Jimmy Iovine might be the head of Interscope but he sure is about diversifying these days. He brokered Dre, Diddy and Gaga’s Monster headphone deals and now Jimmy and Mary J. Blige have announced their sunglasses partnership with Orange 21, a sunglasses manufacturer and distributor. The first Melodies by MJB collection will feature four styles with a total of 20 color options. Each unique style will represent a specific facet of Blige’s life.

Said Iovine, “To reach out beyond music, an artist has to become involved with something they’re already associated with and truly feel passionate about and not just stick their name on someone else’s product. As her fans know, Mary loves fashion and she especially loves sunglasses, making Melodies by MJB a natural fit for her.”

You can be sure Iovine will continue to leverage his artists’ popularity and push more lifestyle consumer products with them. Since music doesn’t pay the way it used to this seems to be the natural next step in what labels will deal with. Via: MarketWatch