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Battle of the Brands: Merchandising in the Music Industry

At the beginning of February, I gave myself a challenge: I was to go one full week

without wearing any branded merchandise. The first couple of days were easy; I had a few plain

shirts and unbranded hoodies, and though my outfits were more tame than usual, I was fully

dressed with no band members or references to obscure albums to be seen in my attire. By day

four, though, I realized that I would not be able to complete my challenge without repeating an

outfit or two. If the shirts did not depict a musician, they had references to various superheroes or

television shows. The truth is, it is almost impossible to escape merchandise. Walk into any

Target, Urban Outfitters, or thrift store, and you will be bombarded with imagery of bands from

across the decades. Logos from The Rolling Stones, Nirvana, and Billie Eilish alike litter the

aisles, advertising mass-produced T-shirts and multicolored vinyl. It is difficult to enter a coffee

shop or high school campus without finding at least a handful of people sporting their favorite

artists, and the trend continues to grow as fashion fads cycle through streetwear from the 1980’s

and 1990’s. Even as I type this, I am wearing a bright blue T-shirt, with the frontman of my

favorite band across my chest, accompanied by a reference to his online presence. No matter

how obscure the fandom, you will be guaranteed to find at least a few items for purchase. It has

become an essential part of building a brand. Merchandise as advertising is very much akin to

the chicken-or-the-egg: Does the artist make the merchandise, or does the merchandise make the

artist? Furthermore, how can merchandising affect an artist’s growth and be effective in helping

them gain popularity?

In 1965, Ringo Starr of The Beatles famously said, “Anytime you spell ‘beetle’ with an

‘a’ in it, we get the money,” (Brandle). He was right--Brian Epstein’s management company,
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NEMS (who managed The Beatles), was making ten percent of all profits from merchandise

sales using the band’s name and likeness in 1964. In August of the same year, that amount

increased to forty-six percent (Brandle). This was only the beginning of the now-huge industry

that is music merchandise. The 1960’s are widely known to have started the craze of music

merchandising, with both The Beatles and Elvis contributing hugely to the movement, but it did

not become global until the 1970’s. While Yellow Submarine lunch boxes and “I Like Elvis”

buttons were popular among fans, they were not practical or efficient forms of merchandise.

Thus was born the band-tee phenomenon of the 1970’s. Logos such as the tongue-and-lip design

of The Rolling Stones (designed by John Pasche in 1970) and ACDC’s lightning bolt (designed

by Gerard Huerta in 1977) have now brought in immense sums of money for both the designers

and musicians. In fact, by the 1990’s, some bands were making more money off of merchandise

sales than the music itself. These bands “were derided as ‘T-shirt bands’, implying their merch

was more popular than their music,” (Cochrane). In most regards, this is not a big issue--money

is money, especially when working in as unconventional an industry as music. However, some

people feel that merchandising has gone too far. A 2022 article from The Wall Street Journal

states: “Jacob Gillick, a 28-year-old teacher in St. Louis, Mo.,…said that during the last school

year, he would see five to six middle-school students a day wearing a T-shirt of a rock band he

recognized from his own adolescence. ‘It’s a huge letdown when you realize they don’t actually

listen to it,’ he said.” Though many fans feel uncomfortably about so-called “posers” wearing

mass-produced merchandise of bands that they do not recognise, let alone listen to, music artists

tell a different story. Eric Egan, frontman of Cleveland pop-punk band Heart Attack Man (among

others), feels neutrally about the controversial topic. He explained in an interview,

Ultimately, I’m in favor of what benefits the artists the most. Obviously there’s still

money being made from retail, but [it] might not be the absolute best deal they can get.

At the same time that’s highly increased visibility and accessibility though, so it’s a trade

off. If the deal is okay I’m in favor of it, but for [Heart Attack Man] I’d prefer to keep it

all as close to the source as humanly possible. (Egan)

It seems most fans agree. Merchandise sells out quickly for Heart Attack Man, partly due to

devoted fans, and partly due to the small-batch approach of their merchandise. It is important to

note, though, that for larger artists, two to five hundred item runs of merchandise is just not

practical, except in specific cases of limited edition items, or other similar events. Their

extensive fan bases simply cause higher demand, which must be met.

Another issue in this industry is that different artists value merchandise more than others.

When asked how involved in the production of his band’s merchandise he is, Egan explained,

“We’re incredibly hands-on in everything in merch for us--we conceptualize every design and do

basically all of the actual designing; if not then we have a friend do it, but aside from that we

print and fulfill everything ourselves too at our print shop.” This is not as important to other

artists. Universal Music Group, who manages some of the world’s biggest artists such as Taylor

Swift, The Rolling Stones, and Arianna Grande, among others, bought a large production and

manufacturing company called Bravado which, in 2019, acquired a Los Angeles merchandising

and branding company called Epic Rights (“Universal Music Expands Merchandising

Operation”). While this does allow merchandise to be created on a much larger scale, thus

satiating the artists’ millions of fans, the ethical and environmental impacts are much greater, as

with almost all mass-produced items. Merchandise can also go beyond concert T-shirts and

posters. More and more frequently, artists are creating brands, such as Harry Styles’s Pleasing
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and Tyler, the Creator’s Golf Wang and Golf le Fleur. These brands are not just fads, either.

Barbadian singer Rihanna’s lingerie brand, Savage X Fenty “was widely heralded as a challenge

to Victoria’s Secret” (Tashjian). Her makeup brand, Fenty, has been even more successful,

largely due to the brand’s wide color ranges and insistence on inclusivity. However, one cannot

ignore the name attached to it. Rihanna is one of the world’s biggest stars, and has been for

years. The brand feeds her image, and her image feeds the brand.

Possibly the most important aspect of music merchandise, and the reason it is such a large

industry, is because it provides a majority of most artists’ incomes. During the height of the

COVID-19 pandemic, musicians were forced to stop touring, taking away a substantial part of

their incomes. Artists were already making the majority of their income from merchandise sales,

and this was amplified when the 2020 lockdowns went into effect. A merchandise production

company called Everprise reported that of all of the merchandise offered, twenty-five percent are

from musicians or record labels, and sales doubled during this time (Cochrane). Because fans

could not support artists through live shows, they bought merchandise. In the interview with Eric

Egan, he stated that “roughly 50% [of his income comes from] merchandise…40%-ish from

touring, and the rest from streaming and royalties…” (Egan). Later, though, when asked what the

best way to support an artist is, he said that “...killing it on tour and having fun all the while is

the best encouragement for an artist”. Taking away this aspect of a musician’s livelihood leaves

both artist and fan missing out. To compensate, artists produced more merchandise, both to

support themselves, and to satiate their fans. When touring resumed in late-2021 and early-2022,

another issue arose for touring musicians. Venues across the United States began taking

considerable cuts of merchandise sales, up to thirty-five percent. While this has been a consistent

issue in the live performance industry, there has been a significant increase in the amount of
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money these venues are taking. There are very few solutions for this issue; an artist can simply

“[take] the hit and [accept] that merchandise is now a low-margin business for them; or else they

have to pass the costs onto the fans,” (“Music Merchandise is a Big Business”). Simply put,

either the artist misses out on a huge portion of their income, or fans have to pay more for

merchandise of the same (or worse) quality to make up for it. Neither of these options are fair to

either party.

As the prices of music merchandise rise and the quality falls, it is no wonder so many

fans have taken to buying unofficial items and, in many cases, making it themselves. And while

supporting small businesses is always a positive, it is important to look at how counterfeit

merchandise affects the artist in the long run. It is completely common now to see vendors

outside of popular music venues selling knock-off merchandise to unknowing fans. The fans

believe that they are supporting the artist, while the bands themselves “now risk nefarious

characters capitalizing on their mortal stand against venues by setting up on the pavement

outside that very venue to sell knock-off merchandise. And none of that money goes to the act,”

(“Music Merchandising is a Big Business”). Artists are directly losing money because of forged

merchandise, which would otherwise account for a large portion of their income. However, this

is not to say that all homemade merchandise is a faked replica of an official version. Websites

such as Etsy and Redbubble are teeming with sellers offering completely original merchandise,

from cheap stickers to completely unique handmade sweaters. Oftentimes the more elaborate

designs are reserved for bigger artists, who are not making as much money from simple

merchandise sales as a smaller indie artist. In this case, the impact of selling this merchandise

goes beyond just the artist themself. Sellers who often make a portion of their living running

online shops have been earning less and less due to the website they are selling on itself. For
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example, in 2021 “Etsy made record profits with a platform that wouldn’t exist without the labor

of independent creators…Even with these earnings, Etsy announced a [thirty] percent seller fee

increase…” (Kirby). The situation is extremely similar to the issue with venues taking massive

cuts of merchandise sales. While the issue of counterfeit merchandise is certainly prominent, the

theft of money by venues and retailers is just as notable.

Taylor Swift is, arguably, one of the most influential artists of the twenty-first century. As

of 2022, she has a net worth of $570 million, with her 2020 album Folklore being the first of that

year to sell one million copies (“Profile: Taylor Swift”). This album holds one of her most iconic

songs to date, Cardigan. A quick fan-favorite, Swift’s team celebrated the sentimental song’s

success with the release of a real, branded cardigan. Retailing for forty-nine dollars, the sweater

matched the subdued aesthetic of the album with stars on each arm and patch on the chest, which

read “the folklore album” (Satenstein). Predictably, this became one of Swift’s most iconic pieces

of merchandise almost instantly. She released a similar cardigan for the 2021 release of her

re-recorded album Red, which was just as successful. The reason for this cardigan’s success was

not just the clever reference; this piece of merchandise was specifically tailored to her fanbase, as

well as the trends circulating social media at the time. More than just a nice article of clothing,

the cardigan represented Taylor Swift herself. Moreso, it represented the “romanticization of the

rural lifestyle known as ‘cottagecore,’ and [it had seen] a marked boom during the coronavirus

pandemic,” with cottagecore being the name of previously niche aesthetic that focuses on, as the

name suggests, the visuals associated with rural living. It typically includes pastel colors, as well

as imagery of plants and animals (Bowman). The album itself transported fans out of the

monotonous life of the pandemic, and the matching clothing completed the illusion. Swift’s
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success as a businesswoman has a direct correlation to her ability to relate to her fanbase; this

iconic cardigan is just one instance of this.

Look into any pre-teen’s room or college dormitory and the first things that meet the eye

are dazzling posters displaying iconic bands, concerts, and music festivals. There is a history

behind the famous red Woodstock poster (designed by Arnold Skolnich in 1969), and even

torn-out pages of magazines. Stanley Mouse, who is the designer behind iconic album covers and

artwork for bands such as Grateful Dead, said, “The 1960s posters were where fine art and

commercial art met. It was a great time--it meant breaking all the rules,” (Grushkin 65). In the

1960s, those posters were for the purpose of advertising more than anything else, but this quickly

changed. The artistry involved in printmaking became increasingly valued, as did originality.

The psychedelic feel of the 1960s music clearly made its way into the art itself. Wes Wilson, one

of the more prolific designers responsible for many of the quintessential posters of the time,

“used clashing, vibrating colors and deliberately illegible psychedelic lettering to hold--to

demand--attention, so that a viewer would ‘have to spend at least three minutes figuring the thing

out,’”( Grushkin 79). The impact of these designs can be seen even now, with nearly unreadably

squiggling letters continuously being a key design choice for many artists today. However, today,

minimalism is increasing in popularity. Minimalism “only uses the most essential elements,

including basic shapes and limited color palettes,” (“Mastering the Art of Minimalist Graphic

Design”). This style is the opposite of what Mouse and Wilson were designing. In an interview

with Craig Williamson, a graphic designer based in California, he said: “When you see bad

design, oftentimes the elements don’t relate to each other very well. Personally, I like really

simple design. So, I try to take as many elements off as I can and just let it be as simple as it can

possibly be.” While the minimalism preferred by Williamson has its place, the artists of the
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1960s and through the 1980s did not, typically, agree. Most often, the posters were made in small

runs, meant for individual shows or tours. This allowed designers to pack in more color and text,

without the worry of production difficulties being an influence on their designs. The effect was a

beautiful and outrageous image, which brought in listeners and fed artists’ fame. These designs

have continuously fed the fundamentals of design that is seen today, from corporate logos to

website design.

Merchandise affects the music industry in countless ways. Since the 1960s, merchandise

has changed, with its own complex language developing alongside it. Still, as you walk down the

street, teenaged punks and middle-aged suburban parents alike adorn the music of their youths.

This is because merchandise has a very specific power, and it is one we often take for granted.

Laying in bed, gazing up at a poster that was paid for in cash years ago, the very same energy

can be felt, as if the artist only just walked off stage. Reaching for the tattered T-shirt with

worn-in letters littering the back can evoke the same emotion as the first time it was worn,

reflecting colors off of a brightly lit stage. Even old merchandise of music that has long-since

been enjoyed happily brings back floods of memories of previous lifetimes spent at concerts or

in dusty record stores. It is passed down from parent to child, sibling to sibling, sold for pennies

at garage sales, and bought “vintage” for hundreds of dollars online. It is collected and traded,

torn and ripped throughout the years, used to wipe a window, cut up and dyed. There is no

correct way to own this memorabilia.

Even if one owns no merchandise, they influence it. Music is universal, as is fashion.

There is no escaping its impact. Music is streamed, fans are made, and merchandise is created.

Merchandise is bought, and this funds more music to be made, streamed, and bought. The cycle
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continues. And so, the next time you reach for a piece of merchandise, take a moment to reflect

on all that it represents. It is worth much more than the fifteen dollars you spent.
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Works Cited

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