Even though you would be forgiven for thinking that National Band Shirt Day is just a day when music fans jump at the opportunity to take a selfie in their favourite band tee (which hopefully hasn’t been sourced from Primark or H&M), the annual event is now so much more than an excuse to indulge in vanity and seek validation.
In 2022, Band Shirt Day became a global charity initiative. The initiative saw many famous and iconic acts participating. Angel Olsen, Blondie, Tori Amos, Sonic Youth, and King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard were just a few of the bands that signed themselves up for the initiative by agreeing to donate proceeds from merch sales to charity.
While there are no official figures on how much money was raised in total for the participating charities, including Children of Ukraine, Planned Parenthood, TransLifeline and the ACLU, plenty of benevolent music fans reached for their wallets to support charities and get their hands on limited-edition merch items.
Wherever you are in the world, and have 500 fans or 500,0000, you can take part in Band Shirt Day. This year, it will fall on Friday, the 15th of September.
More initiative partners are joining by the day. So far, they include Bandsintown, Spotify, MerchFriends, Rough Trade NYC, WASTOIDS, and Hello Merch. Rough Trade is even going as far as curating a free Artist Merch Market, which will pop up at the Rough Trade festival, Indieplaza, at the Rockefeller Center on September 9th. Attendees will be able to snag limited-edition merch items made by the fair hands at Hello Merch, rummage through vinyl bins, and get the chance to meet their favourite artists at artist signing stalls.
How Bands Can Participate in Band Shirt Day 2023
Participating in Band Shirt Day 2023 couldn’t be easier. Simply register at BandShirtDay.com. Sell your merch via your usual official channels. Decide on which charity you would prefer to support, and then donate a percentage or all the proceeds from sales made on September 15. You are in complete control over how much of the proceeds from your merch sales you want to give. After all, merch is one of the biggest money-spinners for independent artists!
Although it is not necessary, creating limited-edition lines of merch is highly encouraged by the charity organisers to create an event similar to Record Store Day to make as many music fans as excited about the event as possible. Everyone in the music world has seen how much hype surrounds Record Store Day. People flock to record stores in droves and even go as far as queuing overnight to get their hands on a limited-edition item. With enough promotion and participation from artists, Band Shirt Day 2023 has the potential to be just as big as this year’s Record Store Day, which was reportedly bigger than ever.
If you don’t have the time, money, or resources to create new lines of merch, you can always attempt to clear your old merch stock by letting your fans know that you are participating in the charity event via your social media channels.
If you can’t decide which of the charities you want to donate your proceeds to, you can always choose the official Band Shirt Day Fund, which has been set up by GoFundMe. The official fund will evenly distribute money to Project Hope, Planned Parenthood, the Animal Legal Defence Fund, The Ally Coalition, Music Cares, and the ACLU.
To maximise your merch sales, and in turn, raise more funds for charity, sell your merch on your Spotify artist profile and consider raising donations via the Fan Support Tool. Bandsintown has also made it easy for artists to announce their participation via their platform and create eye-catching posts for social media.
There are no restrictions on which artists can participate in Band Shirt Day 2023. So there’s no reason why you should sit this annual event out!
How Music Fans Can Get Involved with Band Shirt Day 2023
In addition to setting aside some cash to spend on band tees on the 15th of September, music fans can also support Band Shirt Day by spreading the word about the event to ensure as many people know it as possible. As it is only a year from the inaugural event, the global charity event has some way to go to reach the mainstream conversation.
Here’s how you can help:
- Subscribe to the Bands Shirt Day newsletter by visiting the official website.
- Tag @bandshirtday and use the #bandshirtday hashtag in your social media posts.
- Tell your friends and family about the charity event.
- Urge bloggers, radio stations, and podcasters to promote the event.
- Attend a Band Shirt Day event or organise one of your own.
- Donate to the Band Shirt Go Fund Me.
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For more advice on band merch ideas and sales, check out our blog on how independent artists can maximise merch sales in 2023.
Article by Amelia Vandergast