We just read a great article…

Imagine attending a concert featuring your favorite band. You are in a giant arena filled with fans, singing your favorite songs, and all that emotion burns into your memory in a giant crescendo. When you leave, you snag a beloved concert tee, and maybe even a hat or keychain… From that moment on, you will always look back on those mementos as part of that experience.

But times are changing. These days you may be enjoying that concert for the first time, or again and again on your tablet or television, or even your smartphone.  A tee or a hat may not be enough.

Musicians, including big names like Justin Bieber, and rap mogul Kanye West, are moving to a new model of sportswear and fashion, as opposed to just a few ringspun concert tees. In fact, the two singers are putting collections of streetwear and fashion into stores like Forever 21, or in Kanye’s case, his own pop-up shops for gleeful fans everywhere. What’s a pop-up shop? It’s a temporary store that opens for a very limited time.

Here’s just a few reasons why their non-traditional models may just be working (and we mean REALLY working!):

-They are meeting customer demand: This generation wants more than just a tee or a keychain. They want a connection with their favorite artists, and they are willing to pay to achieve that and feel included. By 2035, millennials will have the greatest buying power in history (WWD, 2016).

-They are creatively expanding their own brands: Instead of limiting themselves to musical pursuits only, these two celebs have expanded their brands to include non-traditional items like stylish designer clothing. By doing so, their brands have grown and achieved larger success. Both artists tested this idea out before putting out larger scale collections (Kanye at a few pop-up shops, and Bieber at various retail events).

-They are creating exclusivity: Bieber is providing an exclusive collection at Forever 21 stores nationwide, with only eight available pieces for a limited time. The article below compares this move to the recent success of Target’s limited-edition collaborations with luxury designers, where shoppers showed up in droves to snag pieces of the merchandise.

This isn’t just relevant for music. Any brand could potentially benefit from these ideas including causes, authors, movies and more!

For more on this story, read the feature on Glossy.com