Thousands of tourists come annually to temporary or permanent wedding parties in the American city of Las Vegas in halls used as small churches and revived by people resembling Elvis Presley, prompting the objection of the company that owns the rights to the works of the American singer.
The Authentic Brands Group (ABG) did not accept the organization of these weddings, as it warned the chapels that hold marriages centered on the topic of the American singer to stop their activities or implement the laws related to the right to use the works of “King”.
Last month, APG, which acquired the rights to Elvis Presley’s business in 2013, sent official alerts to party planners, angering Presley-like people, chapels, and the mayor of Las Vegas, known for its burgeoning wedding industry.
“Elvis Presley has long lived in Las Vegas, and his name has become synonymous with marriage in Las Vegas,” the head of the Las Vegas wedding department, Ajaysen Wally, told AFP.
And he continued, “The Wedding Department in Vegas shares the same concerns with church chapels and people who resemble the singer and embody his personality, and they are two parties whose work and survival are at risk, especially since a large number of them are still struggling to recover financially following the closure imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic.”
APG apologized Thursday following sending out the warnings, stressing that it supports Elvis Presley fans.
“We regret that recent contact with a small number of church chapels led to confusion and anxiety,” the company said in a statement sent to the French press agency. It was not our intention to cause these reactions.”
And the “Las Vegas Review-Journal” website indicated on Wednesday that the company proposed to the chapels of the churches concerned to continue its activities within the framework of financial “partnerships”, such as obtaining the right to use Elvis’s business under an annual financial partnership.
APG is also acquiring the rights to the Marilyn Monroe and Muhammad Ali businesses.
Elvis Presley-themed weddings or performed by singer-songwriters have been lucrative activities in Las Vegas since the 1970s.
For example, one of the services costs $1,600 and includes organizing a wedding party at the Viva Las Vegas chapel with an Elvis Presley celebrity, as well as an opportunity for the couple to ride in a pink 1964 convertible Cadillac.
The annual revenue of this sector is 2.5 billion dollars, according to the Las Vegas Marriage Department.
