by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise further funds for relief of the 1983–1985 fami ...

and

Farm Aid Farm Aid is an annual benefit concert held for American farmers. History On July 13, 1985, while performing at the Live Aid benefit concert for the 1983–1985 Ethiopian famine, Bob Dylan made comments about family farmers within the United S ...

benefit concerts, as well as

Hands Across America Hands Across America was a public fundraising event on Sunday, May 25, 1986, when 5 to 6.5 million people held hands for 15 minutes in an attempt to form a continuous human chain across the contiguous United States. The attempt to have a co ...

and

USA for Africa United Support of Artists for Africa (USA for Africa) was the name under which 47 predominantly U.S. artists, led by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, recorded the hit single "We Are the World" in 1985. The song was a U.S. and UK number one for ...

."MCA Inc. has acquired Winterland Productions,"
''Los Angeles Times'' (Apr. 30, 1988).

Sale to MCA/Universal

In 1988, Graham and Furano sold Winterland Productions to

Irving Azoff Irving Azoff (; born December 12, 1947) is an American entertainment executive and chairman of Full Stop Management, which represents recording artists. In the mid-1980s, he brought success to MCA Records. Since September 2013, he has been chai ...

and

MCA/Universal MCA Inc. (originally an initialism for Music Corporation of America) was an American media conglomerate founded in 1924. Originally a talent agency with artists in the music business as clients, the company became a major force in the film ind ...

, with Furano staying on as CEO. In 1989, Winterland Productions (along with Great Southern Productions), sued various parties in the

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

industry over publisher

Revolutionary Comics Revolutionary Comics was an American comic book publisher specializing in unauthorized profiles of entertainers and professional athletes, as well as a line of erotic comics. Its flagship series was ''Rock 'N' Roll Comics''. Founded by Todd Lor ...

Rock 'N' Roll Comics ''Rock 'N' Roll Comics'' was a comic book series published by Revolutionary Comics from 1989 to 1993. Revolutionary's flagship title, the series was notable for its unauthorized and unlicensed biographies of rock stars, told in comic book form ...

'' issues #3 and #4, on

Bon Jovi Bon Jovi is an American Rock music, rock band formed in 1983 in Sayreville, New Jersey. It consists of singer Jon Bon Jovi, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, guitarist Phil X, and bassist Hugh McDonald (American musician), Hugh McD ...

and

Mötley Crüe Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1981. The group was founded by bassist Nikki Sixx, drummer Tommy Lee, lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil. Mötley Crüe has sold over 100 million albums ...

respectively. Both bands had exclusive merchandising deals with Great Southern/Winterland Productions, who got a court

injunction An injunction is a legal and equitable remedy in the form of a special court order that compels a party to do or refrain from specific acts. ("The court of appeals ... has exclusive jurisdiction to enjoin, set aside, suspend (in whole or in pa ...

prohibiting Revolutionary from distributing the comics. Winterland grew exponentially in the early 1990s, focusing on custom contract

screen printing Screen printing is a printing technique where a mesh is used to transfer ink (or dye) onto a substrate, except in areas made impermeable to the ink by a blocking stencil. A blade or squeegee is moved across the screen to fill the open mes ...

for pop culture clients like the

Hard Rock Cafe Hard Rock Cafe, Inc. is a British-based multinational chain of theme restaurants, memorabilia shops, casinos and museums founded in 1971 by Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton in London. In 1979, the cafe began covering its walls with rock and rol ...

, and the

Disney Store The Disney Store is a chain of specialty stores selling only Disney related items, many of them exclusive, under its own name and Disney Outlet. It was a business unit of Disney Consumer Products with the Disney Parks, Experiences and Products seg ...

s, but also apparel manufacturers like Levi Strauss & Co.,

Donna Karan Donna Karan (, born Donna Ivy Faske), also known as "DK", is an American fashion designer and the creator of the Donna Karan New York and DKNY clothing labels. Early life Karan was born Donna Ivy Faske to mother Helen "Queenie" Faske (née Rabin ...

and

The Gap The Gap may refer to: Places Australia * The Gap, New South Wales, a locality near Wagga Wagga, New South Wales * The Gap, Northern Territory, a suburb of Alice Springs, Northern Territory * The Gap, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland ...

.Armstrong, David
"Business: Ex-Bill Graham T-shirt maker sold,"
''San Francisco Examiner'' (June 19, 1996). In addition to its main headquarters in San Francisco, Winterland had an office in London, and distributors/partners in Japan (

Dentsu Dentsu Inc. ( ja, 株式会社電通 ''Kabushiki-gaisha Dentsū'' or 電通 ''Dentsū'' for short) is a Japanese international advertising and public relations joint stock company headquartered in Tokyo. Dentsu is currently the largest adverti ...

), Australia (ATM), and the U.K. (Ultraviolent). During this period, Winterland's main competitors in the music merchandising/licensing business were the Brockum Group (Toronto), Giant Merchandise (Los Angeles), Great Southern Company (Los Angeles), and Nice Man Merchandising (Minneapolis). In 1993, Furano left Winterland to found Sony Signatures, the entertainment merchandise, licensing, and consumer products division of

Sony Corporation , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...

. (Graham had died in 1991).

Sale to MML Inc. and bankruptcy

In 1996, MCA sold Winterland to businessman Mort Lapidus' MML Inc., an East Coast

holding company A holding company is a company whose primary business is holding a controlling interest in the securities of other companies. A holding company usually does not produce goods or services itself. Its purpose is to own shares of other companies ...

. According to a 1996 article in the ''

San Francisco Examiner The ''San Francisco Examiner'' is a newspaper distributed in and around San Francisco, California, and published since 1863. Once self-dubbed the "Monarch of the Dailies" by then-owner William Randolph Hearst, and flagship of the Hearst Corporat ...

'', at that point the company held "merchandising rights to pop stars such as

Alanis Morissette Alanis Nadine Morissette ( ; born June 1, 1974) is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her emotive mezzo-soprano voice and confessional songwriting, Morissette began her career in Canada in the early 1990s with tw ...

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list of ...

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

, and

Boyz II Men Boyz II Men (pronounced ''boys to men''), also known as B2M, is an American vocal harmony group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. They are currently a trio composed of baritone Nathan M ...

, as well as

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...

the Doors The Doors were an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger, and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most controversial and influential ro ...

and the late

Jerry Garcia Jerome John Garcia (August 1, 1942 – August 9, 1995) was an American musician best known for being the principal songwriter, lead guitarist, and a vocalist with the rock band Grateful Dead, which he co-founded and which came to prominence ...

." It also owned "apparel licensing rights to film and TV properties including ''

Jurassic Park ''Jurassic Park'', later also referred to as ''Jurassic World'', is an American science fiction media franchise created by Michael Crichton and centered on a disastrous attempt to create a theme park of cloned dinosaurs. It began in 1990 when ...

'', ''

Pulp Fiction ''Pulp Fiction'' is a 1994 American crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, who conceived it with Roger Avary.See, e.g., King (2002), pp. 185–7; ; Starring John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, Tim Roth, Ving Rhame ...

'', ''

The Flintstones ''The Flintstones'' is an American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. The series takes place in a romanticized Stone Age setting and follows the activities of the titular family, the Flintstones, and their next-door neighb ...

'', ''

Clueless ''Clueless'' is a 1995 American coming-of-age teen comedy film written and directed by Amy Heckerling. It stars Alicia Silverstone with supporting roles by Stacey Dash, Brittany Murphy and Paul Rudd. It was produced by Scott Rudin and Robert La ...

'', ''

Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...

'', and ''

Twister Twister may refer to: Weather * Tornado Aviation * Pipistrel Twister, a Slovenian ultralight trike * Silence Twister, a German homebuilt aircraft design * Wings of Change Twister, an Austrian paraglider design Entertainment * ''Twister'' (198 ...

''." In 1998, Winterland acquired local competitor Turbo Productions.Liberatore, Paul
"After creating T-shirts for the Grateful Dead, a rock ‘merch’ entrepreneur moves business to Mill Valley,"
''Marin Independent Journal'' (May 20, 2022). By the turn of the 21st century, however, Winterland Productions was in

bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor ...

Furano reacquisition

In early 2002, Dell Furano, along with Donald Hunt, bought back Winterland, the company he helped start,"Signatures Network Acquires Winterland Productions,"
CelebrityAccess.com (December 2001). for more than $10 million.Raine, George
"Winterland's assets sold to Signatures,"
''San Francisco Chronicle'' (Jan. 18, 2002). In 2008 Furano sold what was now called Signatures Network, Inc. (including Winterland) to

Live Nation Entertainment Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. is an American global entertainment company and monopoly that was founded in 2010 following the merger of Live Nation and Ticketmaster. The company promotes, operates, and manages ticket sales for live entertainme ...

, with Furano assuming the role of CEO of Live Nation Merchandise. The Winterland brand was finally retired in 2011.

References

{{reflist

External links

"The History and Timeline of the Winterland T-Shirt Tag: 1974-2011,"
''Defunkd'' (July 7, 2021).
Winterland Productions Promo Video
YouTube — originally produced in the 1980s 1974 establishments in California Companies based in San Francisco Entertainment companies based in California Entertainment companies established in 1974 Merchandising