You know what I think would be an awesome idea to help get funds together to help the site? There are quite a few sites out there now, like Zazzle, who actually pay you a percentage of all the merch designed by you, when someone actually purchases a product. It would help promote the site a bit, help show pride for the site you guys love, while helping the site be the best it can be. What do you guys think?
but those shirts will cost something to make... I mean if they were to take the chance and it paid off then awesome but if it doesn't they had to eat some-odd shirts
Zazzle is a completely free site, which makes all the merch, they pay you for just for selling the design pretty much (provided people buy them). So you wont have a shitload of merch at your house waiting to be sold.
Zazzle and those kinds of sites look like the epitome of cheap. Yeah they're good for producing things on the fly and are easier on the seller, but i wouldn't buy anything from there.
We've considered this idea, and considered it heavily. Our concerns are the following: 1. Making artwork that doesn't infringe on pre-existing Linkin Park copyrights. 2. Costs to produce and to ship 3. Quality of items 4. Consumer interest (would these actually be popular? would people spend money on them? etc) So it's definitely been considered.
If you did want to put this idea forward stay with a single top design just to start off. Create your own original Linkin Park Association logo and print that on the front, and print lpassociation.com on the back. I think that might work.
I've bought a t-shirt bearing the name of a message board before, but it was a Bonnaroo themed board that alot of people go to, and I only wore it to Bonnaroo. That's me though. Here's an idea: when you donate to the board for a certain amount of money, you get a t-shirt. Obviously you could sell them as stand-alone items, but it's just another little something to give to the people that part ways with their hard earned cash to help this board stay alive. Just throwing it out there. And I wouldn't worry too much about the infringing on LP artwork and whatnot. There are plenty of people on this board that have the skills needed and would be willing to whip up some designs, I'm sure. Hell, you have Keaton right there. Everything that dude does is pure gold.
Its a great promotional tool too. If you are walking around with the top there might be some Linkin Park fans who see it and think to check it out. You could use donating as a way to get a free shirt, but also sell them for people who don't want to donate but want a top. Fucking do it.
Derek stole my point. You're going to have a huge copyright lawsuit on your hands. Vampirefreaks.com get away with it because they don't use a band's name to promote their events like the Triton Festival.
The reality is that outside the VIPers/super members, I don't see anyone buying this. That's just me.
If we do it, that will not be the reason. We'd only do it with the intention in mind to: A) Provide something special for the committed members of the website and B) to help pay for the costs of running this site. LPL by no means is an incentive for anything we do here. We'll do our thing, they can do theirs.
Adam has said that it is okay to print the Linkin Park name on their shirts, but no official logos. That being on of the troubles in the first place, is now gone. So if we could design a logo for the LPA, that could be used on the shirts.