seriously, mastodon is gone.
welcome the merchodon.
gaygaygaygaygaygay

I used to be into Mastodon until they sold out and released Slickleg.

not okay i tell ya

I was a mastodon fan before they formed, and once they released a demo i moved on.

Why don't you do us all a favor and sell all of your Mastodon albums and shirts and never post here again?

dude, who said i got any records? thats almost the same as merch, i dont do merch. sellouts

Don't like it don't buy. It's simples.

ITT: Elitist pricks that think a band selling more than some basic clothing = sellout.

I think that backpack is pretty sweet. I'd go camping with that sucker.

Agreed.

Yalo you need to remember that you have a choice in all of this, so if you don't like it then leave it alone.

But I don't think that you should come onto a board where people like the band you are trying to run down and try to persuade or convince us not to like the idea.

I just received three more Mastodon items (two vinyls and one CD) today. And will be buying way more than that! The bag and the shoes might even find a home with me very soon.

I know for sure if I was in a band I'd do tons of merch right off the bat, I'd wanna have our logo plastered on fucking everything so people would know about us.

i just dont get the point with merch, else then shirts

I don't care if it's a sellout move or not, i want mastodon action figures to play with in the bath.

Facepalm dude.

1.They guys probably make more money from merch than music. Can blame them for branching out.
2. There is nothin there thats "sell out" imo. More capital floating around the band equals cooler merch and the merch has been pretty fuckin sweet lately!
3. Ill get worried if the release a Masto-coffin.










Wait fuck it id probably buy that too.

As long as they make kickass music, they can sell Masto-condoms for all I care. I actually think that backpack is pretty sweet. Wish I hadn't already gotten one for school or else I might have looked into that.

Hey, way to come in with the serious post.

If you hate mass band merch listen to Fugazi.

If you love mass band merch listen to Fugazi.

As Big Jon said indirectly:

It's not what they are selling, its what you are buying.


I don't see anything wrong with a band merchandising. Especially when it is clothing, how is a band tee any different than a band shoe other than the place on your body that you wear it? And if you are going to wear their artwork, why can't it be a back pack or a hat or another utilitarian item like a glove or a fanny pack?


Selling out is turning your band into a gimmick in order to cash in on what the market wants.

Selling merch is just that, selling merch.

And since the internet has destroyed record sales, I am assuming that tangible items and experiences (merch and shows) are even more crucial to paying the bills than ever before.

Unless you subscribe to the idea that only hardship and destitution produce great art, then you may want to reconsider your tough stance on "sellouts". That is a valid argument but one that the band must subscribe to as well. The band's themes are often of hardship, but I do not recall ever reading about one of them believing that money will tarnish their art.

In fact, they seem to be pretty straightforward in the fact that they will tour and sell merch to be successful. Rembemer, they must define success to themselves just as any other person does. If and when the desire to shop at armani supercedes the desire to make "cool shit" occurs, then you can accuse them of "selling out".

Until then, allow them their success imo.

Look at it this way, that IS the coolest back pack you could wear.
Its not like they're advertising women's sanitary napkins ,
eg - get more support from the Masto-pad.

I dunno, i think he seems like a nice guy

hahahaha i was not expecting that

Mascondom.....I love the idea

Hey, a bit off-topic, but I heard Mastodon is releasing a new album, entitled Crack The Sky. I'm fucking stoked. I really love the idea of making a concept album about Rasputin, how about you, guys?

I tried to think of a good Mastodon-related pun on Masto-condoms, but I can't come up with anything better than "protection of the fleece." Of course, I also took about ten seconds to think about, so all y'all can probably do much better.

Oh, and I just double-checked and realized even that pun sucks because I managed to mix the lines "seizure of the fleece" and "protector of its place" in my head. I'm just not doing well today.

Great points. One thing that we can thank the internet for is that the bands are kinda forced to tour more, because who wouldn't pay to see their favorite band live? I had CTS downloaded but still bought the album to give to a friend.

There are some silver linings.

As far as Mastodon merch, alot of it is very impressive. Some of the best band merch I've ever seen. They are on the right track but I haven't seen anything I just HAD to have, yet. Just T-Shirts. Like that Rasputin one. People always ask me if its Charlie Manson. Kinda sucks because some chick may think I'm deranged or something. Or I can ramble on about Rasputin in a bar....

Go fucking buy yourself a copy instead of downloading it dickweed.

hey look out dont wanna mess with this cat

or this aids-midget

If someone was willing to by some fucking ridiculous plimsoles or a rucksack with my band on it, I'd sell them by the fucking truckload.

also cocks

Mastodom

"For harpooning YOUR white whale"

You aren't very bright are you??

WHY!?!!?!?+1+1

What the hell does it matter? You got some issues to deal with if your so worried about what merch Mastodon release.

i just dont like the way warner milks the don for making money. the don isnt muny, the don is facial hair and ferocius beasts.

To be honest, I imagine Mastodon isn't making enough on album sales alone to pay what it costs to make it, promote it, shoot videos for it, etc. I'd also guess that when they open for bands like Metallica, or the tour they did in the summer of 08, that they still need tour support. Before the album came out, they had to go all over Europe and the UK to do a ton of press / photo shoots, etc, and that costs money for airfare, hotels, and food. It seems like a very tangled web, and a very large gamble, but for better or worse, they are certainly getting way more popular. Also, beyond just the four guys in the band, they've got rent, families, lawyers, accountants, a manager, road crew, they have to rent a bus, etc. This shit just seems on par for bands that hit this size. And besides, somebody out there is buying these things, so why not make them? If not WB, then some bootlegger will.

I'd personally buy a god damn Mastobong though, holy fuck what a great idea! A crystal skull bong!

FUCK YES! BEST IDEA EVAR!

indeed, very good idea.

Is that a reference to my post on the Mastodon Sucks thread? If so, I'll charge an easy 10% for the idea.
But for real, I would seriously drop some cash for a cleverly detailed Mastobong.

They already got the pint glass out, which is pretty neat. I don't drink, but I'll buy it for my O'boy!

But looking at that I think they could make a sweet bong, but I think the price would be juicy. I'd still get it though.

I need a new wallet, why the fuck not a Mastodon wallet?

Or that bong from the Workhorse Chronicles DVD.

That they ended up breaking didnt they?

this is pretty much it

i don't know how many people here realize that mastodon owes warner a TON of money in production advances and tour support.

bands make hardly anything on record sales, and the little that they make has to be divided up evenly amongst their members.

so when you chastise someone for not buying an album, you're chastising them for not putting 25 cents into each band members pocket. you wanna support the band? buy the [tour] merch.

i could expand on how bands actually make money and why it's even hard for the biggest bands to break even, but maybe this is all common knowledge to the average music listener

Spoken like a true prodigy.

But..... Doesn't the purchasing of their albums lessen their debt to the label?

Plus, if a band sells lots of records, the record label will shell out more money to get them more promotion/gigs, ect. Then more people will show up to their shows and will increase their odds of merch sales.
So I think, by buying the album, it doesn't really put money in the pockets of the band directly, but it puts money in the pockets of the band inadvertently.

So.... buy the album.... Go to the show.... buy some merch.
God, suddenly I feel like I own stock in the band.

I really enjoy the growing category of merch Mastodon has.
In my opinion, a band doesn't sell out until they have trapper keepers and t-shirts with the band on it at Wal-Mart.







Green Day.

BACK TO SCHOOL LUNCH BOXES!!!!

Selling out or not..... If Mastodon were to come out with a lunch box, I would buy it, and keep my stash in it.

haha. genius. i was just going along with the whole walmart thing though but id definitley do that too.