Killing the Merch Scene

It doesn’t always just take good music to do well in the music industry, there are a lot of components that bring together the total package for an artist. One of the main things fans look for once a new album or tour is released is merchandise. Now I am one that is all about a dope oversized band t-shirt (the amount I steal from my boyfriend to sleep in is an actual concerning number), but a band that just consistently slays the merchandise aspect is Ice Nine Kills.

I say this for a couple of reasons with respect to this band. First of which is that they consistently come out with new and creative items. If you follow their Instagram account a fair majority of it are teasers to items they are about to launch. They also play the merchandise game smart, they do teasers, bundle items, one day only exclusive items, flash sales. Honestly, the whole nine yards. A lot of their items are dropped in bundles where they are available for a certain time and then they are gone. Whoever got them now has limited edition merch and those who didn’t have to wait for the next drop, and this tactic works as item after item is continuously sold out.

Not only that, but they use their platform to help those in need while still staying true to their brand as you can see with this example to help aid the Australian fires.

The main reason they caught my attention though is not because of their smart advertising game or the fact that my boyfriend said “No seriously babe listen to them, I promise they are good,” but because aside from being a fan of their music, I am also a horror movie fanatic. Their latest album “The Silver Scream” is a collection of songs all based on horror films (aside from the song based on Edward Scissorhands which fight me all you want is not horror. Great movie, great song, but not horror). The album contains songs based on movies like Jaws, SAW, Halloween, IT, and many more, thus creating an endless amount of ideas for some of the most amazing and creepy merch that I have ever seen. Each music video for this album connects together to tell a story which together alone creates a cinematic masterpiece that far exceeds most music video expectations, releasing each video as an episode in a series to get viewers even more invested. (Part 1 of The Silver Scream video series below)

The creativity behind this band is astonishing, not only in the endless stream of items but also their music. Before “The Silver Scream,” which brings a beautiful and dark interpretation of some of the best horror films, there was also “Every Trick in the Book,” an album that takes a deeper look inside literature like “Carrie”, “Animal Farm”, and “Dracula”. This album yet again turns already amazing works into something deeper and musically just incredible. The amount of time, effort, and thought that this band puts in everything that they do shows the true passion behind their work that cannot be ignored.

Here I link their two merchandise sites for you to browse and drop your thoughts on what you think of a merch line like this. Is it something you would buy? What do you think of their release strategy?

https://store.iceninekills.com/

https://ink-merch.com/collections/all?page=1