It’s no secret - the record industry as we know it is crumbling to pieces. File sharing has changed the game, and artists now have to deal with a marketplace that can easily distribute their music amongst itself for free! So, how are worthy artists expected to survive? Some people say that band merchandise is the answer. That’s right - custom t-shirts, logo pins, and promotional bumper stickers are the light at the end of the tunnel according to some industry analysts. The low cost of common band merch items makes this route particularly attractive to relatively unknown artists with small budgets. It remains to be seen whether or not bands will be able to sell enough merch to survive, but when you combine these sales with digital downloads and tour tickets, it seems possible!

This Blink 182 merch is genius. Fans usually get all the merch they want, but what about the guy who has to sit behind the table and peddle shirts, logo buttons, and posters in a dark venue all night - where’s the love for him? Blink 182 decided to give props to these hardworking guys and gals by giving them some custom t-shirts of their own. The printed shirt reads “I sold merch for Blink 182 and all I got was this crappy t-shirt (and a paycheck)”

Lately there has been a trend toward reclaiming “paper dolls” from their knee-jerk association with little girls’ toys. This Kanye West “Papercraft” bear is a pretty impressive step in that direction. Constructed by Paper Matez, the bear is accurately detailed to Kanye’s “Graduation” cartoon creature, complete with shuttered sunglasses and copiously branded Louis Vuitton backpack. Hopefully it doesn’t come with the rapper’s much-publicized attitude problems…

[via StreetLevel]

If you’re the kind of person who can’t stop at just telling people about the music you listen to - whether they don’t “get it,” or they simply haven’t heard of any names you mention and you’re tired of being misunderstood - this shirt allows you to program an included controller with 20 different sound files (10 songs and 10 sound effects) and inflict them upon others at will via the giant speaker on the front of the shirt. The shirt comes with its own stock sound library, but you can replace them with your own sounds or simply plug in your MP3 player. So next time you’re trying to flirt with that cute guy or girl at the bar and happen to drop the fact that you’re in a band, you’d better have a quality demo ready…

[via StreetLevel]