Selling
merchandise is one of the best ways for generating income for your
band, and as a matter of fact, it may be the only source of income that
you as an artist can make that you can easily control. If you are a
touring act, selling merch is often times your livelihood, providing
money for food, and gas to get to the next gig. Following these easy
tips will help you sell more items at your shows, and will help you get
off the road-dog diet of gas station hot dogs and beef jerky.
The
most important thing when selling your band’s merchandise is the
location of the merch booth/table and also having a trusted friends run
the booth during the show. Visibility is crucial at whatever venue you
are playing. Hopefully, if the venue has a designated area, it is in a
well-lit and easily accessible area of the club. Ideally, you want to
be set near the door or near the stage. If the venue doesn’t have a good
spot, see if you can work with them, or come up with a creative idea to
draw attention. Make sure you always bring a few small lamps, in case
the area needs more light.
Being
organized and smart with the quantity of merchandise is also key. Make
sure you sure you count all your items with your trusted friends before
and after the show. Make sure you have adequate change, and keep the
prices at well rounded numbers like $5 and/or $10. Keep all t-shirts
with t-shirts, all hats with the hats, etc. Try to do your best to
organize the items by size and by male/female apparel. The last thing
you want is your music contact to be fumbling around looking for a
specific size of shirt, especially when the show is over, the venue is
closing, and time is of the essence. Be realistic about what you expect
to sell. If you are planning on doing a small tour of only 15-20 shows,
there is no need to print 10,000 cds or t-shirts. There would be
nothing worse than having a garage full of 5,000 extra t-shirts that say
“2006 US Tour Dates” on the back, so make sure not to over order.
Stay
updated on current fashion trends. Have your music contacts do research
on popular designs or styles of clothing people are currently wearing.
When the booty-shorts craze was in, I noticed how smart it was to sell a
product with your bands name in a spot where most people are looking
anyway. Mind as well capitalize the prime real estate! Also, trends in
hats change often, so make sure staying up to date on those especially.
Try
to create as much buzz around your merch booth as possible. It is
always helpful if you can find a motivated friend that doesn’t play in
the band to help out. Think outside the box in order to draw more people
over. Hold raffles, give away small items for free like stickers, key
chains etc. Offer deals like buy a t-shirt, get a cd, etc. Really try to
push the limits on this one. There is a lot you could get away with in a
club, but just to be safe, double check with the venue before you try
anything too outlandish.
Lastly,
fans love items that are tour or album specific. Try selling a
previously unreleased track from the album your promoting, and sell it
exclusively at your live shows. T-shirts with the name of the city and
venue on the back are great because people love to prove they were
actually there (but as mentioned don’t over order these). It’s a bit
tacky to sell your set list, but coupling your set list with a purchase
is appealing to consumers.
A
lot of these tips can be applied to selling merch online as well, just
make sure your music contacts are heavily promoting the fact that you
sell online too. The most important thing to remember with this is to be
sure to punctual in sending out orders. No one likes to wait, and if
you don’t send the item promptly, you may lose a fan.
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