Plus Licens AB has been appointed as a merchandising agent for EMI's Lyric, the consumer-facing brand of EMI Music Publishing with a catalogue of more than 1.3 million popular songs. From Put a Little Love in Your Heart, Lady Marmalade and That’s The Way (I Like It) to Last Night a DJ Saved My Life, Daydream Believer and Wild Thing – lyrics and melodies from EMI's immense catalogue are now available for licensing through Plus Licens in the categories apparel, accessories, home furnishing, stationery, personal care and mobile accessories throughout Europe (excluding the UK and France).

”This is an extremely valuable asset in our European design portfolio”, says Peder Tamm, president of Plus Licens AB. "Phrases and lyrics from popular song are arguably the only genuine 'literary heritage' shared throughout the world today, having a stronger position in the public consciousness than any poem, proverb or any other kind of classic 'familiar quotation' could ever have dreamed of. Plus Licens is proud to bring these powerful tools from EMI Music Publishing to the merchandising market and to help creating news ways of making this treasure available for European fans of great music as well as of great design."

"This cooperation will further strengthen our licensing business and it is another innovative way to exploit our copyrights and create new revenue channels for our songwriters and assets", says Stefan Gullberg, Managing Director of EMI Music Publishing Scandinavia AB.

A recent example of the design opportunities for Lyric is the It's Pop It's Art print art program, a collaboration between EMI Music Publishing and award-winning design house Airside - inspired by the pop art icons of the 1960s and taking lyrics from seminal and genre defining records and producing them as typographically designed art prints. In the UK, retailer Sainsbury's Tu Clothing has recently signed a contract through Corporate Creative Licensing to feature a selection of words and phrases from classic songs from EMI's catalogue on a new fashion apparel range, including products for men, women and children.