The Wild History of Bootleg Band Merch (And How It Operates Today)
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- Опубліковано 13 тра 2024
- Did you know that bootleg band merch is what led bands to having official merch in the first place? Let's discuss bootleg merch history, how it operates, and the moralities of buying bootleg vs. official.
00:00 Intro / The Reddit Discussion
02:18 The History Of Bootlegging Band Merch
05:19 Modern Bootlegging
07:17 Puppy Break
07:46 Some People Bootleg For A Living
11:15 Should You Buy Bootleg Merch?
12:42 Name 3 Songs!
14:12 Viewers' Thoughts
16:41 Final Thoughts / Outro
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#tourmerch #bootleg #roadiereactions #tankthetech
I was at the Disturbed/ Falling in Reverse/Plush show on Saturday. We saw 100s of people wearing a shirt that had all 3 bands listed on them with the tour dates. Waited in line for 15m at merch table to find out if it wasn't official merch. Was bummed as it was better than any of the official stuff.
So is that considered a bootleg or custom shirt
@@iamjoebuddah It's bootleg.
@@iamjoebuddahMutiple people had it, meaning it was sold outside of the venue by some Grease bag
Sure it’s “original” work, (more than likely Fan art), but they are being sold at venues to people going to the event. It takes away money from the band, that more than deserves it. I get why people do it, it’s way cheaper, but I always support the band if I like or want merch, Id rather spend extra money to support the band, then give it to some person who don’t want to work a job or someone who just wants extra cash.
So the goal is to have my band get good enough that our merch gets bootlegged.
I was a screen printer for 15 years (late 90s through the 2000s) and I have personally made unofficial shirts (PGA, NFL, and few band Tshits) I never did anything shady like try to sell them outside the venue, it was all for personal use and gifts for friends.
It’s all good until you try and sell it for a profit
This. Nailed it.
Thanks Tank ♥
I've had shirts custom made, specifically because a lot of bands don't sell 4x sized shirts. Working on losing weight to fix that, but it sucks that I can't support the bands more because of it.
THIS
I can almost never buy band hoodies or shirts because they NEVER have a tall option or my size in general. Then whenever I email the merch company to see if I can get a custom size they never respond back.
Yeah this is a big issue for me too. I have trouble finding 4xl for the majority of the bands I would LOVE to have a shirt from or even from some of the YT channels I follow I'd love to support. Heck, I have better luck finding things my size on the YT channels than I do with musical artists. Hopefully that will change but, I've been hoping for some time now with very few rendering that. If it's a design I REALLY like and just have to have then I'd buy bootleg if it's my only option
@@jangles1839 I did see that Blind Guardian has 4x'es in their merch store on Spotify, that made me so happy
It's hard to even find 2XL sometimes.
Yeah, working in merch for a while, it was RARE to ever get anything above a 2XL in our stock for tour, so I can feel you pain on that one.
My first concert shirt was actually a bootleg. I was 13 and me and my dad went to see Godsmack. Money was very tight at the time and we couldn't afford any of the actual merch. Guy had a bootleg of the official tour shirt (including dates on the back) for $20 (vs $50 that godsmack wanted 12 years ago) so my dad got me that shirt. It was bootleg or nothing and he decided a bootleg was good enough. It's one of my most prized possessions. Even if the band didn't see the money.
Honestly, I'm glad you shared that because it gave me a little perspective. Concert tees have always been expensive as hell and I understand not everyone can afford them. But hearing that from you and talking about how it is one of your most prized possessions is actually really cool.
I found it interesting that bootleg merch led to official merch being available.
Referring to your point about homemade merch that you wear for personal pride and not for profit: This, to me, is fan art, and many artists/bands/actors are huge fans and really appreciate fan art on social media like Twitter and Instagram.
Hey Tank! I'm one of the 1000+ members of Green Jelly (yes, "Three Little Pigs" Green Jelly), and we have what we think is a fairly unique merch situation: Pretty much all of our official merch is bootleg. Let me explain: Our band leader, Bill Manspeaker, grants us permission to create our own merch using Green Jelly iconography and sell it at shows - it's how we rank-and-file members afford to tour around. Bill sees this method as one less thing he has to worry about, and accordingly, he doesn't get any cut of merch sales (but he doesn't pay us, either, we're all-volunteer, look it up sometime, it's wild). This arrangement has worked since around 2012 when the Jet Set mini-tours began, and the Franchise Band concept really took off (that's why there are so many of us).
Love your videos, dude, hope we can do a show with a band you're working for someday!
By the way: The guys in Live Without (the band from the Denny's Grand Slam "What the f's up, Denny's" viral video) also do t-shirt printing. I've got shirts from them, and they're good quality, if anyone's looking for decent shirt printing with awesome lore! Look them up!
I remember an episode of that 70s show when they were outside a red nugent show selling misprinted shirts that said “Tad Nugent” 😂
Yes! Hahahaha
Classic episode
I need to get bootleg patches, because there just aren't new ones done by many bands from the 90's.
I learned about bootleg merch when my mom took me to see Godsmack and Cold in 2003. When I wanted to look at shirts she said “we will later” and later meant $10 bootleg shirts in the parking lot 😂
"We're worth fake merch!" -Paulina Villarreal, The Warning.
Lmao this is the first thing I thought of when I saw this video
Oh yeah. I got a great laugh out of that when I saw it.
Thanks for reminding me.
😂😂
Now I want to get a shirt with their logo and that quote on...
Last year during a Malevolence tour, they spotted a bootlegger selling shirts outside the venue in Italy.
They decided to actually print the exact same shirt (same color and everything) and sell it for the same price as the bootleg ones. Genius move in my opinion.
I was shocked to find the bootleg shirts for a major metal arena tour in 2019 were actually pretty good quality & a superior design to the official shirt. I was used to the 1980s bootleg merch that had overly thick silk screening that would take a beating & flake away when washed. Also noticed the bootleg crew were selling them at a massive discount after the show. Always wondered how the economics of the bootleg scene worked & who organizes it.
That's something I noticed too, quality is almost the same compared to the official. Sometimes bootlegs have better designs than the official lol
The economics of bootlegging work the same way the economics of any shady, clandestine, semi-legal, or illegal market does: extremely unpredictably.
Oh yeah, if we could find bootlegs after shows in the late 80s, we could count on them being $5 at the most, especially if we bought 2 or more.
I think this is even more interesting topic when you take into account that there's now some bands licensing their logos and everything to companies that will mass produce especially T-shirts and they end up in the "normal" stores at low prices. Like I have found Pink Floyd, Iron Maiden, Metallica, Deep Purple and so on, mostly huge older names, T-shirts from Finnish super markets, like "here's some band shirts and couple shelves that way are the groceries" and while usually band shirts cost like 25€ (today probably more like 30-40€), those were like 10-20€ and those are actually officially licensed stuff. The amount of middlemen in that chain is probably so high that I would find it hilarious if someone was to say that bands gets any money out of those, especially when our prices already include the 24% VAT.
Pretty sure those are a one time payment deal. They'll pay "x" amount of money for the license to print "y" amount of shirts and sell them for whatever. Both sides win on this because the band gets a bit of money from people who want to wear official merch, but might not even be able to afford going to shows. They also get their logo out in a space where literally everyone will walk by.
I’m deep in the Band Maid fan culture. We go HARD with fan made merch but it is almost always free. I’ve crowd funded for rally towels, sunglasses, custom playing cards and custom coins as gifts. It’s when you profiteer off it, it’s a 100% no. Sites like Red Bubble are cancer because they not only steal from the band but often steal fan art as well.
last time I checked, getting official Band-Maid merch was next to impossible, stuff sold out in seconds. It was really frustrating. I'd have absolutely no qualms buying bootlegged Band-Maid merch for that reason. The band just doesn't seem interested in selling their own merch.
@@Mike_Hogsheart you’re doing it wrong. They have 4-5 drops a year with about 3-4 days notice. On sale lasts about 10 days. Any of the fan groups will have the info the second they release info. They do not have an “on demand” shop so that might be be disconnect. Also if you join the fan club you get additional options.
Official Band-Maid merch can be difficult if you aren’t paying attention. But it’s like Nemophila and Lovebites merch too, gotta keep up on it. Recently I totally missed out on the official MM Mechanical Animals shirt. Now I have to wait for it to come back in stock
I think its different when its fan made stuff because you know that whatever you are buying was made with love and is normally stuff you wouldnt get anywhere else, so im all for that.
That sounds like a good idea. Self-made shit or fan without profit is punk rock, cheap ripoffs online is boring.
Sometimes the bootleg stuff is different tshirtv designs than the official stuff too, I've bought those because I thought the bootlegger had a better looking shirt than the band.
I have bought one thing, that being a 2023 Blue Ridge Rock Fest shirt, and that was to display it with a shit show sign above. Then, I completely forgot.
I actually had 2 concert tees from when i saw Korn in Bakersfield the night they had a street named after them, but one is a misprint that had made it through QC. One of the merch guys offered it to me for 5 bucks outside at the end of the night because i was still there after they finished their tear down. And i know it was an actual merch guy because he was the one who sold me the other one. It has a few cities misprinted, including "Backersfield and Clevland".
I'll be honest, I think you doing these on Twitch has made the youtube videos better IMO. I never really watched the channel before, but now seeing you doing it through twitch first then uploading it, I've been watching more and more of your episodes.
Recording videos for youtube live on twitch has elevated the quality of your content tbh, so keep on keepin' on!
As always I can't thank you enough for finally providing a platform about those of us who've done all the tech. work so people can finally understand what we really do. From merch to tour management, you try to cover it all.
Granted, I walked in your work boots years prior, Lolol 😄, when dinosaurs roamed freely and worked mainly arena venues but always loved when they would do a tour of shows where they'd play at places like Irving Plaza in NYC.
And, again, I olny worked my way up to stage management/ lighting designer and mostly was in my zone doing the lighting designs and then running the lights for the shows. I was asked about Tour Management, but for me I just didn't feel comfortable trying to tackle that so yet another reason you've earned my respect!
Oh! Tried Twitch and grandma here couldn't make it work, ROFL 😂! Seriously, Lolol 😅, I'm surprised I was able to figure out UA-cam! ROFL🤣! But thankfully you do post your videos here! ❤
Will you be making it up to the Pacific Northwest (Seattle area) on your tour this year? There's a lot of great venues in the area being a university town and the one's I've been to ARE NOT affiliated with Live Nation, thankfully in my opinion, per reasons you've already covered.
Keep it awesome as always and best to you and your family in 2024!
LadyAnnePhD ^^ö^^
Wow, thanks a ton! The Super Thanks was totally unnecessary but I appreciate it a lot! We were up in Oregon and Washington late last year and I don't think I'll be making it back this year, but I love that area. And I also love places like Irving Plaza, but hate the stairs. 😂
When I saw Rammstein at Soldier Field in 2022, there were sooooo many bootleg sellers. They were like "T-shirts inside $70, two for $50 right here."
Usually, I try buying official merch from the band's webstore. However, in many cases, the shirts I would like to get (especially for specific albums) are from the 80s thrash metal bands, most of which are no longer together or are not available on their webstore. In those cases, I had them custom-made via sellers online. I know they are bootleg shirts, but I like wearing them in public. I had several people commenting on the shirts. All the t-shirts I had made are 3-D prints and are of excellent quality. Many have very colorful designs.
They've switched a bit to festivals. We go to Louder than Life every year. Our first year, we did buy bootleg but only because we didn't know any better, but that shirt has actually held up very well. But I always see post now about people complain about the merch cost and quality inside the festival ($40, which is about the same I pay for band merch anyways), buy bootleg, and then complain about it fading and/or ripping. You can't have it both ways
as tank said in the video, buying any merch, official or bootlegged, is kind of a crapshoot most of the time. Had plenty of official stuff that looked or fit like crap after just a couple of gentle washes and bootlegged stuf that held up for years...
Because you mentioned that people complained about you uploading videos you made on twitch. I like those videos! I like that there are other peoples opinions and your answers to that. And I find the topics you talk about so interesting, but I dont have the time/focus to watch long twitch streams, so those short videos are perfect for me!
I never thought about bootlegs because I cant afford much merch anyway and if I can afford something I bought it at the official webshop. But I dont wear much Bandshirts anyway - because I truly are affraid of those people who ask stupid questions. Im really bad at remembering Names (Song Titels and Band Members) but I can still love the music?
My very first "rock shirt" was one my mom bought for me in '81 (I was 8) of Van Halen. It was bought from a guy at a swap meet at the Salt Lake County Fairgrounds who had a whole stall of bootleg band merch including a collection of studded leather that would make Rob Halford proud. It was not quality but having a Van Halen shirt was the bomb for me...even if David Lee Roth looked like Sloth from "The Goonies" on it... (I still have that shirt somewhere).
Bootleg merch has become more of a problem on the Internet as of late. Marketplaces like Etsy, TikTok Shop, eBay, Amazon, etc, are full of bootleggers who use print-on-demand services to print the merch orders they get. Those services limit profits, but also minimize risk.
Bigger artists have to hire companies to play wack-a-mole on their behalf to get these copyright infringing listings taken down.
The bigger the fandom, the bigger this problem is.
Back in 2007 I went to a Billy Talent show here in Germany and bought a big ass poster for 10€ from a guy in the parking lot. I didn't have much money back then as a 14 year old still in school... It's a little roughed up after me moving five times, but I still hang it and still love it. Nowadays, I have my own income I try to buy official as much as possible. :)
As you said, it sometimes makes your day, when someone spots your shirt and gives you a nod. They know, you know!
Thank you for making this video!
Many times after a show I have seen people selling cheap band shirts outside the venue thinking they are left over. I thought they were original because they have the tour dates on the back.
Never bought one as I was always in a rush and after watching your video I am glad I didn't.
Thanks you Tank the Historian! Younger and poorer, I bought some bootleg shirts. But, seeing the logo disappear after a few washes turned me off of them. Then better finances came along and been buying official merch since.
I like this vod style video. Chats input is cool. 👍🏻 Maybe add more "future tank" input to appease if the minority are that loud.
thank you for this topic
I saw an entire screen printing setup, in the camping area, at Bonnaroo to sell bootlegs
I almost didn't click on this cause youtube kept showing the thumbnail like it was still due to release today like 20 minutes ago. Great video tank ❤ great i decided to click just to check anyway
I remember seeing an old documentary on the selling of bootleg shirts at venues and it was a very profitable business and very organized criminal network.
Doggoooo! Oh and also thanks for the informative video per usual haha
We appreciate your input brother, having followed music and worked in a music store for a better part of a decade (right as digital took over). It's nice to have the updates on the industry as a whole ♥
Hey Tank, just wanted to say I love this new style of content. I did enjoy the reactions but what you're doing now is next level. 👍
Thanks again Tank for another really interesting topic! I saw and commented on another here that mentioned that it's harder to find merch (mainly tees) in larger sizes (4xl for me) and I say that if it's a design or band I like a lot & just absolutely have to have it then I'll grab a bootleg. I'd much rather have something official and know I'm supporting an artist (or otherwise) that I know helps them and not someone trying to undercut & capitalize off their hard work but, many times that just isn't an option. 🤘🏼💙
I both bought and made homemade band shirts long ago. I know one of the coolest things was seeing kids with homemade shirts at my own local shows too.
it is cool to see your twitch chat I cant be on to watch there I just have to get the chance to see it on here later and appreciate it. I personally would prefer to get the merch to support the band if I went to their concert. If the band does not make the merch your wanting but a third party does I see it make sense and would be good to buy that merch. Good luck and good times on the upcoming tour(s) will be interesting to see how the go pro's do and seeing some behind the scenes world :)
I have a custom-made leather amigo the devil patch on my vest. i absolutely love it. The guy put so much work in, and he absolutely just gave a handful of them away in a fan group. Its one of my favorite patches.
I remember an incident with Immoral Technique and his manager beating up a guy for selling bootleg merch outside their show.
In the UK there’s often sellers outside club shows (O2 venues for example). Bands like Slaughter To Prevail, Lorna Shore, and Electric Callboy are ones I’ve seen recently in particular. Not always, and not at every venue that size, but it is a common sight. But I’m never a fan of seeing it and wouldn’t dream of buying it. I just can’t believe they’ll be any good in the quality, and feels like a slap in the face to the band I’ve just watched. But then again I’ll also buy bootleg patches if I can’t get the official ones, or even if the official ones aren’t a design I like
My fiance and I go to around a dozen shows a year, and she has kids, one is super into rock band shirts, even if she doesn't know the band either, so we always take a look and if there's something her style we grab her stuff. When we saw tool I got official merch inside and a bootleg small for her. The kid doesn't care, she's only gonna wear it for like 6 months anyway.
We're starting to take her to more shows, just not the ones with crowd killers and rougher shows, but like we're taking her to the upcoming Flogging Molly st Patty's day festival for instance. I guess now she's coming with us, we might not be able to do bootleg merch now.
Really intresting to know the origin of Band merch, thx! :)
here in italy bootleg was a a thing when we didn't have proper merch distributor, but nowadays with EMP nobody i know choses bootleg anymore
Happy birthday to your furbaby! ❤
thank you for making this vid! Literally had no idea about the bootleg history but that totally makes sense. I just sent you a message from my business IG and i have some more questions about the subject if you're able to reach back out, thanks dude!
In europe we don't have much bootlegging at arena shows that i know of.
But bootleg patches and shirts even get sold in the shops at big festivals (graspop, wacken, alcatraz).
if i have $10 in my pocket walking out of a show, and someone in the lot has a $10 shirt, idk how that hurts the band. I wasn't buying a $50 shirt before I walked in, and this doesnt stop me from buying a $50 shirt after it either.
First and foremost Happy Birthday Mowgli and Hi Twitch.
This is so interesting to hear how it all started. I never buy from outside the venue. I never have but i always knew they were bootleg. Like back when CDs were a thing they would sell them too. Not because I take the high ground or anything I just know that money is not going to the band. I know one persons money isnt a big deal but i like to know its going to support the band I love.
Reminds me of the video with Dimebag. Pantera opened up for Kiss in 97. Dime saw some bootleg shirts and posters for one of the shows. He said the bootlegs looked better than the official merch. lol. Unfortunately, most bootleg merch looks better than the official stuff.
I remember I saw metallica during the load tour, the only T-shirts they were selling was with the shitty new logo, I wanted a classic metallica logo. I found a great one outside after the show.
As i watched this, I'm wearing an official Amon Amarth shirt from last summer's show and its off print, it goes to the left. My wife laughed at me, then i told her to put her's on. She stopped laughing 😮
Like you said when someone walks by and does the horns when they see your shirt is always awesome.
Oh, I did get my nephew a one off Randy Rhodes patch embroidered for his jacket too for Xmas this year, great quality too
Love the vibe of Twitch recorded videos your posting vs a standard UA-cam minded approach. I love the live energy you have going in these kinds of recordings. Just a little positive feedback for you since you said people were complaining about you posting Twitch videos.
I saw Slaughter to Prevail in London a couple of weeks ago, and there were multiple separate bootleg merch sellers going around. While waiting In the queue there were guys offering £15 for shirts, and after the show there were also people set up on the street selling crazy amounts of bootleg merch as well. I didn’t realise it was uncommon for this to happen to smaller bands, I saw bring me the horizon the day before in Bournemouth and it was exactly the same!
Well, while I think it's uncommon for it to happen at lower than arena levels, it's not unheard of, and Slaughter is absolutely blowing up right now. Where there's a chance to capitalize on something, someone's gonna do it.
I've found a couple of bands I enjoyed from deciphering your hoodies lol
Wish I had known this stuff in the 70's! MSG had dozens of them on the sidewalks before a concert. Love the education Tank, thanks!
I think ultimately you’re not hurting anyone if you buy bootleg merch. But if it’s a smaller band, do your best to support them directly. If you can’t afford merch at a show or directly from them, save up until you can. But if it’s an arena/stadium show where you’re already paying an arm and a leg to be there, if you don’t want to pay an extra $30 to $40 just for merch but you really want a shirt, just take the cheap ones. I personally love fan-made merch. It’s normally super limited and only released once so you get something really cool and unique. I’ve got a set of MCR tarot cards done by a fandom artist and recently ordered a crochet Ghost Opus sweater also from a fan. I think some of these huge bands need to pay attention to what happening in the fan art community because there’s some amazing merch ideas there.
I might buy a Tank the Tech patch of some sort. :) That would look good on my camera bag.
This is a good one. Tight.
If I couldn't get legit merch in the venue, I either save my cash or get something online
A lot of bands offer the same stuff online. If it’s a GA show and being close is important, I skip venue merch and buy online.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DOGGY
I have a few bootleg patches and shirts. Never seen it as a big deal because the bootleg shit I own is usually from bands that are signed from bigger labels, or just don't exist anymore lol
Great topic!!! I’d like to hear more as I love merch esp vintage which is waaay overpriced
TanktheToch merch coming :D
😂😂😂
The one time I actually give a positive to bootleg merch, was when I went to a Caifanes concert and there was no merchandise being sold, maybe it ran out or something but I couldn't find anything from the official merch booth. After leaving the venue there were people selling bootleg versions, did a quick inspection of quality, then bought one shirt for my girlfriend.
Topic of home made merch: I'm part of a community from a german band and said band was playing support on a tour here in germany and it turned out that booth bands became real good fans and that reflected in both fan communities. So at one of the concerts one fan had a really awesome mash-up of both tour shirts. She bought one of each band, cut them in half and sew them back together. That was for me one of the most awesome selfmade and unique merch thing I've seen so far. Extra points on first buying the shirts so the bands got some profit of it :D
I remember when I went to see Slaughter to Prevail in London only this month, there were about 3 dudes outside the somewhat small-ish venue (O2 forum Kentish town) selling bootleg merch, I was surprised it was happening at a STP show of all places tbh
about bands not having patches; when i bought my first Entrails album there came some stickers with the bandname and albumcover on it with the album, and since i couldnt finy any Entrails patches anywhere back then, i decided to practically laminate a sticker with see-through tape and then sowed that onto my battlejacket ;D thats like 15 years ago and the "patch" is still on there :D
@TankTheTech Great topic/conversation, sorry I missed the live stream. Sometimes my schedule doesn't allow me with when they happen.
Like you I've never seen bootleg merch at a club show.
What really caught my attention was the home made merch. I have fairly big collection of pictures from a band I like and would love to have shirt made as a collage but I wasn't sure if that was copacetic. Thanks for the clarification.
I'm always happy to support a band as my personal budget allows and skip the bootleg stuff.
My biggest merch challenge is there seems to be very few choices for ladies sizes/styles. So my questionis based on your experience does the ladies merch not sell because it isn't worthwhile and/or the demand isn't there?
When I went to my first live punk show when I was 16, I wore a shirt I designed and screenprinted myself. One of the headliner band's members liked it and swapped shirts with me after the show with one of theirs he was wearing. I have treasured that shirt and memory ever since.
My default position is "stick with official or create your own", but there are many many reasons why I would never make that a blanket rule. I've already seen three while briefly scanning the comments, two of which I hadn't thought of!
BTW I don't do twitch, but I have no trouble with you recording there and I can't see why anybody would? People are weird sometimes.
I've honestly had the best merch from bootleggers outside the venue after the gig. I once wanted a specific Frank Turner t-shirt but they'd sold out of my size so after the gig, a guy was selling some bootlegged version of the same t-shirt so got that instead. First and last time I've done it
Bootlegging seems to be a lot more common in the UK. Most smaller-medium size shows have bootleg merch outside here. Saw Bury Tomorrow last week in a 500-800 cap venue and there were a couple of bootleggers outside. When Electric Callboy toured last year in 1000-1500 cap venues the guys outside had almost a full scale merch offering. Lots of different designs which were similar to the official stuff. Obviously not as common as at arena shows. The guys at Bring Me last week had tons as well. Official shirts for the BMTH tour were £45 from memory so that’s what $60-$65 which is just wild
They did that at the eagles concert at td garden when I was in line for electric callboy at big night live in Boston
I like this format
One thing I’ve seen is Pull The Plug patches is starting to work with a lot of different bands on patches lately. The first time I saw it was at Meshuggah, In Flames and I hire Chapel a couple months ago.
It’s certainly a good topic to bring up. You can understand people selling unofficial merch that have designs the official stuff doesn’t have. Though the band is missing the financial gain to help pay for the tour & other expenses, me personally I feel the exposure & word of mouth helps promote more listeners, and more people to attend shows & festivals.
I have worked as a bootleg agent for tours since 2013. It is a fun gig. We do see a lot of the same groups. I would love to get out more.
I saw so many of these outside the o2 at bring me the other week after not seeing one is years
I recently went to a Slaughter to Prevail gig in london, first time id actually seen Bootleggers. At this gig the band went out of stock of their actual merch over an hour before they came on, and as is the way nower days, the items were pricey, £40 for a t-shirt ...ect... And I think this is where it stems from. People want to express their love for a band and have something to remember a gig by. In todays world dropping 40 quid ontop of the price of a ticket is a big reach for a lot of people. At the slaughter gig the bootlegged t shirts were a tenner. Can defo imagine its a tempting offer for people.
im SO glad this is being discussed. Im between a rock and a hard place here, I used to be a somewhat semi professional gigging musician and i know first hand how EVERY SINGLE DOLLAR really does matter, my wife was NOT a part of the scene, she loves the music but it ends at that. Now she knows im a big fan of a few bands, so on christmas and birthdays she gets me t shirts and posters and stuff off of sites like temu and etsy and amazon, and its awesome, she went out of her way to look for a specific band i like and paid her money to gift me a shirt or poster or something, but i can tell right away these are NOT from an “official” merch seller. Part of me wants to tell her, hey this isnt cool, but i also genuinely love the gesture and some of the shirts, i dont want her to think i just dont like “lower quality” stuff. Its a good debate to have, is it fandom or is it stealing?
My dad told me that almost all the band merch he ever bought was basically bootleg back in the '70s and '80s. It wasn't so much because it was cheaper, but because bootleggers back then simply had more variety, and bootlegged mech for major bands at the arena level was more prevalent than actual band merch sold inside the arena. If you went to the Worcester Centrum or Providence Civic Center and really wanted to buy a cool looking metal pin of the band you were there for, then bootleggers were the way to go. The merch stands sold maybe two different t-shirt designs, while the bootleggers outside had way more options.
Fun bit of history you gave here. Didn't know that. As a guy who loves band merch and only wears band shirts from shows I've attended, bootleg shirts are kind of like a cool part of the memories associated with that show. I've got some Lollapalooza '96 bootleg shirts that are still in great shape print-wise, it's just time and wear that have deteriorated them to the point of being only brought out as a personal museum artifact. But then again, yeah, some are complete trash.
What about people selling live concert recordings? I remember when I was younger, it was a huge thing. Especially ones from over seas.
Not really a thing anymore because almost everything is immediately online.
I once got bootleg merch - from Rise Against, because the design was really really cool, but a) they play arenas here b) do i own at least half a dozen pieces of official merch of them. generally i agree with every thing said in the video. But on top of that, even if it's a small band, if you own 4 shirts, 2 hoodies, a beanie etc. of official merch, i think it's fine for someone to also get a cool bootleg design. I usually don't get it due to the quality, which on official merch tends to be really good here, at least for the last 5 years.
i remember 15 years ago, when i first got merch it always was shity to okish at best. Nowadays it's often legit better quality and more comfy that clothes for the same price you'd get at a regular store, and also the cut just looks good. At first i thought it was due to me being in better form, and that's certainly part of it, but it's not even close with some old merch i still own. Also even after a couple dozen washes those shirts/hoodies are still smooth AF. The only issues i had in a few cases were faulty seams, mostly at the cuffs - but if you can sew a tiny bit that's not at all an issue. I rather get a really nice hoodie, that's comfy, warm and smooth where i have to sew the seam 1-2 times in his lifetime than are that's just meh where i don't have to do that.
Having been an indy wrestling referee for years, I laughed at the “Exposure” line. “Brother, I can’t pay you but I can get you exposure. We got local TV at about 4:30AM every other Sunday on Cable Access. My wife handles the UA-cam channel, which we recently got 40 subscribers for.”
Yo Tank - Could you move that Night Game 2nd album to the right of your head & in the shot, please? Martin Johnson needs way more love for his great music in that solo project. The 1st Night Game album is one of my all-time fave records.
Depends on the band/style. This is a staple point in the jam and eletronic scenes. Typically if the offical logos arent used its fair game
On the topic of the home made merch thing, random little story, my mate Emin aka the music project "Violet Cold" last year put out a statement telling the entire fanbase that he knows the cost of living is through the roof right now and his stuff merch wise can be a bit pricey and so he's encouraging fans now to make their own merch and use his logo with full permission as long as they aren't mass producing it to sell, which I think is absolutely wonderful.
It’s interesting that the argument of exposure is nearly identical to conversations during the Napster era.
Hi @TankTheTech - I see that Electric Callboy are playing Download this year. Will you be there with them? How about discussing how much time a band and it's crew get at a festival, to see other bands and stuff like that. I take it you might well be seeing (or you could get to see) SO many bands that will be new to American eyes at Downloads.
In high school, we had graphic arts class and always made band stuff, but we kept to ourselves, and yes, we were selfish like that 😂
here in italy last concert i've been a club show of blind guardian litteraly outside the doors there were 2 vending tables of bootleg t-shirts, here they look a lot more like street market seller with a wall or a vehicle
Oh hell yeah, puppy break!! I don't care that it's his 10th birthday, HE'S STILL A PUPPY
Beards looking majestic today bro
I used to see bootleg sellers at mid size shows fairly often. The first ones that come to mind are Killswitch Engage in 2008, which was my first show ever, and Rise Against in 2012 where the sellers were outside before the show trying to sell to the people waiting to get in. Those ones got arrested.
You mean "prevalent."
So what if the band doesn't have the cool designs, or the variety if items, or have merch easily available on commonly used platforms such as Amazon, etc? That being said, unofficial/bootleg merch should give a percentage to the bands they're profiting from.