For many professional musicians, the real money is not in CD sales or Internet downloads, but in live concert performances. Besides actual sales of tickets to the show, many artists make their money through concert memorabilia and merchandise. Some of the most popular pieces of concert merchandise are concert T's, or concert T-shirts. Concert T's often feature a stylized image of the performer, tour schedules, album artwork or other iconic images associated with that artist. Concert T's featuring teddy bears were very popular items during Grateful Dead tours, for instance.
Concert T's are especially appealing because they have a practical purpose as well as being an artistic expression. Fans can wear these fashionable concert T-shirts to school or to local music venues as a promotion of their favorite artist. Other concert merchandise such as bumper stickers or posters may still make a statement, but wearing a cool concert T-shirt lets others know something about the wearer's musical tastes immediately.
Many concert T's can either be purchased directly at the venue or through online fan sites. Some of the more iconic t-shirts may appear in the clothing department of major retail stores, but many fans of lesser-known or alternative bands may have to search in specialty stores geared towards an adolescent or college market. Some concert T's are only sold at concerts, however, so fans of the artist may want to make sure they have additional funds to buy them before or after the show.
Concert memorabilia and merchandise often gains value over time, especially vintage concert T's. Many people hold onto prized concert T-shirts until they literally fall apart or are no longer legible. Because of the rarity of early concert t-shirts for iconic performers, a vintage concert tee in good condition could fetch a high price at memorabilia auctions. Reproductions of vintage or classic concert T's can also be ordered from specialty T-shirt outlets either online or through advertisements in music-oriented magazines.
