The Bob Marley estate’s company, House Of Marley, has gotten involved in various products, to some fans’ dismay. Now in addition to the Bob Marley clothing, beer, coffee, oh, and records, the estate has decided to expand its line once again.
The company has introduced “Get Together” Bluetooth speakers. What makes these speakers different is that they have an old school
look featuring wood grain panels. The Marley family even “recruited director Wonford St. James to create a visual that truly captures spirit of ‘Get Together’ and Kingston culture,” reports The Grio.
“To communicate the campaign message of one idea reaching many, we did the only thing that felt right for a speaker designed to bring people together – we threw a party, original dancehall style, hosted by legendary selector Albert ‘iLawi’ Johnson at his yard in Kingston.” said St. James. “The Get Together dance was a celebration of old school dancehall played out by Jamaican soundmen, DJ’s and selectors. The party was a vinyl only event with iLawi digging through his extensive archive of 45’s to drop a roots and culture history lesson on the gathered crowd while MC’s Fyah George and Natty Pablo toasted and bubbled on the mic.”
Since the death of the reggae music icon in 1981, the Marley family has not only activated his image and name for different purposes, but they have been very protective of their brand. According to some estimates, unauthorized Marley music and merchandise exceeds $600 million each year; the family is always battling to gain control of the situation. Attorney Tim Ervin, who has represented the Marleys since 2000 told Billboard in 2011, “The Marleys have served over 400 cease-and-desist letters in the past 11 years,” he says. “We’ve initiated 30 lawsuits in the United States alone.”
There is a lot of money still to be made from the Marley name, which is estimated to be worth around $130 million 30 years after the singer’s death, reports The New Pittsburgh Courier. Bob Marley ranked fifth last year on Forbes‘ list of top earning dead celebrities. And he was the only Caribbean artist to be on a Forbes list.
The Get Together speakers are now an addition to the House of Marley eco-conscious home audio line that debuted in 2011, which already includes earbuds, headphones and iPod docking stations.
–source www.madamenoire.com
