D.C. Day Tripping!

Walk around a city, and you're sure to find a whimsical part of town.

 Let the ambiance and architecture of the neighborhoods consume you.  

If you get lost in the silver tree forest, just ask the locals for help. 

The world is a beautiful place, don't be afraid to explore it! 

Astronauts, Space Monsters, and a Fall Line Sneak Peak!

Astronauts are the most courageous people that have flown off Earth. Countless hours of training and preparation accompany this courage. All though it is extremely difficult to become an astronaut, the job benefits are very lucrative. 

One reward astronauts receive is an amazing view of our galaxy, especially the view of Earth. Another reward is the opportunity to investigate celestial bodies! They work as pioneers, exploring extra terrestrial territories. As explorers, they have the chance of answering and discovering mysteries of the universe.

We always hope they stay safe, but inevitably some crews will experience dangerous situations. Whether it is a debris storm or an extra terrestrial astronaut, they must face all problems headfirst without hesitation. The abyss of space can be unforgiving, and our imaginations run wild with possible threats.

The Brand for Bands Fall 2011 Line shows one potential threat astronauts may face. The danger depicted is a 'red cloud' that engulfs and devours a spaceman! The cloud is an inescapable force that sucks the astronaut through the spacesuit. 

The possibilities of things lurking are endless, and encounters will be inevitable as we explore space. What do you think is out there?   

Planning Our Kiosk Invasion!

A stroll around the national mall in Washington D.C. can be very eventful. There are monuments in every direction, museums on every street, and concession kiosks around every corner. On this particular afternoon, we stumbled upon a McDonald's kiosk outside of Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum. The museum's cafeteria contains a full service McDonald's that often gets crowded. This solution provides quick customer turn arounds, but a limited menu as a minor drawback.

McDonald's is making sure they don't miss any potential customers, while tapping into an extra revenue stream. The kiosk platform is low cost and highly effective, and is easily tweaked for a retail venture. In the food service industry you need a full service site near by preparing the necessary food items. A retail platform on the other hand may only need off site storage.

The setting that comes to mind for a Brand for Bands' kiosk is the mall. Low costs with high traffic are huge benefits of mall kiosks. As a start up business we are always looking for new customers; with the mall kiosk platform, we are putting ourselves out there for drive by shoppers that would otherwise be oblivious of our existence. The key to expanding in this economy is keeping costs low, having high quality products, and offering great prices to consumers. McDonald's knows how to stay positive in a down economy, and we know tweaking their strategies can benefit the Brand for Bands business plan.      

Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! AKA French Swag

Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! is a pop punk/hardcore band from Paris, France. They embarked on their first United States tour this summer, and rocked every city they played!  We had a chance to hang with them when the 'Summer pArtery Tour' stopped in Baltimore, MD. The guys were having an adventure traveling the nation, but were able to take a break for a chat and some promo pics. Be sure to catch Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! the next time they are touring the States, but in the mean time pick up their full length album 'Something for Nothing' available on iTunes! 

The Calm Waters Overseas: Buying Power is Key!

Before you start ragging on us for scrapping the domestic approach, you must first understand the climate of international markets compared to the United States' market. For starters, industry standards are entirely different outside America. International suppliers go above and beyond U.S. firms, and are willing to offer so much more. The services are provided at the most reasonable price possible, and are based on the quantity of an entire order.

Cheaper than US suppliers, firms overseas will provide 1-10 color prints for the same flat rate regardless of ink colors. They cut and sew customized apparel, allowing them to print oversize designs flawlessly through shirt seams. This ensures the designs look as they were intended. Another reason they deliver a superior product, is the fact that they scale screen sizes to shirt size. Since Brand for Bands offers 6 sizes, each color in a design requires six screens to fit each shirt size.

We tried to stay in the US, but domestic suppliers were holding us back and bleeding our project. In the end, the lower prices and higher standards of international suppliers prevailed. We needed to offer the lowest prices possible to wholesale clients and retail customers, while providing the highest quality apparel. A chinese supplier currently handles our needs, but we are constantly propositioned by other international suppliers vying for our business.

Better products, cheaper rates, and competition for business fuel international economies. As long as they are making some profit, they are happy. This is because they will have numerous clients using their services. A small profit on numerous repeat clients, breeds a very successful business. This is an approach we have adapted to our business model.

Rather than make a killing on every shirt, we will make less in hopes of selling more. Instead of make money from band merch, we will have our tag circulated in every wholesale shirt. Of course Brand for Bands will make money to live and grow, but we will always beat the standard market prices! Don't be fooled by our low prices, the quality can't be matched, and we intend on taking over the screen printing and blank apparel markets in one quick swoop.

We can afford to run on individual unit sales because we have low overhead. This means we can do wholesale orders as a courtesy to clients, and offer our resources at cost. As more clients jump on board, our buying power increases, lowering everyones costs, and allowing slightly improved profit margins. Brand for Bands will gain most from tags circulating in merch, and selling blank apparel to domestic print shops.

Brand for Bands is a movement to change the market in the music scene, and we intend to shake things up quite a bit! We're moving fast, so get on board before you get left behind!
     

Furry Takeover

Although they are the cutest little things, don't be fooled! These critters are the hardest endeavor we've started. Day in and day out, they rely on human support for survival. Whether it's feeding, walking, or just playing for a few minutes, pets require hours of attention. They regularly make messes and get into things they shouldn't, but unexpected tasks must be accepted for a pleasant experience. 

There are great trade offs for this work though. Pets provide companionship to those who take care of them. They will quickly find a best friend, and their playful attitude combined with their loving nature helps the caretaker find a best friend as well. 

We have welcomed 3 critters to the Brand for Bands family, and all have become our best friends! Scarlett Studebacher is our grey cat, DubStep Carmichael is our speckled longhair cat, and Ruby Tuesday is our miniature daschund. They sometimes help us in the office, but often just oversee operations. We apologize for their occasional furry contribution! Brand for Bands is an animal friendly movement, and will continue to welcome furry friends as we expand. 

The Show Must Go On!

We had the privilege of hanging with The Color Morale in Allentown, PA this past week. After a recent departure of two members, Justin Hieser returned to the lineup to round off the current four piece. As they finish their summer on the Scream It Like You Mean It Tour, expect nothing short of signature TCM performances.
After a brief conversation with Garret Rapp, The Color Morale's relentless drive became very apparent. Garret explained the departures as necessary for continuing their journey. He expressed that The Color Morale shows would continue regardless of their situation, even if a spoken word performance was the only delivery possible. Despite any adversity that could be thrown their way, The Color Morale will make sure the fans get the show they deserve every time!

  

Street Art Fascination turned Marketing Campaign

Graffiti artists have been marking urban landscapes for decades now. They have taken graffiti from an underground culture to a mainstream art form. All the while holding true to its stick it to 'The Man' roots.

Artists sell pieces that enter fine art collections, but will be the first to throw down in the streets trying to wake up society. After all, these artists are out to leave their mark, branding themselves anonymously throughout their cities and sometimes the world. We often recognize various artists' attempts at this branding, but seldom think of what goes into their campaign.

Street artists prowl cities for prime tagging spots. Nothing is off limits, and only the resources available are necessary. When you have time and resources, you can do a piece like the one we saw around the Baltimore/D.C. metro area. Sometimes artists need help making a really magnificent piece. Since we're a company that loves helping others achieve their goals, we're teaming up with artists for a street art campaigns.

In a way to promote the Brand for Bands website and provide community outreach, we are working with artists and local businesses to create murals. Our goal is providing vast surface area for artist's creativity to come to life, while enriching a business and the neighborhood where it is located. 

As a clothing designer we will help design, but artists will have majority control over their murals. The business has final say on what goes up, but having various artists provides each business their ideal match!

In Fear & Faith and The Summer Partery Tour

We had the pleasure of hanging with In Fear & Faith and the rest of the Summer Partery Tour this past Saturday. They stopped at the Ottobar in Baltimore, MD, where fans were treated to a very intimate show. The seven band tour package cruised through their sets, and In Fear & Faith closed out the night. The bands left everything they had on stage as the passionately rocked the house; anyone not present missed a night of great performances. The energy in the venue created an ambiance of another sold out Ottobar event, except it was about 350 kids short of being sold out.
The toll of the summer festival season was all too apparent. After talking about how the tour was going, we understood what was happening with attendance. The two biggest summer festival tours (Vans Warped Tour and the Allstars Tour) have been sandwiching this tour as each travels around the country.
Competing with all day extravaganzas packed with a variety of talent is nearly impossible. Since kids have fixed incomes, they have to choose between the festivals or the intimate headlining tours. The allure of the festival atmosphere makes the choice easy for some. The problem is bands not involved with these festivals are paying the price.
With this being In Fear & Faith's first headlining tour, we were expecting an over sold event. We were disappointed on their behalf because if it wasn't a summer tour the lineup would pack this venue. Next time these dudes come around, the house will be packed and everyone in attendance will get a spectacular treat! Do not miss In Fear & Faith's next performance in your area!