Hot Topic

About Hot Topic

Hot Topic (NASDAQ: HOTT) is an American chain store. It has over 690 locations across the United States and Puerto Rico, the majority of which are located in shopping malls. The first Hot Topic store was opened in 1988 by Orv Madden. The chain specializes in music and pop-culture-related fashion and merchandise including: clothing, books, comics, jewelry, CDs, records, posters and other items. It also backs major concert festivals like Ozzfest and recently, Sounds Of The Underground and Taste of Chaos. Products from Tripp NYC, Lip Service, Heartcore Clothing, Morbid Threads, Disney, Sanrio, Social Collision, and Iron Fist are also stocked.

In the past, major bands such as Korn, Good Charlotte and Avenged Sevenfold have allowed Hot Topic to release their concert wear to the general public before they themselves appear on television or at concerts wearing them. Recently Hot Topic has held in-store "listening parties" for bands such as Marilyn Manson, Avenged Sevenfold, Underoath, My Chemical Romance, Blaqk Audio, Paramore, HIM, Bullet For My Valentine, and Disturbed so fans could hear their new albums or singles before they were released.

As of April 2008, Hot Topic began carrying To Write Love On Her Arms shirts, which makes it the first chain to ever carry TWLOHA merchandise. Within 2 weeks TWLOHA shirts were one of the biggest selling shirts at Hot Topic, but due to the use of profanity and religion in the story printed on the inside of the shirts, they were ultimately pulled from the store at the end of those 2 weeks. The shirts that were unsold were given to Hot Topic employees. The story has been re-worked to comply with Hot Topics's policies so they can continue to carry the shirts.