History of Merch: Band T-Shirts

Marketing Trends
Written By Ksenia Denisova

Welcome to a new series where we will be discussing the history of merch! We will bring to your attention some of the most iconic and memorable merch campaigns in history, and hopefully, inspire you to develop your own signature merchandise!

Rock and roll band t-shirts had their origins in the late 1950 via an Elvis fan club. He was among the pioneers who not only defined the genre of rock and roll music, but also concert merchandise.

In the latest Elvis Presley biopic film, we get a glimpse of how he used merch products to promote and sell to their fans. This film does a great job of showing how band merch was a big part of the rock and roll movement.

Back then, popular band t-shirts weren't an everyday item but rather something more special, a sign of belonging to a fan club. And only in the late 1960 rock concert promoter, Bill Graham saw this opportunity of using t-shirts as "walking billboards". And it quickly evolved into an unstoppable trend. Fast forward a few decades and we are now wearing concert shirts on a daily basis.

Band T-Shirt Timeline

Here’s a timeline for the evolution of band shirts as recorded by authors Amber Easby and Henry Oliver in their book The Art of the Band T-shirt:

(1956) Elvis Presley’s company produces band shirts to advertise four of his singles

(1964) The Beatles celebrate their US tour by making music T-shirts for fans

(1967) The Monkees create concert T-shirts for their tours

(1968) Bill Graham’s Winterland Productions becomes the first manufacturing company of band T-shirts

(1970) The Allman Brothers bring out a T-shirt for family, band members and crew

(1971) The Grateful Dead launches their tye-dye shirt (birth of a 40-year tradition)

(1973) Concert promoter produce a shirt for a music fest, advertising three bands together: The Allman Brother, Grateful Dead, and The Band

(1973) Promoters make a tee for a Yes tour and make a $250,000 profit

(1974–76) Vivienne Westwood defines the punk movement with memorable tees like the Destroy T-shirt

(1983) Katherine Hamnett launches her slogan T-shirts that are picked up by musicians and fits the zeitgeist of 80s

(1985) Hip hop design legend, Cey Adams, creates the now universal Run-DMC tees

(1991) A concert poster uses the Nirvana logo with a smiley face and lives on to become ubiquitous.

Most popular band t-shirts

AC/DC

Among the pioneers the widely popular band AC/DC became one of the first bands to ever make more from merch sales than ticket sales, according to Grailed Magazine.

Rolling Stones

As one of the most iconic rock bands in history, the Rolling Stones have cultivated a huge global following throughout their career, often selling more merchandise than concert tickets. The Rolling Stones’ famous tongue and lip design was created in 1971 by London artist John Pasche and the logo first appeared on the Stones’ album, Sticky Fingers. This iconic rock t-shirt is one of the most recognizable rock and roll garments of all time. 

The Ramones

The Ramones’ famous “Presidential Seal” logo was created by  New York artist and longtime friend of the band Arturo Vega. Vega designed  The Ramones’ famous “Presidential Seal” logo in 1976. The seal has appeared on various official Ramones merchandise since its debut.

As a result, this iconic logo was adopted by both the band and their fans and has become an iconic emblem of the punk rock movement. "The Presidential Seal" is featured on many of the band’s recordings, posters, t-shirts, and other merchandise.

Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd was one of the most influential progressive rock bands of the 60s and 70s, with such classics as “Dark Side of the Moon” and “Wish You Were Here”.

"The Dark Side of the Moon" is still considered one of the most influential rock records of all time. Their dispersive prism illustration logo quickly became one of the most recognizable symbols in music history.

Nirvana

The happy face with crossed-out eyes smiley logo has been one of the most famous band shirt designs for edgy teenagers ever since the early 90s. It has graced thousands of concert t-shirts all over the world over the years and is still worn proudly to this day.

In 2019 the famous fashion designer Marc Jacobs was sued for breaching the copyright of Nirvana, by using the smiley face logo and signature font in a rock and roll tees design.

Band t-shirts today

Many people have their favorite band's tees in their closets, even if they aren't big music fans! Nowadays it’s common to see guys wearing their favorite band tee to a casual night out with friends. This piece of merch had become so casual that it often doesn't even serve as a reminder that the wearer is a fan at all!

Many brands carry band t-shirts as part of their selection. For example, Urban Outfitters sells plenty of band merch for both men and women, including shirts by bands like The Strokes, Tame Impala, Arctic Monkeys, The White Stripes, The Black Keys, and many more.

Here at commonsku, we love music and we love great merch! Here are a couple of examples of our team member's favorite band tees!

Karim Kuperhaus - VP of Sales

"A Montreal band from the early 80s.  I got this t-shirt earlier this summer when they did a show for a local festival."

David Shultz - VP, Supplier Partnerships

"I love this one not just because it's my own band....but because Tee Hamilton designed it for me shortly before she lost her battle with cancer."

Erika Cooper - Sales Representative

"Prince and the Revolution!!!"

Allison Lavigne - Customer Success Specialist

“I have a band t-shirt from RUSH, who I listened to growing up as a kid. They are all incredible musicians, and since my Dad is a drummer too, he enjoyed listening to Neil Peart's amazing musical talent. His passion for RUSH sparked a passion in my whole family - I'm pretty sure we all own a few things from RUSH at this point!”

Rock and roll band t-shirts are so much more than just a cool piece of clothing; they have also become an intrinsic part of popular culture throughout the world.

This article features only a few examples of famous rock band merch designs that have become popular icons for fans across the world. Rock music has grown massively in popularity over the years and continues to sell millions of albums and merch items each year all around the world.

What's your favorite band t-shirt? Share with us on socials and make sure to tag @commonsku!

commonsku is software specifically designed for the promotional products industry. It's a CRM, Order Management, and eCommerce platform wrapped up in one sophisticated hub. With software that intuitively connects distributors and suppliers, commonsku is like a breath of fresh air for your team. Learn more at commonsku.com

Ksenia Denisova
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