April 2, 2025
JAKARTA – The whole space of The Brickhall at Fatmawati City Center in South Jakarta burst with colors and vibrancy.
At one booth, a bunch of adolescents were gawking at Iqbaal Ramadhan aka BAALE’s posters and pins, his name was aglow with neon signs. On another booth, a few young adults were seen fascinated by the merch courtesy of Teenage Death Star, a few of the shirts proudly inked out the rock band’s iconic words “Skill Is Dead” in all caps.
And then, close to the food tents, a few adults were checking out a livescreen printing showcase from which they could purchase customizable merch T-shirts featuring bands such as Sukatani and Bedchamber. The crowd grew larger once it was time to break the fast, and the organizer announced that a talk show billed as “Halal, Haram & Bagaimana Hukumnya Bootleg” (loosely translated as “halal, haram and the law on bootleg”) was about to commence.
Merch-Making Market (or MMM) was a music event, but it was not a music festival. The three-day expo was organized as a universal gathering in which both the participating musicians and the attendees could showcase and procure official music merchandise, either by their favorite artists or those whose music might not be on the mainstream airwaves. MMM might sound like a niche concept, but the energy of the crowd proved that merch is never dead.
‘Solid interconnectedness’
Yasmin, who was co-manning the official merchandise booth of Pamungkas, “strongly agrees” that, regardless of the passing age and time, merch is a vital part of the music experience itself. Merch is not just a collectable item; instead, it is an expression of identity, the identity of the artist as well as the identity of the merch’s owner.
“Merch is how we show our appreciation for the artist’s extraordinary body of work. Music is something that we can enjoy from wherever and of one’s own accord, but clothing can be the disposition of our identity,” she told the Post on March 22.
Yasmin also divulged how Pamungkas’ official merchandise, encompassing items like soccer jerseys, necklaces and vinyl records, was made to the highest standard of quality. To meet that standard, for some of the merch, Pamungkas’ team, Maspam Company Ltd, partnered up with indie fashion brand Gimme.
“Pamungkas makes good music, which means his merch has to be good as well,” she enthused.
It was not just the artists’ teams who contributed with active involvement in MMM. For instance, Arga, who happens to be a fan of Tiara Andini, also helped oversee his idol’s merch booth. To everyone’s surprise, Tiara Andini herself graced the booth and introduced her merch to the expo’s attendees, as well as the netizens who were checking out what MMM had to offer via social media.
According to Arga, celebrating the merch of one’s beloved idol, especially for the ones who claim themselves to be the biggest fans, is nothing less than essential. And of course, procuring the merch’s pirated items is a no-no.
“As devoted fans, there has to be a solid interconnectedness between us and the artist,” he asserted. “For example, we would wear her official merch as we watch her at her concerts, as our form of support [for Tiara Andini].”
‘Of good quality’
Overall, there were approximately 200 names of musicians and bands that participated in the three-day MMM. Furthermore, the expo showcased several book titles about the world of music and merchandise, such as Merchandise Musik: Gaya Visual Dalam Skena (Music merchandise: Visual style in the scene) written by Arsita Pinandita.
MMM was a smash, but it doesn’t mean there’s no more homework to be done. Speaking on behalf of the event’s organizing team, Miska analyzed how piracy continues to be the number-one issue in the music merch landscape, something that he simply labeled as an “old problem that’s hard to solve”.
Miska pointed out how “piracy” and “bootlegging” are two different things. Unlike bootlegging, piracy usually leads to unauthorized mass replication.
“Pirated items are sold for lower prices, though the quality is poorer,” he explained. “The perpetrator would, then, profit off of the items. That’s a huge issue, actually. And, after doing research on my band Swellow’s T-shirt in the online marketplace, I find that many people out there may not be able to tell which items are actually the pirated ones.”
Still and all, music merch continues to generate a significant impact on music, fashion and culture. Some members of the general public might still think that music merch is either a frivolous luxury or for hardcore fans only. Miska, in response, affirmed that the purpose of MMM was to change that misguided mindset.
“Even for those who don’t like music at all, it’s okay to buy the merch anyway. Clothing is a primary need, right? You could wear it at work in SCBD. It’s okay, as long as it’s comfortable,” he quipped.
Lastly, despite the threat of piracy, Miska believes that artists should never feel discouraged to continue producing their merch. He gave one very relatable example:
“For instance, this Ramadan. Bands that don’t have religious albums wouldn’t have any stage for a whole month. Thus, merch can be a source of revenue stream. Plus, the public has started to understand that music merch is actually of good quality.”