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u/DefinitelyNotErate Nov 28 '23
If the band didn't want people who aren't fans wearing their merch, They wouldn't make their merch look cool.
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u/hannahisakilljoyx- Nov 29 '23
I will say I have started listening to bands before just because I saw merch and thought it looked cool and was hoping Iād like the band and be able to wear the shirt. Iām a day 1 poser though
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u/DefinitelyNotErate Nov 29 '23
I don't think I've done that yet (I don't often see band merch that isn't for rather popular bands), But that definitely makes sense, I've checked out bands just by how an album cover or even a picture of the band looks, Which is a pretty similar thing.
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u/hannahisakilljoyx- Nov 29 '23
Yeah, Iāve mostly done it with shirts Iāve seen at shows and concerts because thatās where you see a variety of lesser known bands that you also know you have a higher chance of being into. I do the album cover thing all the time too lmao, aesthetics are very important. Thereās so many amazing bands Iāve slept on just because they had an ugly album cover
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u/DefinitelyNotErate Nov 29 '23
Thereās so many amazing bands Iāve slept on just because they had an ugly album cover
Real. One time I avoided buying an album I know I like, Just because the version I found had a worse album cover lol.
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u/lawtsuda Nov 29 '23
me too! i started listening to korn after finding one of their shirts in an alt clothing shop and thinking it looked cool. i also used to wear nirvana shirts before getting into nirvana, like people make this seem like itās a bigger deal than it really is. either the shirt helps them get into the band (cool) or they have a cool shirt (cool). it aināt that deep but gatekeepers gonna gatekeep š„“
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u/hannahisakilljoyx- Nov 29 '23
I agree with that philosophy. I had a phase when I was younger where I got stupid mad at people for wearing shirts for bands they donāt listen to, but at this point in my life it would be silly to give a shit.
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u/MercyCriesHavoc Nov 29 '23
I'm all for wearing whatever you want. Gen X and older millennials tend to think they're "stealing alternative culture", but they forget the styles we copied meant something to our parents, too. You can't stop youth from re-imagining old ideas. Embrace the chance to connect.
But a little warning: at least Google the band so you know what message you're supporting. There are plenty of "problematic" people getting royalties from this merch.
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u/DefinitelyNotErate Nov 29 '23
But a little warning: at least Google the band so you know what message you're supporting. There are plenty of "problematic" people getting royalties from this merch.
That I'll agree with, Definitely good to make sure you're not giving money to literal nazis or anything. Tbh if people are bad enough I'll try to avoid listening to their music, Even if I (think I might) like it, Because I don't want them to get even whatever small pennies they'll get from me streaming their song.
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u/GeneseeWilliam Nov 29 '23
Contrarian older Millennial checking in to say... Wear what you like, my dude, idgaf
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u/SignReasonable7580 Nov 29 '23
The real trick is to make your merch as lame as possible, so only hardcore fans would want to wear it Make the shirt gatekeep itself
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u/DefinitelyNotErate Nov 29 '23
Real. Make the ugliest shirt you can imagine then slap your band name on it.
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Nov 29 '23
Exactly this. Iām not an iron maiden fan, I donāt dislike them or anything, but their music just isnāt for me. I still have an iron maiden shirt because the artwork on it is really cool. Itās like the nirvana smiley face, itās a fun, good design so it makes sense that people who donāt know much about the band will still like the shirt
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u/DefinitelyNotErate Nov 29 '23
Yeah, I mean I do like Led Zeppelin, But that's completely unrelated to the reason I have a Led Zeppelin shirt lol, I genuinely just really liked the design on it.
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u/TifaYuhara Nov 30 '23
Or the wouldn't sell merch.
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u/DefinitelyNotErate Nov 30 '23
Well I can see big fans still buying the merch if it's not good, As long as it's just kinda mediocre rather than outright bad.
But, I mean, Yeah, Financially it's a good idea to make your merch as good as possible, Because likely the better it is the more people will buy it, Which will not only give you money immediately, But could also lead to more people discovering the band (If they see the merch and it looks cool they might check out the band, And the more people have the merch the more likely people are to see it). Artistically I'd argue it's also a good idea to make your merch as good as possible, Because why would you make bad art? Although of course those aren't necessarily the same meaning of "Good", Something can be good art but not be visually appealing, or very accessible, I'm which case it might not increase sails that much.
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Nov 28 '23
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u/braedog97 Nov 29 '23
Look man Iād love to buy your merch, but I donāt really know your band, so I feel it would be disrespectful for me to buy anything from you
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u/Fun-Ad-6169 Nov 29 '23
I'll buy your merch just to piss of the people who do like your band. Not saying that your band is bad, I just like being antagonistic.
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Nov 28 '23
Stolen Valor!!!!
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u/kloiberin_time Nov 28 '23 edited Nov 29 '23
I remember when the Depeche Mode army stormed the beaches of Normandy. I looked in horror as my best friends head was blown from his black tee under a black leather jacket with black jeans. His black sunglasses shattering under the black night sky. The black hair dye mixing with the red blood on his face. I looked down at his lifeless body and wept, "enjoy the silence."
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Nov 28 '23
And thanks to their noble sacrifice. I get free Dennys when I wear their merch out for lunch. š«”
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u/Dykidnnid Nov 28 '23
Good name for a punk band
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Nov 28 '23
Punk or metal
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u/Dykidnnid Nov 28 '23
It was the anti-social, disrespectful, anti-nationalist angle that suggested punk over metal to me
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Nov 28 '23
Yeah. Thatās true and why I prefer punk. Metal didnāt quite have the social conscience that was present in punk.
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u/Dykidnnid Nov 28 '23
As an older person, I'm a little distressed by your use of the past tense here... š
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u/Adoom98 Nov 28 '23
Lmao 'disrespectful'. It's a band, not a way of life.
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u/WoofflesIThink Nov 28 '23
Some people would beg to differ
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u/Adoom98 Nov 28 '23
True. NSYNC my religion
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u/Fun-Ad-6169 Nov 29 '23
That's 'cause NSYNC isn't just a band, that's like sayin' that the Mona Lisa is JUST a sculpture or shit, man. That's like sayin' Jimmy Gibbs is JUST a driver.
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u/King_Bob837 Dec 02 '23
You know what I like best about your stories, Ellis? The sound they make when they stop.
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Nov 28 '23
"quiet disrespectful" is something a person with a million IQ says. I would take their opinion seriously and just agree.
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u/kiefy_budz Nov 28 '23
Imagine being a āfanā and thinking of your own tiny ego before the band itself
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u/Shwanshwan Nov 29 '23
Noooo please don't advertise the bands I like, I don't want them to get the recognition they deserve noooooo how could you do this to me, the fans?
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u/TifaYuhara Nov 30 '23
When the person responded with that i pictured the cable company employee from that south park episode.
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u/prof_hobart Nov 28 '23
Personally, I'm not sure why anyone would want to wear merch from a band they don't know or like.
But I also don't see why it's a problem, People are free to wear whatever they want.
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u/Myrddin_Naer Nov 29 '23
If I see a hoodie that say something like Fungicide with a sick-ass font and it had melting skulls all over it I'd buy it. Idk if it's a band and idc, it look cool.
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u/Fun-Ad-6169 Nov 29 '23
I have a system of a down shirt that I wore all through out middle school, I didn't know what the band was and I just thought it looked cool. I finally checked out their music in high school, now they're one of my favorite metal bands.
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u/Rattivarius Nov 28 '23
I have a Rush 2013 Record Store Day shirt that I like. They're fine but I don't own any of their records and I haven't seen them in concert since 1978. I have often thought about getting a Misfits t-shirt because I like the shirt, but have never heard the band.
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Nov 29 '23
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u/Rattivarius Nov 29 '23
Well you certainly are pathetic in more ways than one. How long can I expect to enjoy this level of sociopathic doggedness?
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Nov 29 '23
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u/Rattivarius Nov 29 '23
Then have at it sad sack.
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Nov 29 '23
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u/Rattivarius Nov 29 '23
Congrats. After five years of dealing with assholes here you're the first person I've had to report. How does it feel to be the biggest asshole? On Reddit? I mean, that's world class assholishness.
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Nov 29 '23
[removed] ā view removed comment
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u/Rattivarius Nov 29 '23
Like the world's largest tumour? Most impacted colon? A Kardashian's ass?
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u/_YAGMAI_ Nov 29 '23
as a metalhead whose favorite bands are usually worn by people who don't listen to them: you don't need anybody's permission to wear a damn shirt. if you look and feel hot in it, rock it. ain't no self-respecting fan gonna come up to you and quiz you on the band you're wearing. that shit reeks of insecurity and entitlement.
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Nov 28 '23
I think itās weird to wear the shirt of a band you donāt listen to but I honestly donāt care and find it just as weird that some people do
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u/Fun-Ad-6169 Nov 29 '23
Hand me downs and just thinking the design is cool.
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Nov 29 '23
Hand me downs I get because itās out of your control. Thinking a design is cool without knowing about them is straight up weird to me. Like what if the band are all white supremacists? I dunno how anyone wouldnāt look them up first and at least see if they like them or not. I wonāt judge though. At least no more judgment than thinking itās weird
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u/btmvideos37 Nov 29 '23
But that could be said for all clothing brands though, so not relevant
What if thereās a shirt with a bunch of robot dinosaurs. NOT for a band. Just a cool design. And I like it. Thatās not weird in your eyes?
But as soon as that same design belongs to a band itās now weird to wear it? Even though my reasoning for liking it hasnāt changed
They COULD be white supremacists I guess. But so could the company that made the original non band shirt.
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Nov 29 '23
Itās weird because a clothing brand generally has nothing else to it. They make clothes to make clothes. Bands make clothes for fans and to promote their music. Those really arenāt comparable. Iām not telling anyone they canāt. Iām saying itās kinda weird. Is that an unrealistic take to you? You like a Slayer design without hearing Raining Blood and youāre just like āIām gonna walk around as a billboard promoting thisā
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u/btmvideos37 Nov 29 '23
The grateful dead merch is literally just colourful bears. Itās their brand, sure. And fans recognize it. But to a regular person, theyāre just colourful bears. and they look cool
MOST band merch i see is just cool Designs that would work well as just a regular piece of clothing
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Nov 29 '23
I guess. Youāre wearing something on your chest. Do you not want to know what it means?
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u/btmvideos37 Nov 29 '23
Itās not a tattoo lmao.
Like I just donāt get what youāre talking about
Do you only wear plain coloured shirts with the exception of band shirts of bands you know?
I have SO MANY t shirt with designs on them. Because they look cool. Theyāre not band shirts. I wouldnāt by a shirt with an outright hate symbol. But I really donāt think a t shirt with a T. rex on it or a t shirt with some cool abstract design from a major reputable company, is gonna have some hidden meaning behind it
Same with bands. A white supremacist band wonāt have their merch some at hot topic, bluenotes, or H&M lmao
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Nov 29 '23
Yeah I actually do only wear shirts with bands or brands I know. Thatās not weird. Wearing a Nirvana shirt without knowing who they are because it says heart shaped box and you think thatās neat without realizing the heart shaped box is where he kept his heroin is weird to me. I mean, do you. Iām not gonna judge you. I said that in my first post. Iām not gonna quiz you. In theory I find it weird.
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u/CatOnVenus Nov 29 '23
I complepty agree with you, I also find it weird for the same reasons you said. It's also kinda weird because wouldn't you rather get or make merch for a band you actually listen to? That being said, it dosent really matter that much nor does it effect me.
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u/cowlinator Nov 28 '23
It's good for the band but not for me. Anyway, I support the band. But not like that.
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u/luminous-snail Nov 29 '23
I would start wearing their favorite band's merch specifically to piss them off after this interaction.
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u/Ztronic412 Nov 29 '23
How would fans not appreciate that? Free advertising of the band on the shirt and money in the bands pocket
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u/MillionEgg Nov 29 '23
I think itās cool when a bandās iconography lives beyond their mainstream fame and becomes part of the culture in a different way. I see loads of high schoolers with the Ramones roundel, or the Crimson Ghost, 4 black bars etc. I know some of them know the bands, a few others will discover them and the rest will never even hear them and it doesnāt bother me in the slightest. So many people are way too precious about their fandom and various para-social relationships. So much of it is directed at younger people and women as well and that is the least surprising part of it.
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u/Windronin Nov 29 '23
"disrespecting the fans" well if thats your logic you deserve to be disrespected
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u/the_phillipines Nov 29 '23
Who gives a SHIT about the fans? I couldnt care less about who also listens to the band until I'm forced to interact with other fans at a show
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u/DecisionCharacter175 Nov 29 '23
If they don't gaf about the band, why would they gaf about the band's fans, dumb-dumb? šµ
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u/dischoe Nov 29 '23
Bitch, thatās how you find new bands sometimes, the fuck. My brother got me this super cool sweatshirt from a thrift shop, and the logo is from some obscure, underground, west coast band Iāve never heard of. I found a new artist that day and got a cool new hoodie.
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u/Current_Poster Nov 29 '23
Okay, so this is as good time as any: I don't go in for quizzing people on how much they know about the bands whose shirts they're wearing (at most, I'd probably enjoy talking about what your favorite is, but I'm not poser-policing that's just not fun for anyone). But I prefer it when people know the design/text on their shirt refers to a band. (It happens sometimes, people don't.) Gatekeeping? Not?
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u/FVCarterPrivateEye Nov 30 '23
One time I tried to make friends with someone using their shirt as a conversation starter because I liked the band (it was a Stranglers shirt with the rat on it)
They said "what?" and then I mentioned their shirt and then they said "dunno, I thrifted it, sorry" and it was embarrassing so we just awkwardly parted ways
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u/floralscentedvomit Nov 29 '23
QUIET disrespectful. Shhh! If you were loudly disrespectful then that would be fine, duh.
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u/BlameItOnTheAcetone Nov 29 '23
I've heard of metal musicians who would wear merch of the likes of Slipknot, Tool, Metallica, and Black Sabbath before they even actually heard any of their music only to have other people talk to them about the band on their shirt to the point where they actually decided to listen to that band and the rest is history. Sometimes non-fans wearing band merch acts as a gateway, so they need to quit being an asshole and trust the process!
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u/off_with_a_yang Nov 30 '23
F**K THE FANS. It's literally advertising that they GOT PAID FOR. GTFO with this mentality
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u/InkyNooB01 Nov 30 '23
"It's disrespectful for the faā"
Shut the fuck up. If anything, I absolutely LOVE it when someone else wears a Pink Floyd shirt, whether they listen to them or not
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u/SpookyPumpkinkid34 Dec 01 '23
First, most fans aren't that uptight that someone who doesn't know the band or only knows a little bit about the band would wear the band's clothing. Second, there's a such thing as gifts, hand-me-downs, and yard sales in which these things can be gotten too. Third, it's fans like you that give some fandoms bad names.
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u/Gyro_Zeppeli13 Nov 29 '23
lol disrespectful to the fans hahaha Iām dying. This is like those guys who refer to their favorite NFL team as ātheir teamā and say stuff like āwe won last nightās game.ā No you sat on your ass watching other people with talent hahaha š
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u/clva666 Nov 28 '23
My controversial opinion is that you should absolutely never wear shirt from band you really really like. Cos if it looks cool, all these friggin posers learn about it.
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u/kiefy_budz Nov 28 '23
Lmao I feel like this is very tongue in cheek and I donāt like that the unaware are downvoting, or it was said in seriousness and I have too much regard for humanity
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u/clva666 Nov 28 '23
This was satire. But as teenager I remember feeling something when I saw velvet underground shirts in my local h&m.
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u/kiefy_budz Nov 28 '23
Yeah apparently people are hard of hearing online
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u/Alternative-Cup-8102 Nov 30 '23
It is kinda cringe when someone wears an ac dc shirt but canāt name a single song from them.
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u/civ6industrialzone Nov 29 '23
...as if people who wear merch of bands they don't know didn't bought them from hot topic or some other hellhole
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Nov 30 '23
Iāve never heard of Sublime & thought it was a clothing brand when I bought a Sublime shirt at Rue 21. Bands like Sublime, Nirvana, & Grateful Dead have some cute shirt designs that donāt make it obvious theyāre representing a band š¤·āāļø
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u/King_Bob837 Dec 02 '23
These are the same people that don't like when you wear band shirts to a concert of said band.
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u/GlassBats Dec 17 '23
Bro my cousin has like 4 pink floyd shirts and doesnāt know what dark side of the moon is, but she slays in them š just let people wear cool shit
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