Chapter 10: Merchandise Sales
If you’ve got some gigs, you’ve got an opportunity to increase, if not double your perfor-
mance fee or more, especially at a smaller venue. The word is “merchandise,” also
known in the business as “merch.”
Bands and solo acts can make a ton of dough by selling merchandise. As a matter of
fact, merchandise sales can often do much better than CD sales. Your fans love to buy
stuff emblazed with your stunning logo and other cool graphics. Actually, “fans,” in this
case, might not be the best word. “Customer” comes to mind. And that they are, so treat
them as such. Offer them as great an experience at your merch table as they have at your
show. Customer service counts for a lot. Have your table crew be courteous and respect-
ful. Be ready to answer questions. Be nice.
There’s all sorts of merch, but wearables, such as t-shirts, hats, etc. outnumber the
bulk of them. What could be better than having your fans ... er ... customers pay you to
advertise your act? That’s the beauty of merchandise. Your fans get cool stuff to wear or
show off. You get money and extra promotion. All is well with the Universe.
You don’t even need to be a big name act to pull off this miraculous task. All you
need are some fans, a venue and a table. If you can have one or more of your street team
man the table, that’s great. What’s better is if the band members or solo artist makes an
appearance to help sell some stuff before or after the show. After is likely a better option.
The fans are pumped and it’s much easier for them to dig deep into their pocket and pull
out some cash or plastic (more on plastic possibilities later). After a stellar performance
(and it should always be stellar), fans are fired up. Passing by your [highly visible] merch