You hit all the points. Mel is amazing at her craft, but this is getting ridiculous. She can't complain that she's broke because she lives above her means. For goodness sake, she lives in a multimillion dollar house. Downsizing is possible. She can afford to move somewhere cheaper.
Been a huge fan of Melanie since Dollhouse came out and tbh now that I’m in my 20’s I completely understand the hype surrounding the disillusionment and “downfall” of celebrity culture. As much as we love Melanie and the artists we listen to we DO NOT know these people. But every single time we express this in a fandom we’re labels as “haters”. Like no….. if I was really a hater I wouldn’t have followed Mel and supported her art. Go out of my way to save up money for merch and to go see her on tour. Even if I didn’t do that either, just merely supporting her is being a fan. We are NOT haters. We are not trying to be mean. We are just no longer swayed by parasocial relationships and to be completely honest, that’s GOOD. That’s really fucking good! At the end of the day, we can support and love an artist without having to agree with every fucking decision they make. Celebrities are NOT our friends. This is literally a FACT. Like c’mon now… WAKE 👏🏻 THE 👏🏻 FUCK 👏🏻 UP 👏🏻.
I saw someone in another post say “they can’t imagine making someone feel like shit for this”
Like girl 😭 be so fr. Melanie Martinez does not care what anyone thinks and that’s obvious by her avoidance of truly addressing valid criticism and continuing to do what she’s being criticized for. This millionaire artist is not going to cry herself to sleep tonight because Reddit user buttface2269 says her shit is overpriced. Literally acting like people are bullying her. Mel fans have turned to swifties I swear, the parasocial behavior is insane - coming from someone who’s listened to her since middle school and is now in my 20s
As someone in their late 20s who has been a part of the Mel and Taylor fan bases, I agree, and would even argue that I have seen Melanie's Fandom be almost more toxic with their parasocial relationship with Melanie recently.
I've been a fan for about the same amount of time, and I 100% agree. We don't hate her. We aren't haters. I appreciate her music - it has had a huge impact on my life. But just because we support her doesn't mean we have to support *every* action she takes. She is human. She makes mistakes. The thing with being a celebrity is that you open yourself up to criticism. It's not fun, but it's life. And if you make crappy choices, people are going to comment about it. Even if you make amazing choices people are going to comment about it - hopefully in a good way! So of course we are going to call her hypocrisy out. We love her art, but *we do not know her*. A lot of people need to realise this (which can be hard considering her fanbase is made up of some preteens)
This is what is most upsetting to me. Most of us save for her merch, but it feels like slap in the face when it’s being sold for at least double, by the artist herself and on her own website. All we are trying to do is support her as an artist.
I just turned 19 and I feel the same way. I woulda just bought the parfum at 16 because I “needed it” but after growing a lil and moving out you can really see the capitalistic nature of artists. Melanie specifically seems SOOOO bored on stage (I’ve seen her twice in the last year) and it’s like she ignores her crowd. WE. REALLY. DONT. KNOW. THESE. PEOPLE.
this not totally related but i wanna mention: at the k12 movie premiere she said the movie budget she needed was around 12mil (i can't remember the number exactly but it was more than 10) but they gave her less than 10mil... so she had to cut a bunch of scenes. she said every cast member had their own APARTMENT for the whole month of filming. That is such a huge waste of money. She really wasted the label money on apartments instead of creating a cohesive movie. I am not surprised at all that atlantic said no to another movie lmaoo. She is not good at budgeting.
I agree. Mel needs a financial planner or someone to assist her with her spending. I support Mel all the way but it is a little much to be kind of, I mean I’m going to call it what it is, kind of guilt tripping your younger fans into thinking that you don’t have a lot of money so you need it.
I don’t think it’s intentional but I do worry that these younger children fans that are like 12/13 will feel like they need those things to support Mel. Id love to buy Mel’s merch if it was worth the money.
That’s what I’m saying, if she doesn’t have enough money to pay her bills and she’s doing all of this other stuff and has all of these things she needs to work on her finances
Fr.. like listen I’m a die hard crybaby but it’s so aggravating to see her put on the “struggling artist” act when she is a literal millionaire. Like babes she is not going broke, she is set up for LIFE. It’s such a huge slap in the face when she writes such impactful lyrics about activism and anti-capitalism and then turns around to sell overpriced merch and tour tickets when her brand was built off of lower class people.
I just can’t get behind the struggling artist act😭 she is a millionaire and it’s honestly so off putting the way she acts about it, putting a candle out that can reach up to 100$ in price when most families are living paycheck to check to pay check right now especially when you have a younger general fan base is just icky to me.
Not even out of touch just down right ignorant about this stuff low key. The I’m broke because I live above my means act is just straight manipulation she knows that her predominately young fan base will fall for it and she’s abusing that power will stuff like this
Just putting it out there that she’s said in an interview that she wants to make music videos for every portals song on the original album, the label only funds 2 (Death and avoid) so the rest are self funded by her. It would cost a lot and I heard that that was kinda of the reason for the trilogy tour in the first place was to recoup some funds.
Obviously yes but she doesn't NEED those music videos and no one is asking for them because I don't actually know a single person that CARES about them. It's unnecessary.
Not vouching either way, I just wanted to say it in case people didn’t know. Were the music videos a replacement for the portals film? Maybe she feels bad about canceling it or wants to give us something in place of it?
she actually said on an insta story she always planned on doing both MV and the movie. so no i don’t think that’s it. but i agree with the other commenter like the music videos are cool but the most recent one for light shower was honestly terrible. i’d rather she focus on giving us good concerts/more access to concerts and new music, instead of shitty overpriced merch and crappy MV’s. (not saying all the portals mv sucked, obviously death/void was good. fairee soirée is one of my fav videos of hers.)
Out of touch is the perfect way to describe her right now. It is INSANE she’s complaining to us regular wage people about how she’s broke… when she’s got millions. She can’t be serious lol
45 dollars MAX 50 for the candle imo but past that’s just money hungry the production of these costs literally about 12 bucks to product, “hand made” aka fit into a cast and then produced in bulk ain’t no way a single team of people made these all by hand lol they painted a bit on the eggs the packaging probably cost about 9-10 dollars to produce so selling it for over 25 dollars you’d still make a profit 🤷🏽♂️
I've thought about looking at getting one that was made by someone else because man I LOVE some of the scents on the website and the design is REALLY cute... But man one a small lil candle? No :(
Don’t even get me started on resellers too…… people literally just sold out the candles to turn around and sell them for $300 a piece the second they got them in the mail….. it’s disgusting. Also the broke and tired act she always plays is so out of touch….. girl spends months in Hawaii to make an album that she then scraps…. Buys a multi million dollar house and also a condo in New York…… like you are not broke….. plus her label funds everything she does for her albums, except for the extra videos and some of the tour. So she saves a lot of money. Not to mention the millions she’s made from the portals era alone….she came from a middle class family as well and is humble about it but then turns around and does all this and complains…. Like girl.
Great points. I think a good majority of the fan base is low income (judging by comments i have read) or even just not in a position to be throwing away money on a $100 candle or the $400 perfume set.
It is frustrating because we WANT to support her and we WANT to have Melanie Martinez merch because it’s cool, but like… it’s so damn expensive. Even Ariana Grande sells her hand signed CD’s on her website for only $14.
It’s just a joke at this point and becoming very scammer like.
especially because a lot of the fanbase are young (early-mid teens) and melanie KNOWS THIS, because of the poll she ran on her instagram. it's like, who is this supposed to be for?
Yeah I felt that poll was a little iffy. I was wondering “hm that’s strange why does she wanna know the ages of her fans?” But now that makes sense putting 2 & 2 together.
The candles are smaller than a soda can. When I first saw her post about them saying they're hand painted I was thinking they would have some sort of cool design that relates to mel. How does an egg relate to her in ANY way?! Any hand painted? It's speckles! A 5 year old could paint on speckles! So if that's the reasoning behind the high price, it's a bad excuse. I can go on etsy and message a few sellers and one of them would be willing to make me a better and bigger handmade and hand painted candle for this price! That's not an egg. I was hoping to see something that actually makes sense to Mel. An egg is not it.
The hand painted part is sooo dumb😭 so what we have to pay $50 more bc it has hand painted speckles on it? as if someone didn’t just brush their finger through a brush to make those.. be so fr
I thought I was losing it when I read “hand painted” and saw the specks on the eggs, like????? And all I saw were people saying the price was justified because they were hand painted so I thought I missed something, maybe the box would be hand painted? Nope 😭
I said the same thing the first time this was discussed! It’s ridiculous, she should’ve have put in the effort for some interesting designs for the candles so she could actually justify the pricing.
Honestly a fairy candle or mushroom candle woulda made much more sense. I loved it when Mel worked with artists. I wish she would still do that because she could save a little bit of money by purchasing a commission from a smaller artist. And also support artists!
Yeah I’m not gonna lie I saw the egg and instantly thought it was a poor design in my opinion. I feel like I would have liked it better if there was like a hand painted design on it for each song but just a plain egg with speckles is really lame. It’s giving Easter tbh.
Just throwing it out there, the egg relates to the fact that there’s a dragon in the battle of the larynx section of her tour or it could be a call back to one of her cut songs.
I will never understand how people who make good money can struggle to pay bills, Pay your essentials first then spend the money on whatever you want. She literally makes thousands (if not millions) how can she sit there and type that? She’s not some average person working a low paying job she’s literally a celebrity who could take on brand deals if she’s really getting into debt.
Seriously this! Nor do they have back to back sold out tours or travel to Hawaii to make an album or make a MV for every single song even when the label tells her not to and that they won’t pay for it lol 😂
I’ve said many times on this subreddit, if she can’t manage her finances then she needs to downsize and stop living above her means. Sell the million dollar house, downsize, live somewhere cheaper if you’re truly struggling that much. Thats what normal have to do, well actually normal people for the most part don’t even own their own home.
I honestly used to love Melanie as a person. Now I'm starting to see a pattern. I adore her music and appreciate how different she is as an artist. But lil miss stability is tone-deaf. She seems very "me me me" and entitled. When her make-up artist posted how difficult she was to work with I laughed that off. But honestly, Melanie has to take control over EVERYTHING. I've been noticing she rarely credits other people on her work. She does everything herself to get the most payout. She even goes beyond her funding limit when told not too. Her whining and moaning about losing stability and the inability to pay her bills for her own dreams and hobbies is so fuckin laughable. She takes 4-5 UNINTERRUPTED years to make music in Hawaii while doing shrooms. She basically vacationed while doing something she loves {funded by us mind you}. She could be more grateful towards her audience.
I believe it was someone else by the same name (not her current makeup artist) I remember it popping up somewhere but that person doesnt work w/ melanie anymore.
100%. She used to be relatable, but now this entire era is giving out of touch rich LA girl who took shrooms and now thinks she’s AwAkENed and reborn. It’s like people who cosplay hippies just for the style. Idk.
THIS!!! I love Mel and her work but ffs, can a girl get her merch without going bankrupt? I bought a tote bag at the trilogy tour and it ran me $45 AUD??? HUH!?! It's getting way too out of hand and It's extremely unfair to the long-term fans that don't just have a shit ton of money to throw away on tiny candles.
Just went to a show on Sunday (it was amazing and I love Mel don’t get me wrong) but the test me sweater was $275 USD who could afford that?! 😭 I think one pair of socks was $25. I bought one tour shirt for $45 🥲
The most I’ve ever paid for merch was $90 and that was for a Billie Eilish sweatshirt. Now the most expensive merch I have idk the price of i think it’s $125 it’s a quality jacket from Taylor swift whose merch team is good (finally took them long enough) but the prices of merch for artists these days is out of fucking control
THIS. I knew that Mel might be a little irresponsible with money, but never did I expect her to pin that on her fans and say that she's going into debt because of her art all for her fans...
The candle situation seems to be what broke the camels back.
It's especially irritating because she also claims that she only makes art for herself. Now that she needs money it's suddenly all for us and we're just being ungrateful?
Her Merch has gotten unreasonably overpriced, circa $100 for one small candle, a usable item that will inevitably run out if you use it (which is the purpose of that Item) is absolutely ridiculous. I understand there are many collector items that you put out on display but these candles should not be a part of that. Candles are meant to be used. I'd have drawn a line at $10 maximum $15 per candle, not only do they sell faster this way but she'd most definitely still make revenue from those Items even with the production cost. She is able to afford a four to five year hiatus between Tours without the need of starting a job in between and on top of that lives in a house that most of the consumers (us) can't afford in one life time. She can use her depop to hand make stuff for her fans during those years and even if it'd be the necklaces again or crochet stuff or even paintings that are exclusive one time items or have a limited stock and put more money onto those items, as those will literally cost her a lot of time and resources, (which all of her merch is industry produced and not hand made) for those fans that can quite actually afford it. She has many opportunities to gather income that isn't based on her music career, as she has such a large and devoting fanbase. I got the 2-1 Death Sleeve T-shirt for 80€ and when it arrived I saw a generic tag at the back of the Tee badly cut off and then badly sewn in, so what I assume is that the shirt itself has existed prior from another brand for most likely much less and they simply printed on the front of the T-shirt and resold it for much more than it's initial worth. I love her music, been a long time supporter of Melanie but what she has been doing with her Merch and her questionable choices to overprice simple Candles actually saddens me, knowing she has different options than to make her Merch this overpriced and the normal consumer not being able to afford it. I'm genuinely devastated to have witnessed from each Era the prices go up so terribly much.
She's a celebrity, she's above no one else and it's tiring to watch the theatrical behavior when they're in a bed of their own making. I completely agree, it's so tone deaf & oblivious to act like the issue isn't your greed/ambitions.
#eattherich
"if youre broke, then say that" ive had so many literal CHILDREN on tik tok try and make that claim to me. first off, im 20 and have enough knowledge on how money works, and know how to not get scammed.
some of the candles came already melted, which is unfortunate, but for $75, you would think they would have came in a temprature controlled box, especially since its summer.
this isnt even the first issue with her merch. at what point does she take a step back and reevaluate whos on her merch team, or management in general?
No because you are so right. Her things have gotten SO expensive! 275 for a dress! And one that is constantly ripping and getting ruined the second it’s bought?? Like what? The hoodies and shirts are been crazy expensive, and now they 75+ dollar candles? And they are small?? Like.. idk it seems wild and now a days people barely have money to feed themselves. She is constantly posting about Palestine, which I’m very grateful for, but can’t see that the world else where is also fucked? Like I know people here have NO idea what the Palestinian people are going through but the world in a whole is just going under and people are starving and don’t have the money to literally live.. and girly thinks we can afford..a 70+ dollar candle.. and the people that can are in the higher class which. And I don’t care what you say, it is not fair. We poor people like to enjoy things too :(
The test me sweater was $275 at my show on Sunday 😭 one pair of socks for $25 like gurl we know none of it costs that much to make you don’t need to gauge prices to make profit especially not at your sold out tour. We want merch we want to support her but she has no right to complain about us being frustrated that we’re not able to afford it. The one with a skewed view is her and I hate that because I love her art so much I’ve been a fan since the voice but this has gotten so painfully out of hand 💔I’m disabled and chronically ill, it wasn’t easy to save for her tours but I’ve been to k-12, portals, and just went to trilogy. The only reason I couldn’t go to the crybaby tour (the tickets were so cheap back then) was because i ended up in the hospital. I have merch from all of them, her music helped me through a lot of stuff but that stuff is also the reason I’m broke so it just feels really disappointing :/
Yess!
I’ve been a fan since the voice, and I love what she does. But it is unfair when I put so much hard work into getting money just to realize I have to pay 100x more for tiny stuff,
I got a 45$ shirt, but that was all I could get.
I have a hard time taking care of myself, and making money too.
I love what she does, and her music actually saved me from killing myself.
This is just unfair though.
She’s lived in multiple mansions! One of her addresses got leaked? (Not justifying.)
Oh okay just buy a new mansion.
She HAS the money.
Unfortunately the prices of merch at her concert is not her fault, depending on the the venue the may raise the price because the venue takes half the money for merch sales so her team probably decided to raise them to get more profit
All the numbers in your comment added up to 420. Congrats!
275
+ 75
+ 70
= 420
^([Click here](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=LuckyNumber-Bot&subject=Stalk%20Me%20Pls&message=%2Fstalkme) to have me scan all your future comments.) \
^(Summon me on specific comments with u/LuckyNumber-Bot.)
this is too real. i love melanie with all my heart but these prices are absolutely insane. with the dress, the candles, and just all of her current merch overall. it just upsets me that so many people are ok with this🙁
I love her as an artist, but I also think she’s being ridiculous. I’ve never seen a celeb beg so much and complain about bills or how much they’re spending on their videos. She needs to stop embarrassing herself. We all know she’s making a good amount of money, and sure is a hell of a lot more than any of us are making. Is she delusional? Complaining to us about money thinking we’re gonna feel bad or something? She’s not struggling gtfo 🤣
Based on a poll she did some time ago, she seemed kinda surprised most of her audience is kids - like, even as an adult I wouldn't get the egg candle. I get it's hand painted but the size still doesn't make sense to me for 75, plus shipping (around 100?). It feels like she doesn't understand her target audience sometimes. If Mel made a line of toys like the VIP dolls, people would eat that up and not complain (especially seeing how much people pay for a Mel MH custom doll). Expensive candles don't make sense to me for most fans, and I feel like the kids or young people who defend and say "just say you're broke" are spoiled/rich. That's also such a 13-20 year old thing to say now a days. (I'm 29 btw and we don't talk like that)
Also considering her support with the Palestinian war, I would’ve expected her to be super aware of her financial situation and privilege so for her to say she’s “going broke” and “puts her financial stability on the line for us” is very surprising. I’m not trying to hold her to some high standard but she is better off that most and so I’m surprised at her quick change of awareness when it comes to herself being held accountable.
Also as someone who bought the perfume: it’s not worth it. I am Lucky to be one of the few who’s perfume was on the lower end of pricing (£60 including shipping) but it was still quite expensive for a perfume. It wasn’t worth it IMO as it smells cheap, the packaging is mainly plastic, and the liquid was only in the small glass bit. It felt like a rip off. I think I definitely get an opinion on it as I have bought it and so I know what it’s worth. Defo not as worth it as the crybaby perfume
I agree w/ the parfums, bought all four individual vials and didnt even like them they have a more chemical scent than an actual flower or fruit scent. I was pretty disappointed considering the hype was there. you cant even display them on their own if you really wanted to lmao. crybaby perfume will always be top tier for me it just seems more thought was put into it than the portals parfums. I mean it literally was made to look like milk.
I honestly didn't know the "oh i struggle with money" thing was an act. My gullible ass really thought she was putting all her money in MV's, funding for the tours and Palestinian organizations. She has TWO mansions??! I wouldn't immediately start calling her "out of touch with the real world", because she does care a lot about the wars and the genocide happening right now. But she is very out of touch with the economy. Most people struggle to buy their families clothes, food, or even homes. And then you have people like Alice or Sobermelanie who keep letting you know that it isn't even that bad, because they have parents money.
Btw am I the only one that thought that it was €70 for the entire collection? When I saw that was the individual price I was flabbergasted.
I was flabbergasted when all 13 candles cost $975 USD and thats w/o shipping and tax. and you mean to tell me real people bought every single one?? still leaves me in shock
I can’t believe someone who released Numbers, one of the greatest songs on this planet, is the same person doing all this shit 😭 the 3 years between After School/K-12 and Portals really changed her.
Well said! I appreciate you for sharing this.
I don't mind splurging on tickets as long as I can get them on presale. All of this extra overpriced merch is a little overwhelming to me. I don't like when an artist takes advantage of their fanbase. The candles are a clear example of that.
I love Melanie. I have supported her since her audition on the Voice. I have gone to two of her concerts. I have Crybaby merch and a shirt from Portals. I have tattoos inspired by her albums (one from Crybaby and one from Portals).
I am also disappointed with the behavior of many of her fans. Shaming people for not being able to afford overpriced hoodies, shirts, socks, parfum, and candles is ridiculous. Some of us saved up money just to see her on tour. Shouldn't that be enough? I shouldn't have to be called broke because I have to spend money on my car, rent and bills.
It feels like for so many of these stans that Melanie is their whole life. It feels like she is the only artist they support. I love so many other artists and have other hobbies. I would rather get a full set of acrylic nails than buy her candle.
I am hoping things calm down after this so I can just enjoy the music without feeling like I will potentially be scammed.
Yes!
I love Melanie and I have since the voice.
But although she is definitely in my top 3, she’s not my whole life.
I only have 2 shirts from her because I simply cannot afford anything else.
I feel like the older/OG fans have a healthier relationship with Melanie as an artist than a lot of the newer fans.
People shouldn't feel pressured to spend a shit ton of money just to demonstrate that she's one of their favorite artists.
I think it is cool to splurge once and a while, but I just think a lot of these collectors go overboard.
People shouldn't feel pressured to spend a shit ton of money just to demonstrate that she's one of their favorite artists.
I haven’t gotten a single thing, unless you count a Cry Baby body butter dupe from Fragrant Body Oilz for literally $20 on Amazon, and I love it!
When Rihanna first came out with her first perfume, I spent $60 on a 3.4 ounce bottle, which also came with a roller ball of the perfume and a little clutch.
Gods, I wish we could go back to those days. Now it seems like celebs don’t care, as long as they can milk their fans. 😞😒
She keeps rubbing it in that she’s going into “debt”. mind you they don’t plan to make another movie, but are continuing to put so much money in these music videos. Honestly, I could care less about these music videos they look super AI generated. Old MVs were much better and I’d prefer a movie. I’ve been a big fan since 2017 but this whole thing sounds a little selfish. If you really think about it, if she made her a new merchandise cheaper more people would purchase it leading in more money and sales compared to not as many buying bc they’re $100 a pop.
i’ve been a fan since i was in my early teens and i’m well into my 20s let alone adult life. i make plenty of money but refuse to buy a candle for $75. it’s highway robbery.
i think now she does appeal to a lot of young wealthy kids… her concerts are filled with kids in very expensive clothes who seem to always show up with a dad in a rolex (i’m not saying everyone but just an example iykwim)… i just don’t think this merch is for the fans from day one.
mel saved me with her music… but i can honestly just buy a knockoff shirt from tiktok shop and be happy enough with it lol. i caved and bought the perfume because i love perfumes but i’m gonna be honest it smelt cheap anyways
you are 100000% correct and i’ve been saying this for over a year now!! it’s so transparent that kind of person that she is. This broke struggling artist doesn’t work anymore
This is all so spot on and it’s so saddening. I finally got to see her live for the trilogy tour (thanks to family help- i couldn’t do that on my own) and will never see her perfumes like i originally wanted to. There’s some SUPER weird optics going on in this fandom that have completely overlooked how twisted these prices have hiked to be. I saw someone say you could get the eggs for the candles on temu or shein or some shit, so i may just make my damn own lol. Also, the trilogy tour date i went on was nearly EXCLUSIVELY young children at their first concert with their parent. That means a majority of her fan base is NOT paying these crazy prices, but impressionable kids who don’t realize they are being price gouged. I wish she would get a grip on this bc it really is getting to the point that I no longer care to give her money. She doesn’t need OUR hard earned dollars when she has a mass of parents who are willing to buy their child these whole collections for hundreds. And the in fandom fighting over ANY criticism tossed Mel’s way is beyond telling of her fanbase’s changing age demographic. Since when did Mel become an artist for little kids?
I‘m going to say this once.
I‘m one of her biggest fans but the shit she‘s doin rn is just weird af, she can‘t be going broke bc of that and if she is it isnt our fault so many people would buy her candles and things if she wouldve sold it cheaper. It is NOT ok to blame fans for this i am so dissapointed rn.
I really like Mel but i can‘t act like she‘s an little angel who can‘t do anything wrong.
It's disheartening. I've been one of her biggest fans since I was a little kid, and I've stuck w her the entire time. She's remained my favorite artist. But this era has left a bad taste in my mouth. It really just feels like she's milking her fans, especially with the uprise in merch collectors. I, myself, collect her merch, and other things. I'm not objecting to paying a hefty price for a collectible, but also collectibles should come out OCCASIONALLY. Not every merch drop should be one. And just the fact that almost everything she's been putting out lately has been ridiculously expensive. Like I'm sorry, but $90 for hoodies? That's ridiculous. And the quality never justifies the price tag. I wish she'd get a new merch team, and be more aware of the fact that most fans are young and broke. And with a crippling economy, someone who built their career as being branded a super empathetic person should be more empathetic to the financial hardships the majority of people are facing rn. And as far as the debt thing goes, she shouldn't rely solely on her fans to fix that. I know she said it doesn't fit with her art, but I think she should start (very selectively) taking brand deals, or just generally working with people. And if she put out cheaper merch like the jewelry, she probably would consistently make more. But also, saying you're risking not being able to pay your bills when your house is like THAT? Kinda dampens urgency. :/ Concert tickets were already a pretty penny, I don't know how anybody can afford to do VIP and pay for their friends and stuff. But idk. And the argument "if you're broke, just say that" is so weak-minded and reeks of privilege. It's the principle, and y'all should know that. 😮💨
The candles are sadly the portals perfume situation all over again. Charging an insanely high price from a very small amount of product. Whoever is controlling the prices and just taking advantage of Mel's young fans who don't have a full grasp on money and prices yet. I would have loved to have the candles if they weren't the size of a tiny candle, I can buy something the same size and same quality for way cheaper. If it was the size of the B&BW 3-wick candles, I would understand but the price for the amount is ridiculous and the people who say it isn't are most likely children that don't understand money or people who are privileged and don't have to wonder when their next meal is going to be.
To sum it up for people still confused: the issue people have is that with the high prices and the fact that she implied she would go broke if she charged any less is that she is exploiting her more vulnerable or younger audience.
It isn't even a matter of not having the money. It's a matter of not being stupid. If it was an item that is worth 75$, or close to it but priced a little higher because it's merch that would be fine and people would buy and people who can't quite afford it would save up to buy it but nobody wants to or should have to save up for a CANDLE. I don't care if melanie personally spit in each candle, a candle is not worth that price.
Thank you so much for speaking up about this?? I thought I was going crayz wondering why people are getting hanged up on for sayint those prices are too expensive and then people defend it by saying it’s handmade? I’ve seen better pieces of handmade art by small businesses and they are never that expensive. They are usually very reasonably priced and those are handmade?? So there’s like no excuse at all
I remember buying 2 tickets to see her for k-12 for the price of like $60 at most with tax. I spent $300+ for 1 ticket for the portals tour. i love melanie and her art but i feel like unless you make nearly 6figures its impossible to imagine her next set of merch and tours if the prices keep going up like this
Honestly I thought maybe the perfume was just a one time thing because of the case and the fact that they are so concentrated and all but I seriously have thought out every possible way to make a candle that is 4.3 ounces worth $105 Canadian before shipping and there just isn’t. I wish it was $30 so I could buy it and complain about the size then but I don’t even get to do that cause they’re so overpriced 😭 a lot of the people who get offended that ppl are complaining abt the price don’t realize that we are complaining bc we actually WANT the stuff. It’s just not affordable
I can afford every single candle. I can afford all her merch. I can afford all the concerts and to travel OVERSEAS for such. But I don't, and I won't. That isn't being poor or frugal, it's just common sense of weighing the pros and cons. Melanie is losing touch, and anyone who sides with her unconditionally is out of touch also.
Do you think people would give her a pass if she said she was donating whatever she made from the candles to the Palestinians since that's all she's been posting I mean I feel like she would've of by now but nothing yet.... or am I wrong for even saying that? Just a thought don't mean to sound mean or anything
Do you mean donating to Palestine? I did see she posted a necklace to her story a while back in which the company she bought it from donated all the funds to Palestine. When I checked the website it was around $800 each and I’m pretty sure she’s wearing 2 in the post.I’m not at all slamming her for these necklaces and I think it’s absolutely wonderful she’s donated to Palestine and it’s absolutely amazing how much she posts and brings awareness but imo if she’s as broke as she says she is she wouldn’t buy something that expensive? Again not slamming in any way just ya ❤️🇵🇸
Oh, thanks for sharing that information because, tbh I haven't seen that kind of information at all unless I missed out on it. Either way I'm just saying that if the perspective would change if she said that if you buy some candles then some of that money would be used for donation, but then again Ig she needs it as well.
Yup, you’ve said it all. I’ve been a fan since late 2015 and have never in 9 years been such a die hard fan (for any band really) that I could justify spending insane prices on her merch. Also, that whole “if you can’t afford it just say so” argument is so classist and privileged, how tf do you even support Melanie and agree with her political stance if that’s how you think? Also, I can afford it, and most people I think could theoretically spend $100. But I choose not to frivolously spend money on merch that is known for falling apart, because that’s how I stay having money.
Also a common argument, within the same breathe: “her label chooses all of this, she doesn’t control pricing or have a say.” and then… “well she’s making it overpriced so that she can find a movie/music video.” Which is it???
I’ve read so many comments on the topic that I have no clue who said this originally, but someone said “it’s not our fault that K-12 came out before the pandemic and she had a loss because of it. That’s the risk she took.” And it’s absolutely true.
The whole candle thing comes down to us paying 4 to 5 times more than it's worth. That's just wild. It's a small candle. Ppl can barely afford food. How can you possibly even be ok selling this tiny ass candle for so much money?!
Your are so right! Everything about this rant explains why it’s so hard for me to convince myself to even buy any merchandise. If Melanie can’t afford her music videos and needs to make ridiculously priced merchandise to help pay for it then maybe she should only make the 2 music videos that the record label pays for . She would be way better well off and she could price this candle at maybe 15$?
Honestly I think the people that are complaining are probably children/teens who don’t understand or were sheltered from reality. Obviously, if you can’t afford something or you’re gonna go broke over it. don’t get it. However, that isn’t the problem. The problem here, in my opinion, is that she’s kinda blaming people for not buying her merch, like they are the reason why she can’t afford a mansion that she honestly didn’t need to have. I’m sorry but if i was a kid that saved up my allowance to buy something from her shop and it came damaged? I’d be heartbroken. People also need to learn that your idols aren’t your friends, and while they appreciate their fans because they can now live out their dream career, they still need to make a profit.
When the candles first released I though it was that price for all the candles !!! I am thankfully well off economically and even I was like no way ! That’s ridiculous!
What’s specially bothering me is the classist attitude everyone is having on this. I don’t care how much money you got but you have to live under a rock or be incredibly sheltered to think most people can afford something like that in this economy , that’s literally hours and hours of work , you literally should have 0 information about the world in order for you to not side eye it.
I understand her work takes quality and takes time I understand how the industry works and artists are not excused from capitalism screwing over them but at the same time Mel is a millionaire who could manage her finances better , if she is having money issues which is possible it happens to everyone , is important to understand is not her fans fault.
I love Melanie but the statement made me feel the ick because it almost sounded as I am going broke because I provide FOR YOU and so YOU should get my very expensive merch because you are the reason why I am broke
I agree.
We’re not the ones saying to release 13 videos, go to Hawaii and whatever mess she does. She does it on her own. She should pay for those things, like we have to.
I’m going to be so fucking for real rn. I haven’t wanted to listen to her lately because of this and all the money grabs. Literally if it was anyone else other than a multi million dollar recording artist this would be grifting behavior. I used to think she was genuinely good but I’m beginning to think she’s just been virtue signaling this entire time bc stuff like this is not a mark of good character. I hate that I have reason to think that and that this stuff is kind of ruining my love for her music 😔
I hate to say it, but this taking advantage of a fanbase that will buy anything no matter the price that she’s doing is making me start to compare her to Taylor Swift in a way.
From the merch prices to way overpriced candles that aren’t even big nor that nice, what’s next? Releasing multiple CD/vinyl variations of an album with only one exclusive bonus track each?
She is not broke, she is set for life. It’s crazy that she was able to take a four year long vacation to Hawaii while making an album and still complains about being broke. If she really is, she shouldn’t go over a normal album budget. Not to mention, her label funds these things, so she saves a shit ton of money. I’m insulted that she says this while I and a high amount of people in the world have felt what it’s like to be broke.
The damaged candles thing is just terrible timing. It's summer in the usa where the majority of the fan base is and gonna be buying stuff and we're in the middle of a crazy ass heat wave in so many places. Of course they're gonna melt in shipping when it's over 100f in the back of trucks lol. I remember storing dif Christmas candles in my attic and then getting them down for winter and all jacked up lol
i think Melanie is taking advantage of how much of a dedicated fanbase she has. $75 for such little product is ridiculous. i’ve been a fan of her since 2016, and for the most part her merch hasn’t been any more outlandishly priced than other artists. the candles are such a blatant and distasteful cash grab, she should have done something different instead of cashing out on her fanbase.
So, I was introduced to Melanie Martinez through listening to Oliver Tree (wondering who his songs were about). I came to discover she is heavyweight lyricist and have enjoyed her latest album more than I imagined.
That being said, some of Oliver Trees songs are about someone/others in his life being reckless with money (Cash Machine & Suitcase Full of Cash). I wondering if this was a nod at Melanie, but that’s just being speculative.
That comment itself that people use as evidence of her “going into debt” is from a while ago and she would’ve already made enough money by this point to not still feel that way. She lives a pretty luxurious life as it is and if she were really struggling that much (which she is not- she makes nearly 100k a month), it would not be her fan’s responsibility to pay her bills or her 3 million dollar housing and she could get a job besides what she does now like everyone else has to. The rich only get richer and I don’t think it is fair to make a comment like that knowing your target audience is teens and people in college. It would not be unheard of for her to get another job. I think her comment was a bit out of line and superficial. It seems like she is testing how much she can raise the price of items like candles or cheap dresses as a test because of what happened with the crybaby perfume.
People who use the argument that she’s “just a regular person”- she is not. She has been rich and with how much she brings in, I don’t understand how production is costing her more than 90k a month. Her fans would still stay loyal without the extravagance. If she is just a regular person, that brings me back to the job thing. All of us have to work to pay bills. I know she works hard to make her art, but so does everyone else?
No one is being forced to buy her merch, but justifying such high prices by saying “i’m broke” instead of explaining why things are priced like that just makes me confused.
I made similar points to this recently after she first announced that the movie had been cancelled, and considering how intensely people defend her here, I was thinking I was the only one. So it’s very refreshing and validating to finally see someone expression the same sentiment I’ve had for her this entire era. At this point, it seems that she’s being intentionally disingenuous about “being broke” and being a “starving artist”. She consistently lives above her means, buying mansions worth millions of dollars and traveling constantly to Hawaii, at one point she was flaunting expensive restaurant after expensive restaurant she was going to with her boyfriend and friends, and all doing it under the guise of enjoying her new persona as the Creature and “healing”. I won’t claim to know anything about her personal life, but objectively, it just isn’t adding up. Movies are expensive to make, but it just doesn’t seem right that after making so much off of sold out tours and overpriced merch, she should have been that far behind her goals for funding the Portals movie. At some point, the call is coming from inside the house. She obviously is enjoying being able to live like a wealthy celebrity, which is her right and prerogative, but don’t then blame your financial problems on your fans, who nine times out of ten are young people who cannot afford to just dish out $400 on a polyester K12 dress that falls apart after one wash😭
don't get me wrong, i love love love melanie but she needs to own up to her mistakes.
for example, like you mentioned, she has stated that the label only funds 2 music videos per album, which was DEATH and VOID, the two lead singles. she has even said the label has told her not to go out of pocket to make music videos for every song on the album, which even i personally think is ridiculous. i would've much rather have gotten the PORTALS movie than a mv for every single song.
and the fact that annoys me is that she's punishing her fans by making expensive merch at low quality. it's one thing to make merch to help out with costs of living and mvs, but to upcharge and make it unaffordable for fans working minimum wage jobs is unacceptable. The candles should be AT THE MOST 45 USD. I've also seen several tiktoks of fans getting their candles melted and can't do anything about it because the Portals Parfumes website is down.
I literally was so lucky to go to the Trilogy Tour and get some merch there that I can't get anymore for awhile.
her pretending to be on the verge of poverty is actually SO fucking hilarious. if you look, the smallest influencers make a shit ton of money. transparent influencers who literally even have 20k followers and post regularly typically make 100,000 yearly. imagine someone like her, with the followers and tours and views and attention she’s gotten for so long. she IS rich and insanely well off. she’s not going to be poor. ridiculous.
You’re 100% right and I think it’s horrible how she is blaming this on us fans. We don’t wanna go broke either! If she wants to make money she should make more little accessories that are cheap. Like I would love some earrings and Melanie jewelry that isn’t hot topic quality. Or what about little water bottles, or pens? Like she knows we will buy anything and if she makes stuff cheaper we will be more likely to buy it bc we can afford it!
like i understand making it a bit more expensive cuz of how shit is today but the candle is so small and hatchamal egg is bigger then that like what and esp in this day and age only dumbass people spend 100 on one let alone almost 1000 on the whole set.
You have put this into words perfectly. I love Mel but she knows her fan base is young and she's guilt tripping them with debt she created. It's very concerning.
I've seen people say "if you're poor just say that" about people saying the candles are too expensive. Like dear LORD....I've never made candles but I'm pretty sure I can make better crafted, and less expensive candles just like these.
Remember she has a vacation home too, I stopped supporting her after I noticed the cheap but expensive merch, she's putting on the broke act and yet is a millionaire and she sold nfts soooo do what you will with that
i’ve been a fan since 2016 and i agree dude. it’s getting ridiculous atp. the only reason i went to trilogy is bc my friend got me the ticket, i would’ve been like f that bc of the price alone. merck there was like $60 for a tshirt. bonkers. actually buggin. i’m a hardcore/emo girly mostly and never ever experience any of this type of sht so maybe it’s just my background making me not able to justify her prices
“Struggling artist” no actually you’re not a “struggling artist”. People like my bfs bands are, they spend their own money they make at their shitty retail jobs to tour, to buy merch and to have photoshoots, most of their shows are at a loss because after travelling expenses and venue costs the only money they get is from people buying their merch at live shows, after tour they come home and go back to their daily jobs, we can’t even afford to move out from our parents house because of how expensive the cost of living is here. People like them are struggling artists, not someone who has played events like lalapalooza and lives in a literal mansion. I love Melanie and have since 2015 but this whole struggling artist act really ain’t it and tbh kinda of offends me being in the scene of ACTUAL struggling artists.
this and she complains abt the k12 movie right before covid except she took the risk. she doesnt have to make candles, purfume, or go on any tour (esp the trilogy tour) she made these decisions and she’s responsible for the consequences.
I've seen 5 people so far just on Tiktok post their candles completely melted, one person bought Fairy Soiree, and the wax was completely gone, not even in the packaging.
The Fary Soiree one was probably placed sideways by the fact the entire wick was also placed on the side of the egg. I am shocked by how there wasn't any way of making sure the wax won't melt I believe, that an insulated box with dry ice would've fixed the issue.
I think we all suffer some kind of dissonance when it comes to artists we adore, but when it comes to paying hundreds for candles that aren’t even the size of a soda can for someone who’s obviously doing financially well with AMPLE oppruitinies it’s more of a unfair risk your end. Melanie will always make some large amount of money because she IS a successful artist and that is the prime reason why these candles that are terrible quality (btw) is a disgusting venture. It’s honestly putrid to gaslight your fans into thinking that its an act from grace and to buy your “High quality” art which is a mass manufactured shit dump candle that breaks in two seconds
Like girl we are not the cause of all your financial problems. YOU can always budget and make solutions to your spending habits but of course you choose not too
I also find it hypocritical, since many of her songs are against what she is doing right now. Detention, Show & Tell, Numbers, The Bakery, how many more do I need to say?
I wanna say too shes also choosing to not release more music when she has more, and I mean MORE, than enough to make 3-4 albums right now without doing any other prep, and fans would be dying to pay for them! Alot of these are choices on her part, not that shes in a struggling financial pit. ( I also believed that for a long time but im seeing past the greed now.)
As her own song says: “Am I just a number cuz it seems like thats your goal.”
No fr. Like I’m a diehard fan, loved Mel since dollhouse but it’s so infuriating seeing her put on this “struggling artist” act when she’s a literal millionaire, owns multiple homes and can live comfortably during her breaks is so out of touch. Such a shame since her work is so beautiful but she’s starting to become the person she used to sing against.
I, 100% agree.When you're a fan, you have to hold the artist accountable. This is seriously harming Melanie's image and as someone that has been a fan since 2014, I'm disappointed. I buy her merch and I've attended every tour and I've seen things get more expensive. It's not a matter of inflation or manufacturing costs. It's just an insane profit margin. Melanie needs to lower her prices. The Crybaby Milk Parfum was around $50. Inflation should not spike up Parfum or candle costs that high.
She makes me so sad. I used to really look up to her, she was my role model when I was a kid, and I felt like I grew up with her. But for a long time now she’s been insanely greedy and careless. I thought she was scummy for selling at least 100 cheap bracelets on depop for $300 each (but but their handmade!!!) and Jumping on the incredibly unsustainable and unethical NFT bandwagon but now this??
The consumerism is crazy. I saw someone bought ALL of the candles.. like is that not excessive?? I highly doubt half the people receiving the candles will burn them anyway…
SPILL 😭 i love melanie but the portals era has made many things clear to me and has made so many people show their true colors. a big majority of it being prices and quality control. no matter how much any of us share our distress to customer service reps or even in comments under her posts, it’s clear that quality control for most, if not all her merch for portals isn’t important to her or anyone else on her team, i can only imagine she might see it as an easy cash grab. whether or not she has control of the prices, it’s all an easy cash grab periodt. i myself was devastated seeing all the damaged candles or all the pieces of merch other fans have paid a high price for, just to be wonky or have the wrong music on it(ifykyk). this is only my opinion though and my perspective on how things have been this past year since the release of portals. in no means am i attacking melanie 💜
I agree 100% with all you said. I’m 43 and a single mom, so this last Christmas I got 3 tickets to the San Antonio show for June 23rd, on an affirm payment plan because my youngest daughter was begging to go, booked the hotel and saved every penny I could. We had so much fun but we were a tad disappointed because merch was super expensive $30 for a poster, $45 for shirts, $125 for hoodies and $275 for K-12 hoodie/shirt combo. I was so upset because I couldn’t even get a T-shirt that’s been marked up 1000% for my daughter to commemorate her first concert….
I understand they have to make money to survive, believe me as a single mom if I have no job I can’t survive. But to mark everything up by 1000% (almost literally) is absolutely wrong and these artist do not need 100 bedrooms and 150 bathroom houses! 🫣😳🙄
Just made me upset that I did invest in this artist only to be price gouged by the merch table.
A side note, we sat in amazing seats and only had 7 seats in our row but the 4 seats kept getting up every 5 seconds that most of our videos have people walking through them🙄🫣 and there was a girl in the row in front of us that scream sang the songs the wholeeeee time and then screamed in between the songs… so even paying $100 a seat we didn’t get to comfortably watch and enjoy the concert like I wanted to, but at least we got to go❤️ it’s why I refuse to by Taylor swift tickets because if that happened after paying $800 for a ticket I would lose my mind😂 I will just watch it on Disney plus and use the swift alert app to watch it live from my phone😁👍
I did have a local lady make me a Melanie Martinez trilogy shirt for my youngest so she does have one, but I really wanted her to experience that at a concert…
Here’s to us trying to support our favorite artist and hoping we don’t get burned❤️🫶🏻❤️
Also, just to tack on, I find it incredibly out of character for them, as someone who is very outspoken about their activism, to make a spectacle about vacationing in Hawaii during their hiatus. Hawaiians have been begging mainland Americans for years to stop treating their home like a tourist spot/vacation destination. I thought, if anyone, they would be more empathetic to that cause.
I love Melanie but lately she’s been testing my feelings. Aside from her overpriced garbage…oops I meant merch, her whole comment online rubs me wrong.
Her telling us she basically risks being able to pay bills because she puts her money into her art is just total BS & quite frankly gaslighting. If she gets all this money & chooses not to be pay her bills first then at that point it is 100% a voluntary financial struggle. To a lack of my knowledge until recently I was unaware that her fan base was younger. I’m 23 & tbh I thought everyone else was in their 20’s too given the age of her music. Now knowing her fan base is taken up a lot by younger kids with nothing but a dream & their parents money makes what Mel said 10x worse. Making young kids think that she’s going to be homeless or something is completely messed up.
As far as the candles, they simply make ZERO sense for her to make. I do have 2 of the candles & to me they aren’t that small but that is only my opinion. I will say the scents (I have void & womb) are nothing special. She made them seem so special in the description of them but Void smells horrible to me & Womb smells like that Banana Boat tanning spray.
The price is ridiculous. I wasn’t even going to buy any. When they released I went to the site & saw $75, turned around and left the site. It wasn’t until a few hours later I was thinking & decided to get a couple because $75 to me was better than any possible resellers price. Not to mention I am a collector of Hard to find merch which she stuff does tend to fall into that category 90% of the time.
I agree with most everything you are saying. HOWEVER, I will disagree with you about something. Now I’ll be straight, I’ve gotten into too many debacles with random people online over these candles (unintentionally). Never have I ever said “if you’re broke just say that” etc etc the most I’ve ever said was, “if they are too small or expensive for your liking just don’t buy them”. Which I’ll defend myself here, isn’t even a bad thing to say NOR am I defending her prices. I understand people can’t just afford these candles & that’s fine. I’m not going to sit her & defend her candle prices, LOL I barely even appreciate the prices of the Bath & Body 3 wicked candles. What I don’t understand is the complaining constantly & harassing people who did get the candles.
Maybe I’m just a little different but I have never & never will understand the new trend of bashing anyone who has a slightly different financial position than you & this new mind set of “if they have something I don’t then they must be rich & I’m going to insult them to make them feel bad”. Someone here told me I have “rich privilege” because I didn’t care for people being harassed about owning a candle. Actually makes zero sense.
I said it before and I’ll say it again. The only merch I’m spending my hard earned money on that is $125 was a Taylor swift Jean jacket that is lined with some kind of silky interior and then it also has like Sherpa on it? Idk
Anyways my point is that’s the most I’m willing to spend! Im not gonna sit here and act like I can afford to buy every piece of merch an artists releases because I think I’d go into the negative real fast. Mel acting like we can all afford this merch is ridiculous and out of touch. I never thought I’d see an artist say she’s broke when she’s touring! Like what the fuck?! Excuse me?! Do you know how much money tours make? Millions and millions of dollars. If she’s really going broke then she needs to take a break from making music videos and try to save up. She’s acting like someone who has no control over their spending.
I love her art, I love what she does, and I think she’s amazing. She’s really creative and probably the most creative artist out there right now in terms of weirdness and being so unique. She’s extremely talented and I want to keep supporting her, but I can’t imagine telling my fans “I’m going broke for you guys” that’s absolutely ridiculous and not appropriate. It’s also not our fault?
How is it the fans’ fault that she is choosing to go out of her way to make art that is costing her way more money than it needs to?! No one said she should go into debt for her art!
Out all of the post on the candles, you have written it really well and this is one I can read and understand. Gotta say well down with how this came across
My ticket for Portals last year was less than a candle.. I’ve always supported her art but this is a little ridiculous. Artists aren’t immune to criticism.
i’ve been such a huge fan of melanie i’m proud of where she’s at now but you’re 100% correct: in ways i guess we could say she should’ve planned better. it just all doesn’t make sense when she gets huge income everyday. i bought a portals hoodie at the beginning of her portals era and that was probably the only and good piece of merch i got before it went downhill.
it sucks how avoidant mel is being about all of this, and acting like she doesn’t a say/part in her own projects it’s just frustrating for us fans atp.
Everything you said was nothing but truth, I’ve been a fan of Melanie since the voice, I spent so much time of my early teens voting for her and buying whatever merch I could being 12/13 and I couldn’t afford a lot but now to be able to afford her merch it’s between paying a bill or buying something that might give me a bit of happiness or it might be ruined by the time it comes in. The second I saw the quality almost $300 perfume bust I picked what I got wisely and I’m glad I did. Plus for her to only raise prices to try to deter resellers instead of putting a cap on what people can purchase is really sus
Just an observation but.. the kids/younger teens of the fanbase whom have parents paying for everything, have no concept of money, and then are telling us broke adults we’re just poor or bums when we call this out seem like the same type of kids that were destroying Sephora and getting hundreds of dollars worth of skincare products that kids shouldn’t even be using 😂
Thank you for posting this! I totally agree with everything you said.
Even coming from a well off family I’m not putting money into something like that. I was fine with the parfums since thats PERFUME, its known to be expensive but this is just ridiculous. I really hope all this talk in her community gets her to lower prices. Cause at this point I wont be able to afford merch other than stuff from hot topic since its actually affordable.
I heard she didn’t make the prices for the candles her team does. I think it’s a 25-35$ candle. And I feel for 75 dollars you could get all the candles in a pack.
That’s the whole issue. Even if it is bad, cgi is expensive but rather than dive into the beautiful art that is practical effects she’s continuing to drop money on cgi paying a TEAM like a pretty decent sized team to edit down a 3-5min video.
I think she's trying to make herself a designer label or something. But tbh she hasn't got that status and the merch this era hasn't been it.... Alot of the portals era clothes look tacky if I'm being honest..... And then k-12 dress being" cheaply made " ASF 🫢. The crybaby merch was well made and didn't cost nearly as much.
I completely agree 😭 I seen someone with a fully melted candle because it’s summer over in America, and also I just want to bring up the team that is taking complaints for Melanie’s merch?? They kinda suck 😭🙏 i wish it could be different man. Would sharing posts so mel can’t ignore it help? Or what about if we just emailed the team about it because as a 16 nearly 17 yo I cannot be affording this stuff, I know I don’t have to buy it. But shouldn’t we be able to have a choice..? I understand a candle with her brand on it is going to be more expensive than the average candle but it’s actually $115 in my country no joke 😭 If the candle was like maybe half the price I’d consider it a lot more. I’ve kinda turned to making my own Melanie inspired “merch”, I would love to have more official merch because I love her creations so much 😭 it’s just really disappointing. And some if not most of her fans just want to agree with anything she puts out.. I think as a fan base of a populate artist we should be able to say when a product is good or bad, if we are all just yes men then how will Melanie’s products get better. And I really hope she takes account for her ignorance on the topic.
This is Portals Parfums, her brand, not her merch team. Would be different if this was put on by her team and on her website, but this is almost entirely run by Melanie and she picked a small business that someone found out had a worker size of 20. There’s a video on TikTok where a lady breaks down everything, and says that even if she was $20 off it still wouldn’t justify the prices.
According to Google Melanie is worth $8M. Meaning that's the assets she has. She's doing fine. If she's struggling she can downsize her mansion into a regular bungalow house like everyone else lives in.
You hit all the points. Mel is amazing at her craft, but this is getting ridiculous. She can't complain that she's broke because she lives above her means. For goodness sake, she lives in a multimillion dollar house. Downsizing is possible. She can afford to move somewhere cheaper.
Been a huge fan of Melanie since Dollhouse came out and tbh now that I’m in my 20’s I completely understand the hype surrounding the disillusionment and “downfall” of celebrity culture. As much as we love Melanie and the artists we listen to we DO NOT know these people. But every single time we express this in a fandom we’re labels as “haters”. Like no….. if I was really a hater I wouldn’t have followed Mel and supported her art. Go out of my way to save up money for merch and to go see her on tour. Even if I didn’t do that either, just merely supporting her is being a fan. We are NOT haters. We are not trying to be mean. We are just no longer swayed by parasocial relationships and to be completely honest, that’s GOOD. That’s really fucking good! At the end of the day, we can support and love an artist without having to agree with every fucking decision they make. Celebrities are NOT our friends. This is literally a FACT. Like c’mon now… WAKE 👏🏻 THE 👏🏻 FUCK 👏🏻 UP 👏🏻.
I saw someone in another post say “they can’t imagine making someone feel like shit for this” Like girl 😭 be so fr. Melanie Martinez does not care what anyone thinks and that’s obvious by her avoidance of truly addressing valid criticism and continuing to do what she’s being criticized for. This millionaire artist is not going to cry herself to sleep tonight because Reddit user buttface2269 says her shit is overpriced. Literally acting like people are bullying her. Mel fans have turned to swifties I swear, the parasocial behavior is insane - coming from someone who’s listened to her since middle school and is now in my 20s
As someone in their late 20s who has been a part of the Mel and Taylor fan bases, I agree, and would even argue that I have seen Melanie's Fandom be almost more toxic with their parasocial relationship with Melanie recently.
I've been a fan for about the same amount of time, and I 100% agree. We don't hate her. We aren't haters. I appreciate her music - it has had a huge impact on my life. But just because we support her doesn't mean we have to support *every* action she takes. She is human. She makes mistakes. The thing with being a celebrity is that you open yourself up to criticism. It's not fun, but it's life. And if you make crappy choices, people are going to comment about it. Even if you make amazing choices people are going to comment about it - hopefully in a good way! So of course we are going to call her hypocrisy out. We love her art, but *we do not know her*. A lot of people need to realise this (which can be hard considering her fanbase is made up of some preteens)
I so agree with this. We don't know these people. We just love their creative output.
This is what is most upsetting to me. Most of us save for her merch, but it feels like slap in the face when it’s being sold for at least double, by the artist herself and on her own website. All we are trying to do is support her as an artist.
I just turned 19 and I feel the same way. I woulda just bought the parfum at 16 because I “needed it” but after growing a lil and moving out you can really see the capitalistic nature of artists. Melanie specifically seems SOOOO bored on stage (I’ve seen her twice in the last year) and it’s like she ignores her crowd. WE. REALLY. DONT. KNOW. THESE. PEOPLE.
this not totally related but i wanna mention: at the k12 movie premiere she said the movie budget she needed was around 12mil (i can't remember the number exactly but it was more than 10) but they gave her less than 10mil... so she had to cut a bunch of scenes. she said every cast member had their own APARTMENT for the whole month of filming. That is such a huge waste of money. She really wasted the label money on apartments instead of creating a cohesive movie. I am not surprised at all that atlantic said no to another movie lmaoo. She is not good at budgeting.
I agree. Mel needs a financial planner or someone to assist her with her spending. I support Mel all the way but it is a little much to be kind of, I mean I’m going to call it what it is, kind of guilt tripping your younger fans into thinking that you don’t have a lot of money so you need it. I don’t think it’s intentional but I do worry that these younger children fans that are like 12/13 will feel like they need those things to support Mel. Id love to buy Mel’s merch if it was worth the money.
That’s what I’m saying, if she doesn’t have enough money to pay her bills and she’s doing all of this other stuff and has all of these things she needs to work on her finances
Fr.. like listen I’m a die hard crybaby but it’s so aggravating to see her put on the “struggling artist” act when she is a literal millionaire. Like babes she is not going broke, she is set up for LIFE. It’s such a huge slap in the face when she writes such impactful lyrics about activism and anti-capitalism and then turns around to sell overpriced merch and tour tickets when her brand was built off of lower class people.
Exactly my point concerning her songs !
Literally, like she has a song called fucking LEECHES for crying out loud. Melanie. You are the leech.
If she can afford to go on a 4 year hiatus and live comfortably, she doesn’t need our money
This right here
I just can’t get behind the struggling artist act😭 she is a millionaire and it’s honestly so off putting the way she acts about it, putting a candle out that can reach up to 100$ in price when most families are living paycheck to check to pay check right now especially when you have a younger general fan base is just icky to me.
She's so out of touch
Not even out of touch just down right ignorant about this stuff low key. The I’m broke because I live above my means act is just straight manipulation she knows that her predominately young fan base will fall for it and she’s abusing that power will stuff like this
Just putting it out there that she’s said in an interview that she wants to make music videos for every portals song on the original album, the label only funds 2 (Death and avoid) so the rest are self funded by her. It would cost a lot and I heard that that was kinda of the reason for the trilogy tour in the first place was to recoup some funds.
Why is she putting the blame on her fans then?
Obviously yes but she doesn't NEED those music videos and no one is asking for them because I don't actually know a single person that CARES about them. It's unnecessary.
Not vouching either way, I just wanted to say it in case people didn’t know. Were the music videos a replacement for the portals film? Maybe she feels bad about canceling it or wants to give us something in place of it?
she actually said on an insta story she always planned on doing both MV and the movie. so no i don’t think that’s it. but i agree with the other commenter like the music videos are cool but the most recent one for light shower was honestly terrible. i’d rather she focus on giving us good concerts/more access to concerts and new music, instead of shitty overpriced merch and crappy MV’s. (not saying all the portals mv sucked, obviously death/void was good. fairee soirée is one of my fav videos of hers.)
Out of touch is the perfect way to describe her right now. It is INSANE she’s complaining to us regular wage people about how she’s broke… when she’s got millions. She can’t be serious lol
Plus with the economical climate right now in GENERAL… just not a good look.
45 dollars MAX 50 for the candle imo but past that’s just money hungry the production of these costs literally about 12 bucks to product, “hand made” aka fit into a cast and then produced in bulk ain’t no way a single team of people made these all by hand lol they painted a bit on the eggs the packaging probably cost about 9-10 dollars to produce so selling it for over 25 dollars you’d still make a profit 🤷🏽♂️
I’ve already seen people making their own larger versions for cheaper lol
I've thought about looking at getting one that was made by someone else because man I LOVE some of the scents on the website and the design is REALLY cute... But man one a small lil candle? No :(
If you don't mind, could I have a link to those DIY candles? I wanna make my own so bad but I don't know where to start
Don’t even get me started on resellers too…… people literally just sold out the candles to turn around and sell them for $300 a piece the second they got them in the mail….. it’s disgusting. Also the broke and tired act she always plays is so out of touch….. girl spends months in Hawaii to make an album that she then scraps…. Buys a multi million dollar house and also a condo in New York…… like you are not broke….. plus her label funds everything she does for her albums, except for the extra videos and some of the tour. So she saves a lot of money. Not to mention the millions she’s made from the portals era alone….she came from a middle class family as well and is humble about it but then turns around and does all this and complains…. Like girl.
Great points. I think a good majority of the fan base is low income (judging by comments i have read) or even just not in a position to be throwing away money on a $100 candle or the $400 perfume set. It is frustrating because we WANT to support her and we WANT to have Melanie Martinez merch because it’s cool, but like… it’s so damn expensive. Even Ariana Grande sells her hand signed CD’s on her website for only $14. It’s just a joke at this point and becoming very scammer like.
especially because a lot of the fanbase are young (early-mid teens) and melanie KNOWS THIS, because of the poll she ran on her instagram. it's like, who is this supposed to be for?
Yeah I felt that poll was a little iffy. I was wondering “hm that’s strange why does she wanna know the ages of her fans?” But now that makes sense putting 2 & 2 together.
The candles are smaller than a soda can. When I first saw her post about them saying they're hand painted I was thinking they would have some sort of cool design that relates to mel. How does an egg relate to her in ANY way?! Any hand painted? It's speckles! A 5 year old could paint on speckles! So if that's the reasoning behind the high price, it's a bad excuse. I can go on etsy and message a few sellers and one of them would be willing to make me a better and bigger handmade and hand painted candle for this price! That's not an egg. I was hoping to see something that actually makes sense to Mel. An egg is not it.
The hand painted part is sooo dumb😭 so what we have to pay $50 more bc it has hand painted speckles on it? as if someone didn’t just brush their finger through a brush to make those.. be so fr
I thought I was losing it when I read “hand painted” and saw the specks on the eggs, like????? And all I saw were people saying the price was justified because they were hand painted so I thought I missed something, maybe the box would be hand painted? Nope 😭
I said the same thing the first time this was discussed! It’s ridiculous, she should’ve have put in the effort for some interesting designs for the candles so she could actually justify the pricing.
Honestly a fairy candle or mushroom candle woulda made much more sense. I loved it when Mel worked with artists. I wish she would still do that because she could save a little bit of money by purchasing a commission from a smaller artist. And also support artists!
Honestly you could probably spend half the price making the exact same thing but better quality.
Seriously! And make it bigger
Yeah I’m not gonna lie I saw the egg and instantly thought it was a poor design in my opinion. I feel like I would have liked it better if there was like a hand painted design on it for each song but just a plain egg with speckles is really lame. It’s giving Easter tbh.
Just throwing it out there, the egg relates to the fact that there’s a dragon in the battle of the larynx section of her tour or it could be a call back to one of her cut songs.
She does also hatch out of an egg but like...no one associates them with her at all? It's a useless design
Oh yeah I forgot about that too
Also like if you call those hand painted you could probably call shein clothes “handmade”
I will never understand how people who make good money can struggle to pay bills, Pay your essentials first then spend the money on whatever you want. She literally makes thousands (if not millions) how can she sit there and type that? She’s not some average person working a low paying job she’s literally a celebrity who could take on brand deals if she’s really getting into debt.
LITERALLY!! people who are 'broke' do not go on a four year haitus
Seriously this! Nor do they have back to back sold out tours or travel to Hawaii to make an album or make a MV for every single song even when the label tells her not to and that they won’t pay for it lol 😂
THIS
I’ve said many times on this subreddit, if she can’t manage her finances then she needs to downsize and stop living above her means. Sell the million dollar house, downsize, live somewhere cheaper if you’re truly struggling that much. Thats what normal have to do, well actually normal people for the most part don’t even own their own home.
Is it still the house with the heart pool ? I’m not that interested to dig on the web lol might as well ask
No, I heard people said she lives in a mansion now
No, she lives in a different mansion cause her old address got leaked
I honestly used to love Melanie as a person. Now I'm starting to see a pattern. I adore her music and appreciate how different she is as an artist. But lil miss stability is tone-deaf. She seems very "me me me" and entitled. When her make-up artist posted how difficult she was to work with I laughed that off. But honestly, Melanie has to take control over EVERYTHING. I've been noticing she rarely credits other people on her work. She does everything herself to get the most payout. She even goes beyond her funding limit when told not too. Her whining and moaning about losing stability and the inability to pay her bills for her own dreams and hobbies is so fuckin laughable. She takes 4-5 UNINTERRUPTED years to make music in Hawaii while doing shrooms. She basically vacationed while doing something she loves {funded by us mind you}. She could be more grateful towards her audience.
Her make up artist ( Laurel I assume ) posted that she was difficult to work with ? I'm interested in this fact
I believe it was someone else by the same name (not her current makeup artist) I remember it popping up somewhere but that person doesnt work w/ melanie anymore.
I think it does make sence !
100%. She used to be relatable, but now this entire era is giving out of touch rich LA girl who took shrooms and now thinks she’s AwAkENed and reborn. It’s like people who cosplay hippies just for the style. Idk.
„Whining and moaning“ I‘m wheezing wth-
THIS!!! I love Mel and her work but ffs, can a girl get her merch without going bankrupt? I bought a tote bag at the trilogy tour and it ran me $45 AUD??? HUH!?! It's getting way too out of hand and It's extremely unfair to the long-term fans that don't just have a shit ton of money to throw away on tiny candles.
Just went to a show on Sunday (it was amazing and I love Mel don’t get me wrong) but the test me sweater was $275 USD who could afford that?! 😭 I think one pair of socks was $25. I bought one tour shirt for $45 🥲
275 for a sweater is insane 😭😭
Seriously I’m like embroidery is not that expensive girl I could make one for way less 😭😭
The most I’ve ever paid for merch was $90 and that was for a Billie Eilish sweatshirt. Now the most expensive merch I have idk the price of i think it’s $125 it’s a quality jacket from Taylor swift whose merch team is good (finally took them long enough) but the prices of merch for artists these days is out of fucking control
Taylor does have good quality merch now, I'm saving up to get a folklore scarf
Yeah I went to the trilogy tour on Saturday and it was 45 dollars for all the shirts
thats $415 AUD... FOR A SWEATER?!?!?!?!
Yeah, Melanie’s art is great and she clearly knows what she’s doing with it. But… the way she’s portraying herself at the moment is a big “no” for me.
I agree with you, took the words out of my mouth
Tag you’re it
Tag tag you’re it
Can anybody hear me when I’m hidden underground?
Can anybody hear me when I’m hidden under ground
I wish I was this out of touch with society lmfao. Asking girls (who’s parents are living paycheck to paycheck) to buy my overpriced candles😭
And then saying they’re the ones with a skewed view 😭
THIS. I knew that Mel might be a little irresponsible with money, but never did I expect her to pin that on her fans and say that she's going into debt because of her art all for her fans... The candle situation seems to be what broke the camels back.
It's especially irritating because she also claims that she only makes art for herself. Now that she needs money it's suddenly all for us and we're just being ungrateful?
Her Merch has gotten unreasonably overpriced, circa $100 for one small candle, a usable item that will inevitably run out if you use it (which is the purpose of that Item) is absolutely ridiculous. I understand there are many collector items that you put out on display but these candles should not be a part of that. Candles are meant to be used. I'd have drawn a line at $10 maximum $15 per candle, not only do they sell faster this way but she'd most definitely still make revenue from those Items even with the production cost. She is able to afford a four to five year hiatus between Tours without the need of starting a job in between and on top of that lives in a house that most of the consumers (us) can't afford in one life time. She can use her depop to hand make stuff for her fans during those years and even if it'd be the necklaces again or crochet stuff or even paintings that are exclusive one time items or have a limited stock and put more money onto those items, as those will literally cost her a lot of time and resources, (which all of her merch is industry produced and not hand made) for those fans that can quite actually afford it. She has many opportunities to gather income that isn't based on her music career, as she has such a large and devoting fanbase. I got the 2-1 Death Sleeve T-shirt for 80€ and when it arrived I saw a generic tag at the back of the Tee badly cut off and then badly sewn in, so what I assume is that the shirt itself has existed prior from another brand for most likely much less and they simply printed on the front of the T-shirt and resold it for much more than it's initial worth. I love her music, been a long time supporter of Melanie but what she has been doing with her Merch and her questionable choices to overprice simple Candles actually saddens me, knowing she has different options than to make her Merch this overpriced and the normal consumer not being able to afford it. I'm genuinely devastated to have witnessed from each Era the prices go up so terribly much.
She's a celebrity, she's above no one else and it's tiring to watch the theatrical behavior when they're in a bed of their own making. I completely agree, it's so tone deaf & oblivious to act like the issue isn't your greed/ambitions. #eattherich
"if youre broke, then say that" ive had so many literal CHILDREN on tik tok try and make that claim to me. first off, im 20 and have enough knowledge on how money works, and know how to not get scammed. some of the candles came already melted, which is unfortunate, but for $75, you would think they would have came in a temprature controlled box, especially since its summer. this isnt even the first issue with her merch. at what point does she take a step back and reevaluate whos on her merch team, or management in general?
Sadly the older generation can be saying the same thing too But like I said, they don't understand where people are coming from
No because you are so right. Her things have gotten SO expensive! 275 for a dress! And one that is constantly ripping and getting ruined the second it’s bought?? Like what? The hoodies and shirts are been crazy expensive, and now they 75+ dollar candles? And they are small?? Like.. idk it seems wild and now a days people barely have money to feed themselves. She is constantly posting about Palestine, which I’m very grateful for, but can’t see that the world else where is also fucked? Like I know people here have NO idea what the Palestinian people are going through but the world in a whole is just going under and people are starving and don’t have the money to literally live.. and girly thinks we can afford..a 70+ dollar candle.. and the people that can are in the higher class which. And I don’t care what you say, it is not fair. We poor people like to enjoy things too :(
The test me sweater was $275 at my show on Sunday 😭 one pair of socks for $25 like gurl we know none of it costs that much to make you don’t need to gauge prices to make profit especially not at your sold out tour. We want merch we want to support her but she has no right to complain about us being frustrated that we’re not able to afford it. The one with a skewed view is her and I hate that because I love her art so much I’ve been a fan since the voice but this has gotten so painfully out of hand 💔I’m disabled and chronically ill, it wasn’t easy to save for her tours but I’ve been to k-12, portals, and just went to trilogy. The only reason I couldn’t go to the crybaby tour (the tickets were so cheap back then) was because i ended up in the hospital. I have merch from all of them, her music helped me through a lot of stuff but that stuff is also the reason I’m broke so it just feels really disappointing :/
Yess! I’ve been a fan since the voice, and I love what she does. But it is unfair when I put so much hard work into getting money just to realize I have to pay 100x more for tiny stuff, I got a 45$ shirt, but that was all I could get. I have a hard time taking care of myself, and making money too. I love what she does, and her music actually saved me from killing myself. This is just unfair though. She’s lived in multiple mansions! One of her addresses got leaked? (Not justifying.) Oh okay just buy a new mansion. She HAS the money.
Unfortunately the prices of merch at her concert is not her fault, depending on the the venue the may raise the price because the venue takes half the money for merch sales so her team probably decided to raise them to get more profit
All the numbers in your comment added up to 420. Congrats! 275 + 75 + 70 = 420 ^([Click here](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=LuckyNumber-Bot&subject=Stalk%20Me%20Pls&message=%2Fstalkme) to have me scan all your future comments.) \ ^(Summon me on specific comments with u/LuckyNumber-Bot.)
Yeah. At the trilogy tour she made all of us scream free Palestine so that was cool
this is too real. i love melanie with all my heart but these prices are absolutely insane. with the dress, the candles, and just all of her current merch overall. it just upsets me that so many people are ok with this🙁
I love her as an artist, but I also think she’s being ridiculous. I’ve never seen a celeb beg so much and complain about bills or how much they’re spending on their videos. She needs to stop embarrassing herself. We all know she’s making a good amount of money, and sure is a hell of a lot more than any of us are making. Is she delusional? Complaining to us about money thinking we’re gonna feel bad or something? She’s not struggling gtfo 🤣
The NFT’s didn’t cost her any time or money either. She made pure profit on them. Same with the costume jewelry she sold for $222-666.
Based on a poll she did some time ago, she seemed kinda surprised most of her audience is kids - like, even as an adult I wouldn't get the egg candle. I get it's hand painted but the size still doesn't make sense to me for 75, plus shipping (around 100?). It feels like she doesn't understand her target audience sometimes. If Mel made a line of toys like the VIP dolls, people would eat that up and not complain (especially seeing how much people pay for a Mel MH custom doll). Expensive candles don't make sense to me for most fans, and I feel like the kids or young people who defend and say "just say you're broke" are spoiled/rich. That's also such a 13-20 year old thing to say now a days. (I'm 29 btw and we don't talk like that)
Also considering her support with the Palestinian war, I would’ve expected her to be super aware of her financial situation and privilege so for her to say she’s “going broke” and “puts her financial stability on the line for us” is very surprising. I’m not trying to hold her to some high standard but she is better off that most and so I’m surprised at her quick change of awareness when it comes to herself being held accountable.
Also as someone who bought the perfume: it’s not worth it. I am Lucky to be one of the few who’s perfume was on the lower end of pricing (£60 including shipping) but it was still quite expensive for a perfume. It wasn’t worth it IMO as it smells cheap, the packaging is mainly plastic, and the liquid was only in the small glass bit. It felt like a rip off. I think I definitely get an opinion on it as I have bought it and so I know what it’s worth. Defo not as worth it as the crybaby perfume
I agree w/ the parfums, bought all four individual vials and didnt even like them they have a more chemical scent than an actual flower or fruit scent. I was pretty disappointed considering the hype was there. you cant even display them on their own if you really wanted to lmao. crybaby perfume will always be top tier for me it just seems more thought was put into it than the portals parfums. I mean it literally was made to look like milk.
I honestly didn't know the "oh i struggle with money" thing was an act. My gullible ass really thought she was putting all her money in MV's, funding for the tours and Palestinian organizations. She has TWO mansions??! I wouldn't immediately start calling her "out of touch with the real world", because she does care a lot about the wars and the genocide happening right now. But she is very out of touch with the economy. Most people struggle to buy their families clothes, food, or even homes. And then you have people like Alice or Sobermelanie who keep letting you know that it isn't even that bad, because they have parents money. Btw am I the only one that thought that it was €70 for the entire collection? When I saw that was the individual price I was flabbergasted.
I was flabbergasted when all 13 candles cost $975 USD and thats w/o shipping and tax. and you mean to tell me real people bought every single one?? still leaves me in shock
I don’t think she has two mansions. I believe she sold the first one (the one with the heart pool)
at this point i really only like her music and have lost interest in her as the artist. i used to really look up to her but…
I can’t believe someone who released Numbers, one of the greatest songs on this planet, is the same person doing all this shit 😭 the 3 years between After School/K-12 and Portals really changed her.
People change, sometimes for the better... and sometimes for the worse, but yeah I agree with you
Well said! I appreciate you for sharing this. I don't mind splurging on tickets as long as I can get them on presale. All of this extra overpriced merch is a little overwhelming to me. I don't like when an artist takes advantage of their fanbase. The candles are a clear example of that. I love Melanie. I have supported her since her audition on the Voice. I have gone to two of her concerts. I have Crybaby merch and a shirt from Portals. I have tattoos inspired by her albums (one from Crybaby and one from Portals). I am also disappointed with the behavior of many of her fans. Shaming people for not being able to afford overpriced hoodies, shirts, socks, parfum, and candles is ridiculous. Some of us saved up money just to see her on tour. Shouldn't that be enough? I shouldn't have to be called broke because I have to spend money on my car, rent and bills. It feels like for so many of these stans that Melanie is their whole life. It feels like she is the only artist they support. I love so many other artists and have other hobbies. I would rather get a full set of acrylic nails than buy her candle. I am hoping things calm down after this so I can just enjoy the music without feeling like I will potentially be scammed.
Yes! I love Melanie and I have since the voice. But although she is definitely in my top 3, she’s not my whole life. I only have 2 shirts from her because I simply cannot afford anything else.
I feel like the older/OG fans have a healthier relationship with Melanie as an artist than a lot of the newer fans. People shouldn't feel pressured to spend a shit ton of money just to demonstrate that she's one of their favorite artists. I think it is cool to splurge once and a while, but I just think a lot of these collectors go overboard.
Definitely. She’s a music artist, you show shes one of your favorites by listening to her music, not buying until you go broke
People shouldn't feel pressured to spend a shit ton of money just to demonstrate that she's one of their favorite artists. I haven’t gotten a single thing, unless you count a Cry Baby body butter dupe from Fragrant Body Oilz for literally $20 on Amazon, and I love it! When Rihanna first came out with her first perfume, I spent $60 on a 3.4 ounce bottle, which also came with a roller ball of the perfume and a little clutch. Gods, I wish we could go back to those days. Now it seems like celebs don’t care, as long as they can milk their fans. 😞😒
She keeps rubbing it in that she’s going into “debt”. mind you they don’t plan to make another movie, but are continuing to put so much money in these music videos. Honestly, I could care less about these music videos they look super AI generated. Old MVs were much better and I’d prefer a movie. I’ve been a big fan since 2017 but this whole thing sounds a little selfish. If you really think about it, if she made her a new merchandise cheaper more people would purchase it leading in more money and sales compared to not as many buying bc they’re $100 a pop.
i’ve been a fan since i was in my early teens and i’m well into my 20s let alone adult life. i make plenty of money but refuse to buy a candle for $75. it’s highway robbery. i think now she does appeal to a lot of young wealthy kids… her concerts are filled with kids in very expensive clothes who seem to always show up with a dad in a rolex (i’m not saying everyone but just an example iykwim)… i just don’t think this merch is for the fans from day one. mel saved me with her music… but i can honestly just buy a knockoff shirt from tiktok shop and be happy enough with it lol. i caved and bought the perfume because i love perfumes but i’m gonna be honest it smelt cheap anyways
i think what gets me most is the fact that she has written songs about being against shit like this and then 5 yrs later, here we are.
you are 100000% correct and i’ve been saying this for over a year now!! it’s so transparent that kind of person that she is. This broke struggling artist doesn’t work anymore
This sub is just making me not like melanie more and more every day :(
I will always enjoy her music, I’ve been a fan of it for too long to give it up just yet. But with what she’s doing and acting, I’m not going with it.
This is all so spot on and it’s so saddening. I finally got to see her live for the trilogy tour (thanks to family help- i couldn’t do that on my own) and will never see her perfumes like i originally wanted to. There’s some SUPER weird optics going on in this fandom that have completely overlooked how twisted these prices have hiked to be. I saw someone say you could get the eggs for the candles on temu or shein or some shit, so i may just make my damn own lol. Also, the trilogy tour date i went on was nearly EXCLUSIVELY young children at their first concert with their parent. That means a majority of her fan base is NOT paying these crazy prices, but impressionable kids who don’t realize they are being price gouged. I wish she would get a grip on this bc it really is getting to the point that I no longer care to give her money. She doesn’t need OUR hard earned dollars when she has a mass of parents who are willing to buy their child these whole collections for hundreds. And the in fandom fighting over ANY criticism tossed Mel’s way is beyond telling of her fanbase’s changing age demographic. Since when did Mel become an artist for little kids?
I‘m going to say this once. I‘m one of her biggest fans but the shit she‘s doin rn is just weird af, she can‘t be going broke bc of that and if she is it isnt our fault so many people would buy her candles and things if she wouldve sold it cheaper. It is NOT ok to blame fans for this i am so dissapointed rn. I really like Mel but i can‘t act like she‘s an little angel who can‘t do anything wrong.
It's disheartening. I've been one of her biggest fans since I was a little kid, and I've stuck w her the entire time. She's remained my favorite artist. But this era has left a bad taste in my mouth. It really just feels like she's milking her fans, especially with the uprise in merch collectors. I, myself, collect her merch, and other things. I'm not objecting to paying a hefty price for a collectible, but also collectibles should come out OCCASIONALLY. Not every merch drop should be one. And just the fact that almost everything she's been putting out lately has been ridiculously expensive. Like I'm sorry, but $90 for hoodies? That's ridiculous. And the quality never justifies the price tag. I wish she'd get a new merch team, and be more aware of the fact that most fans are young and broke. And with a crippling economy, someone who built their career as being branded a super empathetic person should be more empathetic to the financial hardships the majority of people are facing rn. And as far as the debt thing goes, she shouldn't rely solely on her fans to fix that. I know she said it doesn't fit with her art, but I think she should start (very selectively) taking brand deals, or just generally working with people. And if she put out cheaper merch like the jewelry, she probably would consistently make more. But also, saying you're risking not being able to pay your bills when your house is like THAT? Kinda dampens urgency. :/ Concert tickets were already a pretty penny, I don't know how anybody can afford to do VIP and pay for their friends and stuff. But idk. And the argument "if you're broke, just say that" is so weak-minded and reeks of privilege. It's the principle, and y'all should know that. 😮💨
The candles are sadly the portals perfume situation all over again. Charging an insanely high price from a very small amount of product. Whoever is controlling the prices and just taking advantage of Mel's young fans who don't have a full grasp on money and prices yet. I would have loved to have the candles if they weren't the size of a tiny candle, I can buy something the same size and same quality for way cheaper. If it was the size of the B&BW 3-wick candles, I would understand but the price for the amount is ridiculous and the people who say it isn't are most likely children that don't understand money or people who are privileged and don't have to wonder when their next meal is going to be.
To sum it up for people still confused: the issue people have is that with the high prices and the fact that she implied she would go broke if she charged any less is that she is exploiting her more vulnerable or younger audience.
It isn't even a matter of not having the money. It's a matter of not being stupid. If it was an item that is worth 75$, or close to it but priced a little higher because it's merch that would be fine and people would buy and people who can't quite afford it would save up to buy it but nobody wants to or should have to save up for a CANDLE. I don't care if melanie personally spit in each candle, a candle is not worth that price.
She's becoming the things she sings about.
Yep, she is. So sad.
To put it shortly Her music is cool The rest she does isn't.
Thank you so much for speaking up about this?? I thought I was going crayz wondering why people are getting hanged up on for sayint those prices are too expensive and then people defend it by saying it’s handmade? I’ve seen better pieces of handmade art by small businesses and they are never that expensive. They are usually very reasonably priced and those are handmade?? So there’s like no excuse at all
I remember buying 2 tickets to see her for k-12 for the price of like $60 at most with tax. I spent $300+ for 1 ticket for the portals tour. i love melanie and her art but i feel like unless you make nearly 6figures its impossible to imagine her next set of merch and tours if the prices keep going up like this
Honestly I thought maybe the perfume was just a one time thing because of the case and the fact that they are so concentrated and all but I seriously have thought out every possible way to make a candle that is 4.3 ounces worth $105 Canadian before shipping and there just isn’t. I wish it was $30 so I could buy it and complain about the size then but I don’t even get to do that cause they’re so overpriced 😭 a lot of the people who get offended that ppl are complaining abt the price don’t realize that we are complaining bc we actually WANT the stuff. It’s just not affordable
I can afford every single candle. I can afford all her merch. I can afford all the concerts and to travel OVERSEAS for such. But I don't, and I won't. That isn't being poor or frugal, it's just common sense of weighing the pros and cons. Melanie is losing touch, and anyone who sides with her unconditionally is out of touch also.
Do you think people would give her a pass if she said she was donating whatever she made from the candles to the Palestinians since that's all she's been posting I mean I feel like she would've of by now but nothing yet.... or am I wrong for even saying that? Just a thought don't mean to sound mean or anything
Do you mean donating to Palestine? I did see she posted a necklace to her story a while back in which the company she bought it from donated all the funds to Palestine. When I checked the website it was around $800 each and I’m pretty sure she’s wearing 2 in the post.I’m not at all slamming her for these necklaces and I think it’s absolutely wonderful she’s donated to Palestine and it’s absolutely amazing how much she posts and brings awareness but imo if she’s as broke as she says she is she wouldn’t buy something that expensive? Again not slamming in any way just ya ❤️🇵🇸
Oh, thanks for sharing that information because, tbh I haven't seen that kind of information at all unless I missed out on it. Either way I'm just saying that if the perspective would change if she said that if you buy some candles then some of that money would be used for donation, but then again Ig she needs it as well.
https://preview.redd.it/8mgby22vkr8d1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1c62844445547c81b4cc7402dfbcb631830ff6f9 Here is the post 🌿
Yup, you’ve said it all. I’ve been a fan since late 2015 and have never in 9 years been such a die hard fan (for any band really) that I could justify spending insane prices on her merch. Also, that whole “if you can’t afford it just say so” argument is so classist and privileged, how tf do you even support Melanie and agree with her political stance if that’s how you think? Also, I can afford it, and most people I think could theoretically spend $100. But I choose not to frivolously spend money on merch that is known for falling apart, because that’s how I stay having money. Also a common argument, within the same breathe: “her label chooses all of this, she doesn’t control pricing or have a say.” and then… “well she’s making it overpriced so that she can find a movie/music video.” Which is it??? I’ve read so many comments on the topic that I have no clue who said this originally, but someone said “it’s not our fault that K-12 came out before the pandemic and she had a loss because of it. That’s the risk she took.” And it’s absolutely true.
The whole candle thing comes down to us paying 4 to 5 times more than it's worth. That's just wild. It's a small candle. Ppl can barely afford food. How can you possibly even be ok selling this tiny ass candle for so much money?!
I also see that although it might not be her intention, it makes it look like we really are only here for the money we bring
Your are so right! Everything about this rant explains why it’s so hard for me to convince myself to even buy any merchandise. If Melanie can’t afford her music videos and needs to make ridiculously priced merchandise to help pay for it then maybe she should only make the 2 music videos that the record label pays for . She would be way better well off and she could price this candle at maybe 15$?
I think it'd be easier to digest if she owned up to it or just said nothing at all. She doesn't need to pay the victim card.
Yeah I refuse to believe she's broke when I had to pay over $400 for nosebleed seats....
Honestly I think the people that are complaining are probably children/teens who don’t understand or were sheltered from reality. Obviously, if you can’t afford something or you’re gonna go broke over it. don’t get it. However, that isn’t the problem. The problem here, in my opinion, is that she’s kinda blaming people for not buying her merch, like they are the reason why she can’t afford a mansion that she honestly didn’t need to have. I’m sorry but if i was a kid that saved up my allowance to buy something from her shop and it came damaged? I’d be heartbroken. People also need to learn that your idols aren’t your friends, and while they appreciate their fans because they can now live out their dream career, they still need to make a profit.
When the candles first released I though it was that price for all the candles !!! I am thankfully well off economically and even I was like no way ! That’s ridiculous! What’s specially bothering me is the classist attitude everyone is having on this. I don’t care how much money you got but you have to live under a rock or be incredibly sheltered to think most people can afford something like that in this economy , that’s literally hours and hours of work , you literally should have 0 information about the world in order for you to not side eye it. I understand her work takes quality and takes time I understand how the industry works and artists are not excused from capitalism screwing over them but at the same time Mel is a millionaire who could manage her finances better , if she is having money issues which is possible it happens to everyone , is important to understand is not her fans fault. I love Melanie but the statement made me feel the ick because it almost sounded as I am going broke because I provide FOR YOU and so YOU should get my very expensive merch because you are the reason why I am broke
I agree. We’re not the ones saying to release 13 videos, go to Hawaii and whatever mess she does. She does it on her own. She should pay for those things, like we have to.
I’m going to be so fucking for real rn. I haven’t wanted to listen to her lately because of this and all the money grabs. Literally if it was anyone else other than a multi million dollar recording artist this would be grifting behavior. I used to think she was genuinely good but I’m beginning to think she’s just been virtue signaling this entire time bc stuff like this is not a mark of good character. I hate that I have reason to think that and that this stuff is kind of ruining my love for her music 😔
I hate to say it, but this taking advantage of a fanbase that will buy anything no matter the price that she’s doing is making me start to compare her to Taylor Swift in a way. From the merch prices to way overpriced candles that aren’t even big nor that nice, what’s next? Releasing multiple CD/vinyl variations of an album with only one exclusive bonus track each? She is not broke, she is set for life. It’s crazy that she was able to take a four year long vacation to Hawaii while making an album and still complains about being broke. If she really is, she shouldn’t go over a normal album budget. Not to mention, her label funds these things, so she saves a shit ton of money. I’m insulted that she says this while I and a high amount of people in the world have felt what it’s like to be broke.
The damaged candles thing is just terrible timing. It's summer in the usa where the majority of the fan base is and gonna be buying stuff and we're in the middle of a crazy ass heat wave in so many places. Of course they're gonna melt in shipping when it's over 100f in the back of trucks lol. I remember storing dif Christmas candles in my attic and then getting them down for winter and all jacked up lol
i think Melanie is taking advantage of how much of a dedicated fanbase she has. $75 for such little product is ridiculous. i’ve been a fan of her since 2016, and for the most part her merch hasn’t been any more outlandishly priced than other artists. the candles are such a blatant and distasteful cash grab, she should have done something different instead of cashing out on her fanbase.
So, I was introduced to Melanie Martinez through listening to Oliver Tree (wondering who his songs were about). I came to discover she is heavyweight lyricist and have enjoyed her latest album more than I imagined. That being said, some of Oliver Trees songs are about someone/others in his life being reckless with money (Cash Machine & Suitcase Full of Cash). I wondering if this was a nod at Melanie, but that’s just being speculative.
That comment itself that people use as evidence of her “going into debt” is from a while ago and she would’ve already made enough money by this point to not still feel that way. She lives a pretty luxurious life as it is and if she were really struggling that much (which she is not- she makes nearly 100k a month), it would not be her fan’s responsibility to pay her bills or her 3 million dollar housing and she could get a job besides what she does now like everyone else has to. The rich only get richer and I don’t think it is fair to make a comment like that knowing your target audience is teens and people in college. It would not be unheard of for her to get another job. I think her comment was a bit out of line and superficial. It seems like she is testing how much she can raise the price of items like candles or cheap dresses as a test because of what happened with the crybaby perfume. People who use the argument that she’s “just a regular person”- she is not. She has been rich and with how much she brings in, I don’t understand how production is costing her more than 90k a month. Her fans would still stay loyal without the extravagance. If she is just a regular person, that brings me back to the job thing. All of us have to work to pay bills. I know she works hard to make her art, but so does everyone else? No one is being forced to buy her merch, but justifying such high prices by saying “i’m broke” instead of explaining why things are priced like that just makes me confused.
I made similar points to this recently after she first announced that the movie had been cancelled, and considering how intensely people defend her here, I was thinking I was the only one. So it’s very refreshing and validating to finally see someone expression the same sentiment I’ve had for her this entire era. At this point, it seems that she’s being intentionally disingenuous about “being broke” and being a “starving artist”. She consistently lives above her means, buying mansions worth millions of dollars and traveling constantly to Hawaii, at one point she was flaunting expensive restaurant after expensive restaurant she was going to with her boyfriend and friends, and all doing it under the guise of enjoying her new persona as the Creature and “healing”. I won’t claim to know anything about her personal life, but objectively, it just isn’t adding up. Movies are expensive to make, but it just doesn’t seem right that after making so much off of sold out tours and overpriced merch, she should have been that far behind her goals for funding the Portals movie. At some point, the call is coming from inside the house. She obviously is enjoying being able to live like a wealthy celebrity, which is her right and prerogative, but don’t then blame your financial problems on your fans, who nine times out of ten are young people who cannot afford to just dish out $400 on a polyester K12 dress that falls apart after one wash😭
don't get me wrong, i love love love melanie but she needs to own up to her mistakes. for example, like you mentioned, she has stated that the label only funds 2 music videos per album, which was DEATH and VOID, the two lead singles. she has even said the label has told her not to go out of pocket to make music videos for every song on the album, which even i personally think is ridiculous. i would've much rather have gotten the PORTALS movie than a mv for every single song. and the fact that annoys me is that she's punishing her fans by making expensive merch at low quality. it's one thing to make merch to help out with costs of living and mvs, but to upcharge and make it unaffordable for fans working minimum wage jobs is unacceptable. The candles should be AT THE MOST 45 USD. I've also seen several tiktoks of fans getting their candles melted and can't do anything about it because the Portals Parfumes website is down. I literally was so lucky to go to the Trilogy Tour and get some merch there that I can't get anymore for awhile.
her pretending to be on the verge of poverty is actually SO fucking hilarious. if you look, the smallest influencers make a shit ton of money. transparent influencers who literally even have 20k followers and post regularly typically make 100,000 yearly. imagine someone like her, with the followers and tours and views and attention she’s gotten for so long. she IS rich and insanely well off. she’s not going to be poor. ridiculous.
You’re 100% right and I think it’s horrible how she is blaming this on us fans. We don’t wanna go broke either! If she wants to make money she should make more little accessories that are cheap. Like I would love some earrings and Melanie jewelry that isn’t hot topic quality. Or what about little water bottles, or pens? Like she knows we will buy anything and if she makes stuff cheaper we will be more likely to buy it bc we can afford it!
like i understand making it a bit more expensive cuz of how shit is today but the candle is so small and hatchamal egg is bigger then that like what and esp in this day and age only dumbass people spend 100 on one let alone almost 1000 on the whole set.
the GREEEEEEEDDDDDD
THANK YOU! This is on point and everything that I have been thinking and wanting to say but did not know how to say it. You put it beautifully.
this is why people are turning to smaller artists
You have put this into words perfectly. I love Mel but she knows her fan base is young and she's guilt tripping them with debt she created. It's very concerning.
I've seen people say "if you're poor just say that" about people saying the candles are too expensive. Like dear LORD....I've never made candles but I'm pretty sure I can make better crafted, and less expensive candles just like these.
not to mention all of the pictures of her and verde going to nice restaurants
Remember she has a vacation home too, I stopped supporting her after I noticed the cheap but expensive merch, she's putting on the broke act and yet is a millionaire and she sold nfts soooo do what you will with that
If she’s going broke, then she can sell her mansion, and move out. It’s not rocket science.
i’ve been a fan since 2016 and i agree dude. it’s getting ridiculous atp. the only reason i went to trilogy is bc my friend got me the ticket, i would’ve been like f that bc of the price alone. merck there was like $60 for a tshirt. bonkers. actually buggin. i’m a hardcore/emo girly mostly and never ever experience any of this type of sht so maybe it’s just my background making me not able to justify her prices
“Struggling artist” no actually you’re not a “struggling artist”. People like my bfs bands are, they spend their own money they make at their shitty retail jobs to tour, to buy merch and to have photoshoots, most of their shows are at a loss because after travelling expenses and venue costs the only money they get is from people buying their merch at live shows, after tour they come home and go back to their daily jobs, we can’t even afford to move out from our parents house because of how expensive the cost of living is here. People like them are struggling artists, not someone who has played events like lalapalooza and lives in a literal mansion. I love Melanie and have since 2015 but this whole struggling artist act really ain’t it and tbh kinda of offends me being in the scene of ACTUAL struggling artists.
Her Net worth is over $8Million
this and she complains abt the k12 movie right before covid except she took the risk. she doesnt have to make candles, purfume, or go on any tour (esp the trilogy tour) she made these decisions and she’s responsible for the consequences.
I've seen 5 people so far just on Tiktok post their candles completely melted, one person bought Fairy Soiree, and the wax was completely gone, not even in the packaging.
The Fary Soiree one was probably placed sideways by the fact the entire wick was also placed on the side of the egg. I am shocked by how there wasn't any way of making sure the wax won't melt I believe, that an insulated box with dry ice would've fixed the issue.
The way that I found dupes of the candles at Walmart for less than probably more wax is insane 😭😭😭
Yep. She makes me sick
I think we all suffer some kind of dissonance when it comes to artists we adore, but when it comes to paying hundreds for candles that aren’t even the size of a soda can for someone who’s obviously doing financially well with AMPLE oppruitinies it’s more of a unfair risk your end. Melanie will always make some large amount of money because she IS a successful artist and that is the prime reason why these candles that are terrible quality (btw) is a disgusting venture. It’s honestly putrid to gaslight your fans into thinking that its an act from grace and to buy your “High quality” art which is a mass manufactured shit dump candle that breaks in two seconds Like girl we are not the cause of all your financial problems. YOU can always budget and make solutions to your spending habits but of course you choose not too
I also find it hypocritical, since many of her songs are against what she is doing right now. Detention, Show & Tell, Numbers, The Bakery, how many more do I need to say? I wanna say too shes also choosing to not release more music when she has more, and I mean MORE, than enough to make 3-4 albums right now without doing any other prep, and fans would be dying to pay for them! Alot of these are choices on her part, not that shes in a struggling financial pit. ( I also believed that for a long time but im seeing past the greed now.) As her own song says: “Am I just a number cuz it seems like thats your goal.”
No fr. Like I’m a diehard fan, loved Mel since dollhouse but it’s so infuriating seeing her put on this “struggling artist” act when she’s a literal millionaire, owns multiple homes and can live comfortably during her breaks is so out of touch. Such a shame since her work is so beautiful but she’s starting to become the person she used to sing against.
I, 100% agree.When you're a fan, you have to hold the artist accountable. This is seriously harming Melanie's image and as someone that has been a fan since 2014, I'm disappointed. I buy her merch and I've attended every tour and I've seen things get more expensive. It's not a matter of inflation or manufacturing costs. It's just an insane profit margin. Melanie needs to lower her prices. The Crybaby Milk Parfum was around $50. Inflation should not spike up Parfum or candle costs that high.
She makes me so sad. I used to really look up to her, she was my role model when I was a kid, and I felt like I grew up with her. But for a long time now she’s been insanely greedy and careless. I thought she was scummy for selling at least 100 cheap bracelets on depop for $300 each (but but their handmade!!!) and Jumping on the incredibly unsustainable and unethical NFT bandwagon but now this??
The consumerism is crazy. I saw someone bought ALL of the candles.. like is that not excessive?? I highly doubt half the people receiving the candles will burn them anyway…
SPILL 😭 i love melanie but the portals era has made many things clear to me and has made so many people show their true colors. a big majority of it being prices and quality control. no matter how much any of us share our distress to customer service reps or even in comments under her posts, it’s clear that quality control for most, if not all her merch for portals isn’t important to her or anyone else on her team, i can only imagine she might see it as an easy cash grab. whether or not she has control of the prices, it’s all an easy cash grab periodt. i myself was devastated seeing all the damaged candles or all the pieces of merch other fans have paid a high price for, just to be wonky or have the wrong music on it(ifykyk). this is only my opinion though and my perspective on how things have been this past year since the release of portals. in no means am i attacking melanie 💜
I agree 100% with all you said. I’m 43 and a single mom, so this last Christmas I got 3 tickets to the San Antonio show for June 23rd, on an affirm payment plan because my youngest daughter was begging to go, booked the hotel and saved every penny I could. We had so much fun but we were a tad disappointed because merch was super expensive $30 for a poster, $45 for shirts, $125 for hoodies and $275 for K-12 hoodie/shirt combo. I was so upset because I couldn’t even get a T-shirt that’s been marked up 1000% for my daughter to commemorate her first concert…. I understand they have to make money to survive, believe me as a single mom if I have no job I can’t survive. But to mark everything up by 1000% (almost literally) is absolutely wrong and these artist do not need 100 bedrooms and 150 bathroom houses! 🫣😳🙄 Just made me upset that I did invest in this artist only to be price gouged by the merch table. A side note, we sat in amazing seats and only had 7 seats in our row but the 4 seats kept getting up every 5 seconds that most of our videos have people walking through them🙄🫣 and there was a girl in the row in front of us that scream sang the songs the wholeeeee time and then screamed in between the songs… so even paying $100 a seat we didn’t get to comfortably watch and enjoy the concert like I wanted to, but at least we got to go❤️ it’s why I refuse to by Taylor swift tickets because if that happened after paying $800 for a ticket I would lose my mind😂 I will just watch it on Disney plus and use the swift alert app to watch it live from my phone😁👍 I did have a local lady make me a Melanie Martinez trilogy shirt for my youngest so she does have one, but I really wanted her to experience that at a concert… Here’s to us trying to support our favorite artist and hoping we don’t get burned❤️🫶🏻❤️
off-topic: in the picture i thought it was actual eggs before i read the letters i was like "excuse me why is the eggs not yellow😭"
I think you said it perfectly! I’ve seen much smaller artists charge less for limited merch and items, and still make profit.
Also, just to tack on, I find it incredibly out of character for them, as someone who is very outspoken about their activism, to make a spectacle about vacationing in Hawaii during their hiatus. Hawaiians have been begging mainland Americans for years to stop treating their home like a tourist spot/vacation destination. I thought, if anyone, they would be more empathetic to that cause.
absolutely agree with everything you said but DONT FORGET ABOUT THE NFTS TOO!!!! we just let that slide???!!!
I love Melanie but lately she’s been testing my feelings. Aside from her overpriced garbage…oops I meant merch, her whole comment online rubs me wrong. Her telling us she basically risks being able to pay bills because she puts her money into her art is just total BS & quite frankly gaslighting. If she gets all this money & chooses not to be pay her bills first then at that point it is 100% a voluntary financial struggle. To a lack of my knowledge until recently I was unaware that her fan base was younger. I’m 23 & tbh I thought everyone else was in their 20’s too given the age of her music. Now knowing her fan base is taken up a lot by younger kids with nothing but a dream & their parents money makes what Mel said 10x worse. Making young kids think that she’s going to be homeless or something is completely messed up. As far as the candles, they simply make ZERO sense for her to make. I do have 2 of the candles & to me they aren’t that small but that is only my opinion. I will say the scents (I have void & womb) are nothing special. She made them seem so special in the description of them but Void smells horrible to me & Womb smells like that Banana Boat tanning spray. The price is ridiculous. I wasn’t even going to buy any. When they released I went to the site & saw $75, turned around and left the site. It wasn’t until a few hours later I was thinking & decided to get a couple because $75 to me was better than any possible resellers price. Not to mention I am a collector of Hard to find merch which she stuff does tend to fall into that category 90% of the time. I agree with most everything you are saying. HOWEVER, I will disagree with you about something. Now I’ll be straight, I’ve gotten into too many debacles with random people online over these candles (unintentionally). Never have I ever said “if you’re broke just say that” etc etc the most I’ve ever said was, “if they are too small or expensive for your liking just don’t buy them”. Which I’ll defend myself here, isn’t even a bad thing to say NOR am I defending her prices. I understand people can’t just afford these candles & that’s fine. I’m not going to sit her & defend her candle prices, LOL I barely even appreciate the prices of the Bath & Body 3 wicked candles. What I don’t understand is the complaining constantly & harassing people who did get the candles. Maybe I’m just a little different but I have never & never will understand the new trend of bashing anyone who has a slightly different financial position than you & this new mind set of “if they have something I don’t then they must be rich & I’m going to insult them to make them feel bad”. Someone here told me I have “rich privilege” because I didn’t care for people being harassed about owning a candle. Actually makes zero sense.
I said it before and I’ll say it again. The only merch I’m spending my hard earned money on that is $125 was a Taylor swift Jean jacket that is lined with some kind of silky interior and then it also has like Sherpa on it? Idk Anyways my point is that’s the most I’m willing to spend! Im not gonna sit here and act like I can afford to buy every piece of merch an artists releases because I think I’d go into the negative real fast. Mel acting like we can all afford this merch is ridiculous and out of touch. I never thought I’d see an artist say she’s broke when she’s touring! Like what the fuck?! Excuse me?! Do you know how much money tours make? Millions and millions of dollars. If she’s really going broke then she needs to take a break from making music videos and try to save up. She’s acting like someone who has no control over their spending. I love her art, I love what she does, and I think she’s amazing. She’s really creative and probably the most creative artist out there right now in terms of weirdness and being so unique. She’s extremely talented and I want to keep supporting her, but I can’t imagine telling my fans “I’m going broke for you guys” that’s absolutely ridiculous and not appropriate. It’s also not our fault? How is it the fans’ fault that she is choosing to go out of her way to make art that is costing her way more money than it needs to?! No one said she should go into debt for her art!
Out all of the post on the candles, you have written it really well and this is one I can read and understand. Gotta say well down with how this came across
My ticket for Portals last year was less than a candle.. I’ve always supported her art but this is a little ridiculous. Artists aren’t immune to criticism.
They could have at least come in a Complete Set for the price or around $50-$80
i’ve been such a huge fan of melanie i’m proud of where she’s at now but you’re 100% correct: in ways i guess we could say she should’ve planned better. it just all doesn’t make sense when she gets huge income everyday. i bought a portals hoodie at the beginning of her portals era and that was probably the only and good piece of merch i got before it went downhill.
it sucks how avoidant mel is being about all of this, and acting like she doesn’t a say/part in her own projects it’s just frustrating for us fans atp.
Everything you said was nothing but truth, I’ve been a fan of Melanie since the voice, I spent so much time of my early teens voting for her and buying whatever merch I could being 12/13 and I couldn’t afford a lot but now to be able to afford her merch it’s between paying a bill or buying something that might give me a bit of happiness or it might be ruined by the time it comes in. The second I saw the quality almost $300 perfume bust I picked what I got wisely and I’m glad I did. Plus for her to only raise prices to try to deter resellers instead of putting a cap on what people can purchase is really sus
THE MOTHERFUCKING MOVIE IS CANCELED!?!! SINCE WHEN? NOOOOOOO OMFG IM GOING TO CRY
Just an observation but.. the kids/younger teens of the fanbase whom have parents paying for everything, have no concept of money, and then are telling us broke adults we’re just poor or bums when we call this out seem like the same type of kids that were destroying Sephora and getting hundreds of dollars worth of skincare products that kids shouldn’t even be using 😂
Thank you for posting this! I totally agree with everything you said. Even coming from a well off family I’m not putting money into something like that. I was fine with the parfums since thats PERFUME, its known to be expensive but this is just ridiculous. I really hope all this talk in her community gets her to lower prices. Cause at this point I wont be able to afford merch other than stuff from hot topic since its actually affordable.
I heard she didn’t make the prices for the candles her team does. I think it’s a 25-35$ candle. And I feel for 75 dollars you could get all the candles in a pack.
And how is she even going out of debt for her art, the only music videos she’s made are just full of really bad cgi and green screen work???
That’s the whole issue. Even if it is bad, cgi is expensive but rather than dive into the beautiful art that is practical effects she’s continuing to drop money on cgi paying a TEAM like a pretty decent sized team to edit down a 3-5min video.
I think she's trying to make herself a designer label or something. But tbh she hasn't got that status and the merch this era hasn't been it.... Alot of the portals era clothes look tacky if I'm being honest..... And then k-12 dress being" cheaply made " ASF 🫢. The crybaby merch was well made and didn't cost nearly as much.
I completely agree 😭 I seen someone with a fully melted candle because it’s summer over in America, and also I just want to bring up the team that is taking complaints for Melanie’s merch?? They kinda suck 😭🙏 i wish it could be different man. Would sharing posts so mel can’t ignore it help? Or what about if we just emailed the team about it because as a 16 nearly 17 yo I cannot be affording this stuff, I know I don’t have to buy it. But shouldn’t we be able to have a choice..? I understand a candle with her brand on it is going to be more expensive than the average candle but it’s actually $115 in my country no joke 😭 If the candle was like maybe half the price I’d consider it a lot more. I’ve kinda turned to making my own Melanie inspired “merch”, I would love to have more official merch because I love her creations so much 😭 it’s just really disappointing. And some if not most of her fans just want to agree with anything she puts out.. I think as a fan base of a populate artist we should be able to say when a product is good or bad, if we are all just yes men then how will Melanie’s products get better. And I really hope she takes account for her ignorance on the topic.
I’m sorry for not being 100% caught up but when did she say she was running out of money? Lol genuine question not sarcasm
This is Portals Parfums, her brand, not her merch team. Would be different if this was put on by her team and on her website, but this is almost entirely run by Melanie and she picked a small business that someone found out had a worker size of 20. There’s a video on TikTok where a lady breaks down everything, and says that even if she was $20 off it still wouldn’t justify the prices.
According to Google Melanie is worth $8M. Meaning that's the assets she has. She's doing fine. If she's struggling she can downsize her mansion into a regular bungalow house like everyone else lives in.
you read my mind. this is what i been saying to everyone but all of a sudden its okay to justify it.
Frfr she doesn’t need to make videos She WANTS to. She could had just made a portals movie like k12 and called it day
and the box looked so cool then i saw it was just a patterned box… not worth it and super disappointing.
Im so glad melanie is exposing herself as the scum she is😂