I live in Nashville, home of the aspiring “next-big-thing”.
If you’re a musician in 2020, there are two primary ways to make a living doing so.
- Tour. (Good luck with this in 2020…)
- Sell merch.
Being that I’m the Nashville Part-Timer, I’m probably not who you should ask about how to tour profitably. I do however know a thing or two about how to develop and sell custom printed merchandise. Here are some basic rules of thumb if you’re looking to do so.
FOCUS ON BUILDING YOUR BRAND FIRST: When you combine the fact that I’m a promotional products guy, and that I have many musician friends, one can assume I’ve been asked how one makes money selling “merch”.
The first thing I always ask people is, “What is your following?”
The truth is that if you’re just getting started and no one knows you, you likely shouldn’t spend a lot of your energy developing a line of merch that no one will buy. Let’s face it, not a lot of people know who “Luke Hatfield” is, so not many people besides my friends and family are going to purchase a t-shirt.
Focus on building your brand, and then the merch can follow.
ONCE YOU HAVE AN AUDIENCE, GET TO KNOW THEM BETTER: Take a look into your crowd at your next show. What kind of faces are you seeing? For example, if your following is mostly comprised of mid-20’s dudes, you probably shouldn’t sink much money into feminine merchandise.
Not to say you shouldn’t have any because some of the guys might have supportive girlfriends, but just keep this in mind when you’re doing your purchasing.
What type of person does your music attract? Focus on the merchandise they will like, not just what you think is hip and in.
Country boys? Have some camo options, and plenty of can coolies.
Hipsters and coffee shoppers? Have some “vintage” looking designs, and maybe some unique keychains/small trinkets.
The list goes on, but I’m sure you get the picture.
It’s also important to keep in mind that while your friends and family will likely continue to support you by purchasing your merchandise, you will need to know who the “fans” are beyond your inner-circle to move to that next level.
Your main goal should be to provide fans with a piece of merchandise that they will cherish and wear for years to come instead of wearing once and then forgetting about it in their closet.
BE AWARE OF WHERE YOUR AUDIENCE DOES THEIR PURCHASING: Do you sell more merch online than in person? Or is it the other way around? Do you have a different online audience than your normal in-person audience? Keep these in mind when deciding whether or not to purchase larger amounts of inventory, or simply develop a “print-as-needed” line of merchandise.
Many services such as Printful offer musicians good services on producing “1-off” pieces. It is much more costly on a per unit basis to do it this way but may be a good option for those just getting started in the merch game, or for those who frequently change their designs as it eliminates the need for inventory.
TOUCH AND FEEL SAMPLES OF YOUR PRODUCT BEFORE PRINTING:
Make sure you see the product (whether it be a t-shirt, koozie, etc.) with your own eyes before anything gets printed so you know exactly what to expect. Be adamant about this with whomever you contract with, just know that there may be a cost to this as well.
Printers can typically produce prototypes of the finish product for a fee as well.
GET IN THE WEEDS!
Don’t be afraid to get into the small details when planning your line of merch.
Have a specific shade of yellow you’d like to hit? Have your printer show you a PMS book that can help you select the appropriate shade.
Have a particular material you’d like the shirt to be made from?
Does your merchandise need to be tagged and bagged?
Do you need a label stuck to the shirt with a QR or Snapcode?
PLAN THE LOGISTICS:
How will you get items to your clients? How fast? How will they be packaged? Will there be an insert? etc. etc. etc.
If you’re just getting started, it might be a good idea to take pre-orders so you know exactly how many pieces to order.
For example: Typical, non-rush screen printing orders take around 7-10 days. If you’re selling shirts online, you might tell your fans that items ship once per month and have a scheduled “print day” on which you have all your orders for the month produced and shipped. Your unit costs will drop exponentially as people purchase shirts this way and the orders will flow smoothly and consistently.
SELLING ONLINE? SET-UP YOUR STORE:
If you’re selling merch online you’ll have to set up an online store. There are tons of options to do this like Big Cartel and Shopify to name a few. Decide which features are the best fit for you and your goals, and then research the platform that most closely matches those specs.
