The FADER x NIVA: SAVE OUR STAGES T-Shirt Collection

Wearing our support for the future of independent live music.

Agency: The FADER
Role: Strategy Director

Spark

During the months of March through June 2020, our FADER strategy team check-ins  — where we normally share project updates, juicy insights, cultural happenings, and hot takes — felt a lot like a collective mourning of live music. We reflected and reminisced on the nights, collectives, creators, and spaces that make music scenes so special across U.S. cities, prompting the question: how can we give back to the stages that have given so much to us?

Challenge

The first to close and likely the last to re-open, independent venues - the lifeblood of culture and the mass movements that emanate therefrom - have been disproportionately affected by the shutdown. According to a National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) survey, 90% of independent venues are in danger of closing permanently if they do not receive federal aid. 

Collaboration

As the publication that stands to spotlight emergent culture and the lifestyle that surrounds it (and yes, this lifestyle involves a lot of tickets to live performances), we knew we had to do something. That’s why we — The FADER — teamed up with This T-Shirt  to wear our support for the future of live music in NYC, spotlighting several beloved venues such as C’mon Everybody, National Sawdust, and Mercury Lounge for our first limited time edition (LTE) #SaveOurStages t-shirt collection.  Proceeds from sales go directly to participating venues and NIVA - National Independent Venue Association.

Results

With zero dollars of budget and countless collaborators, artists, and venues on-board, we teased the collection across The FADER and This T-Shirt with a launch film. Then, on September 30, we officially dropped the NYC collection, immediately selling out of our first set of stock, generating just under $50k in sales. Within 48 hours, the SAVE OUR STAGES t-shirt was featured on venue newsletters, social accounts (even as Instagram Shopping vendors), as well as Variety and The Strategist (New York Magazine), where our collaboration was poised to “Almost Definitely Sell Out.”

Want to Support?

While our FADER x NIVA Save Our Stages NYC and LA tees are sold out, stay tuned for more tees, more cities, and more venues in the months to come. Don’t forget to donate directly to NIVA here in the meantime.