There is a self-enforcing cycle. A good album sells merchandise, which quite often is using imagery from the album front. T-shirts, posters, ... you name it.

There is a self-enforcing cycle. A good album sells merchandise, which quite often is using imagery from the album front. T-shirts, posters, ... you name it. Yes, the merchandise is bought as a reminder of a good experience but once it's out in the open, it becomes a form of brand advertising. Familiarity breeds interest (as well as contempt), and interest generates sales. NB. Unrelated to the other part of your comment - I would happily buy a shirt with The Division Bell's cover even if I didn't like the album. There are limits, though. I'm NOT paying £75 for a cycling jacket with that image - such a thing was available in the V&A exhibition.