2017 Hall of Fame Inductee

DELL FURANO, CEO and Founder, Epic Rights

A true legend in the music licensing and merchandising industry, Furano has been instrumental in growing music artist’s retail brand licensing into a multibillion-dollar global business.

In his expansive 40-plus year career, he has directed the merchandising and licensing efforts for the top names in the music industry, including The Beatles, KISS, Madonna, U2, AC/DC, Justin Timberlake, Jennifer Lopez, Michael Jackson, Led Zeppelin, Wham/George Michael, Shakira, and more, as well as having orchestrated concert merchandise programs for music legends such as The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Barbra Streisand, Prince, Aerosmith, Tim McGraw, and The Who, among others.

Furano began his career in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1974, after graduating from Stanford University, by licensing Grateful Dead tie-dye apparel and poster deals for record stores and head shops. Working closely with top iconic artists and early on recognizing their licensing potential, Dell continued to expand his licensing brand-building strategy. He launched major retail branding programs for New Kids on The Block, Britney Spears, Run DMC, Jessica Simpson, Celine Dion, the Osbourne Family reality TV show, Woodstock, John Lennon’s Imagine Children’s line, Michael Jackson’s Mystery Drink program, Steve Martin’s line of merchandise for “Wild and Crazy,” Madonna’s “Like a Virgin” brand, Janet Jackson, MC Hammer, Ozzy, The Police, the Lyrics of Lennon & McCartney, and Pink Floyd The Wall.

He currently helms Epic Rights, which he founded in Los Angeles in 2013. Previous to Epic, Furano was founder and CEO of Sony Signatures – later renamed Signatures Network – and became CEO of Live Nation Merchandise when he sold Signatures Network to Live Nation.