MerchFriends — a nonprofit organization dedicated to building a sustainable ecosystem for independent music merchandise — has announced it will be hosting a new celebration called Band Shirt Day. Similar to Record Store Day, the event brings visual artists and musicians together to commemorate the power of the band T-shirt. In the process, the event will raise money for charity. The inaugural Band Shirt Day takes place on September 16.
So far, Blondie, Mac DeMarco, and King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizzard have been tapped to participate in the first round of artists. More will be announced later this year. According to Pitchfork, additional participating artists will include Tori Amos, Sargent House, the Maine, Tragically Hip, the Format, Urge Overkill, Flipper, and Monophonics.
Proceeds from Band Shirt Day T-shirt sales will go to charities including Planned Parenthood, Children of Ukraine, the Ally Coalition, MusicCares, TransLifeline, and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
“Independent music has a deep history of sustainability through community focus; fundraising, street teams, and guerrilla marketing,” MerchFriends and Hello Merch co-founder Sam Means said in a statement. “MerchFriends, through Band Shirt Day, is bringing together communities to help solve problems we face every day.”
The event is presented in partnership with Spotify, Rough Trade, and Bandsintown, among others. MerchFriends is also the official merchandise partner for Rough Trade’s upcoming Indieplaza festival, bringing Band Shirt Day to Rockefeller Center for an entire weekend (September 17 and 18) filled with exclusive goods. Indieplaza will feature performances by A Tribe Called Quest’s Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Yaya Bey, Mary Lattimore, Claud, Horsegirl, Automatic, King Hannah, and more.
You can find more information about Band Shirt Day by visiting the event's official website.
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Article Image: Debbie Harry of Blondie holds up a microphone for a crowd while performing at Roundhouse in 2017. (Raph_PH [CC BY 2.0] via Wikimedia Commons.)
