when you're into late 19th century Verismo Opera and see someone dress as a sad clown

Why do people like to advertise for companies that don't pay them to advertise?

We're talking about bands, though? A band isn't a company. There's a pretty big difference between an artist and a corporation.

Well, there is Metallica, Inc. and Slipknot (the business entity) along with all of the related brands and labels that are attached to them, off the top of my head. Many other mainstream bands are just businesses too.

My fav shirt to wear for this is my "The Beets" killer tofu tour 1996 concert T.

Not into opera, but are you referring to Pagliacci?

I feel like there's a huge difference between individuals choosing to advertise a brand (especially a band or other artists) that they genuinely enjoy vs a company just paying for our attention. The intent behind it matters.

See also: the jersey of my favorite sportball team.

Some stare at me mystified and possibly concerned when I tell them that they'll never walk alone and give them a thumbs up, but the real ones appreciate it 😁

That's pretty obtuse. They don't advertise for a company, they're showing their love for artists they like or feel an emotional connection to. Most bands aren't billionaires, and I wear their gear to support them, because I want them to earn a living and make more music.

!metalmemes@lemmy.world

Ooo-eee-ooo

yup

There's a difference between Korn and Aéropostale.

yes, but, non pagliaccio non son!

Most bands are incorporated for technical reasons, but your point still stands.

K k k killer tofuuuuu

Most? Only the biggest bands ever consider this. I'd wager 90%+ of bands are not incorporated.

Being incorporated gives you some protections when signing with a label. The corporation faces the label and would otherwise be invisible to the public unless they go looking. I'd say any smart band that signs with a label is incorporated in some capacity.

Buying merch at the show is the best way to directly support musicians, especially smaller and local artists. If I'm wearing a band shirt then it's most likely I bought it at their show. Most venues share very little, if any, of total ticket sales with artists. Some venues have adopted a "pay-to-play" scheme where the bands "buy" a set amount of tickets from the venue up front, and then hope to recoup the costs through their own ticket and merch sales. That's how a lot of venues in my area operate, and the only people happy about it are the venue owners.

That said, a lot of popular band merch is sold under record company license by corporate retailers, or by online bootleggers/counterfeiters. Either way, most musicians won't see much, if any, kickback from merch unless it's sold at a live show.

I love Metallica but it's very unlikely I'll have much in common beyond music with someone just because they're wearing a Metallica shirt.

If someone is wearing a Dieselboy shirt, chances are that we probably have a few things in common beyond just music.