| Music Industry News - Music and the Internet |
| I have seen the future of rock and roll, and it’s merch. Of course, band-branded merchandise has been a major part of the music business, big and small, for years. The Ramones sold more T-shirts than albums (and you can buy a T-shirt that says so). And box sets for superfans have become increasingly elaborate and pricey artlike objects. But merchandise is gaining momentum, and it’s not hard to imagine a time when a fan buys a sculpture, home décor item or other tangible good and gets the music as a kind of free soundtrack accompaniment. Over the summer, the vice president of Sub Pop Records told Seattle Weekly’s music blog, Reverb, that the shirts, caps, key chains and cozies that once served as promotional collateral may have greater value to potential customers than recorded songs. “We used to give many of these tchotchke items away for free in an effort to entice people to pay for the music,” Megan Jasper said. “But we’re considering flipping our strategy so that people pay for the toy and receive the music for free. Just a thought.” |
Renee Jones
renee@nzmusic.org.nz
PO Box 68-890
Newton
Auckland
New Zealand
Phone: +64 9 376 0115
Fax: +64 9 376 0116
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Rob Walker in the NY Times: "I have seen the future of rock and roll, and it’s merch"
Tuesday, 14 September 2010 09:12
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