Originally Published: Friday, March 4, 2005
Written by: Tulpje Tulp
The Evolving Merchandise Scene at Hardcore Shows
I’m at another show and I’m hit with the sight of the merch tables and all the kids lined up around them. One band has up for sale the CD and vinyl release of their latest album, around 4 t-shirt designs, a hoodie, along with some pins & stickers. If you go online you can order one of their limited edition colored 7-inches which come in 4 colors, collectibles for the true fans.
Reflecting on the Shift from Passion to Profit
It seems you don’t have to go to the mall anymore for your latest spending spree, the hardcore community is willing to accommodate today’s buyer just fine, with distros, clothing, etc. I’m not sure when it all started going in this direction, when it switched from being about fun and trying to play some shows, creating some sort of alternative, to seeing how much money you can make off the kids around you.
Consumerism in the Hardcore Community: A Double-Edged Sword
Now I’m not against supporting your favorite bands, and I’ve bought my fair share of t-shirts (I’d rather wear something that has the name of my fave band on it or a cool message, and yeah I prefer supporting something I like, than wear the name of some store on myself like an advertising board), but when I see the massive amounts of things for sale, it seems that we’re no longer alternative, we’re no longer trying to create a place outside of the norm for ourselves. I’m not sure why the hardcore community while paying attention to so many things that are popular in mainstream society and reacting to them, or at least giving people a space to react to them, stopped at consumerism and decided to welcome it inside.
There are definite differences between a store and a hardcore table or an online distro, mostly because the same kid who runs it is doing the packaging and mailing by her/himself (maybe with the help of some friends), and no one getting exploited like at the chain stores, and I’m pretty sure profits aren’t exactly huge.
The Paradox of Selling Unique and Alternative
Nevertheless, it feeds on the same things that mainstream marketing thrives on: selling something unique (the big brands do it with limited-run items & hc does it with limited editions), selling something alternative (the big brands try to do it & hc does it). In the HC community, it is quite apparent that kids feel the need to be unique, different, and at times tougher, than everyone else, and in answer to that need, there are material objects, things you can take home, or show off to your friends about, or on online boards.
Balancing Materialism with Community Values
I’m not trying to deny that there is an entirely normal side to buying and acquiring objects. We all need clothing, so as I said above it seems normal to support someone from my immediate community who, at the end of the day, I don’t feel exploited by, then some store. I think it’s inherent in human nature to acquire things, to collect; some people have stamp collections, and others record ones, but in the end, I find myself asking how much of a mainstream habit (in this case consumerism) are we willing to welcome & accept into our communities without really questioning it, when we can already see the negative effects of consumerism around us?
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