Written by Zaaim Hariz
It doesn’t matter if it’s just a shirt or an accessory, tour merchandise has always been essential to any artist to further reach their audience and even to this day and age, it definitely carries much more weight to the fans rather than just another t-shirt. Prime example, with the recent release of Astroworld, Travis Scott celebrated the launch by releasing a merchandise capsule collection that’s only available on a 24-hour period from at a time. The collection, spanning 5 drops has had every single one sold out (believe us, we tried to cop to no avail because we missed the timer by 5 seconds), practically having fans, new and old trying to earn a piece of that limited drop.
By means essential then, tour merchandise can be considered more than just clothes to wear for the fans. Especially for t-shirts, it is an item that isn’t easily perishable, thus fans are able to hold on to it, and wear to showcase their passion and support of an artist even when the date of the tour has passed. It’s also very significant to the artists as well; being able to showcase their creative process, influence and personality on a merchandise everywhere you go is one of the best way for artists to transcend their name or brand.
Certain merchandise also pick up some value in the resellers market. For instance, merchandise for Kanye West’s album titled The Life of Pablo has raked up sales because of its exclusive and limited release. Even with plenty of pop-up shop all around the US and some countries in Asia, fans couldn’t easily get their hands on and they have to go with the last resort of breaking the bank with resellers just to pledge allegiance to Yeezus. The impact can vary however, but when it goes big, it goes really fucking big.
West raked in almost a million dollars on just one show of his Saint Pablo tour, so you can imagine the pretty pennies that were collected when the tour was completed.
Many artists come out with plenty of great products, some even calling upon designers to draw up their merch, but which merchandise stood out the most? You’ll be the judge. Here is our four pick of the best tour merchandise that we have seen to date.
Kanye West
Call it artistic or controversial, Kanye West is not afraid to be outspoken with his antics as he kicks off his Yeezus Tour with releasing an over the top merchandises. With the help of Wes Lang, confederate flag to the KKKs were not uncommon, and Kanye is not shy when it comes to expressing his ideas onto a t-shirt design.
Kendrick Lamar
One of the main standouts is definitely the DAMN. Tour merchandise. Prior to the tour, Kendrick Lamar announced the release of the tour’s apparel. From sweatshirts to tote bags, the fans will have something to remember other than reminiscing Kendrick’s electric performance. Every piece of the collection was instantly sold out.
The Weeknd
The Weeknd is no stranger when it comes to releasing merchandise with stylish designs. In this case, both Starboy tour and Legend of The Fall tour, in support of the album titled Starboy, have one of the most colourful look on a merchandise in recent years.
Justin Bieber
Say what you want about Justin Bieber but his merchandise for the Purpose Tour has definitely caught the public eye. With the help of Fear Of God’s Jerry Lorenzo and collaborations with H&M, Justin is making sure that everyone will get their chance to cop a piece of the collection.
What’s your favourite tour merch? Let us know in the comments below!
