Give the Gift of Music This Holiday Season & #SpreadTheKindness Link Up On the Edge #682
This holiday gift idea was inspired by my son and by my favorite bluegrass band, Fireside Collective. Just the other day, my 12 year old asked if we could update our free Spotify account to a premium account. He saw an ad offering premium for $4.99 a month for students. He figured he is a student and he gets an allowance so he could pay for it himself. Only to later discover that the student discounted rate is reserved for college students who attend accredited universities. So if you’re 12 and want premium, it is going to cost you $11.99 a month.
Not wanting him to spend over 25% of his monthly allowance for this service, we agreed to pay the difference for a year as a Christmas gift. He was thrilled with this arrangement and still willing and wanting to contribute his $5 per month to the subscription. That was a seriously proud mama moment for me! And we gave the gift of music to our child while also supporting the bands that are contracted through these streaming services.
While this type of musical gift is awesome for the gift recipient, it was recently brought to my attention by a Fireside Collective spouse that we need to do more to support our favorite bands and musicians.
In her words,
“Streaming services are convenient, but they do not pay band members’ bills by a long shot. Band merch makes for a great holiday gift and supports local musicians and the artists who design for them! Check out your loved ones’ favorite band’s website, for the gift that keeps on giving!”
Cara Mastrianni Iaquinto
And that is how this blog post came to life.
I had taken these fun snowy photos last winter donning my Fireside Collective knit hat and I have never shared them before, making this the perfect opportunity! Over the years, my husband and I have amassed a small collection of Fireside Collective merchandise. I have this hat, this tee shirt which I have passed onto Jeff, this hoodie, and this tee shirt which I have since upcycled onto a tie dye kimono. Jeff has this tee shirt and another one that seems to be sold out as well as a bunch of festival tees advertising the bands on the festival lineups.
I know that my favorite bands are not necessarily your favorite bands. So I will merely encourage you to check out your favorite bands’ merchandise stores. Make a wish list for your loved ones to give you the gift of music this year. Or find out the favorite bands of the folks on your shopping list and give them the gift of music and band merchandise. Your gift will not only please the music lover on your list but it also supports the bands we love so they can keep producing the music we love! And as Cara pointed out, it also supports the artists who create the designs that the bands use on their merchandise. It is seriously a win-win-win situation!
Have you given the gift of music to anyone? Now is a great time to consider musical gift options. It makes for easy shopping and it prevents us from making Jeff Bezos even richer. Our favorite bands need our support much more than Mr. Bezos does. Give the gift of music!
Featured Favorites
Reader Favorite: Patrick of Adventures in Weseland
Fashion Favorite: Marsha of Marsha in the Middle
Other Favorite: Amy of Amy’s Creative Pursuits
Wishing you all a safe and stress-free holiday shopping season!
Keeping it on the edge,
Shelbee
Joining these Fabulous Link Parties.
Outfit Details: Hat-Fireside Collective Merch / Tee Shirt, Cardigan, Jeans-Torrid / Belt, Scarf, Mushroom Necklace-Rainbow Zen / Tassel Necklace-Cato / Boots-ShoeDazzle
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
I am a midlife woman, wife, and stay-at-home mother of 2 boys and 2 cats. I have a passion for helping other women feel fabulous in the midst of this crazy, beautiful life.
24 Comments
Stephanie
Thank you for hosting. Have a wonderful weekend.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Stephanie! I hope you have an amazing weekend as well.
xoxo
Shelbee
Amy Johnson
Thanks so much for the feature! I so appreciate it! You look so adorable in that outfit! It is totally you!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Amy! I hope you have a wonderful weekend and a blessed holiday season, my friend!
xoxo
Shelbee
Nancy
Well Mr. Bezos doesn’t get rich on my account! But we do pay for Spotify. Couldn’t live without music! Have a great weekend!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
I am glad that you are not making Mr. Bezos any richer! I do shop on Amazon but only when I can’t find the stuff somewhere else. I really limit my Amazon purchases and use it as a last resort.
xoxo
Shelbee
Anne M Bray
Great post! Yes, support your fave bands and buy their mech. Especially the indie bands.
I read that musicians get $0.03 per play on Spotify. That won’t pay the rent unless you get millions of plays!
A great site to visit is Bandcamp, where a lot of artists now sell their Mp3s and CDs. Often Bandcamp hosts Bandcamp Friday, a day when the platform waives their commission. You can usually preview entire albums there (vs the snippets on iTunes).
I’m awaiting the delivery of a new recording from one of my favorite artists, Jon Dee Graham. Check him out!
xo, A
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Anne, thank you, thank you, thank you, for contributing this comment! I hope people read the comments. Bandcamp is an excellent platform as well! I am going to check out JDG right now!
xoxo
Shelbee
Laura Bambrick
Love your colorful outfit!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Laura! Happy Holidays!
xoxo
Shelbee
Gail
A good reminder about supporting our favorite musicians! Have a good weekend
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thank you, Gail! I hope you have a lovely weekend and a blessed holiday season!
xoxo
Shelbee
Joanne
That is a fabulous gift idea! My boys all use Spotify and keep trying to get me to switch over too (I still use Pandora).
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Joanne! We actually just cancelled about $50 a month in different subscriptions that we weren’t using, only to add new ones! Ha. I still use Pandora as well because I am too lazy to switch over and figure how to use a new service!
xoxo
Shelbee
Di
When a first saw these pictures, I thought-yikes! Covered in snow already? Glad to hear this was last year. The gift of music is a great idea, as well as band merchandise. I am all for supporting small businesses and people who really make a difference in our lives! Enjoy your weedend and thanks for the ideas!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Di! Actually, we have been that covered in snow already this year except the snowy days have been followed by rainy days and nothing is sticking around. I am okay with that! But I know the snow is coming and I have a feeling that January and February might be brutal for us! I hope you have a lovely weekend and wonderful holiday season, my friend.
xoxo
Shelbee
Michelle
Excellent idea! I love supporting the arts. We almost always by merch when we attend music events, but there is no reason not to purchase from their official website at other times, especially for gift giving. And don’t forget posters. I am slowly adding music posters to our bedroom.
Michelle
https://michellesuzanneartworks.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Michelle! I always buy merch when I attend shows as well. I like checking out the online shops, too, because you can find some cool old stuff that they don’t always travel with. I love the idea of music posters in your bedroom! I want to see pictures when it is all done! I have been collecting band stickers and lighters when I go to shows. I rarely buy tee shirts because I don’t love the styles but I generally get tee shirts for Jeff and the boys. And I will occasionally splurge on a hoodie. Some of my all time favorite, coziest hoodies are band hoodies!
xoxo
Shelbee
Emma Peach
I only buy from Amazon as a last resort, I try to buy from independent businesses as much as possible. It’s imprtant to support up and coming bands – we have a festival in our town every year that showcases bands and artists. Isobel and her band played at one of the pubs last year and they are opening the whole festival next year on the main stage! We’ve bought her a new five string bass and amp for Christmas but I’m sure she’ll get some Metallica merch as well!
Emma xxx
http://www.style-splash.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Oh my goodness, Emma, that is so cool! Congratulations to Isobel and her band! I hope you share some videos of the festival. I would love to see them play. I bet she is going to freak out over her Christmas present! I avoid Amazon like I avoid pharmaceuticals. I only ever use either when it is absolutely necessary. Ha. If I find something on Amazon, I always go to the seller’s own site first and purchase directly. If that’s not an option then I tried to find an independent seller before ordering from Amazon. Ugh. We live in a very complicated world, don’t we? Wishing you a wonderful holiday season, my friend!
xoxo
Shelbee
Marsha Banks
My son has some songs on Spotify, I think. I am pretty sure the platform he uses most often is Bandcamp, but he isn’t getting rich on his music, unfortunately. It was always so hard watching him work for hours crafting songs, writing lyrics and music, putting together an album, and then have it sell next to nothing. The last time he moved, we donated boxes and boxes of one of his cds. Now, he is really into vinyl which costs even more. His last album was truly amazing, but I doubt he will ever make back on it what he put into it. He even hand embroidered album bags (which I made) and then created some amazing collage work for the sleeve. I knew the odds of him ever making it as a musician were very low. It breaks my heart for him. I never once, though, told him to not follow that dream. I encouraged him to have a backup plan which he did. Music will always be his first love. Unfortunately, the ones who make it in the music world are not necessarily the ones with talent.
So, yes, I support my favorite musician…with love first and lots and lots of money second! I also support others through their merch, too!
Thanks so much for the feature, Shelbee! I still get a thrill seeing myself on someone else’s blog!
https://marshainthemiddle.com/
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Marsha, you have such a kind and beautiful heart! Your son is blessed to have your guidance in this life. It is sad that we live in a world that doesn’t value talent, passion, hard work, dedication, things that bring people joy. Music is one of the most important and most effective ways of bringing communities together. I have never met a human being who doesn’t listen to some kind of music. So everybody wants it. Everybody needs it. But nobody wants to pay for it. It’s very weird. We live in a strange universe. How do I find your son’s music?
xoxo
Shelbee
Your True Self
Hi, Shelbee – This is an absolutely awesome gift idea! Supporting artists is important in my book, as I come from an artistic family and have artistic friends (and am artistic myself.) So I know how hard it is for artists to do what they love and still survive in the world. Thanks for your suggestion – Angie, http://www.yourtrueselfblog.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Angie! There are so many talented artists who fulfill our lives on our daily basis so I also think it is very important to support them whenever we can! Wishing you a beautiful and blessed holiday season, my friend!
xoxo
Shelbee