Every band has sat there after a gig.... looking at their riders of beer they received as payment at a bad turn out night and said to each other "Dude... like... there has to be a way... to like... make more money"
At some unknown point in music history, one of these musicians sitting at the bar after their set has said "Dude.. like... what if we sold a tshirt... that has out bands name on it." A multi-billion dollar idea.
The band merch idea has come along way since the humble t-shirt. I'm going to list a few ideas below, that you could potentially bring accross to your band/solo career.
The T-Shirt
Whether it be the traditional screenprint or a heat transfer, this is the backbone. With t-shirts it is always worth spending the money/time to get a good graphics design. If your in Microsoft paint whipping up your design, go see a graphics designer. Shirt quality is important. You need good shirts, such as AS Colour, or even Gildan, and a good design. At the end of the day, the shirt isnt about you promoting your band. Its about giving your fan something comfortable and that they feel good showing off to define themselves.
Beanies
Beanies are simple and cheap! A simple band logo or the band name is all you need. Be smart with when you place your order though. They probably wont sell as good in Summer as they will in Winter. If you cant grasp why, your probably the drummer in the band.
Moshies
If your playing heavy band (punk, metal, rock... whatever, I'm not here to fight elitists on what heavy defines), mosh pants are going off. They are your basket ball style pants, that you can print your bands stuff all over. Not only are you almost guaranteed a sale from a kid ripping his pants at your current show, but they are also comfy for your fans to wear at the Sunday BBQ.
Hoodies
Simmilar to the concept of the tshirt, except much warmer in winter. Not a big seller in summer. If your drummer still doesnt understand why, just give him an icecream and a pat on the head. Hes just a big special boy.
Snap-back Caps
The are sunsafe, they can be turned around to look like a douche, people will wear then to gigs at night time to rep whatevers on them and to pretend their white surburban ass is semi gangsta.
Some other items that I've personally never done, but have seen other bands doing;
My thoughts on stationary are unless your The Wiggles and its a back to school sale you shouldnt be doing stationary. Notebooks and pens are promo items from Hertz Rent-A-Car, not for your rock band.
Stickers have always been freebies. I've always given them away, and over time have seen them plastered around unseemly spots in my city from fans who wanted to promote us.
Ive never sold photos or posters, but I have seen other bands do it. If you are still a local band or up and comming, please dont do this. Dont even try give them away for free. Its so.... lame.
If you find a printer who does a good job for a fair and reasonable price, stick with them. Just with everything in the music industry, relationships are important. Don't be a disloyal dick bouncing between businesses each time trying to shave $20 off an order.
