So on my social media feed, I
just read this article where
Cradle of Filth frontman Dani Filth is quoted saying that he'd love to get his band's shirts into Walmart because he'd like the money. Walmart, as I'm guessing the 3 of you that are reading this are aware, sells band merchandise for a variety of well known, mainstream rock artists. For example,
their website offers a wide arrange of hideous looking
KISS merchandise from many resellers.
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| Unfortunately, the KISS Kasket is not among their offerings. |
Of course, they also sell stuff right on their shelves, and as crazy as it sounds to a 40 something like myself, there's kids who are out there wearing
Nirvana t shirts from Walmart that couldn't name a song by them. Metal has it's rules of conduct, and
only wearing a band's shirt if you actually listen to that artist is most certainly one of the core tenants. So while the likelihood of someone running afoul by buying a
Metallica replica tour shirt at Walmart in Bumfuck, Indiana is rather unlikely, should more obscure bands be trying to get their shit into Walmart?
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| You can't name their third album or their original lead singer either, you fucking poser. |
I get that Dani Filth is a tiny little drowning kitten of a metal vocalist in a band that has only ever written a smattering of good songs entirely by accident but I don't think he's wrong to have those aspirations. If anything, it'd be brilliant given that while
CoF themselves might be a bit too edgy for Walmart, for other bands to get their merchandise on shelves would represent a revenue stream at a time when bands aren't really selling their music (outside of a few luddites like myself who still buy CDs or the vinyl snobs who have money to re-purchase their entire collections) band merchandise represents probably their best income stream besides touring and playing shows. It also promotes awareness of the bands themselves, which you'd hope would lead to people streaming their music on Spotify or YouTube and eventually buying a ticket to the concert, or ordering the album on vinyl. Or another shirt when 18 of their peers also have the same shirt that they bought at the same Walmart.
It's pretty likely that the teenage'd me would be rather confused, but with the disappearance of record stores in every shopping mall and music sales in general, trying to cling to an old model because it represents some idea of "cool" or "true" just doesn't make a lot of sense. If musicians or artists want to devote themselves fully to their art, they need a revenue stream to finance their endeavors. That's why so many bands have expanded their merch from just t shirts to shot glasses, thongs, action figures, and yes, the KISS Kasket.
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| I just want to remind you again that yes, this was a thing! |
I guess this has all been shaped by two semesters taking post-grad classes in Marketing, but if your goal is to make your band bigger and promote awareness, then by all means you should not just be producing merchandise branded with your band, but you should be pursuing an "omnichannel" approach to distribution. Not just at concerts, or through a bandcamp website, but if you can pull it off, by getting it into a big box store. Get it in front of people in as many ways as possible, and perhaps it's time for me to come around and reshape my own thinking. Instead of saying you already need to know the band before getting the t-shirt, maybe the year 2020, getting the t-shirt makes the kid search the band on Spotify. Maybe in the near future having an eye catching logo and creative merchandising really will be just as important as the music itself for successful bands (after all, fans who are wearing your band's logo across their chest are literally providing free advertising for your art.)
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| Marketing Genius. Still sucks at vocals. |
I'm agreeing with Dani Filth. Interesting times we live in!
