Should I Sell Merchandise Too?
As CD sales decline in the marketplace, tho not in the live concert area, we’ve all been looking for ways to continue to play live music and also pay our bills. One way is to do not only concerts but clinics the day before (the best to bolster attendance at the show); the day of, (which can impact the energy of your live show); and the day after (which can bolster the attendance at your clinic if you did a good show).
You’d be surprised how much you actually know about what you do. It was my wife that pointed out that I had this wealth of knowledge gained by forty years on the road and in the studio that I didn’t even consider. I just slowly learned the ropes. Well, you have already learned some of the ropes on your wouldn’t be reading this. So you might have something valuable to offer in the way of a clinic. The way you play guitar, the way you write, the way you book yourself, the way you promote yourself, produce yourself, finagle studio time, get your friends to work for so much less than they are really worth. So consider adding clinics to your performance schedule. 
Another avenue for commerce is, of course, merchandising. Most rock acts touring make more money from their merch than anything else. They sell T shirts, panties, posters, photos, coffee mugs, beer mugs. Now most of us can’t afford to manufacture and carry a bunch of that stuff if we are flying, but if we are driving, we should definitely consider carrying some of that stuff. And if you don’t want to commit a lot of money to the manufacturing there is a company called Café Press (www.cafepress.com – tell them James Lee Stanley sent you) and they manufacture everything on a will call basis. Nothing is made until someone orders it. You upload your designs onto a wealth of products and then they lead you thru creating your own webpage which you can then link to your own webpage and you’ve got merch.
If you are really going to take the plunge, here’s some tips from an article by Tony Van Veen, originally published in Disc Makers’ FastForward newsletter: ( Read the entire article here. )
Double your gig revenue! Merch sales are an easy way to make more money as a gigging indie artist.
We independent artists have the habit of forgetting what our fans really are: our valued customers. Good customers have this wonderful habit of buying our stuff, and merchandise can be a big part of that.
Tips On Buying Merch
· You’ll definitely want custom t-shirts, which represent 80% of all merch sold. But the greater the variety of merchandise you have to sell, the greater your opportunity to generate revenue.
· If you decide to design your merch yourself, keep it simple. Intricate designs don't usually translate well to silkscreen printing.
· If you are choosing multiple garment colors, make sure you take the extra time to ensure your ink colors will work well on all of the colors you choose.
· Beware, for every design location you add, there may be an additional cost involved.
· Start with one shirt color. Black is a good start, chosen by three quarters of all artists.
· Confirm this with your vendor, but you can usually split one order into S, M, L, or XL for any garment at no additional charge.
Tips On Selling Your Merch
· When you’re on stage, mention that you have cool merch for sale.
· Display your merch in a high-traffic area.
· Keep prices reasonable and attractive.
· Sell a range of garments (not just t-shirts).
· Offer bundles (package two or more items together).
· Offer something for free with purchase (a poster, sticker, etc).
· Make sure everyone working with the band is wearing your merch.
james lee stanley
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Reader Comments (1)
Hi James,
Concerts and shopping, you've combined both of my guilty pleasures here. Really though it's nice to take home something from a show as the evening always goes by way too quickly and it's nice to look back and remember what a great time you've had.
Diane