will.i.am is reportedly looking to revolutionize the type of merchandise sold at concerts, beyond your typical tee shirts and posters. He is working with 3D Systems, a 3D printing specialist, to take typical merch to the next level.
One idea the artist has is for figurines depicting a moment from that night's performance to be sold directly after the show finishes.
Speaking with BBC, the Black Eyed Peas member said: "The merch booth hasn't changed since The Grateful Dead or The Rolling Stones. Enter the 3D printer. Now you will be able to print 3D images and objects from that night. Now you go see Lady Gaga in concert. There's not just lights onstage, but scanners and she does some crazy pose. You capture that moment and print her."
will.i.am is also a coach on The Voice UK, which will air this Saturday, Jan. 11. Fellow coach on the upcoming season, Kaiser Chief's Ricky Wilson, recently stated to NME that he believes his appearance on the singing competition will hopefully help boost sales for his band's recent record. In fact he frankly said that's why he decided to do it.
"I love my band and I want our new record to get noticed," he said. "I know that everyone is going, 'He thinks he's going to sell more records and more tickets.' And that is why I'm doing it. I'm not a f--king idiot."
Well there ya go. We'll see how his appearance boosts record sales and hopefully we'll see some of will.i.am's cool new 3D merch in the future.
