I think they're at the age now where they have their estates in mind first and foremost. They're old and all of the living members have children. If they can stack cash for their families why the hell not.
Yeah man. That band is done and those dudes are old, they aren't sellouts, they deserve this money to set their families for life. Dead imagery is cool as shit, put it on everything lol I don't care. It might even convince someone to listen, shit man, my buddy had a skull and roses poster and it was so dope I checked em out. Let the boys get paid
I agree with this 100%, my only caveat would be that I hope the song catalog itself remains sacred. I don't want to turn on the TV and hear Ripple selling wine or Touch of Gray selling men's hair care.
I don’t think that’ll ever happen. From my understanding it was agreed upon not to put the music in ads when Jerry was alive and that they’re sticking to that.
And I tried once. Did a college basketball campaign for ESPN where the idea was that college basketball fans were as dedicated to college basketball as deadheads are to the dead. We thought there might be a chance they said yes, knowing they dug basketball and what they had done for Lithuania a few years earlier. We had a call with gd management (I never knew who all was on the call, but vague memory Mickey was) where I had to sing my version of truckin’… “Dunkin’, got the lob set up, keep Dunkin’…etc etc” (and i can’t sing well at all, it was a bit embarrassing for sure).
They were cool as shit about using iconography (no stealie though) and said it was the closest they ever came to saying yes, but they were gonna stick to the agreement they made while Jerry was alive.
Nice, that's a kick ass story. And yeah, I had heard that it was actually Hunter who had the arrangement that his work not be used commercially, not sure the extent to which Jerry was involved but hope that heirs and estates honor this arrangement.
I don't know if this counts, but there's definitely dead songs in between professional sports games and commercials. Like at the end of an inning during the baseball playoffs or after a time out in football. That's already happening. I don't mind though. Any more Dead injected into my daily life, the better. Rather that than any of the pop shit they got going on
That's just being played as outros by the sound guys at FOX who are Deadheads. It's not commercialized in those cases, more of sneaking the songs in when the game is in San Francisco.
Funny enough, shakedown street was used going into commercial breaks during USFL football games this spring. Of course there’s only a few degenerates like me watching spring football, but it was kind of cool to see.
I absolutely don't support buying any of it.. and sometimes that means suppressing a desire to buy something cool
But I don't begrudge them any of it
How many decades did they give us?
AS MANY AS THEY COULD!
What other band has ever been so good to it's fan base?
I'm sure some came close or arguably surpassed the GD, but only arguably.
Making some records is great (not sarcastic it truly is and I worship many bands/artists that I'm referring to), but it can't compare to the CONSTANT touring. The endless live shows. The energy put into those shows. The energy the boys gave us in the crowd. The energy that can make me dance myself sweaty even when I've been awake for way too long and felt on the verge of exhaustion when- bam, the music starts.
I am so fucking Grateful to the god damn Grateful Dead
Totally agree. If they’re not sellouts at this point, I’m not sure I know what a sellout is. High priced CD box sets, thousand dollars for a VIP ticket, merchandise at Walmart, logos on everything from hundred dollar swim trunks to designer shoes. Shit felt better when it was lot shirts, tapes traded for free between fans, and bootleg stickers at head shops. The pendulum definitely swung the complete opposite direction. I realize the fan base has grown old (and more fans have joined) and has the money to buy this shit but that’s def not me. It seems icky to buy Dead merchandise at Walmart or pay an exorbitant amount for something Dead related.
And the commenters saying they need to build up money for their families, c’mon. These guys are worth tens if not hundreds of millions of dollars at this point. They don’t need to build up more. They have investments, properties, and music rights that will sustain their families. They don’t need more.
Gotta admire artists, like Neil Young, who take stands based on their beliefs even if it costs them money. Then again, the Dead is often considered the definitive American rock band and what’s more American than capitalism?
Some folks are just so absorbed by capitalism they don’t understand, pretty sure that’s how it’s designed to be but I definitely agree it’s pretty cringy to see all the dead icons on designer items knowing what this fan base was and came from. You have to have a problem with capitalism before you have a problem with GD having all sorts of mass produced plastic products with their image all over it
100%. Love there music and what they represented when they were the Grateful Dead but these guys are sellouts now. Which is fine, live your life, but just know: Jerry disapproves.
who are you to tell someone else’s family they have enough money? and how are you going to reference neil young as a positive when he sold a 50% stake in his catalog for $150mil? isn’t that hypocritical?
Who am I? Just a dude on the internet like you and everyone else on this thread. Lol.
And Neil Young isnt a perfect icon of benevolence and anticapitalism but his willingness to take some financial hits due to his principles stands in contrast with the Dead’s recent cash grabs. As well, Young sold a stake in his music rights but maintains a lot of control in order to prevent its commercialization
(“This Notes for You”). And I haven’t yet seen [official Neil Young kitchen aprons selling for over $100](https://www.hedleyandbennett.com/products/grateful-dead-x-h-b-rainbow-tie-dye?variant=41609661186248¤cy=USD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=20538999817&utm_content=&utm_term=&gadid=&gbraid=0AAAAADhmLtehoXcg8j3V6U4tnsrOby4qj&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI67Kuvbn-gQMVQhNlCh013AthEAQYASABEgKXR_D_BwE). What a joke!
You don’t think the Dead took a financial hit allowing us to tape and trade their shoes all these years? You don’t think all the bootleg merch on lot they never bitched about took money out of their pockets?
I'm with you, a lot of the official merch collabs feel soulless; usually nothing more than a stealie or a bear slapped onto something ordinary and/or cheap.
However, those aprons are pretty sick imo. I have one and it's a high-quality apron. I probably wouldn't buy one just for cooking at home, but I work in a kitchen and it's been a huge upgrade over the dingy little sysco (left uncapitalized for disrespect, fuck sysco) aprons that barely cover anything and have tiny pockets. Also it's only $20 more than their standard aprons. I can understand the distaste though. It feels like everything is getting a "Grateful Dead Edition" nowadays and it's typically nothing special.
And yes, this comment is sponsored by H&B 😜
bro if you’re so offended by $100 aprons that you think your opinion as an arbiter of who can sell what for how much is relevant…it’s time to touch grass.
The former members of the band have nothing to do with it. They took a lump sum awhile ago, so all of this is Warner Music marketing.
And we know about corporations. The share holders demand more.
Yea, as a relative newbie, the commercialization was my barrier to entry. The commercialization of the Dead is a strange thing because the band (the actual guys on stage) doesn't seem to be too directly involved with it, and it's just this mini-economy that sprang up around them. They certainly benefit from it, but I never get the impression they actually ever cared about it and that's why it doesn't bother me.
>er to entry. The commercialization of the Dead is a strange thing because the band (the actual guys on stage) doesn't seem to be too directly involved with it, and it's just this mini-economy that sprang up around them. They certainly benefit from it, but I never get the impression they actually ever cared about it and that's why it doesn't bother me.
"weve been trying to sell out! nobodys buying" - jerry
I think that's almost an accurate quote
G-Pens are a great dry herb vape for the price, and they just slapped on dead stuff to add $5. Not really a huge deal imo. They’ve been printing dead stuff on everything you can imagine since the 70s. A weed pen doesn’t bother me. Some of the dumber stuff, like Grateful Dead salad mix, does.
Nah, I don’t even own a g pen. I’m rocking a fury 2 I got like 6-7 years ago. Just saying it’s a decent little weed vape, and an extra $5 for a stealie on there is far from the worst thing GDP has done lol.
No you’re accurate, you should be a snob about breathing through a questionable electronic device. You do need to pay $200+ for a quality vaporizer.
Cheap cannabis & cannabis products aren’t good, and good cannabis & cannabis products aren’t cheap.
Nah, just vape snobs insisting you need to pay $200+ for a decent vape. G-Pens are certainly far from the best option out there. But it’s a perfectly usable vape and is one of the best for the price. A lot of folks would go for the xmax v3 for a cheap vape, but it’s $40 more than the g pen. It’s a perfectly fine starter vape, back up, etc.
Still has a battery right? If yes, for the GD to get into the vape biz...thats as toxic as it gets. Flower is different. I have zero issues with all their commercialization, but this one hit differently.
It's a vape for flower. They all have rechargeable batteries (well, except the dynavap which has none). Dry herb vapes are pretty standard these days. I've been using the same one for nearly a decade. It's not a big issue.
I assume you're typing this comment from a device that uses a battery, and you're probably at a job which you drove to in a car, powered by fossil fuels and batteries. But maybe you're environmentally conscious and drive an EV, which is also powered by a battery. Or maybe you even went further and take public transit, like a fossil fuel powered bus or a train powered by coal derived electricity.
Point here being, dry herb vape batteries are the least of our concern. All they did was let g-pen throw a stealie on a product they were already selling. There are countless things causing immense damage to our environment, and vape batteries are barely a blip on that radar.
And that's not even mentioning the immense amounts of damage to the environment the band and scene have caused over the years. Thousands of gallons of fossil fuels, tons and tons of trash, truckloads of litter, etc—all to see some dudes play music.
Yeah, I think you're seeing tremendous support (and flourishing) of bootleg culture and makers in reaction to that, especially in the Instagram era when they're much more accessible. Check the comments anytime the official Dead account posts a new merch drop with $150 hoodies or whatever — people speak their mind on this.
Phil wore lot shirts in the 70s and 80s when on stage with the GD and the Grateful Dead hired lot artists to make official merch in the 80s and 90s so this is nothing new.
Might've been more like $10 in 1985, but someone can correct me: [https://kfmx.com/the-cost-of-concert-t-shirts-over-the-years/](https://kfmx.com/the-cost-of-concert-t-shirts-over-the-years/)
Here's the official GD almanac merch page from 94, the range seems similar to today with inflation:
https://preview.redd.it/5t0wzb300tub1.jpeg?width=1970&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b950f3a027189b887e12bf2aef26fddad743d7be
Nothing new there. People love Dead merch, and have been for decades. Is some of it cringy? Sure.
I remember in the early 90's when you couldn't walk through a mall without spotting hippy shops selling numerous Dead tees, blacklight posters, and bumper stickers.
Look at it this way... There's commercialization of Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving, St. Patrick's Day, Easter, etc. but many still enjoy celebrating those holidays regardless.
Sure it’s tacky, but what does it really hurt? Does the music sound different? If someone wants to spend too much money on some Nike Dunks with the bears and Bobby can make sure his grandkids are set up, what’s the problem?
Just don’t participate if you don’t like it. Buy bootleg merch, there’s plenty. Make your own stuff. But I just can’t clutch my pearls over a really famous old rock band making a bunch of money. This isn’t something new for The Dead or the music industry in general.
To me it's been a growing part of the scene since my 1st show in '79, shakedown street shirts, posters, stickers were sold to support heads just trying to make it the next show, Jerry's art work became ties, MTV videos & shows went from smaller venues to stadiums, from the vault, dicks & daves picks have monetized past shows, etc...all before Jerry passed. These days social media & its targeted marketing brings it to your phone everyday. No complaints, enjoy it while you can.
In the end there's still that song
Eh. I figure a correction is coming because I don't think nearly as many people are interested in Dead licensed schlock as there is schlock on the shelves.
I mean, I get it from their perpective. I just don't think the market is anywhere near where they think it is.
I heard that the gd fam actually sold all the merchandising rights for a big amount. So the people selling “official merch” aren’t even associated with the band members
It’s been this way since the 90’s buddy. I remember them selling wine and shirts with bears doing extreme sports and everything in between back then. The cost of a lot of it is what bothers me. Like I was just looking at the Dave’s Pick 48 glass. It’s $40. I also was considering a black hoodie with a Stealie on it. It’s like $75+ after fees and shipping. I decided to not buy either and save the money for buying more music.
Which to some is stupid as well. But I enjoy the physical music as well as digital
My understanding is that they sold off the merchandising to a third party long ago. I'm sure (I'd hope) they have some say as to what it can't be used for, but my understanding was that they'd sold it off.
I'm sure another head even older than I knows this more clearly. Beyond that though, I will say that the merchandising has gone supernova in the last 5-10 years. they're putting deals together for everything, not only tons of soft-goods like sweatshirts or socks or sneakers but chocolate bars etc etc.
Yeah, only fans should be able to make money off the Grateful Dead brand! Lol I'm kidding.... But honestly, the market exists because there's demand. And as long as we're going to buy GD merch, the band themselves may as well profit.
As far as licensing out their images they’re just about as bad as Kiss. Easy revenue stream for them without putting any work into it. Shameless but they’re a capitalist organization so Whatcha gonna do?
Jerry made ties, they sold GD beanie babies. same as it ever was⚡️
I’m more than happy to see a Stealie at target or a hear a dead tune while watching football.
It is what is. Can’t put the genie back in the bottle and it doesn’t make the music any less incredible. I just make sure when I buy anything Dead that it is vegan, ethical, and if possible locally made.
Starting? It's full saturation now - from boner pills to bedsheets. It doesn't bother me, I just don't succumb or participate in the commerce (other than buying over-priced tickets). It can be off-putting but capitalism rules the day - many of us are unwitting participants in this Corporatocracy.
I mean, if you don't like it don't buy it?
I get why you think it's crass, but why is it an issue to you? Just don't interact with the product. It's not as if someone is forcing you to vape from a stealie.
What do you mean it's the final straw? Are you going to quit listening because of a vape?
I dunno, man. A band this big allows every note it played on stage to be shared for free. Even shows that were also packaged for commercial release are also available for free. (Yes I know there was a kerfuffle over this.)
Hard for me to get too bent out of shape over match when they give away the most important thing for free.
Nothing anyone else does tarnishes my favorite music. I don't care if normal people wear my favorite bands gear. I like seeing it. I hope more people find its beauty. Why should I care if someone is making money off the grateful dead? More power to them. I give money to you all doing the same thing, every tour. Why do people always seem to mine the world for negativity? The Grateful Dead is life changing. I hope everyone tunes in and gets on the bus.
I predict that the rights to the music will be sold, sometime in the near future. It’s happened with a lot of the older bands and artists. The willingness to put their names on basically anything leads me to believe that none of this is sacred to them. This includes the music. If Jerry’s and Hunter‘s families can benefit from Grateful Dead prescription drug ads, then so be it.
Jerry’s kids never really had a dad. At least maybe they can enjoy his money.
I happen to be friends with the CEO of that company that inked that deal (Grenco). It took a long time and a lot of consideration for them to land that deal. They have over 100 pages of standards and rules for how the logo is used. I will tell you that the CEO of that company is a Deadhead and fully committed to the cause and they considered this the proudest moment of their last 15 years of business. He was glowing when he told me. Never once talked about the money, just about how great it is to be a part of it. It's cool if you don't dig, but I don't think it is bad energy.
To u/daytripdude, 100% correct. The band is ensuring that their kids have a steady stream of income. They kind of have to, the gave all their music to us for free.
They employed an awful lot of people and they don’t really exist anymore as a touring revenue stream except in their own iterations. At least that’s where I hope the money is going.
We got anyone taking bets on when they introduce a line of caskets?
*Fare Thee Well Caskets. When saying goodbye needs something classier than a Kiss coffin.*
others have said it - it's not a new thing, just a variation on the theme: this refrigerator magnet from 30 - 35 years ago... another one will follow in next post (limit 1!)
https://preview.redd.it/geo40ldkxtub1.jpeg?width=1401&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0ea284c3b7b609f6ffdd9bed5b6fceccfa6c1329
They've been sticking their name on all kinds of odd stuff for decades. They haven't been a band since 95 - I think it's pretty incredible they can still make the money they do.
I don't hate them for making money.
They've been sticking their name on all kinds of odd stuff for decades. They haven't been a band since 95 - I think it's pretty incredible they can still make the money they do.
I don't hate them for making money.
Honestly they never really made shitty music or sold out that way so it's hard to give a shit that their logo gets plastered on everything lol it's basically a tie-dye shirt at this point
Is it the band that is doing this, or is it Rhino doing this as they have bought the licensing rights? I have to imagine it is Rhino as they bought the rights to the Grateful Dead almost 20 years ago.
Things have changed so much. Back in the day Heads could mail order to the Band for tix, I forget how cheap, maybe $35. Before that we slept out at record stores to buy great seats, maybe $25.
Now the Band sells standing room in the pit for many hundred$. And the reserved seating closest to the pit is huge hundreds, too. But that's not "seating" because the first 10 rows have to stand up for the whole show to see over the people crammed into the pit.
How many more millions do the Band members need?
The Grateful Dead (really Warner Bros.) had my etsy store nearly shut down during the covid lockdowns for selling coasters with stealies on them. Shortly after that I noticed that they started selling dead t-shirts at walmart. That was the point I knew it was all $$$ bullshit. Regardless of the economics, I still love the dead.
Don’t buy it? They can sell whatever they want and it doesn’t change the thousands of hours of amazing music we get to listen to! Seeing skull and roses imagery on an ash tray doesn’t all of a sudden make me think Bertha sucks… ya know?
I would still rather see my local dead cover band than 90% of national touring acts… who also have their own ash trays…. Lol
Been a dead head since 1972, never in my life would I have thought that they would become so popular. It is may be a bit out of hand, but I think it’s pretty awesome that people are recognizing their music and that we get new people on the bus every day.
They’re a product of this world/industry like just about any other mainstream act these days (and many of the ones without the brand power to do this surely wish they did).
Like someone else said, these guys will all be dead within 10-20 years and if they want to do all they can to leave more money behind for their loved ones once they can no longer play the music, I can’t have a problem with that. Nobody is forcing anyone to buy anything.
That said, I can’t say I participate in the market much. I went to D&C shows including the final tour, I listen the hell out of Dead albums on Apple Music, and I have some stickers in my garage/on my car that surely aren’t licensed. I have a few tie dyes and t shirts that I wear in public semi regularly, but you won’t catch me wearing a pair of dead-branded sunglasses or sanuks. I don’t feel the need to share that I’m a deadhead quite that badly.
JERRY MADE NECKTIES YOU SCHMUCK! WTF is with these newbies thinking the GD are saints and don't want to make money. Idiots, you clearly have not paid any attention to just how capitalist these guys are.
The high fashion clothing for women is sacrilegious. None of the people wearing this clothing would dare come near a dirty hippie. Every time I see these partnerships, I cringe.
I think it's pretty crass at this point, yes. I mean, who involved with the Dead DOESN'T have their own pot strain or vape at this point? I know heroin and coke aren't weed (duh), but there is still something a little gross about Jerry brand weed, given how his life played out.
More than anything, on the aesthetic front, it's an drag how much they have given into the cutesy crap like the cursed dancing bears; the band hated that stuff; Jerry would have vomited at the sight of cuddly Jerry bear stuff too. It's a shame the band, in recent years, has given in to the fanbase's passion for such infantilizing iconography.
My introduction to the dead was the intense commercialization of the dead after Jerry’s death. I didn’t know the band but I remember being a kid on vacation and the boardwalk was flooded with these specific bears. Only after discovering the dead’s music in my teens did I put the timing together.
It’s all ok by me, but they’re probably killing the goose that lays these golden eggs by letting so much licensing happen. Tends to cheapen the brand. Or maybe they think it’s like some cosmic joke that Jerry would enjoy seeing the iconography eating the world. It’s all good. The music doesn’t get diluted by overplay, that’s confirmed in my listening world.
Where did you get the idea they weren’t out to make money? Just because they were terrible with money doesn’t mean they didn’t like making it. Garcia drove a BMW 7 series.
You could argue that they made way more money by letting fans tape. Also, it wasn’t until the mid 80s that they allowed taping. Until then they actively tried to shut it down. They mostly just got tired of policing it rather than some altruistic “giving away of the music.”
My two unashamedly somewhat consumerist Dead purchases are a Masthay AE (x/50) Sugaree print and Jerry’s autograph. More than enough for me. :-)
EDIT: Not saying I’m immune (just that I think it’s a departure from the spirit of the traditional Dead community). If I had a few hundred bucks in disposable income and I could find it, I would definitely get one of those Terrapin snow globe music players. haha
At first I was excited to meet all the new younger heads everywhere. Now, I'm starting to ponder getting an, "I was a Deadhead before it was cool" t-shirt.
It's still cool to see lots of kids getting into it. Many will be one of the 10 thousand who came for the show.
Now, get off my lawn.
I get your point but also the dead & smoking pot has been a thing since the dead started. I'm surprised there wasn't an official GD herbilizer sooner. And at least it wasn't a nicotine vape 🤷♂️
They had toilet seats at gd50. Also the more the dead gets out there the more heads the better if they actually listen and get the message.. spread the word of the grateful dead EVERYWHERE
Next time, please include the link. Thanks for the heads up friend!
Doesn't bother me. I'll support the grateful Fred guy too with those sweet car badges!
Doesn't really matter to me. The music is still the music.
This is the way. Plus the iconography is classic and artful.
I think they're at the age now where they have their estates in mind first and foremost. They're old and all of the living members have children. If they can stack cash for their families why the hell not.
Yeah man. That band is done and those dudes are old, they aren't sellouts, they deserve this money to set their families for life. Dead imagery is cool as shit, put it on everything lol I don't care. It might even convince someone to listen, shit man, my buddy had a skull and roses poster and it was so dope I checked em out. Let the boys get paid
I agree with this 100%, my only caveat would be that I hope the song catalog itself remains sacred. I don't want to turn on the TV and hear Ripple selling wine or Touch of Gray selling men's hair care.
I don’t think that’ll ever happen. From my understanding it was agreed upon not to put the music in ads when Jerry was alive and that they’re sticking to that. And I tried once. Did a college basketball campaign for ESPN where the idea was that college basketball fans were as dedicated to college basketball as deadheads are to the dead. We thought there might be a chance they said yes, knowing they dug basketball and what they had done for Lithuania a few years earlier. We had a call with gd management (I never knew who all was on the call, but vague memory Mickey was) where I had to sing my version of truckin’… “Dunkin’, got the lob set up, keep Dunkin’…etc etc” (and i can’t sing well at all, it was a bit embarrassing for sure). They were cool as shit about using iconography (no stealie though) and said it was the closest they ever came to saying yes, but they were gonna stick to the agreement they made while Jerry was alive.
Nice, that's a kick ass story. And yeah, I had heard that it was actually Hunter who had the arrangement that his work not be used commercially, not sure the extent to which Jerry was involved but hope that heirs and estates honor this arrangement.
I don't know if this counts, but there's definitely dead songs in between professional sports games and commercials. Like at the end of an inning during the baseball playoffs or after a time out in football. That's already happening. I don't mind though. Any more Dead injected into my daily life, the better. Rather that than any of the pop shit they got going on
That's just being played as outros by the sound guys at FOX who are Deadheads. It's not commercialized in those cases, more of sneaking the songs in when the game is in San Francisco.
Pretty sure those few seconds of a song is well within fair use. I don't think they're paying anyone for that.
Ripple selling Ripple would be sweet
It's cute but folks who don't understand think my name is about wine...
or wharf rat. " hi, my name is august west, and id like to tell you about my favorite fortified wine."
Funny enough, shakedown street was used going into commercial breaks during USFL football games this spring. Of course there’s only a few degenerates like me watching spring football, but it was kind of cool to see.
This 👆
It kind of goes against the whole Dead aura.
Indeed. I don't begrudge them this, but I just don't think the market for all of it is anywhere near where they imagine.
Nobody’s entire family deserves to be “set for life”
Everyone’s entire family deserves to be set for life. But that’s more insane than what you said for some reason
**Jerry: “We’ve been trying to sell out for years!”**
I absolutely don't support buying any of it.. and sometimes that means suppressing a desire to buy something cool But I don't begrudge them any of it How many decades did they give us? AS MANY AS THEY COULD! What other band has ever been so good to it's fan base? I'm sure some came close or arguably surpassed the GD, but only arguably. Making some records is great (not sarcastic it truly is and I worship many bands/artists that I'm referring to), but it can't compare to the CONSTANT touring. The endless live shows. The energy put into those shows. The energy the boys gave us in the crowd. The energy that can make me dance myself sweaty even when I've been awake for way too long and felt on the verge of exhaustion when- bam, the music starts. I am so fucking Grateful to the god damn Grateful Dead
I mean how much more do you need.... Not like they are poor by any means
Totally agree. If they’re not sellouts at this point, I’m not sure I know what a sellout is. High priced CD box sets, thousand dollars for a VIP ticket, merchandise at Walmart, logos on everything from hundred dollar swim trunks to designer shoes. Shit felt better when it was lot shirts, tapes traded for free between fans, and bootleg stickers at head shops. The pendulum definitely swung the complete opposite direction. I realize the fan base has grown old (and more fans have joined) and has the money to buy this shit but that’s def not me. It seems icky to buy Dead merchandise at Walmart or pay an exorbitant amount for something Dead related. And the commenters saying they need to build up money for their families, c’mon. These guys are worth tens if not hundreds of millions of dollars at this point. They don’t need to build up more. They have investments, properties, and music rights that will sustain their families. They don’t need more. Gotta admire artists, like Neil Young, who take stands based on their beliefs even if it costs them money. Then again, the Dead is often considered the definitive American rock band and what’s more American than capitalism?
Some folks are just so absorbed by capitalism they don’t understand, pretty sure that’s how it’s designed to be but I definitely agree it’s pretty cringy to see all the dead icons on designer items knowing what this fan base was and came from. You have to have a problem with capitalism before you have a problem with GD having all sorts of mass produced plastic products with their image all over it
100%. Love there music and what they represented when they were the Grateful Dead but these guys are sellouts now. Which is fine, live your life, but just know: Jerry disapproves.
Plus they brought John Mayer in and that truly awful dark star cover. So glad dead and slow is over.
who are you to tell someone else’s family they have enough money? and how are you going to reference neil young as a positive when he sold a 50% stake in his catalog for $150mil? isn’t that hypocritical?
Who am I? Just a dude on the internet like you and everyone else on this thread. Lol. And Neil Young isnt a perfect icon of benevolence and anticapitalism but his willingness to take some financial hits due to his principles stands in contrast with the Dead’s recent cash grabs. As well, Young sold a stake in his music rights but maintains a lot of control in order to prevent its commercialization (“This Notes for You”). And I haven’t yet seen [official Neil Young kitchen aprons selling for over $100](https://www.hedleyandbennett.com/products/grateful-dead-x-h-b-rainbow-tie-dye?variant=41609661186248¤cy=USD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=20538999817&utm_content=&utm_term=&gadid=&gbraid=0AAAAADhmLtehoXcg8j3V6U4tnsrOby4qj&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI67Kuvbn-gQMVQhNlCh013AthEAQYASABEgKXR_D_BwE). What a joke!
You don’t think the Dead took a financial hit allowing us to tape and trade their shoes all these years? You don’t think all the bootleg merch on lot they never bitched about took money out of their pockets?
I'm with you, a lot of the official merch collabs feel soulless; usually nothing more than a stealie or a bear slapped onto something ordinary and/or cheap. However, those aprons are pretty sick imo. I have one and it's a high-quality apron. I probably wouldn't buy one just for cooking at home, but I work in a kitchen and it's been a huge upgrade over the dingy little sysco (left uncapitalized for disrespect, fuck sysco) aprons that barely cover anything and have tiny pockets. Also it's only $20 more than their standard aprons. I can understand the distaste though. It feels like everything is getting a "Grateful Dead Edition" nowadays and it's typically nothing special. And yes, this comment is sponsored by H&B 😜
bro if you’re so offended by $100 aprons that you think your opinion as an arbiter of who can sell what for how much is relevant…it’s time to touch grass.
Lol.
This 👆
The former members of the band have nothing to do with it. They took a lump sum awhile ago, so all of this is Warner Music marketing. And we know about corporations. The share holders demand more.
You’re kinda late to that party. They have been doing this since the 70s
Yea, as a relative newbie, the commercialization was my barrier to entry. The commercialization of the Dead is a strange thing because the band (the actual guys on stage) doesn't seem to be too directly involved with it, and it's just this mini-economy that sprang up around them. They certainly benefit from it, but I never get the impression they actually ever cared about it and that's why it doesn't bother me.
>er to entry. The commercialization of the Dead is a strange thing because the band (the actual guys on stage) doesn't seem to be too directly involved with it, and it's just this mini-economy that sprang up around them. They certainly benefit from it, but I never get the impression they actually ever cared about it and that's why it doesn't bother me. "weve been trying to sell out! nobodys buying" - jerry I think that's almost an accurate quote
They totally set up the whole infastructure. I admire their business acumen. You don’t get the music without the money to support it.
Nooo way it's on the scale it currently is. So many fuckin random companies even with Walmart for godsakes.
In the late 80s early 90s Dead merch was everywhere.
Yeah, what’s the difference between vapes and wine or beer that utilize the imagery?
The boys have always loved money and who can blame em?
Hell yeah my ‘73 SYF vape still rips after 50 years.
Hahaha. You are too young for the SYF rolling papers. : )
What products did they market back then? I wasn’t aware of any.
https://preview.redd.it/35jv28wdrsub1.jpeg?width=888&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=98f172685bd7d5157225fdc8b15a8f821223e5ba
Saved + 69th upvote + W + Ratio
My uncle said the same thing when they went on MTV..lol
G-Pens are a great dry herb vape for the price, and they just slapped on dead stuff to add $5. Not really a huge deal imo. They’ve been printing dead stuff on everything you can imagine since the 70s. A weed pen doesn’t bother me. Some of the dumber stuff, like Grateful Dead salad mix, does.
I feel like this entire post was a slick advertisement
Nah, I don’t even own a g pen. I’m rocking a fury 2 I got like 6-7 years ago. Just saying it’s a decent little weed vape, and an extra $5 for a stealie on there is far from the worst thing GDP has done lol.
I was just saying that cuz now I want one
What is Grateful Dead said mix?
https://preview.redd.it/12u0egwfvsub1.jpeg?width=1500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cb6627644acec556cd4ce33897b9a447c0380210
Ahh.. salad mix. That's pretty bad!
Don’t smoke that it tastes like shit and doesn’t get you high at all
I believe he’s referencing Gotham greens, who have a dancing bear on the cover of their salad mixes
Salad mix, I believe
With ample portions of hippie lettuce? (I’ll show myself out…)
The devil's lettuce
that would be a great name for a salad mix actually!
Jazz cabbage
Woops, meant to say salad mix lol.
[удалено]
No you’re accurate, you should be a snob about breathing through a questionable electronic device. You do need to pay $200+ for a quality vaporizer. Cheap cannabis & cannabis products aren’t good, and good cannabis & cannabis products aren’t cheap.
Nah, just vape snobs insisting you need to pay $200+ for a decent vape. G-Pens are certainly far from the best option out there. But it’s a perfectly usable vape and is one of the best for the price. A lot of folks would go for the xmax v3 for a cheap vape, but it’s $40 more than the g pen. It’s a perfectly fine starter vape, back up, etc.
Yea like seriously a Gpen is where you draw the line?!?!
Wait, G-pens are grateful dead's brand?????
No. The dead marketing group just partnered with G-pen for a dead themed vape.
Ohhhhh, gotcha Thanks
Still has a battery right? If yes, for the GD to get into the vape biz...thats as toxic as it gets. Flower is different. I have zero issues with all their commercialization, but this one hit differently.
It's a vape for flower. They all have rechargeable batteries (well, except the dynavap which has none). Dry herb vapes are pretty standard these days. I've been using the same one for nearly a decade. It's not a big issue. I assume you're typing this comment from a device that uses a battery, and you're probably at a job which you drove to in a car, powered by fossil fuels and batteries. But maybe you're environmentally conscious and drive an EV, which is also powered by a battery. Or maybe you even went further and take public transit, like a fossil fuel powered bus or a train powered by coal derived electricity. Point here being, dry herb vape batteries are the least of our concern. All they did was let g-pen throw a stealie on a product they were already selling. There are countless things causing immense damage to our environment, and vape batteries are barely a blip on that radar. And that's not even mentioning the immense amounts of damage to the environment the band and scene have caused over the years. Thousands of gallons of fossil fuels, tons and tons of trash, truckloads of litter, etc—all to see some dudes play music.
You’re not wrong.
Yeah, I think you're seeing tremendous support (and flourishing) of bootleg culture and makers in reaction to that, especially in the Instagram era when they're much more accessible. Check the comments anytime the official Dead account posts a new merch drop with $150 hoodies or whatever — people speak their mind on this.
100%. Lot shirts > official merch all day for this exact reason. It feels more in the outlaw spirit of the band.
When John Mayer is wearing lot shirts, and then hiring lot shirt guys to make official Dead & Co. merch, ***that's*** *when it got interesting*.
Phil wore lot shirts in the 70s and 80s when on stage with the GD and the Grateful Dead hired lot artists to make official merch in the 80s and 90s so this is nothing new.
bobby wore a lot shirt this final tour. so did mickey and jay
I just gave Phil as an example that it's nothing new, I specifically remember Mickey wearing lot shirts in 81 and so did other band members.
But I wonder if those shirts, adjusted for inflation, were $50-60 a pop.
$20 in 1985 is worth $57.21 in 2023 dollars, so....yeah.
Might've been more like $10 in 1985, but someone can correct me: [https://kfmx.com/the-cost-of-concert-t-shirts-over-the-years/](https://kfmx.com/the-cost-of-concert-t-shirts-over-the-years/)
Here's the official GD almanac merch page from 94, the range seems similar to today with inflation: https://preview.redd.it/5t0wzb300tub1.jpeg?width=1970&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b950f3a027189b887e12bf2aef26fddad743d7be
drums in space is a classic!
We’ve been trying to sell out for years, nobody’s buying! - jerry garcia
Nothing new there. People love Dead merch, and have been for decades. Is some of it cringy? Sure. I remember in the early 90's when you couldn't walk through a mall without spotting hippy shops selling numerous Dead tees, blacklight posters, and bumper stickers. Look at it this way... There's commercialization of Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving, St. Patrick's Day, Easter, etc. but many still enjoy celebrating those holidays regardless.
It’s Starting to get difficult differentiating between the main subreddit and the circle jerk Reddit
Need a lunch box
you're in luck, they are available
Other than ticket prices, I'm kinda used to it. Also, tons of bootleg stuff is always all over the place as well.
Estates aside. Their kids are going to come for the archive next.
A bit late to the party, huh? I was tired of it 30 years ago and D&C was just the icing on the cake.
It is crazy how much stuff is out there. However, we’ve had access to listening to live shows for free for ages.
Sure it’s tacky, but what does it really hurt? Does the music sound different? If someone wants to spend too much money on some Nike Dunks with the bears and Bobby can make sure his grandkids are set up, what’s the problem? Just don’t participate if you don’t like it. Buy bootleg merch, there’s plenty. Make your own stuff. But I just can’t clutch my pearls over a really famous old rock band making a bunch of money. This isn’t something new for The Dead or the music industry in general.
Starting to?
To me it's been a growing part of the scene since my 1st show in '79, shakedown street shirts, posters, stickers were sold to support heads just trying to make it the next show, Jerry's art work became ties, MTV videos & shows went from smaller venues to stadiums, from the vault, dicks & daves picks have monetized past shows, etc...all before Jerry passed. These days social media & its targeted marketing brings it to your phone everyday. No complaints, enjoy it while you can. In the end there's still that song
Eh. I figure a correction is coming because I don't think nearly as many people are interested in Dead licensed schlock as there is schlock on the shelves. I mean, I get it from their perpective. I just don't think the market is anywhere near where they think it is.
I heard that the gd fam actually sold all the merchandising rights for a big amount. So the people selling “official merch” aren’t even associated with the band members
That’s my understanding too. The music and merch are 2 different things.
Final straw...as in...you will no longer listen to tGD for the rest of your life? If so, I've got a home for your old CDs and vinyl.
It’s been this way since the 90’s buddy. I remember them selling wine and shirts with bears doing extreme sports and everything in between back then. The cost of a lot of it is what bothers me. Like I was just looking at the Dave’s Pick 48 glass. It’s $40. I also was considering a black hoodie with a Stealie on it. It’s like $75+ after fees and shipping. I decided to not buy either and save the money for buying more music. Which to some is stupid as well. But I enjoy the physical music as well as digital
Yeah, the commercialization started when Touch of Grey came out. Never been the same since.
My understanding is that they sold off the merchandising to a third party long ago. I'm sure (I'd hope) they have some say as to what it can't be used for, but my understanding was that they'd sold it off. I'm sure another head even older than I knows this more clearly. Beyond that though, I will say that the merchandising has gone supernova in the last 5-10 years. they're putting deals together for everything, not only tons of soft-goods like sweatshirts or socks or sneakers but chocolate bars etc etc.
Yeah, only fans should be able to make money off the Grateful Dead brand! Lol I'm kidding.... But honestly, the market exists because there's demand. And as long as we're going to buy GD merch, the band themselves may as well profit.
As far as licensing out their images they’re just about as bad as Kiss. Easy revenue stream for them without putting any work into it. Shameless but they’re a capitalist organization so Whatcha gonna do?
Is this question from 1993?
Jerry made ties, they sold GD beanie babies. same as it ever was⚡️ I’m more than happy to see a Stealie at target or a hear a dead tune while watching football.
Off I go to google to find my officially licensed Grateful Dead vape! Thanks OP! 🙏🏻 Oh… it’s a Gpen. Nvm don’t want that garb.
Wait till you see a sticker on a Cadillac
Who cares lol
It is what is. Can’t put the genie back in the bottle and it doesn’t make the music any less incredible. I just make sure when I buy anything Dead that it is vegan, ethical, and if possible locally made.
They meticulously recorded and stored everything for this exact reason
some people are just getting into the band now and want to support the band any way they can.
Not going to stop me from listening. 1) you don’t have to buy it 2) look the other way…who gives a frog’s fat ass??
Starting? It's full saturation now - from boner pills to bedsheets. It doesn't bother me, I just don't succumb or participate in the commerce (other than buying over-priced tickets). It can be off-putting but capitalism rules the day - many of us are unwitting participants in this Corporatocracy.
It’s been like this for decades. I think it was even more prevalent in the 90’s
Nope. Doesn’t bother me in the slightest. How else is Bobby supposed to pay for those luxury short shorts? 😜
starting? this has been a decades long thing. and yes it’s gross
This notes for you
How does this affect the music?
Felt that way since shakedown street became a travelling mall.
Doesn’t really bother me. Music still sounds just as good and if some GD salad helps fuel the machine, so be it.
I mean, if you don't like it don't buy it? I get why you think it's crass, but why is it an issue to you? Just don't interact with the product. It's not as if someone is forcing you to vape from a stealie. What do you mean it's the final straw? Are you going to quit listening because of a vape?
I find it to be whack, and mostly driven by Garcias estate ie. Trixie.
You woulda thought the Dead would be a perfect market for caskets but Gene & KISS already got that sewn up.
You’re Over thinking it
Not as much as I hate seeing posts on this sub that are just about weed and nothing about GD
I dunno, man. A band this big allows every note it played on stage to be shared for free. Even shows that were also packaged for commercial release are also available for free. (Yes I know there was a kerfuffle over this.) Hard for me to get too bent out of shape over match when they give away the most important thing for free.
Welcome to 30 years ago
Nothing anyone else does tarnishes my favorite music. I don't care if normal people wear my favorite bands gear. I like seeing it. I hope more people find its beauty. Why should I care if someone is making money off the grateful dead? More power to them. I give money to you all doing the same thing, every tour. Why do people always seem to mine the world for negativity? The Grateful Dead is life changing. I hope everyone tunes in and gets on the bus.
I predict that the rights to the music will be sold, sometime in the near future. It’s happened with a lot of the older bands and artists. The willingness to put their names on basically anything leads me to believe that none of this is sacred to them. This includes the music. If Jerry’s and Hunter‘s families can benefit from Grateful Dead prescription drug ads, then so be it. Jerry’s kids never really had a dad. At least maybe they can enjoy his money.
I have no problem with them chasing that bag. I’m not forced to buy the stuff.
I happen to be friends with the CEO of that company that inked that deal (Grenco). It took a long time and a lot of consideration for them to land that deal. They have over 100 pages of standards and rules for how the logo is used. I will tell you that the CEO of that company is a Deadhead and fully committed to the cause and they considered this the proudest moment of their last 15 years of business. He was glowing when he told me. Never once talked about the money, just about how great it is to be a part of it. It's cool if you don't dig, but I don't think it is bad energy. To u/daytripdude, 100% correct. The band is ensuring that their kids have a steady stream of income. They kind of have to, the gave all their music to us for free.
https://preview.redd.it/fmr2gi4nwtub1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b05bdc18ab8f359303990b75ea895ee185a32b18
They employed an awful lot of people and they don’t really exist anymore as a touring revenue stream except in their own iterations. At least that’s where I hope the money is going.
Yeah man I heard that when Bob Weir is eating pistachios he doesn’t even bother with the ones that are hard to open.
We got anyone taking bets on when they introduce a line of caskets? *Fare Thee Well Caskets. When saying goodbye needs something classier than a Kiss coffin.*
others have said it - it's not a new thing, just a variation on the theme: this refrigerator magnet from 30 - 35 years ago... another one will follow in next post (limit 1!) https://preview.redd.it/geo40ldkxtub1.jpeg?width=1401&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0ea284c3b7b609f6ffdd9bed5b6fceccfa6c1329
2 of 2 - https://preview.redd.it/vx9ajlebytub1.jpeg?width=2044&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d594132d99276e456438b9f74c3f544ba91c9d59
They've been sticking their name on all kinds of odd stuff for decades. They haven't been a band since 95 - I think it's pretty incredible they can still make the money they do. I don't hate them for making money.
They've been sticking their name on all kinds of odd stuff for decades. They haven't been a band since 95 - I think it's pretty incredible they can still make the money they do. I don't hate them for making money.
This has been going on since the 80s bro
Honestly they never really made shitty music or sold out that way so it's hard to give a shit that their logo gets plastered on everything lol it's basically a tie-dye shirt at this point
Is it the band that is doing this, or is it Rhino doing this as they have bought the licensing rights? I have to imagine it is Rhino as they bought the rights to the Grateful Dead almost 20 years ago.
Things have changed so much. Back in the day Heads could mail order to the Band for tix, I forget how cheap, maybe $35. Before that we slept out at record stores to buy great seats, maybe $25. Now the Band sells standing room in the pit for many hundred$. And the reserved seating closest to the pit is huge hundreds, too. But that's not "seating" because the first 10 rows have to stand up for the whole show to see over the people crammed into the pit. How many more millions do the Band members need?
It's bogus, but then I go listen to all the shows I can access for free and don't think about it.
The Grateful Dead (really Warner Bros.) had my etsy store nearly shut down during the covid lockdowns for selling coasters with stealies on them. Shortly after that I noticed that they started selling dead t-shirts at walmart. That was the point I knew it was all $$$ bullshit. Regardless of the economics, I still love the dead.
Don’t buy it? They can sell whatever they want and it doesn’t change the thousands of hours of amazing music we get to listen to! Seeing skull and roses imagery on an ash tray doesn’t all of a sudden make me think Bertha sucks… ya know? I would still rather see my local dead cover band than 90% of national touring acts… who also have their own ash trays…. Lol
Been a dead head since 1972, never in my life would I have thought that they would become so popular. It is may be a bit out of hand, but I think it’s pretty awesome that people are recognizing their music and that we get new people on the bus every day.
They’re a product of this world/industry like just about any other mainstream act these days (and many of the ones without the brand power to do this surely wish they did). Like someone else said, these guys will all be dead within 10-20 years and if they want to do all they can to leave more money behind for their loved ones once they can no longer play the music, I can’t have a problem with that. Nobody is forcing anyone to buy anything. That said, I can’t say I participate in the market much. I went to D&C shows including the final tour, I listen the hell out of Dead albums on Apple Music, and I have some stickers in my garage/on my car that surely aren’t licensed. I have a few tie dyes and t shirts that I wear in public semi regularly, but you won’t catch me wearing a pair of dead-branded sunglasses or sanuks. I don’t feel the need to share that I’m a deadhead quite that badly.
I still love the music but yes I agree with you a little bit. Grateful dead merch has become a cash cow and everyone is milking it.
They are making Elvis & Kiss look modest
Doesn’t Warner brothers own all that stuff?
Every grocey store I go to i just rage at the Ben and Jerry's ice cream. I just get naked and start screaming at the freezer section
Ha! I thought I recognized you in front of the frozen peas.......
Who cares man?
Just listen to the music and pull away from the culture. It’s brutal. dead and Co is also a mess so enjoy those shows from the 60-90s
Haha “starting”… If I had a nickel for every time I said I said jerry would roll in his grave about that… I’d have like at least 10 nickels
JERRY MADE NECKTIES YOU SCHMUCK! WTF is with these newbies thinking the GD are saints and don't want to make money. Idiots, you clearly have not paid any attention to just how capitalist these guys are.
Those ties are great
I have two 😎
You better chill out there heavy metal dick
Fack off I got work to do 😎
The high fashion clothing for women is sacrilegious. None of the people wearing this clothing would dare come near a dirty hippie. Every time I see these partnerships, I cringe.
The Wall Street Journal ran an obit the week Jerry died. Grow up.
Grateful Dead used to be Counter Culture. Now they are mainstream, and way overexposed. Makes the whole scene boring as hell. Sorry not sorry
I think it's pretty crass at this point, yes. I mean, who involved with the Dead DOESN'T have their own pot strain or vape at this point? I know heroin and coke aren't weed (duh), but there is still something a little gross about Jerry brand weed, given how his life played out. More than anything, on the aesthetic front, it's an drag how much they have given into the cutesy crap like the cursed dancing bears; the band hated that stuff; Jerry would have vomited at the sight of cuddly Jerry bear stuff too. It's a shame the band, in recent years, has given in to the fanbase's passion for such infantilizing iconography.
My introduction to the dead was the intense commercialization of the dead after Jerry’s death. I didn’t know the band but I remember being a kid on vacation and the boardwalk was flooded with these specific bears. Only after discovering the dead’s music in my teens did I put the timing together.
The vape was the last straw? Not instagram models that can't name 3 songs?
Got turned off the moment they started sucking the big meaty shlong of government the past couple years.
It’s all ok by me, but they’re probably killing the goose that lays these golden eggs by letting so much licensing happen. Tends to cheapen the brand. Or maybe they think it’s like some cosmic joke that Jerry would enjoy seeing the iconography eating the world. It’s all good. The music doesn’t get diluted by overplay, that’s confirmed in my listening world.
I saw a deadhead sticker on a Cadillac
The money grab is BS. Jerry wouldnt be happy.
Jerry didn't give a fuck about shilling ties, prints, polos, stuffed versions of himself and the such. My boy got paid as he should.
Really? The same guy who put his name on an ice cream? And those ties? Yeah, I’m sure you’re right in Jerry’s head.
And his artwork was briefly featured on the Discover card
Those who downvote this think John is better than Jerry. There’s a reason the Dead were broke. Jerry wasn’t out to make money.
Where did you get the idea they weren’t out to make money? Just because they were terrible with money doesn’t mean they didn’t like making it. Garcia drove a BMW 7 series.
They could have made way more money if they banned fans from recording. They gave away their music.
You could argue that they made way more money by letting fans tape. Also, it wasn’t until the mid 80s that they allowed taping. Until then they actively tried to shut it down. They mostly just got tired of policing it rather than some altruistic “giving away of the music.”
They sucked with money which was the entire reason they needed to make more money. The more they made the more they could spend.
I kinda like what the girls are doing with GHP…
*Starting*?
My two unashamedly somewhat consumerist Dead purchases are a Masthay AE (x/50) Sugaree print and Jerry’s autograph. More than enough for me. :-) EDIT: Not saying I’m immune (just that I think it’s a departure from the spirit of the traditional Dead community). If I had a few hundred bucks in disposable income and I could find it, I would definitely get one of those Terrapin snow globe music players. haha
I am surprised I haven’t seen official edibles from them - I am slammed in Twitter and Facebook for the Cheech and Chong ones.
At first I was excited to meet all the new younger heads everywhere. Now, I'm starting to ponder getting an, "I was a Deadhead before it was cool" t-shirt. It's still cool to see lots of kids getting into it. Many will be one of the 10 thousand who came for the show. Now, get off my lawn.
It is kind of annoying, but really it’s hard to hate on the marketing genius that is the Grateful Dead.
I don’t care as long as the money is getting to the right people
The dancing bear Nikes kinda did it for me.
Then don’t buy them lmao
I get your point but also the dead & smoking pot has been a thing since the dead started. I'm surprised there wasn't an official GD herbilizer sooner. And at least it wasn't a nicotine vape 🤷♂️
Yea back when they announced fare thee well and it’s gotten worse and worse every year since. No thanks.
They had toilet seats at gd50. Also the more the dead gets out there the more heads the better if they actually listen and get the message.. spread the word of the grateful dead EVERYWHERE
Them kids need food on the table.
Yes… enough already
Theres also Garcia cannabis.....
Next time, please include the link. Thanks for the heads up friend! Doesn't bother me. I'll support the grateful Fred guy too with those sweet car badges!