You’ve probably got an old band T-shirt somewhere at home, or even a baseball cap you bought at that one awesome concert you swore you’d never forget. But we’re willing to bet there’s one bit of band merch you don’t yet own: a protective face mask.
Well, that’s about to change – and for a good cause. After the USA officially recommended wearing masks in public (with other countries considering following suit), and with artists unable to play live and looking for alternative sources of income, a surge of face mask merchandise has hit the market over the last couple of weeks.
Reunited emo icons My Chemical Romance, metal titans Megadeth and Korn and post-hardcore outfit Thursday were the first to issue masks to their fanbase last month, with some bands converting existing T-shirts for the purpose, and many donating the proceeds to medical charities. But now the trend is heading beyond the heavier end of the rock spectrum, with the launch of a mask range by Universal Music Group’s merch arm, Bravado.
On Bravado’s new ‘We Got You Covered’ website, you can now buy a mask emblazoned with your fave Universal artist’s logo. Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, Billie Eilish, The Rolling Stones, The Weeknd, Queen, Black Sabbath and even Frank Sinatra face masks are all available now for $15 in the US, £15 in the UK or €15 in Germany.
According to Bravado, 100 percent of the profits will go to supporting the music community through local partners including Help Musicians in the UK and MusiCares in the USA. So if you are covering up your face these days, there’s now no excuse not to rep your favourite major-label artiste in the process.
Want more ways to support creatives? Top artists are selling posters to support struggling venues.
Want to keep the music going? Check out these live-streaming concerts and DJ sets you can stream at home and the best archive concerts to watch on YouTube.