Blondie, Mac Demarco and more participate in band shirt benefit
Non-profit organisation Merch Friends has announced a new project called Band Shirt Day. Part of an effort to build sustainable ecosystems for independent music merchandise, the event will work with graphic artists and musicians to celebrate the power of the band tee, all while raising money for charity.
The first round of artists features Blondie, Mac DeMarco, and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, with more to follow later in 2022. Sales from the benefit will go to charities such as Children of Ukraine, Planned Parenthood, The Ally Coalition, MusicCares, TransLifeline, and the ACLU.
In a recent statement, Sam Means, co-founder of MerchFriends and Hello Merch, said: “Independent music has a deep history of sustainability through community focus; fundraising, street teams, and guerrilla marketing. MerchFriends, through Band Shirt Day, is bringing together communities to help solve problems we face every day.”
As well as Blondie, Mac Demarco, and King Gizzard, the project will feature participating artists such as Tori Amos, Sargent House, The Maine, Tragically Hip, The Format, Urge Overkill, Flipper, Monophonics, The Estate of Jóhann Jóhannsson.
Band Shirt Day has been set up in partnership with Spotify, BandsInTown and others. Heather Ellis, product marketing manager with Spotify, said: “Spotify is proud to partner with MerchFriends for the first ever Band Shirt Day.
She continued: “By pairing our merchandise listing and Fan Support tools, participating artists have the option to sell merchandise and raise funds for a cause they care about directly on their Spotify artist profile. Band Shirt day is a celebration of mercy, fandom, and the collective power of artists for good, and we are thrilled to support this initiative.” The first Band Shirt Day is set to take place on September 16th.
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