FANDOM FEATURE
Music collectibles are hotter — and more important — than ever before. by James Zahn, senior editor
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ince the beginning of the rock ‘n roll era, music merch has been big business. From Elvis Presley and The Beatles to Led Zeppelin and KISS, the floodgates opened between the 1950s and ‘70s, creating a licensing industry that took off in the ‘80s and has been growing ever since. While merchandising began as an additional revenue stream designed to support the release of an album during a tour cycle, ancillary products can now make up the bulk of an artist’s income in an era when releasing an album means practically giving it away for free. According to Business Insider, Spotify pays artists as little as $.0033 per track stream. “With the demise of selling hard copies of music, we just don’t sell CDs the way we used to,” says Charlie Benante, drummer and one of the principal songwriters of the metal band Anthrax, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. The band has long been a merchandising powerhouse, offering skate decks, T-shirts, hockey jerseys, and, recently, an Among the Living ReAction Figure by Super7. All of those things add up, but Benante says that streaming has created added pressure to increase revenues on the road. “You have to do a meet-and-greet and a VIP package, which have become common for most bands … the days of going out and getting in trouble on tour have been replaced with more work … you have to be present,” he says.
THANKS, PANDEMIC — THE TOUR’S CANCELED! For the entire industry, the COVID-19 pandemic threw a new wrench in the machine: a complete void of concerts and touring opportunities for much of 2020 and 2021. For the merch makers, that meant new possibilities as new licensors
came calling. “There is no question that the lack of touring has opened up new licensing opportunities for us,” says Bart Silberman, vice president of licensing at Super7, which is serving up new collectibles this year based on the likes of Run-DMC, Motörhead, and Notorious B.I.G. “The music licensors have had to step back and come up with new revenue sources and new ways to connect with their fans. We have seen multiple new artist licenses come through that were off the table just a year ago.”
Anthrax 40th Anniversary VIP Pack
DANNY WIMMER PRESENTS
Celebrate 40 years of thrash with this bundle that includes T-shirts, an autographed poster, a virtual meet-and-greet, a live streamed concert, and more. MSRP: $210.00 Available: anthraxlive.com
As artists switched to live-streamed performances, crowdfunding efforts, and limited products including face masks and PPE (see: Anthrax’s Spreading the Disease Hand Sanitizer) to refill the coffers, some of the biggest bands on the
planet began teaming up with energetic and enthusiastic new companies to offer products that fans can use to showcase their fandom with style.
BECOMING THE TREND Six years ago, Stephen Lease launched goodr with a Kickstarter campaign, a creative title (Chief Executive Octopus), and a mission to “sell fun, not eyewear.” Now, goodr is in business with Mick Jagger and Keith Richards for a collaborative collection of sunglasses that puts a fun spin on some classic albums — and it has cross-generational appeal. “The Rolling Stones is my favorite band of all time because it is my dad’s favorite band of all time,” Lease says. “It was surreal for this partnership to happen. The most rewarding thing was being able to name a pair [Honky Tonk Donald] after my dad.” Of course, style needs apparel, and in recent years, the Instagram and TikTok-fueled world of celebrity influencers has thrust several bands into the spotlight at unexpected times. “Anthrax is a brand, and it’s been going for 40 years and it’s become cool at times,” Benante says. “I just recently saw one of the Kardashian girls wearing one of our shirts, and now it’s become trendy. I don’t know if they really know any of our records or our songs, but style wise — it kinda looks cool and it’s what’s in, but you never know when it’s gonna be in.” Benante points out that when rock fashion trends spike, companies like Urban Outfitters get in on the action and the $25 concert T-shirt becomes a musthave item with a much bigger price tag. “It’s a strange thing, this market. They’ll buy a bunch of designs and put them on certain types of shirts, and it just works. It’s overpriced,” Benante says with a chuckle, “but there’s something to
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