From puzzles to sweatpants to a unisex fragrance, artists are taking full advantage of online merch sales for fans shut in by the pandemic.
Browsing the more than 275 artist storefronts at online seller Hey there Merch is like checking out a music merchandise wonderland: Diet Cigarette is offering branded playing cards, Tori Amos has turned Tee shirts into handmade face masks, and Low Cut Connie is offering a natural fragrance, among other unusual finds. The choices haven’t constantly been as wide-ranging. Prior to the pandemic, merch was “second, third or 4th on artists’ minds,” states Mike Lentz, who manages artist relations for Hey there Merch. Today, “they’re stressed over making it through their trip, playing shows every night [and are] too hectic to have the time to deal with it.”
A Tee shirts will never change a show, but with live events– and touring income– off the table for the instant future, artists have shifted their top priorities, and merch allows them to connect with the very same passionate fan base they would see on trip.
As a result, in the pandemic-flattened second quarter of 2020, Hey there Merch’s month-to-month average overall sales almost doubled from the very first quarter.
These artists and supervisors have actually determined how to mine that financially rewarding mix for optimal returns. Here are four methods that they’re utilizing to maximize merch and enhance the bond with fans along the method.
Dealing With The Quarantined
Ryan Matteson, the founder/president of management firm 10 Atoms, states that artists on his lineup — including Black Pumas, Bully, Japanese Breakfast and Whitney — have actually seen a 50%uptick across the board from pre-pandemic sales, making anywhere from $1,500 to $150,000 a month. Funk-soul duo Black Pumas has done well with brand-new products(many of which are sold as presales) that cater to fans stuck at home, like branded blankets, sweatpants, reusable Nalgene water bo ttles and stainless steel pint cups.
Other artists have created merch with direct ties to the pandemic. Neon Trees just recently offered out of their $12 “I Can Feel You Too Close To Me” mask Nick Cavern celebrated his “Idiot Prayer” livestream in July– a solo piano performance– with a print of him carrying out in London’s empty Alexandra Palace and Tee Shirts that read “I Was Not There.” The members of Los Angeles pop group Sure used a comparable technique in April with a T-shirt and autographed poster displaying a map of their band house to promote their livestreamed Home Tour, in which they played “venues” like the cooking area and the utility room.
According to Sure Sure’s manager, Traffic signal Management chief technique officer and executive vp Bruce Flohr. The poster produced around $3,000 in earnings and the Tee shirts $6,000 during the six-day event. “Artists that truly have a personality– which personality can be translated onto difficult products– that’s where the real win is,” says Flohr.
Lonely Weekend
Other artists are using new merch to revitalize old music. Kacey Musgraves’ “Lonely Weekend”– a track off her 2018 album. Golden Hour about a weekend invested in solitude took on brand-new meaning amid the pandemic. So, the country-pop vocalist worked with her management group at Sandbox Home entertainment. To provide a “Lonesome Weekend” self-care package in early August. Including a tie-dye package, bath bomb, set of socks and puzzle for $9999.
After two weeks, the items became available for individual purchase, permitting fans on a budget to take part. Musgraves’ daily supervisor Kelly Russell includes that sales of existing merch connected to the artist’s tune “Delighted & Sad” (consisting of a T-shirt, long-sleeve, pin and sticker label) have surged: “That is such a sign of how individuals have actually felt.” The team likewise unveiled a brand-new T-shirt and puzzle on Earth Day in addition to a remodelled variation of Musgraves’ tune “Oh, What a World,” while a planned restock of her formerly sold-out candle light partnership with the company Young boy Smells in Might showed to be best timing.
Russell and Sandbox head of digital Lucia Kaminsky have likewise turned to conventional marketing. Approaches like email blasts to match fans’ brand-new work patterns.
Music listeners
Meanwhile, Matteson is utilizing merch to “eventize” the album cycle in new ways for music listeners in seclusion. Fans of Bully — Alicia Bognanno’s indie-rock solo task– could preorder the new Sugaregg album on vinyl in several limited-edition colors made available separately over several weeks leading up to the album’s Aug. 21 release. As of mid-August, Bully’s Alicia Bognanno signed 1,000 vinyl copies and 100 CDs. “The job of a professional athlete,” says Matteson. Who keeps in mind that before the pandemic she never would have had the time for the job.
When Canadian-Colombian vocalist and visual artist Lido Pimienta’s tour. Promoting her April album Miss Colombia was cancel. Pimienta flew home from Europe to Toronto and made usage of her downtime, hand-screening 100 one-of-a-kind. She published videos of the production process on Instagram to construct buzz, and the vibrant copies offered out at 100 CAD each (about $75) or 150 CAD (about $114) for a package consisting of a T-shirt, illustration and CD — netting her upwards of $10,000
Bundle Up
While Stavros decreases to discuss dollar figures since the occasion was partly for charity. A source with knowledge of the livestream states Olsen sold over 650 top-tier tickets. For Olsen’s follow-up performances, viewers of the July 14 livestream might bundle their ticket with a limited-edition screenprint poster, while the Aug event was timed to the release of her brand-new album, Whole New Mess, and bundled tickets with a limited-edition colored vinyl album and a 7-inch single. Fans who didn’t bundle their tickets were still able to purchase merch during the shows through Olsen’s partnership with the streaming platform Noonchorus, founded by bros Andrew and Alex Jensen after the start of the pandemic.
Crowdsource The Product
However, Adam Weiner, the frontman of Philadelphia rock band Low Cut Connie, has turned his Tough Cookies livestream series into a successful merch brand name of its own, in part by letting viewers in on the decision-making.
Held every Thursday and Saturday from his Philadelphia house. Weiner’s one-hour livestreams are a mix of performance, group treatment and talk show. With recent guests including Huge Freedia, Don Bryant and seasoned guitarist Nils Lofgren.
Cookies-branded
The idea for adding merch stimulated after a jewelry-maker fan sent Weiner a customized Tough Cookies-branded metal bracelet. The $25 bracelet is now an essential at Low Cut Connie’s Hey There Merch online store.
When fans next expressed interest in the scent that Weiner sprays onto the electronic camera as a repeating bit during the shows — prompting viewers to envision “the odor of hope” — the singer worked with Canadian maker Les Lares to create a $40 unisex fragrance titled after Low Cut Connie’s upcoming album, Personal Lives(out Oct. 13). It’s now readily available for $25
Weiner is still cooking up brand-new methods to capitalize on his livestreams. He recently added a Hard Cookies membership alternative through subscription-service platform Patreon. Permitting fans to pay $5, $10 or $20 each month for perks including access to private performances and virtual meet-and-greets. He states the club has around 400 members– which would suggest that it produces at least $2,000 per month.