Original Post from Live Unsigned Blog
Merchandising, from T-Shirts to Posters to Notebooks is a vital income stream for bands, even more so in the age of free music. Give your audience an opportunity to support and promote you by giving them high quality things to buy.
1 – Use Cafe Press or Zazzle for small runs of merchandise. Both these services (and others) offer the opportunity to upload a design and get it printed onto a variety of items from t-shirts to hoodies to mugs and even babygrows. It works well for small runs and its a fast easy way to add merchandise to your website by creating your own custom Zazzle/Cafe Press store. You don’t have to keep items in stock as they are produced on a bespoke basis but the amount you get in commission from each sale is relatively low. Great for a new band looking to sell their first merchandise.
2 – Use a screen printer for large runs of garments. Zazzle etc are great for small runs but if you want to make money on merchandise sales over 20 units (i.e. for a tour) the only way to do it cost effectively is through a screen printing company. If you’re ordering in bulk you’ll save money, although you may need to reduce the amount of colours in your design as this will keep costs low. The main disadvantage is that if you order in bulk you will need to think carefully about the sizes and quantity of merchandise you will need, never easy in the early days of a band.
3 – Have a great logo (and keep it consistent across everywhere). When you think of the great T-Shirts – The Dead Kennedys logo, Grateful Dead, Exploited Skull, Motorhead England etc they are iconic. Is your design simple, effective and memorable?
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