Whats a Logo Worth? Metal Bands Live Long with Band Logo Branding
How
many of you remember the first time you saw the cover of a Judas Priest
cd? Or how about Slayer, Iron Maiden, or AC/DC? I remember the first
time I saw each of those and without ever hearing a tune from these
bands I was compelled to buy them! The music had to be something crazy
and great with band logos like that! It turns out it was great and so
much more! Metal has been around for decades and the loyalty that drives
these bands on is credited to some degree by the strength of the bands’
logo.
After
the heyday of major label support died for many of our favorite metal
bands, many of the iconic metal bands have marched on to great success
by the strength of their branding. If we review the popular mainstream
acts of the last 20-30 years we see a very large percentage dropping off
the face of the earth after a short stint at the top of the charts. One
of the main reasons this is a factor is that outside of the
entertainment itself there is really no long term branding that is
associated with these acts. Sure, you get the shirts, the calendars, the
magazines and the occasional acting gig but what really distinguishes
the brand of these acts? For metal fans, it’s the logo.
True
fans of metal will pick thru the new releases of metal bands and
immediately gravitate towards the logo. If a new fan picks up a Slayer
disc the logo tells you everything you need to know about it. Its going
to be METAL and its going to be aggressive! Its this kind of imagery
that has helped sustain a market that the major labels just do not see
as viable. I for one could not be happier.
There
is something pure about our music. I rarely see fans wearing Miley
Cyrus or One Direction shirts. I see Iron Maiden, Ozzy, Metallica, Judas
Priest, and Slayer shirts everywhere. That’s the logo doing the work.
Its not just a shirt with a logo; It’s a banner, a flag, a statement of
loyalty to the bands we hold dear. And that’s why the genre will never
die. Most of the bands we cheer for are doing the heavy lifting of
getting their music out to the masses on their own. This is a difficult
and often-times unprofitable endeavor for many acts. The only way to
really be successful is to tour like the devil and sell the band merch
as often as possible. And that merch is branded by the band’s logo.
When
I see someone wearing a shirt or rocking a patch of their favorite
metal band it fills me with a sense of pride. The bands I grew up with
are now the bands the kids are growing up with. The band logo is a
universal language that crosses generations and continents and screams a
sense of community. The next time you walk down your street and you see
someone wearing a metal band shirt pause for a moment and respect the
hard work and effort that band has put into their craft. Have a deeper
appreciation of how their logo has brought together people of different
cultures, beliefs, and mindsets to give you something to get together
and cheer for as one unified group.
Long live the logo! Long live Metal!
