D.I.Y.

Make & Sell Your Own Band Merchandise


Musician/label owner/d.i.y. guru Martin Atkins was one of the panelists at yesterday’s New Music Seminar. I spent a little time with him and it confirmed what I’ve written here before.  Martin gets it.  He lives in the real world where making an extra $3 on each t-shirt matters; and he shares what he knows with anyone who will listen 

In this new video, a disciple of Martin’s (yes, he has disciples) shares a crash course in making and selling band merchandise that he garnered from Atkins indie touring bible Tour:Smart: And Break The Band

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8 Comments

  1. So let me get this straight: I should buy a bunch of crappy stuff at the dollar store, use a sharpie or bleach to plaster my bands name on it, and then sell it with a 200% markup? And this will make my band look good and make me rich?
    I get the whole “Do it Yourself” thing, but the bottom line is that crappy stuff is crappy stuff, regardless of who “does it.” I grow very tired of artists who constantly wave the DIY flag and use it as an excuse to put out a lousy product or put on a lousy show, etc…
    I hope that guys band sounds better than his “merch” looks. Although I wouldn’t know because a homemade tag attached to a dollar store shopping bag isn’t enough to entice me to check out a Myspace page. Which really says something, considering I’m online right now with Myspace open in another browser window.

  2. If you are going to look for new sources of revenue, why limit yourself to merch? Sell cookies at shows. Mow lawns. Babysit.
    You can, in theory, do ANYTHING and say it is music-related. So why not look for activities that make the most money? Then put that money into music.

  3. Make fun if you will, but…
    For many touring musicians merch. revenue is second only to gig revenue.
    And to me the real point of this is that one needs to look at every aspect of their business (however small or large that may be) and think creatively about revenue generation.

  4. I’m not making fun. I’m being practical. Everyone is encouraging these musicians to do all of these “creative” little things to make money. Well, if you want to make money, run the numbers and actually find something that makes money. Let’s look at the really big picture. Why limit yourself to selling a few t-shirts at a show?
    I’d venture to say that the lawyer who plays music on the side has a better grasp of the music industry than someone who has no day job and lives out of a van. If you accept that your music won’t make you any money and you do it for the love it it, then you are really free and creative.
    If you are making music, then that is a success, right? Make it. Give it away. And don’t try to make a living from it.

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