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dippedanddripped · 5 years

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As we’ve seen with contemporary acts from across a variety of genres, music merchandise is now a vital piece of the equation when evaluating the success of both an album and a subsequent tour. While recorded music itself remained the highest source of revenue (according to a 2016 study), merchandise grew year to year (2015-2016) by 9.4 percent. As a result, merchandise accounted for $3.1 billion in global sales, while the gross revenue from live music concerts worldwide was $4.88 billion.

As a whole, the industry has certainly taken note for the better part of a decade. In 2009, Bravado, a unit of Universal Music Group (UMG), secured a lucrative deal to create merchandise for the Rolling Stones. At the time, their roster already included Kanye West, Beyoncé, Gwen Stefani, Lady Gaga, Guns N’ Roses, Metallica, Led Zeppelin, Iron Maiden, and Nine Inch Nails. More recently, they’ve added millennial talent like Billie Eilish, Justin Bieber, Brockhampton, Ariana Grande, Kid Cudi, Migos, Playboi Carti, Post Malone, and Travis Scott.

In 2018, Warner Music Group completed a $191 million deal to buy Germany-based music merch maker and e-tailer EMP Merchandising. “In today’s streaming world, merchandise is still one of the best ways that fans can express their passions and personalities,” said Max Lousada, CEO of Recorded Music, WMG. “It’s also a big part of how music has visible and physical impact on global culture and fashion.”

There are countless dates which have become vitality important when unlocking the history of music merchandise. Here are some of the most important.

January 8, 1931: Wulf Wolodia Grajonca is born

After he immigrated to the United States during World War II, the German born rock concert promoter (better known by his adopted name Bill Graham) was amongst the most important early figures in band merchandise history. Graham managed acts like the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, and Big Brother and the Holding Company with Janis Joplin. Through anti-Vietnam War garb and other philanthropic means (like Live Aid and the “Human Rights Now!” tour), he personally planted the seeds for what we now recognize as band merch.

July 1956: Hank Saperstein and Colonel Parker agree on a deal, giving Special Products, Inc. the right to promote the image of Elvis Presley

Hank Saperstein’s company, Special Products, Inc., had previously handled merchandising opportunities for TV shows like The Lone Ranger and Disney characters including Mickey Mouse and Peter Pan. Under the agreement, Presley’s manager, Colonel Parker agreed to an upfront fee of $22,500 against 45 percent of royalties and licensing fees. They soon began producing 30 different products, including hats, T-shirts, jeans, kerchiefs, sneakers, shirts, blouses, and belts.

December 31, 1956: Elvis breaks the $20 million mark

The front page of The Wall Street Journal reports that Elvis’ merchandise has grossed $22 million in sales. As a result, the creators, wholesalers, and retailers of America were poised to have one of their best seasons ever.

1960: Michael Vasilantone develops the first rotatable multicolor garment screen printing machine

The original machine was manufactured to print logos and team information on bowling garments, but was soon reappropriated to the new fad of printing on T-shirts.

1963: Beatles manager Brian Epstein hands the band’s merch rights over to Nicky Byrne

Under this agreement, Seltaeb (Beatles spelled backwards) would be a Byrne-controlled company, specializing in promoting the band’s interest in the United States. It is estimated that this decision, which gave the band just 10 percent of all merchandising rights, cost The Beatles around $100 million.

1966: Stanley Mouse designs the very first Grateful Dead T-shirt

Stanley Mouse grew up in a household where his father worked as an animator with Disney Studios, on projects like Snow White. He followed his father into the arts and attended Detroit’s School for the Society of Arts and Craft, but eventually dropped out and moved to San Francisco, drawn to the anti-war protests and resulting art work. Mouse met Alton Kelley, a like-minded artist, and the two went on to design the Grateful Dead skeleton and roses motif.

September 12, 1966: “The Monkees” pilot airs on NBC

The idea for the music-focused show was rooted in Richard Lester’s two classic Beatles films, A Hard Day’s Night and Help. At first, thought was given to building it around an existing pop group, the Lovin’ Spoonful. Instead, producers Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider decided to cast a band of their own construct. The TV-made Monkees’ debut album released the same day as their first show and sold three million copies in two months, faster than the Beatles’ first album. It also held the No. 1 spot for 13 straight weeks. Since NBC had both TV and music stars, they capitalized off strong merchandise sales as well. By 1967, they had sold 35 million albums — twice as many as the Beatles and Rolling Stones combined.

March 18th, 1968: Bill Graham opens the Fillmore East

Perhaps sensing that he needed to bring his influence to New York City, Bill Graham expanded his growing empire and opened the Fillmore East. As the Bill Graham Foundation noted, “If a new band played a great set at Fillmore East on Friday night, the entire music business knew it by the next morning.”

April 23, 1971: The Rolling Stones release “Sticky Fingers” with John Pasche-designed tongue logo

While the Andy Warhol/Craig Braun-designed cover for The Rolling Stones’ 11th studio album got a lot of attention — mainly for the close-up of a man’s crotch — it was in fact the John Pasche tongue logo that has endured. In subsequent months and years, this abstraction (which was inspired by Pasche’s meeting with Mick Jagger) came to be a focal point of the band’s branding. At the time, Pasche received £50 (about $77) for his work.

1972: Bill Graham and Dell Furano meet

At the time, Dell Furano was a Political Science major at Stanford, who planned to go to law school. Instead, he took a year off from his studies to learn about the concert industry underneath Bill Graham’s tutelage.

“Ironically, back in the ’70s, few bands wanted to sell merchandise, as it was considered very unhip, uncool, and way too commercial,” Furano said. “However, [the Grateful Dead] looked upon selling shirts as a ‘community thing’ and were pleased to have their fans wearing Dead shirts.’”

1972: The Grateful Dead embark on their first European tour

Amongst the many grails that Dead Heads have pined for over the years, the shirts commemorating the four London Lyceum shows that concluded the band’s first-ever European tour are some of the most sought-after.

January 1973: Ace Frehley designs the original version of the now-famous KISS logo

Although there was once speculation whether Paul Stanley had designed the KISS logo, it was finally agreed upon that it was, in fact, Ace Frehley’s creation. While we certainly recognize KISS’s impact on music merchandise, there remains a belief that the twin S’s in the logo actually represented the thunderbolts seen on Nazi uniforms. Frehley has continuously denied the allegation.

1974: Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood open their “SEX” shop in London

The London-based shop had several monikers — including “Let It Rock” and “Too Fast to Live, Too Young to Die” — before settling on the provocative “SEX” and its “rubberwear for the office” slogan. At the time, McLaren was managing the Sex Pistols and Westwood was a burgeoning fashion designer who had an affinity for combining traditional British symbols with more risqué elements of punk culture.

1974: Winterland Productions is formed

In the mid ’70s, the then-wife of Grateful Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann asked Bill Graham whom she should see about selling T-shirts during a show. Graham eventually sent her to Dell Furano. Soon after, the two men — along with Dave Furano — established Winterland Productions. Amongst their notable first clients were Fleetwood Mac, The Rolling Stones, Madonna, Bruce Springsteen, and the Grateful Dead.

“In the ’70s, it was not cool selling merchandise, so we had to be careful,” Furano said. “Groups would say, ‘OK, you can sell, but don’t embarrass us. Stand in a corner.’”

March 23, 1975: 50,000 people fill Kezar Stadium in San Francisco to benefit afterschool programs

With performers including the Grateful Dead, Graham Central Station, Bob Dylan and the Band, Jefferson Starship, Tower of Power, the Doobie Brothers, Santana, Mimi Fariña, and Neil Young, this was the first big rock benefit concert in history.

January 25, 1976: KISS debut their “KISS on TOUR” program at Cobo Hall in Detroit

In his autobiography, Face the Music: A Life Exposed, Paul Stanley admitted that KISS had no master plan in regards to merchandise. He credits their manager, Bill Aucoin, with being the real visionary.

“Bill Aucoin always saw the bigger picture,” Stanley wrote. “He could tell that we connected with our fans in a way that far exceeded the norm. He grasped the extent to which people would respond to us beyond the music: he understood the potential of merchandising.”

The first big piece of KISS merchandise was in the form of a concert program for a show in Detroit, which also came with a KISS ARMY membership form. This simple form of communication between the band and their fans laid the groundwork for what would become a major merchandise machine.

June 26, 1976: The Grateful Dead release “Steal Your Face”

The Stealie, as Dead Heads call it, made its first appearance on their live double album, released in June 1976. Created by Owsley Stanley (an LSD chemist and the band’s sound engineer) and artist Bob Thomas, the Stealie has come to represent the bold iconography we continued to see on band merchandise in subsequent years.

1977: Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood create the iconic “God Save The Queen” T-shirt

McLaren and Westwood’s “SEX” boutique reopened as “Seditionaries,” transforming the straps and zips of obscure sexual fetishism into fashion and inspiring a D.I.Y. aesthetic. Amongst the most notable creations was a subversive image of Queen Elizabeth II.

September 25, 1981: The Rolling Stones embark on their “American Tour”

As with previous tours, the “American Tour” was promoted by Bill Graham when the Stones launched their romp around the States in Philadelphia. Midway through the tour, it was widely estimated that merchandising sales were averaging one T-shirt ($10) per customer — a gross of more than $20 million.

December 5, 1981: The Rolling Stones break a 33-year-long indoor concert attendance record

The more people attending a rock concert, the greater the chance to sell merchandise. When the “American Tour” hit the Super Dome in New Orleans, the 87,500 in attendance broke a record for indoor venues.

1982: Bolivar Arellano launches a dedicated Menudo store in Manhattan

Utilizing $5,000 in loans, Bolivar Arellano (a freelance photographer turned entrepreneur) and his wife, Brunilda, opened a dedicated shop to Menudo called Menuditis. Initially, 90 percent of Menuditis’ customers were Hispanic girls under the age of 17 – three years later, the overwhelming majority of the customers were still young girls, but only 60 percent were Spanish.

1984: Winterland Productions acquires the rights to Bruce Springsteen’s massive “Born in the USA” Tour

The tour continued for almost two years and was, at the time, the biggest grossing concert merch tour ever in terms of total merch sales.

1984: George Michael wears a “Choose Life” T-shirt

Designer Katharine Hamnett earned a reputation for her bold and politically pointed T-shirts, famously wearing a “58% Don’t Want Pershing” T-Shirt when meeting Margaret Thatcher. George Michael was amongst her greatest admirers, donning a Choose Life tee in Wham!’s video for “Wake Me Up Before you Go Go.”

1985: Bill Graham Presents is firebombed

The offices of Bill Graham Presents were firebombed and burned to the ground in 1985 by suspected neo-Nazis. Many believe the act was in retaliation to Graham’s public protest of President Ronald Reagan’s visit to a cemetery in Bitburg, Germany, where members of the Waffen-SS were buried.

1985: The Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association is formed

Licensing International, then formally referred to as LIMA, was formed to represent the interests of the various trade groups involved in the burgeoning merchandise industry, spanning music and film. At the time, about 70 percent of the world’s licensing revenue came from North America; today, international markets claim more than 40 percent of licensing profits.

July 13, 1985: Run-DMC perform at Live Aid

Run-DMC were the lone hip-hop group invited to be a part of 1985’s monumental Live Aid benefit concerts, which happened concurrently at both Philadelphia’s John F. Kennedy Stadium and London’s Wembley Stadium for a total live audience of almost 200,000 people, with more than 1.5 billion watching via television. While performing, Jam Master Jay wore one of the first, soon-to-be iconic Run-DMC logo T-shirts, designed by an in-house designer for Island Records, Stephanie Nash.

1985: Winterland Productions is acquired by CBS Records

The interest in Winterland Productions on CBS Records’ behalf was to, “participate in income streams we haven’t been involved in.” Walter Yetnikoff, then Vice President of CBS Inc, noted that artists made as much as 1/3 of their tour revenue from merchandise.

May 29, 1986: Run-DMC release “My Adidas”

Whereas rap predecessor Grandmaster Flash was known for his flamboyant attire, Run-DMC captured the true New York City aesthetic by wearing items like black Lee jeans, Cazal glasses, and, of course, adidas sneakers. Whereas we now equate certain hip-hop acts with strict allegiances when it comes to sneaker endorsements, this was a watershed moment for the culture, leading to a $1 million endorsement for the group.

March 1988: Long-time friends Barry Cohen and Bob Colasanti take their love of the Grateful Dead and create a business

The pair scraped together $7,000 and leased a 250-square-foot store called Terrapin Station on Hertel Avenue in Buffalo, NY. The store was loaded with Grateful Dead-related stuff — everything from clothing and bumper stickers to music and memorabilia. On their first day, they made enough money to pay the entire month’s rent.

April 29, 1988: MCA Inc. acquires Winterland Productions

Winterland’s top executives, including President and Chief Executive Officer Dell Furano and Chief Operating Officer Donald Hunt, continued to manage the company after it was sold for an undisclosed price. At the time, Winterland had provided merchandise for recents events including Live Aid and Hands Across America, and concerts by Bruce Springsteen, U2, Madonna, and Fleetwood Mac.

1989: The Rolling Stones choose someone besides Bill Graham to run their “Steel Wheels” Tour

Although Bill Graham had certainly established himself as a major force in the music industry, he wasn’t without ample competition. Canadian promoter Michael Cohl made his name buying the concert, sponsorship, merchandising, radio, television, and film rights to the Steel Wheels Tour. According to The Washington Post, the Stones were predicted to earn between $20-$40 million.

Since then, the Stones have grossed over $1 billion on the road — something that continues to surprise frontman Mick Jagger: “When we first started out, there wasn’t really any money in rock ‘n’ roll. There wasn’t a touring industry; it didn’t even exist. Obviously there was somebody maybe who made money, but it certainly wasn’t the act. Basically, even if you were very successful, you got paid nothing.”

1989: The Stones turn to J.C. Penney and Macy’s

For those who didn’t make the 100,000-ticket cut for the first two Rolling Stones shows at RFK Stadium, the band released a 46-item line of designer fashions and related gear at J.C. Penney and Macy’s. Designed by Mick Jagger and Charlie Watts, the items featured assorted Stones logos, including Converse sneakers that coordinated with skateboards (for the 12-18 crowd) and polo shirts, denim jackets and a $450 leather motorcycle jacket (for the parents).

1989: Elvis Presley and Zippo partner

According to Shirley Evers, archives manager at Zippo, the first big music act that featured branded imagery on Zippo products was Elvis Presley. A customer could purchase an individual lighter/s, or purchase the entire panel and lighters that captured the many faces of Elvis. In later years, Zippo and EP Enterprises partnered on many different products, including a lighter and pen set.

August 4-5, 1990: Depeche Mode cash in during their “World Violation” tour

When Depeche Mode played two dates at Dodger Stadium, drawing a total of 100,000 fans, the band made about $15 a head in merchandising sales. That’s $1.5 million for just two nights.

1990: New Kids on the Block become a certifiable cash cow

According to Dell Furano, the upstart boy band made around $400 million from merchandising between 1989-1990, from “touring, retail outlets and fan clubs.”

October 25, 1991: Bill Graham dies in a helicopter accident

Graham was returning from a concert in Concord, California on October 25 when his private helicopter smashed into a 200-foot electric transformer and exploded near Highway 37, outside of Vallejo. An investigation later ruled that the pilot had intentionally flown into bad weather.

March 22, 1992: “White Men Can’t Jump” & the parental advisory T-shirt

Although the Parental Advisory label had been issued by the Recording Association of America seven years earlier, White Men Can’t Jump – specifically Woody Harrelson’s character – turned the monochromatic emblem into a certifiable fashion statement.

1992: The other Dream Team turn to Grateful Dead basketball uniforms

Whereas most would equate “Dream Team” with the United States basketball squad sent to Barcelona to bring home gold at the 1992 Summer Olympics, there was a different team of hoopers that garnered worldwide acclaim, too. At the time, the Lithuanian team was in dire financial constraints. Šarūnas Marčiulionis — then playing professionally with the Golden State Warriors — attempted to raise funds stateside. This resulted in a news story and subsequent call from a representative of The Grateful Dead. The band and team worked out a sponsorship deal that involved the usage of Dead skull iconography on a variety of products. When the team won a Bronze medal, they took the stand in full Dead regalia.

1993: Cradle of Filth first print their infamous “Jesus is a cunt” shirt

The genesis for the controversial shirt began when Cradle of Filth prepared to go on tour with Emperor, a Norwegian black-metal band. Though they already had T-shirts printed up, they felt like they needed something new and (perhaps) shocking. At one point, someone broached the now infamous tagline. “We all were laughing about it, like, ‘Oh my god, that’s so anarchic – can you imagine that on a T-shirt?’” the band said. “We looked at each other conspiratorially, like, ‘Shall we?’ And yeah, we did it. Even at the time, we thought, ‘Well, this is pushing the boundaries a little bit.’”

The band originally had difficulty printing the T-shirts in their hometown of Hadleigh, Suffolk, but eventually found a printer in a smaller village who they paid discreetly in cash.

1993: Dell Furano leaves Winterland Productions

Furano was named CEO of Sony Signatures (later renamed Signatures Network), the merchandising arm of Sony Music.

1994: Terrapin Station moves to a large location in Buffalo

Terrapin Station grew from 250 square feet to 3,000 square feet, boasting a mural of Jerry Garcia on the wall outside Hertel and Virgil avenues in North Buffalo.

1994: Barbra Streisand breaks a record

When Barbra Streisand completed her first tour in 27 years, she offered her fans silk jacquard blouses, jackets, and limited-edition jewelry. Her merchandise sales broke industry records, averaging $40 per concert-goer.

1994: Brockum Global Merchandising develops a mail-order strategy

The catalog offered high-end swag, like a varsity jacket tied to the Pink Floyd tour. “You’re not likely to sell a $125 leather handbag to a Metallica fan, but for the Rolling Stones or Pink Floyd, you’re looking at people in their 30s or 40s who can afford to buy finer things,” said Steve Gerstman, a former Winterland vice president who consulted for Brockum. “It’s a question of the aging baby boomer.”

1997: The Spice Girls build an empire in just one year

Buoyed by the strength of their 1996 hit “Wannabe,” the Spice Girls produced more than £300m worldwide through merchandise in 1997 alone, strengthened by sponsorship and merchandise deals with the likes of Walkers crisps and Impulse deodorant.

1999: E-commerce strategies are developed

This new form of shopping was only strengthened as early pioneers like Madonna, Britney Spears, Tim McGraw, U2, Fleetwood Mac, and KISS saw the value in developing official websites. At the time, manufacturing led all industry sectors with shipments that accounted for 12.0 percent ($485 billion) of the total value of manufacturing shipments.

2005: Terapin Station hits $1 million in annual sales

Since first opening their doors, Cohen and Colasanti developed a close working relationship with many of the prominent Dead-sanctioned vendors. For instance: Terrapin Station is the only licensed local retailer that can sell Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir’s stir fry and spicy sauces. When a company such as Liquid Blue (which produces the Dead’s T-shirts) rolls out new items, Terrapin Station gets the first crack at them. The same is true for Grateful Graphics.

2009: Woodstock partners with Target

Although the original three-day music festival will be best remembered as a time capsule for the counterculture, in subsequent decades, Woodstock (and its intellectual property) has become big business. In 2009, they partnered with Target for a range of T-shirts, apparel, beach towels, posters, calendars, caps, and tote bags. At the time, the Live Nation-brokered deal was supposed to add to what was already a $50-$100 million yearly haul. When the exclusivity ended, other Woodstock products hit Macy’s, J.C. Penney, Kohl’s, Hot Topic, the Gap, Spencer’s, and Urban Outfitters.

2011: A rare Led Zeppelin T-shirt sells for $10,000 at auction

One can only think that the original purchaser of a 1979 Led Zeppelin T-shirt from their 1979 Knebworth gig probably paid $20 for the item. Flash forward several decades, and an unidentified Australian bidder won the tee for a record-breaking $10,000. The shirt was deemed particularly valuable because it was printed in such low quantities, since it was meant to replace conventional backstage passes.

2012: Tyler, The Creator throws the inaugural Camp Flog Gnaw carnival

The one-day event – held outside the Nokia Theatre and featuring seven acts – grew to nearly 40 acts in 2017. Like most music festivals, it proved to be fertile ground for the release of Odd Future merch.

2013: Wes Lang designs tour merchandise for “YEEZUS”

To most, Wes Lang’s design sensibilities were rooted in bike culture and rock ‘n’ roll. Thus, he may have seemed like an unlikely choice when Kanye West was searching for a designer in support of his YEEZUS tour. However, Lang brought unexpected elements into the hip-hop sphere, including the Confederate flag, Native Indian headdresses, and skeletons. In a corresponding move, West also allowed his tour merchandise to be sold at PacSun.

2014: Dell Furano and Kym Furano found Epic Rights

Amongst the most notable artists/entities the husband-and-wife duo secured to Epic Rights were KISS, John Lennon, Aerosmith, Billy Idol, Jefferson Airplane, and Woodstock.

March 23, 2016: Kanye West claims to have sold $1 million in merchandise in two days

As the aforementioned merchandise milestones have already indicated, Kanye West certainly didn’t invent the practice. However, he underlined just how lucrative a playbook it really can be for contemporary artists. During a three-day pop-up in New York City, West claimed to have made $1 million in sales.

2016: Justin Bieber’s tour merchandise hits a diverse roster of stockists

Whereas Kanye West’s tactics spoke to the power of pop-up experiences, Justin Bieber and Bravado saw the importance in getting his Purpose tour merchandise on the shelves of major box retailers, including Barneys, Urban Outfitters, PacSun, and H&M.

January 10, 2017: Gildan purchases American Apparel

In 2017, Gildan Activewear agreed to pay $88 million for the American Apparel brand and some manufacturing equipment.

2018: Online Ceramics gains traction

The duo of Elijah Funk and Alix Ross officially began printing shirts as Online Ceramics for the Dead & Company tour – the band formed by John Mayer and original Grateful Dead member Bob Weir – and sold out their items in just a few days. Although larger entities like Epic Rights and Bravado dominated merchandise at the time, it was a shining example that anyone could get their foot in the door.

2018: Supreme x Public Enemy x UNDERCOVER

Supreme officially announced its Public Enemy x UNDERCOVER collaboration on Instagram, with the help of frontman Chuck D, who discussed the significance of the group’s third studio album, Fear of a Black Planet. While it certainly wasn’t Supreme’s first music-focused collaboration, it was amongst its most effective.

December 2018: Travis Scott designs a product for Houston high school

After a student at Houston’s Dwight D. Eisenhower High School asked Travis Scott for permission to use Astroworld artwork for her senior class T-shirt, the artist did her one better, opting to design T-shirts for the entire graduating class. Key details included “WISH YOU WERE HERE” emboldened on the right chest, “Seniors Eisenhower High” on the left , and a graphic of the earth, which had been turned into a smiley face.

February 2018: Justin Timberlake attempts a fashion rebrand with key partners

In support of his album Man of the Woods, Justin Timberlake enlisted several key collaborators to design a product to reflect each individual song. This included Heron Preston, Jordan Brand, Levi’s, Pendleton, Lucchese, Yeti, Maestro’s Classic, Best Made Co., Warby Parker, and Moleskin.

June 1, 2018: Kanye West releases “Ye” merch

Shortly after Kanye West delivered his ye album at a private listening experience at the scenic Diamond Cross Ranch in Wyoming, he followed up by releasing a merchandise collection online. The six-piece collection was designed by the in-house Yeezy creative team and ranged from $65 -$145.

August 10, 2018: Travis Scott & Virgil Abloh collaborate on Astroworld merch

The “BY A THREAD” design features a screen print of the rapper’s Rodeo character wearing the designer’s Air Jordan I “Chicago” sneakers. According to Abloh, the T-shirt was limited to 500 pieces, which fans could purchase at one his DJ sets at New York’s Sony Hall.

September 2018: Drake partners with SSENSE on special 2-day “Scorpion” pop-up

After previously hosting a Scorpion pop-up in New York City, luxury fashion purveyor SSENSE announced a special 2-day pop-up in SSENSE Montréal.

2019: Bravado purchases Epic Rights

In making the announcement, Mat Vlasic, CEO of Bravado, said: “As the industry’s preeminent brand management company, we are constantly looking for ways to evolve our company while providing fans around the world with an ever-growing array of products and experiences. I’m excited to work with Dell, a true icon in our industry, and expand the Bravado portfolio.”

2019: SLAYER goes big on their farewell tour

With several tour dates left in their farewell tour, SLAYER confirmed they already sold $10 million in merchandise. “There are only a handful of bands on the planet that are that iconic,” said Barry Drinkwater, who co-founded Bravado and now runs Global Merchandising.

#virgil abloh #tour merch #music merchandise #bill graham #kiss #elvis #music blog #urbanwear blog #fashion blog #slayer

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markwatkinsconsumerguide · 5 years

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Consumer Guide / No.83 / Canadian singer-songwriter Suzie Vinnick with Mark Watkins.

MW : How did you find the pros and cons of Crowdfunding?

SV : I have done presales and crowdfunding for every album that I’ve recorded (six solo albums, and a number of collaborative projects). It is a great way to raise money for an album – it brings your supporters together in support of your art and enables them to be a part of making something happen. In a practical way, it also helps us artists keep from going into more debt as when you receive the monies in advance you don’t have to hit up your credit card (well maybe not as much ;-).

There’s not really any big cons; there is some administrative work but it feels good to send all the perks out (CDs, t-shirts, etc) knowing you have all this support for your music and art out there.

MW : Tell me about the tone & texture of the resulting album, Shake The Love Around...

SV : I have released six solo albums and another eight albums with other projects; Shake the Love Around is my latest roots and blues album and it’s a full band album (though I play a big part in the ‘band’).

My last two albums, Me ‘n’ Mabel and Live At Bluesville are both acoustic albums. Me ‘n’ Mabel is voice and guitar with some special guests and Live At Bluesville is just me and my little Larivee parlour guitar. I wanted to do an album that featured my voices – as a singer, as a guitarist, as a bassist and songwriter. I also played some lap steel on a few tunes.

I co-produced the album with my friend Mark Lalama which was a great experience. Mark is really easy going, I could bounce ideas off of him, he’d suggest things to me and we had a lot of flexibility to play with different musical ideas as the album was recorded at his home studio.

We chose songs for the album with as much of a positive message as we could – I had been through a few dark years and it was important to me to try and put some lightness out into the world. The album isn’t all ‘Pollyanna” and has a couple of darker leanings but is pretty positive for the most part. The title Shake The Love Around was named after a friends meal-time grace tradition. They’d have us all hold hands as someone said grace then at the end they’d say ‘shake the love around’ and invite everyone to shake their hands around, kinda like the wave. I always liked how my friends created community through their meal times and I thought that it’d make a fun title for the album.

I played guitar and I tracked the bed tracks along with drummer Gary Craig (Anne Murray, Blackie & the Rodeo Kings, Tom Cochrane). Afterwards, I added bass guitar, acoustic and electric guitars where needed and background vocals. Mark is a keyboard player and added some organ and accordion. Other players that contributed to the album were John Johnson, a Toronto based saxophone player; Kevin Breit and Colin Linden (a couple of my guitar heroes) played solos on a couple of tracks, and two of my album co-writers, David Leask and Dean McTaggart, sang some background vocals on the album.

MW : All your music releases to date are self-released. Is that by choice? Also, what are the advantages of such independence? Would you rule out going with a label?

SV : I’ve managed to have a full time career for almost 20 years as an independent artist. I get to choose what I do, when I do it, I own all of my recordings; there is definitely freedom in the independence.

The flip side to that is that being on a label may offer more support with bookings, promotion and support financially as well, so there might be less admin work and more time to create, perhaps? More show opportunities may come your way with more people working on your behalf.

I wouldn’t –not- consider it, but it would have to be a really good deal for me to consider going with a label.

MW : How long does the buzz last after coming off stage?

SV : I might have a bit of an adrenaline rush for a couple of hours after a show. It really depends how much travel I’ve been doing, how late my nights have been. Sometimes I will crash shortly after a show if it’s been a busy time, if there are time changes from the travel show to show.

MW : How do you usually unwind after a gig?

SV : After gig varies a bit as sometimes I end up heading back home so there’s not a lot of unwinding until we get home and hit the hay. But on a gig where I’m staying in town, after tearing down and packing up the merch I’ll usually head to the accommodations. If we’re being billeted we might sit and have a visit with the hosts or my band mates and have some snacks and a drink (maybe a shot of irish whisky, or maybe just a water lol) ; and, if I’m doing a solo performance and staying at a hotel I dive into my PJs, brush my teeth and cosy up in bed.

MW : Where do you usually shop for groceries? What are your main staples? Treats?!

SV : I buy groceries from the grocery store or Costco Warehouse; we live in the country so I tend to buy more stuff and store or freeze it to save us money and save us from have to drive back and forth to town.

Main staples tend to be fruits and veggies and the treats are chocolate and Chapman’s Vanilla Bean with Salty Caramel frozen yogurt – yum!!

MW : Thoughts on the sad passing of Peter Tork...are you a Monkees fan?

SV : I was sorry to hear of Peter Tork’’s passing. I used to watch The Monkees TV show every once in a while when I was a kid and am familiar with their music. I haven’t followed Peter in more recent years, but I do remember him being pretty funny. I’m originally from Saskatchewan (a province in Canada). I read that his father taught briefly at the University of Saskatchewan Regina campus and that he would come to Regina to visit him on occasion.

MW : List your Top 10 fave albums of all-time in order of merit, saying something about your No.1 choice…

SV :

This is my current list, but it changes…

10 Joni Mitchell – anything by her 9 Paul Simon – Still Crazy After All These Years (1973) 8 Heart – Greatest Hits (1998) 7 Stevie Ray Vaughan – Soul To Soul (1985) 6 Foo Fighters – Greatest Hits (2009) 5 Pink Floyd – The Wall (1979) 4 Rickie Lee Jones – Rickie Lee Jones (1979) 3 David Gray – A New Day At Midnight (2002) 2 Ry Cooder – anything by him 1 Supertramp – Breakfast In America (1979)

I first heard Supertramp when I was eleven; The Logical Song was their single at the time. Not sure why it resonated for me at that young age but I loved it. I was learning saxophone in school band and the music seemed accessible to me. I also loved singing along with Roger Hodgson and consider him a vocal influence.

MW : To round off, tell me about where you live and what’s to see & do...

SV : I live in an 1880's brick church in the Niagara Region of Ontario in the Township of Wainfleet.

When I am off the road touring, I like to go walking in the countryside. There are a lot of farms around here and big skies. It's quite beautiful.

When it's warmer, my boyfriend James and I might head to Lake Erie which is about 10 minutes south of our place and walk the beach or go for a swim and maybe have an ice cream.

There is a little town called Dunnville 10 minutes away where we'll go on occasion to hear live music and occasionally we'll drive to Welland (about 30 minutes away) to catch a film in the theatre.

The cities of Hamilton and Toronto are 1-1.5 hours away so sometimes we'll drive into the city to catch some music or head to a gallery but for the most part we stay close to home.

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