Every musician should have merch. You can use merch to increase revenue and awareness for your music. There are many options for merch, so it can be confusing and overwhelming to choose the best. We are going to review them all and offer some pricing tips and suggestions.
Remember that your merch strategy must be successful if you want to appeal to your fan base. Consider the demographics of your fans. If your fan base is predominantly teens, shot glasses are probably not the best option. Likewise, if your audience is predominantly female, large quantities of XXL shirts may go to waste. Get your fans’ feedback once you have narrowed it down. To find which shirt design is most popular, send an email survey to your email list.
Stickers, Buttons, Posters And Guitar Picks
These inexpensive, small items can be great staples and have many uses in your merch strategies. If you look at it from a traditional perspective, stickers, buttons and posters can be used as low-end merchandise for fans with limited budgets. You can give them away as giveaways or increase awareness.
Wearables: Shirts And Hoodies
Shirts are your bread and butter in merch. They are what most fans expect to see at a table. Wearables such as shirts can bring in double income. They also serve as a billboard for your music, when they are worn out by your fans.
Your shirt’s artwork is the most important thing. It is easy to simply put your EP or album artwork onto a shirt. If you’re able to afford it, you might consider hiring an artist to create additional designs.
Next, consider the fit and cut of the shirts that you purchase. It’s not worth ordering shirts in a girl-cut cut if you have mainly male fans. Also, if you play in Southern California, hoodies or beanies won’t be worn often, opt for tees and tanks instead.
It is important to remember that you don’t have to be crazy about shirt designs. Too many options can sometimes be overwhelming for fans who rush to get a place on the floor or at home. Therefore, it is okay only to have one or two shirt styles.
Music: Download Cards, CDs, And Vinyl
Music and merch are often seen as two distinct things by musicians. But your songs and albums are both merch! If you don’t sell music at your shows, then you are missing out on a lot!
Live performances are a great way to share your music with others. Most people won’t have all of your albums. At the very minimum, have your latest album available for sale. You should also have CDs of older songs available if you plan to play them. Let your fans know that they can buy CDs, purchase the songs you play at the merch stand during your set.
You could also sell USB drives with music, photos and videos if you’re feeling more creative. You can mix and match media to create a variety of media. You can include a unique compilation of songs, behind-the-scenes videos, photos and even song ideas. Although USB drives are very affordable, because they contain so much unique and cool stuff, fans might be willing to pay $20 to $25.
