More goes into impressive merchandise sales numbers than meets the eye. For one, there’s the marketing research that needs to be done beforehand so that you have product fans actually want to buy. After that comes the effectiveness of the person selling the merchandise; getting your band’s gear into fans’ hands is harder than sitting behind the table and letting them come to you.
A crew of us here at Indie Ambassador took the opportunity presented by Warped Tour to go down and talk to some merchandise people (both band members and designated salespeople) about what tactics work for them. Included in the video below are interviews with Salim from Bad Rabbits, Kelly with There for Tomorrow, Sean of Bridge Nine Records, and the man we all know as Jon Cheese. As you will see, the most successful merchandise is practical, catchy, and most importantly, sold from someone with creative energy! For more on that, make sure you catch the end of the video…