Which merchandise sales generate the most profit?
Perhaps one of the key points to consider when looking to grow your enterprise is your merchandise range and how merch sales can lead to both an increased bank balance (which can be used to fund other areas that will profit your career, such as expensive PR campaigns), and increased exposure as an artist. It’s no secret that merchandise has a huge impact on helping to boost an upcoming producer’s profile, with social media posts helping spread the word about your brand. But before you can sell your merchandise, you need to think about which items to stock, and which are likely to prove most popular amongst your fanbase.
T-shirts
The grandfather of the merchandise range. T-shirts are highly visible, easy to get hold of, and the thing that everyone wants to wear. When it comes to crafting your range, you can go down two main routes:
Bulk screenprinted: This is where you buy up-front, and deal with all the sales and fulfillment yourself. You can get decent quality t-shirts printed for less than £3 each if you are smart, so there’s good money to be made. But don’t be fooled – it can be hard work shifting all your stock if you don’t judge the size distribution etc correctly.
On-demand digital printing: This is a completely risk-free way of selling t-shirts. You create a preview of your product online, and then when someone buys it, it’s digitally printed and dispatched directly to them, with you receiving a cut of the profits. There are countless print-on-demand platforms that will help you do this for free and offers a lower payout, but less risk.
When it comes to your own clothing range, wearing the clothes yourself will no doubt boost sales as fans will want to identify with their heroes. When Axwell and Sebastian Ingrosso launched their ‘More Than You Know’ clothing range in Summer 2017, in honor of their latest single of the same name, the pair started to wear the range at all of their live shows, including this June 2017 performance at Belfast’s Belsonic Festival (below).
Music
It might seem like an odd and obvious suggestion, but having your music available for sale is essential. Despite streaming figures hitting all-time highs in the modern age, CD’s are still popular with many segments of your audience, with cardboard sleeves a good alternative to plastic cases as they will save space while touring or posting. If you’re selling physical formats, consider adding a download code to sell your music online or at least a link to where they can stream it. People love a memento from a great set but a download code works even if they don’t have a CD player. With the resurgence of vinyl now also playing a huge part in music sales, it’s worth remastering your music and presenting it in vinyl format too.
Soundcloud mugs
One of the items that are really starting to trend right now is the ‘Soundcloud mug’, a visualized waveform bar of your favorite song, made in the same style as it would appear on the popular streaming site. This is a superb way of getting your music noticed and people asking ‘what does that squiggle mean?’ only for the owner of the mug to explain that it represents a song. Natural human instinct will only lead to more people wanting to check out your track in this instance. The mugs are available at SoundWaveMug.com and they’ll go down a treat with the audiophile fans!
Autographed content
If you can sign it, you should. It personalizes your products for your fans and gives them something that will hopefully become massively collectible in years to come. It also adds value to your merchandise.
Think about what your fans want
Deadmau5 manufactured cat headphones (yes, headphones for cats) and special Mau5-shaped speakers. Oliver Heldens launched ‘Gecko’ t-shirts while Daft Punk released “Get Lucky” condoms. Think about something that is unique t you, or a track/album of yours. Not just good merch. Good PR, too.
Confectionary
Marshmello Marshmallows? Check out Boomf.com for some out-of-the-box thinking. Fans simply adore sweet treats with the face of their favourite DJ or producer on, so get creative, and start thinking about what kind of candy-based snacks you can provide for your followers.
Private performance?
The big artists have been charging mega-bucks for this kind of thing for years, so why shouldn’t you? Your biggest fans would love the opportunity to get an intimate serenade in your dressing room or, even better, in their home. When Axwell and Sebastian Ingrosso posted a ‘secret’ invite-only at London’s tiny Kamio club in March 2017, only the most hardcore of fans were invited, no media, no coverage, and those fans regularly refer to it as the most special night they’ve ever witnessed from the duo.
Think about the life of your merch beyond the point of sale
Will other people see it? Will it spark conversation? Sometimes it’s worth thinking about selling stuff at cost, or even a loss, if you know that it will help spread the word about you. So consider something cheap like wristbands. If ordered in the right quantities they can be bought for as little as 10 cents each. So you can definitely afford to sell them for that little, or even give them away, and you’ll no doubt get people talking about you. Merchandise is not just merchandise, it’s also fantastic PR so use the tips in this article and get creative.
