How long is it until every big stadium tour comes with its own pop-up merch shops in the host cities? K-Pop stars Blackpink are the latest example of this strategy. The North American leg of their ‘Deadline’ world tour begins this week, and there will be pop-ups in Los Angeles, Chicago, Toronto and New York to accompany it. Fans are promised “immersive photo moments, interactive fan experiences, and the first chance to shop an exclusive new merch collection”. I
t’s a move that expands merch beyond the traditional venue outlets into spaces controlled by the artists that can open all day long for several days around their concerts. Oasis have been doing a similar thing for their reunion concerts in the UK and Ireland, with ‘Live 25’ fan stores in Cardiff, Manchester, London, Edinburgh, Dublin and Birmingham.
