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The State of Metal: Big Brand Deals, Thriving Merch Sales and… TikTok Trends?
A heavy metal music genre report on brand deals, merch sales, TikTok and more for bands like Metallica, Slipknot, Iron Maiden and Cannibal Corpse.
When Slipknot first contacted Cedar Ridge Distillery, which is located 120 miles from the band’s hometown of Des Moines, Iowa, management was not interested in an alternative metal whiskey brand inspired by scary clowns. In July 2020, August Burns Red guitarist Brent Rambler found himself shipping hundreds of packages from the basement of his house to fans who were spending money on merch instead of live shows. The strength of merch sales has since helped bands weather the post-pandemic inflation that has hiked up the prices of buses, crew, hotels and gas and cut into the profit margins of groups with smaller fan bases.
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