Tour Merchandise prices

[chazzyf]

OK, so it may have been that the venue last night (Shepherds Buch Empire) was taking an unhealthy percentage of the merchandise sales, but the prices were frankly ridiculous. I expect to be ripped off for T-shirts by Iron Maiden and major-label bands, but Opeth???

What is everybody else paying for their Opeth shirts? These are last night's prices:

Girly T-Shirt - £20 - US$33 - 29 Euros
Short-sleeved T-shirt £22 - US$36.5 - 32 Euros
Long-sleeved T-shirts £28 - US$46 - 40.5 Euros
Hoodies £44 - US$72 - 64 Euros
Thongs £8 - US$13 - 11.5 Euros

The pirate T-shirt sellers outside did a roaring trade at prices that were a fraction of these.

 

[AbsentFriend]

I think it's normal prices

 

[Alex Guinness]

I usually come away with an armful of shirts and other merchandise, but based on the prices last night I did not even go for the tour shirt.

It is a shame, but that is damn expensive.

Still this is the way that a lot of bands subsidise their income and it may have allowed this show to have been filmed in England rather than Sweden, but it was enough to stop me buying yet another shirt (or three).

 

[Lee_B]

The merchandising company set the prices not the band, so if anyone's to blame it's them. It's usual for a venue like the Empire to take 10% of the proceeds, but even so, those prices are ridiculous.

 

[Hope Leaves]

Yeah I wanted to get a tshirt aswell, but as soon as I saw the prices I didn't. £45 for a hoodie?? I'm gonna order some stuff from the net today, instead of getting them last night. It was a shame though, if the prices had been lower I'd have gladly bought a few.

 

[Alex Guinness]

The merchandising company set the prices not the band, so if anyone's to blame it's them. It's usual for a venue like the Empire to take 10% of the proceeds, but even so, those prices are ridiculous.

Thanks for that, Lee. I hadn't realised.

Is the merchandising Company seperate from the band (forgive my cynicism, but seeing as I live close to the Essex/Suffolk border, I know that my local metal merchandising machine [should be really easy to guess which Sony band I am talking about] has the merchandising Company owned by the midget vocalist, if I am not very much mistaken)?

Anyway Lee, if you were there last night, what was your impression as you have a longer history with the band than most?

 

[TheMindzI]

I got straight out so I didn't visit this merchandise thing.

I got a t-shirt from the guys outside for 7 pounds. And a few minutes later a friend of mine even got one for 4 pounds. I think the hoodies cost 15 pounds.

I have 2 more tour t-shirts (BWP tour 2001 and UK tour 2002) and I haven't given more than 10-12 pounds for each.

 

[landfill]

Is the merchandising Company seperate from the band (forgive my cynicism, but seeing as I live close to the Essex/Suffolk border, I know that my local metal merchandising machine [should be really easy to guess which Sony band I am talking about] has the merchandising Company owned by the midget vocalist, if I am not very much mistaken)?

Cradle do control the design of their merchandise, i believe.

 

[Lee_B]

Thanks for that, Lee. I hadn't realised.

Is the merchandising Company seperate from the band (forgive my cynicism, but seeing as I live close to the Essex/Suffolk border, I know that my local metal merchandising machine [should be really easy to guess which Sony band I am talking about] has the merchandising Company owned by the midget vocalist, if I am not very much mistaken)?

Anyway Lee, if you were there last night, what was your impression as you have a longer history with the band than most?

Opeth do their merch through a company called Razamataz (at least they did last time they toured). They also sell direct at www.heavymetalonline.co.uk . It's interesting to note that the online price for the T Shirts are £12.00 (+ VAT, so about £15.00 in total).

With the shirts sold to stores and direct by mailorder there would be a royalty paid to the band, much like an album royalty. Tour merch is different. The merch company would send one of their own people on the road with the band, and then there would probably be some sort of profit split at the end of the tour. This kind-of explains why shirts are usually more expensive at shows, since there's the added cost of transportation, daily wages for the sellers, etc.

While the guys outside the concerts sell their bootlegs for a lot cheaper, try and remember that these crooks (usually organised gangs) have no royalties to pay, no overheads, and are, more often than not, printed on shitty garments that cost a £1.00 a throw at a wholesale market. I guess it's up to your personal conscience whether you would buy something like this. I guess it's similar to downloading entire albums from the net.

i didn't realise that CoF were doing their own merch these days. They used to go through Razamataz too. I guess it makes sense for them as they sell so much stuff. It would make sense for most bands at that level, so long as you have the time to organise such things. In Opeth's case, the bigger they get, I'm sure the % the manager (I know the guy, he's an experienced nogtiator and is not usually messed with) negotiates will keep increasing.

And I couldn't make it to the show I'm afraid as my Mrs was very unwell.

Lee

 

[Alex Guinness]

I may be mistaken about the situation with CoF, but I know that Dani is an extremely shrewd bloke (from personal experience I don't like him). He is not particularly popular in these parts, but some of the information may be distorted as there as many ex-band members dotted about. Also information may be years out of date in that case.

I must admit, over the last few gigs I seem to remember a t-shirt price in the region of £15... but again that would be trusting my aging memory.

I certainly never buy from the bootleggers, everyone that I have known to has ended up with a top that the print wears off after only a couple of washes.

 

[MasterOLightning]

Only $13 bucks for a thong, and no one picked one up for me? They were $20 in the US.

 

[ChrisEmerson]

those prices are fucking awful. i didnt even visit the merchandise stand yesterday cause i couldnt afford anything anyway, but i liked some of the tshirts they were selling outside. still, i cant believe they can get away with charging that much.

 

[robin]

I was also planning to buy a tee and a long sleeve but didn't after seeing the ridiculous prices. Tees have been £10-15 at their previous London gigs.

I'll just order them online.

 

[opethpainter]

the katatonia thong i saw costed 8 €, so it's strange the opeth one costs 3.5 € more

 

[mackhomie]

I totally agree, I went to the concert ready to buy a t-shirt/sweatshirt and once I saw the prices I turned around. I bet if they LOWERED the prices they'd make a hell of a lot more money.

 

[gaz]

I saw Dark Tranquillity in London last Nov and I got a longsleeve for £12, I was so shocked I had to ask the guy twice.

 

[Heliologue]

72USD for a hoodie? i only paid 40USD for mine, and i thought that was expensive.

 

[Hope Leaves]

Merchandise at Shepherds Bush
The merchandise at the venue was expensive. This was related to that the venue charge 25% plus Vat as a concession.

Posted on the Opeth site, for those who haven't yet seen...

 

[IanDork107]

I believe I spent 25 each on my Opeth and PT shirts that I got at shows over the summer. It's a tad high, but the bands are worth supporting. If the prices were like those, though, I'd have waited and bought 'em online.

 

[Madkill]

Those prices are much higher from what they were here in the States during their two tours this year.

I think it has to do with the fact that it was a high profile gig and that they were expecting a lot of people with a high potential for sales.