The Rolling Stones are one of those music legends that have almost become more brand than band. Thanks to their decades-spanning career and dominance in the rock ‘n’ roll world, they hardly even need to market themselves anymore.
Maybe it’s their tireless work ethic that keeps them from getting complacent.
After opening their own brick-and-mortar merchandise store in London last year, the Stones have moved on to their next merch-centered project: a line of branded chocolate bars inspired by song titles and lyrics (“Brown Sugar” and “Cherry Red”).
Rolling Stones to launch own line of chocolate bars named after song lyrics https://t.co/3mED5C87E2 pic.twitter.com/MWS61hWXkk
— 98.7 the spot (@987thespot) January 21, 2021
The products went on sale yesterday at the band’s online store.
Food now joins, well, just about every other product imaginable in the music merchandise universe. We’ve written at length about how bands and artists need to offer more than just a T-shirt or a poster anymore. The more creative and memorable, the better.
The Killers just went the food route recently, too, opting for a limited run of hot sauces (also branded using song titles).
And the way the Rolling Stones have a store presence as a brand and commercial entity is a good personification of the band-as-brand idea. That is to say, even if the band stopped making music tomorrow, the brand would still be viable. Their logo is iconic. Their name alone conveys something that works well for merchandise, and will long into the future.
It’s what we’re seeing with erstwhile bands like Nirvana, and have seen when bands hang up their touring shoes and pivot to this brand plane of existence, like Slayer.
What’s even crazier is that the Stones are taking that London brick-and-mortar shopping experience and translating it into a virtual storefront online, according to NME. It really underscores the importance of e-commerce for musical acts during the pandemic. Even a band as immortal as the Rolling Stones has had to pivot in a way.
“We are excited to be able to take the brand new RS No. 9 Carnaby store to the world and to allow customers and fans to shop the collection from the comfort of their own homes through an immersive and unique experience of this exciting retail space,” John Habbouch, general manager and CFO of Bravado, told NME.
Most bands can only aspire to the success of the Rolling Stones. It’s other-worldly, really. You can be big. But are you virtual-reality-shopping big? Are you chocolate-bars-named-after-internationally-recognized-lyrics big? Few bands are.
