Photo Credit: Madeleine Ragsdale
Zach Bryan has learned just how expensive his merch is – to the tune of $45 for a t-shirt and up to $80 for a sweatshirt – from fed-up fans on social media. Now, the country star says he’s working to reduce the hefty prices.
The “Something in the Orange” singer-songwriter committed to cutting the price of merchandise sold at his concerts in a recent series of tweets. With three stops remaining on his American Heartbreak Tour – November gigs in Colorado, South Carolina, and California – the 26-year-old reflected on the tour and particularly his Seattle performance (which took place on Tuesday) in posts.
Said reflection set the stage for a message about the cost of apparel on the American Heartbreak Tour, and Bryan made clear in these initial comments (as well as follow-up remarks) that he’d “just learned” of the steep charges at hand.
“I just learned how expensive the merch was last night,” penned the Navy veteran Bryan. “A hoodie for 60 to 70 dollars” – pictures suggest that some attendees may have forked over $80 for the item – “is too much and I’m fixing it now. thank you guys so much for being such a good and kind and rowdy crowd.”
From there, Bryan responded to a fan who said that he’d spent $45 on a t-shirt at a show, indicating once more that the pricey products had only recently come to his attention. “I JUST learned how much they were. It’s fixed and I apologize,” reiterated the Summertime Blues creator.
And when a different follower tweeted that he’d happily pay $70 for a Zach Bryan hoodie if it could be purchased online, the artist described the proposed cost as “absolutely heinous as hell” and said that he’ll cap the price at a maximum of $45.
(Bryan, who boasts 12.6 million monthly listeners on Spotify, does of course have an online merch store. But as multiple Twitter users have noted, hoodies and posters aren’t available therein, and each of the seven featured apparel items are expected to ship “IN 4 WEEKS,” per the appropriate section of Bryan’s website.)
Evidently inspired by the commitment to selling merch that won’t break the bank, other Bryan diehards took the opportunity to make related requests, including for plus-size clothing options (“this is done as soon as possible!” the “Heading South” artist responded).
In closing, the conversation shifted to the guidelines and requirements imposed by venues; the establishment at which Bryan played in Seattle enforced seemingly stringent rules concerning the purchase and consumption of alcoholic beverages, aggravated attendees emphasized.
“I’m tired of music venues having more power than the fans that go to them,” the “Burn, Burn, Burn” professional Bryan finished, having expressed a similar overarching sentiment in an Instagram caption before the controversial merch prices entered the media spotlight.
And possibly in response to these ideas as well as the merch-centered input from fans, Bryan tweeted moments ago: “with no ego attached: every single cent made by the band and me through ticket sales and every single cent made by me on merchandise on November 11th at Petco Park will be split evenly and given to PTSD victims and their families. I can’t wait to see you guys there!”