Music fans buying expensive concert merchandise but fewer CDs
TORONTO — Just how much are music fans willing to pay to publicly proclaim their love for their favourite artist?
Some Bon Jovi fans haven't flinched at dropping US$750 for a tour jacket, and a few White Stripes diehards have parted with hundreds of dollars so they could look a little bit like singer Jack White.
With record sales down and music companies looking for ways to create new revenue streams, there are some novel - and increasingly expensive - items being sold alongside the traditional T-shirts and posters at concerts.
And some fans seem more than willing to buy almost anything that's put in front of them.
The White Stripes have had a variety of kilts for sale - in their official tartans registered with the International Tartan Index - the most expensive selling for US$280. It's made of 100 per cent wool and only 10 were made, making it an exclusive collector's item for the serious fan.
The band also sells two custom-made cameras - the Jack Holga and Meg Diana, named for bandmates Jack and Meg White - for US$180 each. Only 3,000 of each camera were made.
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Marty Peters, the merchandising manager for Nettwerk Management, which represents Lavigne, said merchandise revenue is definitely growing and T-shirt sales can sometimes account for as much as 30 to 70 per cent of a concert's gross profits.
He said merchandise companies are thinking of gimmicky new products to sell simply because they know fans will buy them.
"The companies that are savvy are seeing where the niches are in the merch business and are always chomping at the bit to give you the next best item to offer your artist, to get their name out there and increase their exposure and their sales," Peters said.
There's a willingness to take risks to come up with the next new hot piece of merch, and the industry is closely monitoring trends in what sells and what doesn't, Peters said.
"When one or two T-shirt designs are making 40 to 60 per cent of a gross on a show, that's a trend we pay attention to, naturally," Peters said.
Artists are being allowed to come up with their own products, but the more out-there ideas can backfire - like the super-limited edition White Stripes kilts that are still available for sale.
"Sometimes the artists think there's certain items the fans may like and then it ends up they don't," he said.
"Things will get tried, and if they don't work then we just drop it."
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Rock Band "The White Stripes" sells kilts
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