The Curious Case of the Pearl Jam Posters

An artist is asked to make posters for a Pearl Jam tour. Then things went weird.

Hi,

This newsletter is not about a giant scandal, or anyone who is particularly good or evil. The stakes are low when it comes to current world events, the outcome won’t change the world, and it won’t make the New York Times.

But I think it’s an interesting story about how we think about art, what it’s worth, and what an artist should be expected to do in order to get paid.

And for artists, this kinda is a big deal and a microcosm of a wider problem for them.

Oh, and it involves 90s grunge legends Pearl Jam. Who doesn’t love Pearl Jam?

She lies and says she’s in love with him
Can’t find a better man
She dreams in color, she dreams in red
Can’t find a better man
Can’t find a better man
Can’t find a better man
Oh

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The story starts with New Zealander artist Jess Johnson, who was approached last month by American company TSURT, which I assume it sort of meant to be pronounced “t-shirt”.

They had an exciting proposal for Jess: Designing a one off-limited edition tour poster for legendary grunge rockers Pearl Jam. You know the posters, right? You go and see your favourite band play at some giant arena, and for $50 you can get a special one-off tour poster to take home.

Jess’ heart jumped. She likes designing posters, if the job is fun and stimulating. The previous month she’d designed a special Mister Organ poster —

— now fucking Pearl Jam was knocking at her door.

It seemed like a fun offer: “It is always best to do something that ties into the city of the event,” said TSURT. “Something that gives a nod to the fans in that city. This being said, it is not required, especially if it feels forced.”

Then came the line about payment:

Compensation: 100 posters for the artist series to be sold by yourself for whatever price that you would like plus freight and duties, if applicable to your requested ship-to address.

Jess was a little confused by this. Was she going to be paid in… her own posters?

She replied to TSURT’s Chris Siglin for clarification, asking, “Was a bit confused about the fee? Are you saying I get free posters as compensation? Might need to clarify that for me. I'm not sure I’d want the work of having to sell them to get payment.”

Chris replied:

Yes, this is correct for the compensation. Each artist gets 100 prints to sell. These are the only prints that are numbered and signed and have a different color swap out. Artists typically sell their prints for $80 - $120 and sell out very quickly. I understand that this is somewhat of a different means of compensation but every artist that has done a print for Pearl Jam has been very happy with the results.

Essentially Jess would be creating a tour poster that Pearl Jam would be able to sell like hotcakes at their gig, and on their website — but for Jess to make any profit, she’d need to find a way to sell those posters too. 

Jess clarified her worry at the task ahead: “Might be a bit hard as the crossover of people that buy my stuff and who are into Pearl Jam is likely low... and Pearl Jam people would just be buying them from the official channels.”

Chris from TSURT replied:

I think that you will be very surprised but if you decide that this doesn’t work for you that is fine, no harm, no foal. Just let us know if you would like to proceed or not.

“No harm, no foal.”

Jess wrote back an email saying she’d think it over:

Still mulling on it. I’ve always been paid for any commercial job I’ve done. Have been happy to have a sliding scale depending on the project and what they can afford… but it’s always been something. So I have to say it seems a little upside down that a band like Pearl Jam would want to pay someone for their services in merch.

But will do a bit of research and see if it’s been financially viable for the other artists. Will be in touch in the New Year!

Chris did not like that reply very much, and fired Jess before Jess had been hired.

Based on your email it is best for us to move on and work with another artist. I can say that Pearl Jam is the most artist friendly band out there.

Doing work this way allows for the artist to make way more money than we could ever afford to pay for a piece that is used on one event.

Thank you for your interest in speaking with us but this offer has been rescended.

Best of luck in the future.

Chris 

Reading the tone of emails is difficult at the best of times, and fraught with crossed wires and misinterpretation. But reading Chris’ reply — it felt pretty shitty.

Jess had replied that she was mulling. TSURT replied with a “this offer has been rescended.”

I asked Jess what her emotions were during this whole email exchange, as she considered making posters for a giant grunge band in which she was to be paid in her own posters.

Annoyance to be put in the weird position of asking to be paid.

Nervousness at composing my reply and saying I’d rather be paid in money and thought it was a little weird that Pearl Jam would pay artists in merch.

Embarrassment when they replied and basically told me I was an idiot for questioning them and they were rescinding their offer not to pay me to draw them a poster.

Doubt that I’d shot myself in the foot and I could have made some money and y’know it's Pearl Jam and maybe I should have gotten off my high horse.

Slow growing indignation at the whole thing.

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I reached out to TSURT LLC on Instagram and Twitter. I emailed their generic corporate address. I emailed Chris Siglin on one email address, then another.

Zilch. Nada.

The whole time Pearl Jam droned away in my head.

Can’t find a better man (can’t find a better man)
Can’t find a better man (can’t find a better man)
Can’t find a better man (can’t find a better man)
Can’t find a better man

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I couldn’t find Chris, or Chris didn’t particularly want to be found, so I spent my New Year going through Pearl Jam’s tour poster archive and getting in touch with former artists who’d taken TSURT’s deal.

There was a mixed response. Some were happy at the exposure, and said Pearl Jam fans were so rabid, posters sold quickly for them, and for a lot. One artist made about $3000 from their 100 posters (after shipping costs and mailing admin) and seemed happy.

Others were a little more mixed, one telling Webworm “100 prints as compensation” was a “cop out”, and a roundabout way to not actually pay the artist.

Webworm was also told TSURT has cut similar deals with other big bands like The Pixies, Blink 182 and Minor Threat.

One illustrator Webworm reached out to had a very similar experience to Jess. “They are clearly coming to the artist as they like the work — but they are very forceful and somewhat rude when it comes to talking about payment. I think the creative should be able to negotiate a fair deal without having to be made to feel like you’re not worthy of the job in the first place.”

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With all this in mind, I went back to Chris Siglin’s final email to Jess:

I can say that Pearl Jam is the most artist friendly band out there. Doing work this way allows for the artist to make way more money than we could ever afford to pay for a piece that is used on one event.

There’s a lot going on here. There’s this subtext that because Pearl Jam is “the most artist friendly band out there”, then the poster artist is clearly in the wrong. What artist dares argue with the most artist friendly band out there?

I also kept thinking of another lyric by Anthonie Tonnon, from his song Marion Bates Realty:

“I hate it when people talk to you like you’ve done something wrong / so they can justify treating you like a piece of shit.”

“I know that a lot of artists would eagerly take the deal and be appreciative and I don’t blame them for it at all. But I’m a bit more cantankerous and less willing to say yes these days,” Jess told me a few days ago, as she settled in 2024.

“It’s worth more to me to highlight the shitty deals and fight for better ones so maybe the next person can benefit. I’d happily work for free if it’s a project I like that doesn’t have a budget, but if people who can afford it try to short change people lower on the food chain, it gets stuck in my craw. Just pay artists like you would pay anyone else who’s doing a job.

Consider how many years they’ve spent building their skills and career and developing their artwork. Consider the time it takes to make an artwork. Not just the time to execute it but the hours and days of sketching out different ideas. Also consider what you can afford to pay them? If you’re rich. Pay handsomely.”

As for the payment in posters allowing the artist to make “way more money than we could ever afford to pay?”

I dunno. I don’t know what deal TSURT has cut with the bands they work with — but if I was Eddie Vedder, grunge God of Pearl Jam — and I saw how the artists designing their posters were being paid — I’d be tempted to go and find a better man.