Hot Take: Why Buying a Concert T-Shirt Feels Like a Moral Test Now
- LJ Portnoy
- 12 minutes ago
- 3 min read
This hot take starts at the merch table.
Article Contributed by LJ Portnoy
There used to be a time when buying merch felt simple. You grabbed a tour tee, wore it like a badge of honor, and let it mean exactly what it was supposed to mean: I was there. It was about fandom and a souvenir rolled into one, no second thoughts required.
Now, merch comes with baggage.
Hot Take: Merch has become the backbone of an artist’s paycheck, and as that pressure has grown, so have the prices. Artists make slivers of what they once did through streaming platforms. What used to pay bills now barely registers.
Standing at the Merch Table
We all have stood in front of a merch table and paused. Seen the price. Maybe even did a double take. Maybe tried to do the internal math to see if there is enough room in the bank account to justify the tee, this time.
But now there is more to consider. The tip screen.
Suddenly, it is not just about what you want. It is about what kind of fan you are. And that is a new problem.
Merch used to say, I was there. Now it says, I supported enough.
It feels charged. Heavier than it used to be. There was a time when you could grab a shirt for twenty dollars. Same with concert tickets. Now tickets regularly cost over $300 - $400. $75 - $115 for the merch is not far behind.
Why Merch Prices Are So High
So what is actually driving the prices so high?
Streaming pays artists literal pennies. Radio does not hold the same power it once did and that loss trickles down. Touring costs are through the roof, with larger productions, more elaborate lighting, bigger sets, and constant pressure to outdo the last artist who played that room.
Labels cannot front the money forever. At some point, there has to be a green light.
And now, that green light is coming from fans’ pockets. Merch is not overpriced. It is overburdened.
It is no longer just a souvenir.
It is helping cover tour costs, crew pay, transportation, and the basic reality of staying on the road. A single hoodie is carrying the weight of a system that no longer works.
Hot Take: Fans as the Safety Net
Fans are now being asked, quietly and politely, to subsidize an industry that refuses to restructure itself. No one wants to say it out loud. No one wants to murmur it. But everyone can feel it.
This shift has turned something joyful into something complicated. Supporting your favorite artist no longer feels optional. It feels like a test you are being graded on.
The Tip Screen Problem
Then there is the tip screen.
Is the tip going to the artist or the merch handler? Is it there because merch workers are not being paid enough? And if that is the case, why has that responsibility shifted to the fan?
It is not that tipping is wrong. It’s that, it’s strange.
Tipping used to be reserved for service work. Now it appears everywhere, every interaction reduced to a prompt. A moment that should feel human flattened into a transaction, measured by percentages instead of connection.
The Actual Take
Fans do not need to be more generous. Artists do not need to be more grateful. Workers do not need to hustle harder.
The industry needs to stop turning love, admiration, and souvenirs into leverage.
Because concerts used to be about yelling to your friends, look, I was there.
Now they are about how many zeros are in your account and whether you can even get there in the first place.
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