METAL MERCH MACHINE

Staunchly loyal headbangers are filling the coffers of their favorite bands by shelling out big dollars for T-shirts, branded whiskey and concert tickets

BY STEVE KNOPPER

WHEN SLIPKNOT FIRST CONTACTED Cedar Ridge Distillery, which is located 120 miles from the band’s hometown of Des Moines, Iowa, management was not interested in an alternative-metal whiskey brand inspired by scary clowns. Until one of the owners forwarded the Slipknot email to employees. “Oh, my God, Slipknot — are you kidding me?” came the overwhelming response. “We have to do this.” The result, Slipknot No. 9 Reserve Whiskey, which debuted in 2019, represents the shattering of a “glass ceiling” in the heavy metal business, according to Cory Brennan, Slipknot’s manager. Metal-branded products were once taboo; today, they’re no-brainers. “For so long, the gatekeepers were scared of anything aggressive and scared of metal and scared of their audiences. Over the past 15 years, that’s really changed,” Brennan says. “More and more…

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Billboard (Digital) - 1 Issue, September 28, 2024

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