Merch is not a new concept in the music industry. Not at all. Every serious musician who is trying to make it in the industry should know that merchandise is no longer just a novelty.
This blog piece will touch on a few tips to help make your merch game as strong as they come.
Plan
When you start making band merch, you should have a clear plan on what you want to achieve and how you are going to do it. Know how much money you have available, and how much this print or that print will cost on these garments.
How much profit will you make and how will you as a band use that?
It’s true, failing to plan is planning to fail. Everything won’t go according to your master scheme but at least you have an idea of where you want to end up.
Know your merch
Dedicate some of your time to get to know all the aspects that go into making merch. Read up on the different techniques such as DTG (Direct to Garment) printing, watch some YouTube videos on screen printing or different inks. Be informed when talking to your merch-makers.
Also, do research on which styles are selling this season. Fashion trends in merch are very important and while a black shirt with white print will always be cool, think about what garment will be all the fire this season.
Design
Having done your research, you will know what types of designs are in this season. Whether it is flowers, Japanese writing, embroidery or this colour and that; this will influence your design size and colours. In turn, you will be able to plan further as you already know how colours influence prices on different methods of printing.
Not only should you know what design is cool, but also what is the best format, file type and sizing your design should be in when sending it to your merch guys. It will smooth out the whole process.
Be careful not to just follow trends on what is cool this season, but also be sure to represent your band, your style, and your personality through the designs. Your fans will buy your merch to represent your band and having a unique voice through merch only makes the bond between band and fans stronger.
If you are not a designing wiz yourself there are a ton of amazing designers out there who can capture your vibe perfectly. One of them that we work closely with is the amazing Make North.
Where to sell
Knowing where to sell your merch could be the key to make some money and making enough. Make friends with technology and see how you can improve your merch stalls by accepting cards and not only cash. Improve the whole merch table experience and make yours unique!
Tip: Pinterest is always helpful with visuals
Find out where and how you can get your merch online. Your fans might be dying to wear your shirt on the other side of the country or even planet! Get in touch with online stores to put your merch on the map. If you put a little effort into it you can create an amazing Shopify store in a day!
Pro tip: Get in touch with your local tattoo shop. Work together in your community to see how you can help each other out. They could stock some of your merch and you could give some shout-outs at your show.