Keeping with the trend of creative merch we’ve been following lately, I present to you: stuffed animal merch! A band called Angry Panda brought these cute/angry screen-printed stuffed pandas to Warped Tour. According to one band member, Angry Panda “sold a lot of dolls and made a bunch of friends.”
It’s important to note the dual purpose of band merch in this scenario. Most bands use their merchandise to raise money they can invest into their endeavors, while others simply use these products to attract people to their merch tables. Getting some face time with concert-goers gives bands a chance to do some networking with fans and industry contacts. Who knows…maybe the guy checking out your unique merch owns a label or knows one that’s looking to sign? At the very least, merch can help you meet some cool people 
(photo via Flickr)
Talk about unique band merch! A popular German punk rock band called The Beatsteaks is selling logo’d lollipops at their concerts and on their website - a sweet merch idea! The Beatsteaks “b” logo appears on the surface of the raspberry lollipop in red sugar, creating truly original merch that fans are guaranteed to love. By introducing these unique products into their merch lineup, The Beaksteaks demonstrate how a little bit of creativity can create massive surges in merchandise sales. These fun, edible, and inexpensive promotions are likely to remain a Beatsteak best-seller into the future.
(photo via Flickr)
Band buttons have been a staple of the music merch scene for quite some time. But what’s so appealing about a simple promotional button? Well, the question sort of answers itself. Buttons are a simple and inexpensive way for fans to show support for their favorite groups. The bands themselves can easily carry a lot of buttons with them while on tour, which is especially helpful for smaller bands that don’t have the luxury of tour buses to store tons of merch in. Fans of all ages can afford these cheap items, and they still give the band a chance to express their creativity despite a small imprint area. Take a look at these band buttons to see how some of today’s most popular musicians are putting these miniature merch minions to use at concerts around the world.
(photo via Flickr)
I’d never miss an opportunity to blog about my favorite progressive rock jam band, Umphrey’s McGee - especially when band merch is involved! I recently received this jumbo promotional sticker after purchasing a digital recording of a live show that I attended at the Roseland Ballroom in New York City. Looks like UM has decided to send out a sticker to everyone who buys a copy of these live recordings, and it’s certainly a good idea. Right now I’ve stuck the high-quality sticker on the bumper of my car where plenty of people can see it. A small investment for Umphrey’s, but they just gained more respect from an existing fan, and more exposure to potential fans!
The sequel to the overwhelmingly popular “Rock Band” video game has quite a surprise in store for music and merch lovers everywhere. The game allows players to create their own band, which they can customize down to the tiniest detail. The band’s name, logo, appearance, and members can all be adjusted to suit the tastes of creative rockers worldwide…but there’s a surprise for hardcore fans in the upcoming release:
Rock Band 2 plans to allow gamers to log on to the official site, where they will be able to order posters, T-shirts, and other band merch featuring the custom bands they’ve created in the game! This awesomely interactive feature is sure to send sales skyrocketing as fans rush to immortalize their digital creations with branded merchandise.
Seems a number of bands are using their creative juices for more than just creating lyrics and melodies. A number of bands are now selling unique, novelty merch items. It runs from the innocent to the not so innocent (I won’t get into specifics). Often bands will give away interesting merch with a CD purchase. The latest in strange merch, apparently, is the Oasis Teddy Bear. Seriously.
Here’s a lunchbox I found in the office today. The image of the Ramones immortalized so generations can enjoy their PB&J with a side of Punk. The lunchbox is a classic as far as Merch goes. If you’re ever in
This might not qualify as merch, but it’s free and it’s music, so good enough! Starbucks and iTunes paired up a while ago to bring “Hear Music” to the world. Every Tuesday Starbucks releases 2 songs available for free download on iTunes. To download said songs you need to pick up a little card that has a promotional code you enter into iTunes. The cards are available at Starbucks.
Beatles fans everywhere get to
With the music industry slumping and the growth of legal and illegal mp3 downloads no one would expect records to sell, but the thing is, Vinyl LPs are making a comeback. The sale of vinyl record grew 36 percent between 2006 and 2007, showing up on shelves at various retailers, music stores, and yes, the merch stand at the back of that tiny venue.
Vinyl’s comeback is refreshing. Analog offers a less synthetic sound than digital music. Look for records at the next show you go to, cause that’s definitely merch done right!
Seattle based record label Sub Pop has a long, rich history in the alternative, grunge and indie rock scenes. The label released music by notable musicians such as Nirvana (Bleach is Sub Pop’s only platinum album), Sunny Day Real Estate, The Shins, and The Postal Service. This year marks Sub Pop’s 20th anniversary. While still not legal to drink in the United States, Sub Pop is still seriously celebrating! This past weekend (July 12 and 13) the label hosted an Anniversary show at Redmond, WA’s Marymoor Park where bands such as Iron and Wine, The Helio Sequence and Wolf Parade (to name a few) performed. Tickets came with a nice little surprise: a 20th anniversary Sub-Pop compilation CD!
Ever wanted to sleep with band members from The Thermals? Well, looks like your chance may come sooner than you think. Of course, it might cost you a little. A woman recently crafted 2 dolls in the image of Kathy and Hutch. Right now one of each exists, but if these little guys are sewn in greater quantity the band will sell them, giving you the chance to go to bed with two members of the
The free music movement (as I call it) is really catching on despite the outrage of Music Executives (and Metallica, I’m sure). Last year anyone who bought the Sunday Mail found Prince’s new album tucked within its pages. Radiohead then allowed free downloading of their newest album in late 2007. Artists’ Oasis and Jamiroquai are said to follow suit. With the growth of free music there will probably be less free merch considering bands will no be dependent on the sale of things that aren’t albums for revenue. Which would you rather get free music or free merch?
It’s always nice when a musician is understanding of their young fan bases sometimes-tight-for-money lifestyles (aka college) and offer options. Jonah Matranga (of Far, Onelinedrawing and Gratitude) has always been considerate asking fans pay what they can for merch (ranging from CDs to Hoodies). The “sliding scale.”
Now here’s some Merch that makes a difference! Inspired by musicians such as Sufjan Stevens, Joanna Newsom, Feist, Animal Collective and Beirut (to name a few), artist Andy J. Miller created Colour It (Red), a coloring book in partnership with the (Red) organization, meaning half of the sales go to fighting HIV/AIDS in Africa./4.jpg "colour it (red)")
Friday (July 4), River2River and WFMU brought Sonic Youth (and the Feelies) to Battery Park where they put on a pretty rockin’ show. Not only was the show free (!), but the concert was full of people handing out promotions and giving away Sonic Youth and WFMU merch!
Here’s another look at what you get inside those crazy goodie bags and at the shows and panels at South by Southwest.
More stuff from South by Southwest 2008, this time, we have a bunch of cute buttons, mostly for Etsy.
Here’s a cool piece of schwag from the South by Southwest music conference. In addition to the standard lanyard and badge, there’s a cool, funky cell phone/digital camera holder.