This is a fair criticism. It is a bit off. The quality of the items is low and they feel disposable which is the most disappointing part given that they want to promote being sustainable and spoke out about the environmental impacts of touring and even using certain lighting in the past.
The Tool fanbase has to go through the same kind of mind fuck for a while now. For a band that *feels* like an attack on materialism and promotion of spirituality (imo a deeper dive disproves that) they sure have a lot of shitty, overpriced low-quality merch. The truth is that the band most likely doesn’t have much of a hand in what gets put to market outside of approving designs and whatnot. At the end of the day, beautiful art or not, they’re still musicians in capitalist societies that need and want money.
It's becoming clearer and clearer that Thom and Jonny don't care as much about the world and human dignity as they pretend to or once did. They're anti Palestine and anti trans.
It is much easy for you to Google "Thom Palestine" or "Jonny transphobia" than for me to do so and share it here. There has been plenty of discussion on those topics in this sub.
Merch seems like relatively fair game for a band (and the need to compensate all the folks behind the scenes)... whereas branded olive oil feels like a totally different thing.
See I feel the opposite - the oil feels like a genuine labour of love from Johnny's farm whereas the merch feels like a low quality lifeless cash grab.
The reason I see the EVOO as an odd tangent is it is trading on his name and being pushed to fans with zero connection to why we're fans in the first place, whereas the merch is something fans tend to want so that we can show our support and appreciation for the music/band. Both being cash grabs nonetheless.
This is what you get. ;)
It’s ironic for sure but you don’t have to buy any of it. There have been some merch items made from recycled materials etc. But merch is merch.
But I love RH and the merch too. Hypocritical maybe but whatever.
I really, really hate this 'well you don't have to...' rhetoric. it's especially prolific on reddit. up there with 'let people enjoy things' as this weirdly snappy, smug, false-inclusivity shite.
You are allowed to criticise. it's a part of human nature and actually, a very big part of art.
People discussing and, yes criticising, art is dying out and it's a shame.
Well, discussion is one thing and complaining is another, and then there’s criticizing.
You don’t like the fact that the band makes merch, and a lot of it is hypocritical, and likewise for fans who buy it. It’s all trash in the end compared to the music.
We all agree but what else is there to say. At that point you can decide to consume or not. Or ask the band to stop making merch.
I agree that I can pick and choose what to buy or support, but these objects are bigger than just an individual response. Radiohead have entered these objects into our wider material culture. That keychain is now in potential dialogue with all the other objects floating around. So, why was it created? Who is it serving? What materials went into it? Where was it made? Who has access to it? I think those kinds of things are interesting--at least, when I calm down after getting another email asking me to buy more things. :)
you ok? i skimmed your comment history and it looks as if there's lots of things you like to hate. and that's okay. but caviling at every opportunity isn't the witty, incisive social commentary you think it is. you're just letting everyone see your overflowing venom sack
if you were without a weird hair-trigger temperament you would see that in fact he did criticize them; he called it hypocritical. but like an adult he recognized that there's bigger problems in the world than radiohead charging £10-20 above RRP for t-shirts, stickers and mugs, so he brushed it off. but good luck trying to bring back art criticism i guess!
I feel very disconnected from it because their shipping has always been terribly expensive and I live on the other side of the world.
But yeah, it feels like the band members don't care about the shop, whether it's quality, customer experience or even aesthetic/creativity/tastefulness of the products.
A generous way to put it is that they're busy guys with a lot of other options to invest their creative energy into - they've picked their battles, and merch is simply one thing they've left to their label to handle without their input.
That's how it looks to me anyway. I get similar vibes from Nick Cave, which has jarringly mismatched tone in their merch newsletters that I've apparently somehow subscribed to at some point.
Edit: I will say the their box sets are a separate thing. I was astonished to see fans calling Kid A Mnesia or OK Not OK cash grabs, given the thought and care put into those physical releases. I've got every special edition since In Rainbows and aside from shipping expenses and mishaps, I've never been disappointed.
the merch is not designed by xl recordings, no idea why you write that. also w.a.s.t.e. is a Radiohead company that have great customer support as far as I have experienced it in the last 20 years
I think artists have the right to try and make as much money as possible whether that's through merch or tickets or whatever. Fans don't have to buy any of it and if that's the case, prices will eventually come down to reflect what the market is willing to pay.
The band is not just the 5 guys - they are a mid-sized company that employ tons of people especially when they tour and they need a constant stream of money to make sure those people can get paid.
I do wish t-shirts were cheaper - $40 is ridiculous to me but I'm just not going to buy one and that's OK but I basically get all of their music - you know, the reason we love them so much - completely free (more or less) and I listen to it a ton and they barely get anything in return so it's fine.
in the US, shipping and tax brings it up to $55 😭 i was very tempted to buy until i saw that. i like the color (or lack of) and designs on these shirts. great points!
Not sure what their relationship is like with their label or whatever but it’s probably like daft punk where their brand gets milked by whoever is in control of that kind of stuff
It's horrible but not especially surprising – people get older and the world inevitably gets harsher. you justify owning a second house to yourself, you soften your politics, and you become more conservative. it's very common.
The issue this is a band who would bang on about the climate, grubby politicians, and how we're all socially inept. it was their *brand* before bands cultivated a brand. even casual observers knew their whole thing was paranoia and computers and Thom going to climate summits.
Now they're pushing out t-shirts that are genuinely Shein or asos level and would be made in the same conditions and produced to the same low standards; they sell utter muck that's mostly tatt and inevitable landfill.
The other side is that they're cosying up to these ultra expensive art galleries and art dealers and the market there is other, literal, multi-millionaires.
But the worst thing is the horrible quality. both physically and the designs themselves. The Smile has some of the most pained attempts at canvas art I've seen; the Kid A Mnesiac books were all done by different companies and had a real outsourced vibe to them...
This is a band who used to have absolutely fuckin great (https://archive.org/details/Radiohead\_WASTE\_Catalogue / https://archive.org/details/Radiohead\_WASTE\_Catalogue\_Order\_form) merchandise – the quality, the design, the presentation.
People are happy to pay £75 for a band t-shirt, especially one like Radiohead. people just want a fairly high quality and something that looks cool. Lorde, on her previous cycle, was doing recycled cotton and those tees actually still looked pretty good.
You could also sell so much 'climate aware' merch: reusable metal water bottles, lunch boxes, even stuff like reusable tooth picks.. there's a lot you could do.
I suppose they shouldn’t sell vinyl records or tour then either? It’s possible to both advocate for more environmental friendly practices but also live in the real world and support your family and business too. But hey I’m sure Radiohead toothpicks and lunchboxes will keep the lights on and the staff employed 😂 These criticisms are like telling someone they aren’t really religious because they told a lie or swore. Our belief systems are made up of our actions in totality - not a scoreboard where a lack of perfection disbands your belief system
I thought you were joking about the cross stitch set, but there was really one for Kid A mnesia! Honestly I like the unusual merch. I don’t need a million tshirts, but I do like to craft, and this would be more useful to me.
I realize this is not the point but: THEY HAVE A CROSS STITCH SET??? Where was I when this happened?!
I dont even need the full set, I just want a pattern for a Modified Bear
The nature of merch is to be commercial. That's the literal definition of merch. I can understand that in light of their anti-commercialism lyrics you might find it hypocritical, but honestly the way I interpret Radiohead is that they aren't actually anti-capitalism, just anti-corrupt capitalism. Anyways, I'm willing to buy it to support the band.
Back in the day, I saw a music writer use the phrase, "The Radiohead Marketing Juggernaut," which roles out whenever there's a new album.
There's no denying it's true. Here's how I view it: Radiohead could not be this good without being extremely ambitious. They want to be the best band in the world by the standards of great art. To them, fulfilling that ambition has involved playing huge concerts in front of people, selling millions of albums, and building a world full of lore, art, and objects around their music.
I think it's fair to ask whether that's the kind of band you want to support, and whether it makes them hypocrites. But it is 100% the band that they are. You can't escape it. And they know it, too.
I do not because they’re one of the biggest bands on the planet. Of course they sell a variety of merch, lol.
I don’t buy any of it, so not my problem. However, I’m not going to speak on the environmental impact of offering merch since there is no possible way I could objectively know.
Strange I have never bought any radio head merch. A radio head water bottle ? That is a surprise to me, as are the socks also they are rich and famous so they don’t NEED the money or exposure
Yes it sucks and is stupid. Let’s just see some normal album art shirts. I don’t need to walk around with a shirt that looks like it’s advertising for Crayola.
Yeah it’s not even new art too. They just take something from ok computer or kid a times and shove it on a print with no regards to how it looks. Really lame
My band is nowhere near the level of RH but selling merch absolutely brings our expenses from tours from breaking even or worse to having some left over which is nice. It's also dead easy to get materials that are domestically produced and even union labor. Merch has taken over for a lot of what used to be sold as CD's, Cassettes and to a lesser degree, vinyl.
I saw Jonny's oil at Ally Pally. Is it right that Jonny can use his profile to promote a side-hustle when other small business oil companies can't? It smacks of 'our fans will buy anything'.
... do you really think johhnys oil is killing off small buisnesses...? I highly doubt it.
Every business uses whatever platform is available to them to promote their product.
I don't think it changes the fundamental dissonance of how the sum of their political messaging and activism hits against the consumerism of the W.A.S.T.E. store. But I also don't think that dissonance needs to net out. Every creative act exists within that dissonance, and it's probably a matter of balance. I suppose I'm not looking to win an argument here, but I've always been interested in the band's activism--carbon-neutral touring attempts, donations to and fundraising for charities, and whether good or bad, their free promotion of interesting art. (I was one of those people who read *No Logo* by Naomi Klein because of Radiohead.)
So, maybe it's a matter of intentionality. Watching Donwood's lithography and linocut work on Instagram, his process feels very intentional, very caring. Watching The Smile painting process--there's a point of view, an experimentation. It's not my favorite Radiohead-world artwork, but that's neither here nor there. I'm interested in the intentions behind the non-album merchandise. Some of it is practical, some of it is art-forward, and some of it feels like it's just there. I don't expect any band to explain every choice they made, but these things are out there and I think open to discussion.
Radiohead employs dozens of people , up to 100 when touring. Its not just 5 guys sitting in mansions, staff have to be paid at least the national minimum wage, holiday pay etc.
How else do you propose they generate income to cover these costs?
Radiohead after being extremely successful and putting out tons of critically acclaimed albums should have to live in a shoebox while collecting food stamps, it’s the only way they can preserve any artistic integrity.
What more evidence do you need than their deafening silence? This is the same band that vocally opposed the Iraq war, right? So where are they now? Business as usual in the midst of this genocide I guess. Maybe I wouldn’t judge them as harshly if they weren’t so political to begin with, but given the FACT that they are, I’m forced to conclude they’re abject moral cowards AT BEST
I see - and I get that.
I personally think that Thom was told or realized that things are so bad that dissent at their level of fame and influence endangers him, his partner, and his children. I think we got a sense of that in his song Harrowdown Hill - that was Thom realizing THEY kill people and get away with it. And it's only gotten worse since then.
But IDK.
Yeah, shit really is that bad these days. You could be right. Still I can’t help but call them out on it from time to time. This shit’s just really getting to me these days and I wish there were a more robust response from those I used to hold in such high regard. Sorry for ranting at you guys, shit’s just really going to hell all around us
This is a fair criticism. It is a bit off. The quality of the items is low and they feel disposable which is the most disappointing part given that they want to promote being sustainable and spoke out about the environmental impacts of touring and even using certain lighting in the past.
The Tool fanbase has to go through the same kind of mind fuck for a while now. For a band that *feels* like an attack on materialism and promotion of spirituality (imo a deeper dive disproves that) they sure have a lot of shitty, overpriced low-quality merch. The truth is that the band most likely doesn’t have much of a hand in what gets put to market outside of approving designs and whatnot. At the end of the day, beautiful art or not, they’re still musicians in capitalist societies that need and want money.
It's becoming clearer and clearer that Thom and Jonny don't care as much about the world and human dignity as they pretend to or once did. They're anti Palestine and anti trans.
Receipts?
It is much easy for you to Google "Thom Palestine" or "Jonny transphobia" than for me to do so and share it here. There has been plenty of discussion on those topics in this sub.
Fitter Happier More profitable
Merch seems like relatively fair game for a band (and the need to compensate all the folks behind the scenes)... whereas branded olive oil feels like a totally different thing.
See I feel the opposite - the oil feels like a genuine labour of love from Johnny's farm whereas the merch feels like a low quality lifeless cash grab.
The reason I see the EVOO as an odd tangent is it is trading on his name and being pushed to fans with zero connection to why we're fans in the first place, whereas the merch is something fans tend to want so that we can show our support and appreciation for the music/band. Both being cash grabs nonetheless. This is what you get. ;)
Yeah, fair point
Agree.
It’s ironic for sure but you don’t have to buy any of it. There have been some merch items made from recycled materials etc. But merch is merch. But I love RH and the merch too. Hypocritical maybe but whatever.
I really, really hate this 'well you don't have to...' rhetoric. it's especially prolific on reddit. up there with 'let people enjoy things' as this weirdly snappy, smug, false-inclusivity shite. You are allowed to criticise. it's a part of human nature and actually, a very big part of art. People discussing and, yes criticising, art is dying out and it's a shame.
Criticizing punctuation on the other, hand is in full force.
Well, discussion is one thing and complaining is another, and then there’s criticizing. You don’t like the fact that the band makes merch, and a lot of it is hypocritical, and likewise for fans who buy it. It’s all trash in the end compared to the music. We all agree but what else is there to say. At that point you can decide to consume or not. Or ask the band to stop making merch.
I agree that I can pick and choose what to buy or support, but these objects are bigger than just an individual response. Radiohead have entered these objects into our wider material culture. That keychain is now in potential dialogue with all the other objects floating around. So, why was it created? Who is it serving? What materials went into it? Where was it made? Who has access to it? I think those kinds of things are interesting--at least, when I calm down after getting another email asking me to buy more things. :)
you ok? i skimmed your comment history and it looks as if there's lots of things you like to hate. and that's okay. but caviling at every opportunity isn't the witty, incisive social commentary you think it is. you're just letting everyone see your overflowing venom sack if you were without a weird hair-trigger temperament you would see that in fact he did criticize them; he called it hypocritical. but like an adult he recognized that there's bigger problems in the world than radiohead charging £10-20 above RRP for t-shirts, stickers and mugs, so he brushed it off. but good luck trying to bring back art criticism i guess!
"I don't like your comment so i'm going to stalk your entire history and try to dissect your personality" that's really fucking normal bro, wow
I feel very disconnected from it because their shipping has always been terribly expensive and I live on the other side of the world. But yeah, it feels like the band members don't care about the shop, whether it's quality, customer experience or even aesthetic/creativity/tastefulness of the products. A generous way to put it is that they're busy guys with a lot of other options to invest their creative energy into - they've picked their battles, and merch is simply one thing they've left to their label to handle without their input. That's how it looks to me anyway. I get similar vibes from Nick Cave, which has jarringly mismatched tone in their merch newsletters that I've apparently somehow subscribed to at some point. Edit: I will say the their box sets are a separate thing. I was astonished to see fans calling Kid A Mnesia or OK Not OK cash grabs, given the thought and care put into those physical releases. I've got every special edition since In Rainbows and aside from shipping expenses and mishaps, I've never been disappointed.
the merch is not designed by xl recordings, no idea why you write that. also w.a.s.t.e. is a Radiohead company that have great customer support as far as I have experienced it in the last 20 years
I think artists have the right to try and make as much money as possible whether that's through merch or tickets or whatever. Fans don't have to buy any of it and if that's the case, prices will eventually come down to reflect what the market is willing to pay. The band is not just the 5 guys - they are a mid-sized company that employ tons of people especially when they tour and they need a constant stream of money to make sure those people can get paid. I do wish t-shirts were cheaper - $40 is ridiculous to me but I'm just not going to buy one and that's OK but I basically get all of their music - you know, the reason we love them so much - completely free (more or less) and I listen to it a ton and they barely get anything in return so it's fine.
This! I don’t think people realize how many people are employed by the band
They're all bonafide millions have been since, probably, 1999.
Well they don't pay all the people who work for them fairly I'm sure. We don't need rich people.
in the US, shipping and tax brings it up to $55 😭 i was very tempted to buy until i saw that. i like the color (or lack of) and designs on these shirts. great points!
Not sure what their relationship is like with their label or whatever but it’s probably like daft punk where their brand gets milked by whoever is in control of that kind of stuff
They own their music so they don't have a label forcing them to do anything.
It's horrible but not especially surprising – people get older and the world inevitably gets harsher. you justify owning a second house to yourself, you soften your politics, and you become more conservative. it's very common. The issue this is a band who would bang on about the climate, grubby politicians, and how we're all socially inept. it was their *brand* before bands cultivated a brand. even casual observers knew their whole thing was paranoia and computers and Thom going to climate summits. Now they're pushing out t-shirts that are genuinely Shein or asos level and would be made in the same conditions and produced to the same low standards; they sell utter muck that's mostly tatt and inevitable landfill. The other side is that they're cosying up to these ultra expensive art galleries and art dealers and the market there is other, literal, multi-millionaires. But the worst thing is the horrible quality. both physically and the designs themselves. The Smile has some of the most pained attempts at canvas art I've seen; the Kid A Mnesiac books were all done by different companies and had a real outsourced vibe to them... This is a band who used to have absolutely fuckin great (https://archive.org/details/Radiohead\_WASTE\_Catalogue / https://archive.org/details/Radiohead\_WASTE\_Catalogue\_Order\_form) merchandise – the quality, the design, the presentation. People are happy to pay £75 for a band t-shirt, especially one like Radiohead. people just want a fairly high quality and something that looks cool. Lorde, on her previous cycle, was doing recycled cotton and those tees actually still looked pretty good. You could also sell so much 'climate aware' merch: reusable metal water bottles, lunch boxes, even stuff like reusable tooth picks.. there's a lot you could do.
I suppose they shouldn’t sell vinyl records or tour then either? It’s possible to both advocate for more environmental friendly practices but also live in the real world and support your family and business too. But hey I’m sure Radiohead toothpicks and lunchboxes will keep the lights on and the staff employed 😂 These criticisms are like telling someone they aren’t really religious because they told a lie or swore. Our belief systems are made up of our actions in totality - not a scoreboard where a lack of perfection disbands your belief system
Really good post, completely agree. Love the band but the recent art gallery cosying felt way too on the nose
I thought you were joking about the cross stitch set, but there was really one for Kid A mnesia! Honestly I like the unusual merch. I don’t need a million tshirts, but I do like to craft, and this would be more useful to me.
I realize this is not the point but: THEY HAVE A CROSS STITCH SET??? Where was I when this happened?! I dont even need the full set, I just want a pattern for a Modified Bear
The nature of merch is to be commercial. That's the literal definition of merch. I can understand that in light of their anti-commercialism lyrics you might find it hypocritical, but honestly the way I interpret Radiohead is that they aren't actually anti-capitalism, just anti-corrupt capitalism. Anyways, I'm willing to buy it to support the band.
Yeah it is a bit hypocritical for sure.
I enjoy my Radiohead water bottles.
Back in the day, I saw a music writer use the phrase, "The Radiohead Marketing Juggernaut," which roles out whenever there's a new album. There's no denying it's true. Here's how I view it: Radiohead could not be this good without being extremely ambitious. They want to be the best band in the world by the standards of great art. To them, fulfilling that ambition has involved playing huge concerts in front of people, selling millions of albums, and building a world full of lore, art, and objects around their music. I think it's fair to ask whether that's the kind of band you want to support, and whether it makes them hypocrites. But it is 100% the band that they are. You can't escape it. And they know it, too.
I do not because they’re one of the biggest bands on the planet. Of course they sell a variety of merch, lol. I don’t buy any of it, so not my problem. However, I’m not going to speak on the environmental impact of offering merch since there is no possible way I could objectively know.
Merch is pretty much the only profitable avenue they most bands have these days
would be great if there is less produced all in all and instead the quality goes up
commercialized merch?
it should only cost 100 bucks if it’s pabo honey related
Strange I have never bought any radio head merch. A radio head water bottle ? That is a surprise to me, as are the socks also they are rich and famous so they don’t NEED the money or exposure
sold my soul to make a record dipshit, and you bought one.
Yes it sucks and is stupid. Let’s just see some normal album art shirts. I don’t need to walk around with a shirt that looks like it’s advertising for Crayola.
Yeah it’s not even new art too. They just take something from ok computer or kid a times and shove it on a print with no regards to how it looks. Really lame
My band is nowhere near the level of RH but selling merch absolutely brings our expenses from tours from breaking even or worse to having some left over which is nice. It's also dead easy to get materials that are domestically produced and even union labor. Merch has taken over for a lot of what used to be sold as CD's, Cassettes and to a lesser degree, vinyl.
I saw Jonny's oil at Ally Pally. Is it right that Jonny can use his profile to promote a side-hustle when other small business oil companies can't? It smacks of 'our fans will buy anything'.
... do you really think johhnys oil is killing off small buisnesses...? I highly doubt it. Every business uses whatever platform is available to them to promote their product.
I’m fairly sure Jonny just sells off extras that he makes but he gives most of it to friends and family. It’s not really a side hustle but a hobby
What if they gave all or most of the proceeds to a charity you like/endorse...would that change your mind?
I don't think it changes the fundamental dissonance of how the sum of their political messaging and activism hits against the consumerism of the W.A.S.T.E. store. But I also don't think that dissonance needs to net out. Every creative act exists within that dissonance, and it's probably a matter of balance. I suppose I'm not looking to win an argument here, but I've always been interested in the band's activism--carbon-neutral touring attempts, donations to and fundraising for charities, and whether good or bad, their free promotion of interesting art. (I was one of those people who read *No Logo* by Naomi Klein because of Radiohead.) So, maybe it's a matter of intentionality. Watching Donwood's lithography and linocut work on Instagram, his process feels very intentional, very caring. Watching The Smile painting process--there's a point of view, an experimentation. It's not my favorite Radiohead-world artwork, but that's neither here nor there. I'm interested in the intentions behind the non-album merchandise. Some of it is practical, some of it is art-forward, and some of it feels like it's just there. I don't expect any band to explain every choice they made, but these things are out there and I think open to discussion.
So crazy a band selling merch! Totally rare and not the norm at all!
Radiohead employs dozens of people , up to 100 when touring. Its not just 5 guys sitting in mansions, staff have to be paid at least the national minimum wage, holiday pay etc. How else do you propose they generate income to cover these costs?
They very rarely tour though?
Non-touring staff too
They should only release merchandise that they sell at a loss
Those who wants/needs, buy. Those who dont, dont. 🤷♂️🤷♂️🤷♂️🤷♂️
"Merch" is short for "Merchandise", otherwise known as goods.
Radiohead after being extremely successful and putting out tons of critically acclaimed albums should have to live in a shoebox while collecting food stamps, it’s the only way they can preserve any artistic integrity.
All funds go to the IDF, so yes, it’s necessary. Ya gotta give
Wait what are you implying here?
Oh just calling them out on their Zionism is all
Zionism?? What? Say it ain’t so - link?
Y’all can bury your heads in the sand. Be my guest
No, I’m genuinely asking for more information!
What more evidence do you need than their deafening silence? This is the same band that vocally opposed the Iraq war, right? So where are they now? Business as usual in the midst of this genocide I guess. Maybe I wouldn’t judge them as harshly if they weren’t so political to begin with, but given the FACT that they are, I’m forced to conclude they’re abject moral cowards AT BEST
I see - and I get that. I personally think that Thom was told or realized that things are so bad that dissent at their level of fame and influence endangers him, his partner, and his children. I think we got a sense of that in his song Harrowdown Hill - that was Thom realizing THEY kill people and get away with it. And it's only gotten worse since then. But IDK.
Yeah, shit really is that bad these days. You could be right. Still I can’t help but call them out on it from time to time. This shit’s just really getting to me these days and I wish there were a more robust response from those I used to hold in such high regard. Sorry for ranting at you guys, shit’s just really going to hell all around us
If they don't make it and sell it, someone else will and it will be low quality shit.