Band x Record label merch

Happy longsleeve season folks🔥🔥🔥My Fulci longsleeve with the logos is gonna be in my rotation for the next 4 winter months, legit in love with it at first sight. When uploading it to tss, I saw a full colour version of the same Duck Face Killings design shared by Goreman, but there were a few anomalies along the sleeves that stuck out like sores, and I wanted to rant a bit about em.

Don't get me wrong, Earache, 20buckspin, Closed Casket Activities, they all have bloody fantastic bands under their belts. But I mean this in the nicest way possible; I just do not wanna see their logo inbetween the bands' one. I've seen band longsleeves that do it for all these labels (Wormrot, Jarhead Fertilizer, I think 200sw had one?) and it just feels like swirls of hot sauce inbetween an ice cream cone. Its not inherently bad, I'd just rather see the two as far away from eachother as possible.

Something about it just feels kinda... undeserved? I can't speak for any of the bands, but I'd be surprised if it was their exclusive decision to give the label's logo as much visual space as their own. Like, for the DFK one, Fulci are the party that made the music and imagery, so they get to do whatever they darn well want with that space on their merch. The thing is, 20 buck spin just so happened to be the label they released it on, there could be an alternate universe where they signed with a different label, and nothing about the shirt would get better or worse. Just makes you wonder why they plaster it there at all?

I mean, of course ik why they do it, they get more eyes and ears on the label via a band's merch. The person looking at a kickass band shirt thinks "huh, this band kicks ass, this label must release other kickass bands too" They find out that's probably the case, they find more good music, probably pick up a record and tee down the line, every party wins. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if under-underground labels are also trying this out.

Besides, good label merch definitely exists, Warp and Sub Pop's selection is really good looking, even if I'm not too keen on all the bands they've got. Heck, I'd sport an Earache logo patch if I liked more of their bands, it still looks neat. I just personally think metal labels could do better than piggybacking on existing shirt designs. What do y'all think though? Have you seen examples of good band x label hybrid merch? Am I mindlessly pouring my thoughts out into text, cashing out the last of my sanity after a total 0 hours of sleep? Let the people decide, stay warm eitherway🙏🤘🤘