After many months of preparation, figuring out the logistics, and honing in more on my creative skills, I recently unveiled the first product in my VV Merch line. However, I never really elaborated on why this was so important to me as well the inspiration behind my ‘This Is Your Brain On Metal’ Tees which you can purchase here. So grab a napkin, because today I’m spilling the tea.
And if you’re looking to recreate this look, check out the small businesses listed in the outfit details below!
- ‘This Is Your Brain On Metal’ TShirt: The Versatile Virgo Shop
- Pants: Vagabond Kreations
- Choker: Skin Tight Rebel Clothing
- Earrings: Volta Joules
- Cropped Faux Leather Jacket: Vixen by Micheline Pitt
Being A Creative In A Capitalist Society
In this day and age, there’s plenty of online business “gurus” spewing “tips” for a get rich quick scheme. This combined with spammy “businesses” and the influx of “InstaModels” feels like it has become the norm. We’ve all had those spam DMs or comments from businesses like Jinxty (or whatever they’re going by now). Even SHEIN did this just a few years ago (which people somehow seem to forget or just don’t care). If you’re in a band, you’ve probably had this come from something posing as a record label or someone who “promotes music”. And they always want money. I get these too, which makes it obvious they’re coming from a bot.
As heavy music fans, we’ve heard countless stories from well known musicians we love not being fairly compensated. Even Chevelle said earlier this year they haven’t made any money from the 6 millions albums they sold. As vocalist and guitarist Pete Loeffler explained, “We haven’t made any money off of record sales, album sales. It’s all gone to the major labels. A lot of people make money off of us; we just don’t make money the way the deals are structured.” Exhorder’s Kyle Thomas also said in this interview that he didn’t make any money with the band until 2010 – 20 years after their debut album was released. And they pioneered an entirely new subgenre that was later made popular by bands like Pantera and Lamb of God! This leads me to my next point.
Why I Don’t Believe In Charging Bands For Reviews
Charging bands a fee for music reviews doesn’t make sense to me.
For starters, when you read a review from me, I want to give you my honest opinion. Not everything is for everyone, this blog included. So if you’re coming here to see what new music I’m listening to and you’ve been here more than once, it’s probably because we have similar musical tastes. Wouldn’t you be disappointed if one day I started pushing pop music exclusively, all because of money? I certainly would be.
In the most basic sense of running a business, the ultimate goal is to keep customers coming back, right? It can be so easy for opinions to get skewed, even if it’s unintentional, because of the all mighty dollar. So if bands are being charged for reviews, wouldn’t the writer need to fit a certain criteria so the band will pay them in the future for another review? No one wants to spend money on something that says they suck. Thus, the integrity disappears and it will be a cold day in hell before I let that happen.
Not only that, but I love working with unsigned and underground bands and there’s no amount of money that could replace that. The artists you see featured on this blog are those that I want to see keep going because I love their music and think you will too. Unsigned and underground bands typically do not have large budgets with powerful labels, managers, and PR behind them. So charging for reviews may seem like a good idea for some. But I could never justify turning down a band whose music I love just because they didn’t have the budget that larger bands do. That’s just fucked up.
And thus, VV Merch was born!
If you’ve been keeping up with me for a while, you know I love my band merch. You may see me in some super glam outfits too, but I LIVE in band and graphic tees. I’ve been that way my whole life, and I can even remember the first graphic tee that set the standard for me.
My family didn’t have a lot of money growing up so spending on expensive fashion I would eventually grow out of just wasn’t in the cards. But for my birthday around the age of 6 or 7, a friend gifted me a graphic tee that I instantly fell in love with. It was sky-blue with glittery, blue letters that said “remember me, I’m gonna be a star!” While it may sound silly, as a littler girl that saying made me feel so good about myself every time I wore it. It was so bold and confident, way more than I was. I wore that shirt for years until I literally couldn’t get it on anymore and even at that point, still struggled to part ways with it. So when I thought about launching a product, graphic tees were a natural fit. And so VV merch began…
About My ‘This Is Your Brain On Metal’ TShirts
As a 90’s kid, I can remember the 80’s anti-drugs campaign “This Is Your Brain On Drugs” being mentioned frequently in movies and tv growing up. It was always used as the butt of a joke, and of course was burned into many young brains like my own.
It was important for VV merch to fit my standard of comfort and softness. There’s nothing I hate more than ordering new merch, being super excited about it, and then opening up the package to find out it feels like a piece of sandpaper. My ‘This Is Your Brain On Metal’ Tees are made with 100% ringspun cotton for a relaxed, comfortable feel. They’re also unisex, so the sizing is men’s. This is only the beginning and I have even more designs that I will release as I am able.
Shop my ‘This Is Your Brain On Metal’ here before they’re gone! There is only a very limited quantity in each size. Also, don’t forget to sign up for my email list below to get an extra 10% off!
Looking For More Outfit Inspiration?
Check out the looks I’ve been creating here and keep up with me on Instagram for more!
