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Hey Bands, Why T-Shirts Matter, A Martin Atkins Minute

Martin Atkins at SXSW
Courtesy of the artist
Martin Atkins at SXSW

Merchandise is, colloquially anyways, the engine that drives the boat, the rocket fuel that propels careers toward the stars!

Actually, according to Martin Atkins, author of Welcome To The Music Business, You're F****d!, merchandise is more like "the small hand-cranked trolley that inches up the funicular railway, inch by rusted, mangled inch, up the hill." Merchandise, particularly t-shirts, are the subject of this fun-filled Martin Atkins Minute (actually six fun-filled minutes).

As something like 2,000 bands head to Austin for this year's SXSW, all hoping to make a memorable mark, Martin explains to us why t-shirts matter.


Produced by Martin Atkins, Brad Pack, and Sydney Boone

SFX by Sydney Boone

Recorded / Engineered by Brad Pack

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

In 1988, a determined Bob Boilen started showing up on NPR's doorstep every day, looking for a way to contribute his skills in music and broadcasting to the network. His persistence paid off, and within a few weeks he was hired, on a temporary basis, to work for All Things Considered. Less than a year later, Boilen was directing the show and continued to do so for the next 18 years.