Skip shopping for overpriced band tees at Urban Outfitters or Depop, and support your favorite artists by taking a quick look at their merch page. When I was younger, I always used to get band tees when I would go to concerts, and at this point, I have some gems (my favorite one being an old school Jo Bro tee). Many forget that small musicians and their employees are struggling as well during these times. Next time you want to have that vintage and trendy fit, do a quick google search of your favorite band’s tees.
Even though you can’t buy a pricey ticket to see your favorite artist, you can still show support by shopping their merch collection. Also, a lot of band tees are seen as collectables, and they can be something to pass down to future generations. For instance, when I went to my first The 1975 concert when I was 16, I purchased one of their tees randomly. Since band tees have been on-trend recently, I always wear mine because of its sentimental value to me. It’s also an easy way to start a conversation with a new friend, or you might just run into someone who has a similar interest.
One piece of advice I will give is to not overpay for a big artist’s merch. Big artists don’t need as much support, and they’re just trying to squeeze cash out of you, because they know you’ll pay the high price (ew). For example, Ariana Grande’s new “Positions” merch is $40 for a tee shirt. Ummmm, hell no! Some smaller artists that have cool tops and items out now are Avenue Beat, The Districts, and Phoebe Bridgers.
There are so many good artists to support right now that have cheaper merch than that Def Leppard shirt at Urban Outfitters for 60 bucks. Shopping from band pages has a good purpose, and you can actually name five songs (did you really know more than one song from Def Leppard?) Get out there, support your favorite artists, and have some fun shopping!