Has the Merch become more important than the music?

it certainly is a huge revenue producer....a lot of profit too....everyone should know that a touring band(regardless of popularity/size/level) stand to make more at a gig off t-shirt/merch sales than tickets...that's why it exists

Not for me, but for the band, in a way. They're just at that stage in their career. The music, both past and future, is still the driving force, but a shift to the merch side is inevitable with any big band.

jervin007 said:

JimmyV said:

I like collecting posters from shows I attend, but only if they are worth it. Personally I believe the quality of the artwork has plummeted over the last few years. I went to three shows last fall and have one poster and one t-shirt to show for it. Just a year earlier I guarantee I would have bought more.

Seriously. I came away with the patriots T-shirt for Worcester I, but could bring myself to by the Worcester or Hartford posters. Hugely disappointing after the Fall tour started off with a gem like Pittsburgh

Yep. I have the Patriots themed shirt from Worcester 1 and the Klausen Pendulum poster from Worcester 2. Nothing at all from Hartford. The flying eyeball and that sasquatch were two of the worst posters I have seen.

No. I think the increased emphasis on merch is part of the evolution of the "music" business. I assume the OP's question is limited to the world of Pearl Jam. Three to four year droughts between albums have yielded more and more interest in merch, not only b/c bands, in general, use it to offset diminishing record sales, but fans willingly shuck out dollars for it b/c it makes them feel more connected to the music.

It seems like it has for some people. The outrage expressed on here when people miss out on limited items is pretty crazy.

And yeah, the shit at Wrigley was pretty out of hand. I live a mile away from Wrigley so I was lucky enough to go over there on the Thursday before to grab some merch...waited about a half hour. No way in hell I would have waited 3-4 hours in 95 degree heat....that's crazy to me.

I do have an unopened case of sheep that sits on my shelf laughing at me; but that was a gift, I didnt buy it!

I will buy a poster if I like it. I only have two so its not very often. And I will buy a T shirt if I like it. The only thing I don't have that I wish I did is the checkered flag shirt from Indianapolis a few years ago. I go to the Indy 500 every year and that would have been perfect.


But nothing would have had me in those lines in Chicago. That was insane. Or that pop up line in Seattle. I will fly across the country for a show but I can't wait more than 20 minutes for a shirt.

I try and get a t-shirt from the shows I see but I soured on merch when I saw a girl at Philly IV buy about 15 "Taking Down the Spectrum" t-shirts. I was about 2 people behind her when she did this. I was pissed. I then proceeded to step on someone's foot on the way out of line, he pushed me, and I almost got into a fight because of it. Totally all set with those types of people.

For me, never.

Edit: Just want to say, though I realize it sounds like something you'd hear someone on Hoarders say, that most of the stuff I am actively seeking on here is stuff of significance to me. Also, I bought a couple of T shirts at the merch stand at the concerts and without fail, every single item ended up either not fitting me or being deformed. I just received a t shirt in the mail today that I bought off another member on here to replace the one I had bought in 2008 at the show but which shrunk in the wash. I had a couple more, but I didn't like the material or the way it fit, and last year I bought one of the long sleeve tees at Brooklyn only to discover it was "irregular" when I got it home. The nature of the merch stands is such that you're not able to really look at the thing you are buying cuz you need to just gtfo of the way. So did I wind up buying some unnecessary shit? Yes. But I ended up only owning that shit for a week or two before giving it away to friends of mine who are also fans. But there were a couple that I really missed. The 2008 reaper shirt which I LOVE the design on and the material is nice, so I'm happy that I got that. Then there's the show shirts from NZ 2009 which I hope I can find one day cuz I didn't get shirts at the show but really wish I had, as those shows were kind of a big deal for me.

I started collecting stickers from the shows I went to last year and wound up with some spares in the trading process. Stickers are a pretty fool proof, quick, easy and cheap memento, and I plan on framing it with the wrist bands and ticket stubs.

The only other merch I have is a poster which I bought on here recently. It's the only one I have, only one I plan on having. I really like the design and the show was epic, for me, as somehow I wound up on the rail on Mike's side for that show. Only time that's ever happened. Sydney 2014 if you're wondering.

So I really just wanted to demonstrate that a lot of the collecting of stuff starts in a place where the 'stuff' has meaning, and it's possible that there's a few stumbles along the way. But the music will [i[always[/i] surpass the collecting, because if it weren't for the music none of us would even be here, none of us would know about the merch.

/endrant