Minimalism, Merch, and the Music Economy: How ‘Underconsumption Core’ is Quietly Starving Independent Artists

Scroll through TikTok long enough and you’ll stumble upon it: a softly spoken twenty-something telling you to throw away half your wardrobe, refuse impulse buys, and embrace the aesthetic purity of a life stripped of clutter. The ‘underconsumption core‘ trend is everywhere on YouTube and TikTok, pitched as a cure for anxiety and a route to financial clarity in an era defined by inflation and instability. On the surface, it looks harmless, even useful. Yet scratch beneath the pastel-washed montages and decluttering diaries, and you’ll see how these curated lifestyles are reshaping consumer behaviour in ways that ripple far beyond IKEA shelving units and Zara hauls. For musicians already walking a financial tightrope, the shift towards minimalism isn’t simply about taste or lifestyle; it threatens to cut the last reliable lifeline: merch sales. Independent touring has always been a brutal balancing act, but merch—t-shirts, vinyl, posters—has historically made the difference between a loss-making slog and breaking even. Now, in a culture where underconsumption is branded as virtue, musicians face yet another invisible hand pulling fans’ wallets away. The Rise of Underconsumption Core & Minimalism Minimalism as a cultural mood isn’t new. It’s been simmering since the Marie Kondo boom, but […] The post Minimalism, Merch, and the Music Economy: How ‘Underconsumption Core’ is Quietly Starving Independent Artists appeared first on A&R Factory.

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Scroll through TikTok long enough and you’ll stumble upon it: a softly spoken twenty-something telling you to throw away half your wardrobe, refuse impulse buys, and embrace the aesthetic purity of a life stripped of clutter. The ‘underconsumption core‘ trend is everywhere on YouTube and TikTok, pitched as a cure for anxiety and a route to financial clarity in an era defined by inflation and instability. On the surface, it looks harmless, even useful. Yet scratch beneath the pastel-washed montages and decluttering diaries, and you’ll see how these curated lifestyles are reshaping consumer behaviour in ways that ripple far beyond IKEA shelving units and Zara hauls. For musicians already walking a financial tightrope, the shift towards minimalism isn’t simply about taste or lifestyle; it threatens to cut the last reliable lifeline: merch sales. Independent touring has always been a brutal balancing act, but merch—t-shirts, vinyl, posters—has historically made the difference between a loss-making slog and breaking even. Now, in a culture where underconsumption is branded as virtue, musicians face yet another invisible hand pulling fans’ wallets away. The Rise of Underconsumption Core & Minimalism Minimalism as a cultural mood isn’t new. It’s been simmering since the Marie Kondo boom, but […]

The post Minimalism, Merch, and the Music Economy: How ‘Underconsumption Core’ is Quietly Starving Independent Artists appeared first on A&R Factory.