Oh Queen, how we love thee! One of the sole purposes of music merchandise is to capture a moment, feeling, and memory of a favorite band or singer. This imprinted t-shirt definitely does all three. Freddy Mercury is captured performing for a crowd of thousands. I wasn’t there but the number looks about right. A customized t-shirt that embodies musical history is definitely one to have and hold! I’m sure somewhere far in the future kids are going to be clamoring to get their hands on one of these.

Though New Kids on the Block were around before my time, I know what it’s like to be enamored with a boy band as a young girl! Therefore, it’s appropriate to pay homage to the kings of promotional merchandise New Kids On The Block! This customized t-shirt emphasized that the “Kids” were hanging tough. New Kids on the Block was one of the most popular boy groups of their era and , ultimately, set the tone for the groups to follow. With customized merchandise such as dolls, personalized buttons, and anything that could be imprinted, they ruled the music merchandise scene!

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)”

Over the weekend my younger brother introduced me to a new band– one of his favorites– called Dr. Dog. I naturally had to check out their merch offerings, and the one thing that stood out in the sea of promotional t-shirts was this pair of custom sunglasses. They definitely seem like the correct form of promotional apparel for the “psychedelic indie rock” that is Dr. Dog.

I’m not gonna lie– I never really got into Coldplay, but I am a sucker for all things Spanish and bought their most recent album, Viva la Vida, because 1) of the Spanish title, and 2) I heard some of the tracks were recorded in Spanish churches, and I think that’s really rad. Anyway, Coldplay played at All Points East this past weekend, so I was inspired to see what kind of merch they offer. They have a lot of branded T-shirts and water bottles, stuff like that, but what caught my eye was this promotional mug– I swear, slap “Viva la Vida” on anything, and I’ll buy it. It really looks more like a tea cup and would not at all be suitable for the gallons of coffee I drink every morning, but Coldplay is a British band after all so I guess we’ll have to let it slide.

I haven’t spoken to my younger brother all summer because he’s been taking classes upstate, but he texted me this weekend to say he was going to a Wilco concert. Even hundreds miles away, he knows how to push my buttons and make me jealous. Typical. Anyway, I haven’t spoken to him since, so I don’t know what they offered merch-wise at the show. I headed over to Wilco’s online store, and they have a pretty impressive selection– including a whole eco-friendly category. They have aluminum water bottles, seen above, in addition to tote bags and even bamboo shirts. It’s nice to see bands that make an effort to lessen their impact on the environment through merch!

Death Cab for Cutie randomly came on my iPod yesterday, and it was certainly a blast from the past– I haven’t listened to them since high school. I had a navy blue promotional T-shirt from their album Transatlanticism that I cut up and decorated with patches and stuff. I wore it a lot, and I tried to find it to take a picture and show you guys, but it seems as though I got rid of it when I went away to college. Lame. So I tried Googling the T-shirt itself, so you could at least see what it looked like in its original form, but I couldn’t find an image on Google either. Double lame. So instead here’s a picture of a t-shirt from their current merch offerings– not really my style, but I like the cookies. Just looking at them is making me hungry.

Promotional keychains have long been a staple in the world of freebies and merchandise, so I’m not surprised to have finally come across one. This Kings of Leon keychain is nice– stainless steel with a built-in bottle opener. Can’t go wrong.

Via the No Doubt Store

So some good friends of mine went to the No Doubt concert at Jones Beach over the weekend. I was super jealous, but I decided to ask them anyway what kind of merch was there. As usual, it was just your standard T-shirts– I expected better from Gwen! So I got on Google and I found this promotional toy of the band. The figures look a little creepy, but they did have some unique promotional apparel as well, like belts and underwear. Overall, a job well done for a band that hasn’t come out with a new album in some time.

I don’t really love U2, but I do absolutely love this promotional toy– a Lego set of the band! It really pushes the limits of what you can do with merch– and U2′s been around for a long time, so they’ve probably exhausted their limits of creative possibilities with promotional t-shirts and custom buttons.

Custom hats are another band merch staple, so it’s nice to see that they come in different styles. The promotional baseball cap is great for summer and warmer months, while the beanie keeps you warm in the winter while still letting you show off your band pride.

I always like to see bands offering merch beyond the typical promotional t-shirts and buttons. I came across this really neat promotional tote bag for Streetlight Manifesto, a ska band I used to listen to a lot in high school. Since girls tend to buy more merch at shows than guys do, it makes sense that they would start make gender-specific merch. I wonder how long it will take them to come out with custom personal care products like makeup bags and travel kits– that would definitely be a unique way to show loyalty to a band!

Promotional posters are standard merch for any band, and they’re the ultimate way for fans to show loyalty– you won’t put a poster up in your dorm room for everyone to see and judge unless you really like a band. Back in 2005, Modest Mouse partnered with the Decoder Ring to create a unique poster inspired by a specific lyric or song for each stop of their tour. I couldn’t find the poster for their New York concert, which I went to back in the day , but the above image is from one of the Washington legs of their tour. I really wish they had been giving them away for free at the concert, because they would have made a great collector’s item. Instead all I got was a T shirt, which was way overpriced.

Metallica fans are a unique group of individuals (in a good way), and they know it. Show off your Metallica love with this stylish choker necklace. And if you like customizable jewelry, check out this.

What better way to spice up your bed or couch then with a promotional throw blanket of your favorite band.  From Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin rocking out to Green Day and Guns N’ Roses CD covers, these band throws are sure to keep you warm and lookin’ rockin’.

Even bands are trying to go green this day and age.  Dave Matthews Band is selling DMB reusable tote bags through their official store.  Now you can be DMB cool and Eco-friendly chic all at the same time.  They also sell promotional water bottles, frisbees and awareness bracelets.  If you want to check out some other Eco-friendly products check out this great blog I found: www.ecologicalpromos.com

Here is another piece of promotional merchandise, courtesy of A.V. Club.

This promotional coloring book is an interesting way to cater to a younger audience about the band. I’m not sure if the images are exactly child friendly, but it is an interesting concept to promote the artistry of the band.

(Via: A.V. Club)

It seems like everything can be logoed these days. Take this Metallica switch plate for example, I mean who knew you could even do that. Bands seem to want their logo on everything, and being creative as they do it. Promotional hats, t-shirts, and bags are still very effective promos, but with a little creativity you can create some memorable Band Merch.

Now this promotional aluminum water bottle is one of the neatest pieces of band merch I have seen in awhile. It’s not just because this water bottle is from RadioHead, but the fact that this is from an eco-friendly promotion. RadioHead’s lead singer Thom Yorke handed these out during his 2008 tour, the bottles are imprinted with the band name and tour dates. Who would have thought? Eco-friendly band merch!