Gifts for Musicians: Music T-Shirts, Rock and Roll and Concerts Share a History

Graphic T-shirts and rock and roll grew up and came of age together. Once radical and rebellious, they're now nearly Universal, spanning all age groups and lifestyles. The t-shirt has evolved from being an "undergarment" into the concept of wearable art, and is now, unquestionably, an integral part of the rock-and-roll community. Each concert tour and album release has it's own design to commemorate it, sometimes several versions, usually with art on the front and the tour dates listed on the back. Part of the thrill of the show is coming home with the coolest new T-shirt. It's been a familiar part of our world for as long as I can remember.

But, until the 1950s, t-shirts were considered underwear and to wear them in public was unthinkable. Then along came icons like John Wayne and James Dean who wore them on television and they became a symbol of "cool".

Sometime in the 1950s, some resort companies in Florida started decorating t-shirts with hotel names and characters; including one of the original licensees, the Disney company, and this new T-shirt art industry was up and running.

Mickey Mouse 13 T Shirt by disney
More Mickey mouse T-Shirts

The technology continued to develop, and soon the introduction of screen printing in the 1960s lead the way to mass production.

Oklahoma ~ Visit Will Rogers Hotel T-shirts

Retro Vintage Kitsch LA Union Station Fred Harvey T Shirt

Screen printing allowed a design with many different colors to be mass printed easily and screen printed t-shirts became a fashion staple in the late 1960s, particularly with sports enthusiasts and rock & roll fans.

This technology opened up an entirely new way for bands to market themselves, through the mass production of clothing with their original cover art, logos, band photos and slogans.

One of the first mass producers of rock and roll t-shirts was the Monster T-Shirt Company, formed in the 1960s. The demand for blank t-shirts skyrocketed and companies like Fruit of the Loom (then known as Union Underwear) also profited mightily from this new association between rock and roll music and wearable art.

Alexander's Ragtime Band Vintage Songbook Cover T Shirt

Vintage Vinyl Rules T-shirts

At first these shirts were only sold at concerts and on world tours for a fixed price, and would be worn afterward both as a reminder of how much fun was had at the show and as a badge of proof that one had been there. Of course, once it became apparent how much profit was available to be made, bootlegged shirts began turning up everywhere. This lead to an ambiguous conflict quite similar to what musicians are facing today with the easy availability of downloads and music sharing and the ongoing debate over whether new musicians benefit more from giving their music away so that it reaches more people or by trying to sell albums. The bands didn't make money off these bootlegged shirts, but they got a lot of free advertising out of them because everyone wearing one became a walking billboard with their band name on it. You can’t buy publicity like that! Wearing a shirt with a band’s name and artwork on it is a personal endorsement of the band and its music, which carries far more social authority than any paid advertisement.

Vintage Guitar and Microphone Design Tee Shirts

Jukebox Old Rocker T Shirt

Most established bands today are well aware of this time-honored tradition and the promotional benefits it offers. What younger, less experienced artists may not realize is the tremendous advantage they have in the availability of print on demand services like Zazzle, Cafe Press and Red Bubble. It's no longer necessary to put out a lot of money up front to carry inventory, although it's always a good idea to have some extra swag on hand. But shirts can be ordered as you need them, and fans can be directed to a website where you can offer them a much larger selection of designs than previously and they can order their favorite design in the color and size of their choice without the band having to put up money ahead of time. If you pay attention to when things go on sale you can keep the band members decked out inexpensively, and they can wear shirts to the shows and tell everyone in the audience how to get theirs. Be sure and make up cards to hand out and include your website address, as well as the address of your shop, if it's different.

Never Mind the Bollocks - Grunge Tshirts by sexpistols
Browse Sex pistols T-Shirts online at Zazzle.com

It's so easy to have a free store on Zazzle there's no need to put a lot of time and coding effort into building another one, unless you like building websites.

So if any new bands out there haven't realized how easy it is now to have their own shirts and shops, drop me a line and I'll show you how to set up your own band T-shirt and souvenir shop for free in just an hour or so. Don't ignore this promotional opportunity or even put it off. It's too easy and too important a part of getting your band's name out there. Besides, it's fun!

If you're thinking about creating t-shirts for your band, are looking for a Father's Day gift, or just like collecting cool ones, this is a great time. Most t-shirts are on sale for 20% off all this weekend on Zazzle, along with electronics cases and posters. Use the code: CASETEEPOSTR at checkout to apply the discount.

And here's another batch of the latest and greatest music tees from the artists at Zazzle. You can find thousands more like this, as well as many other music themed products all ready to customize, at our shop Gifts for Musicians, so please stop by and check us out.

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Friday, May 17, 2013

Music T-Shirts, Rock and Roll and Concerts Share a History

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