I was listening to an interview with Ken Casey of the Drop Kick Murphy’s on This Week In Music with Ian Rogers. First of all I will say that I really like Ian Rogers’ show. Very informative. Many interesting issues were discussed in the interview, but one thing in particular caught my interest. Ian Rogers asked Ken Casey what the band will be focusing on business-wise in the near and far future. Where would the band be putting their business focus? Ken’s answer was that they would keep focusing on merch as merch has always been a big part of their business. Ken started to go on having brushed over the subject of merch. Ian stopped him and pointed out that he was really being modest there. The reason that the band has had success with merch is that their fan base wanted to share in the image that they have created and that is a real accomplishment.
This got me thinking about merch and how does a band ramp up a healthy focus on merch and then see real results. I mean, why would you not want to sell more merch? There are so many benefits. Obviously, more merch sales means more money. So, when someone comes to a show they give you money at the door $$ If it ends there, you’re doing well but if you can sell them a CD and a t-shirt, you just made a little more $$. You didn’t need to attract a new fan, you didn’t need to get more radio plays, you didn’t need to get a TV placement. The marketing costs associated with the extra money had already been spent on getting that person in the door. This means more return on your marketing investment. Good deal. The benefits don’t stop there. Now that person wears your hat or t-shirt intentionally advertising your brand to everyone they directly AND indirectly come in contact with. That’s cool too. Don’t forget about or downplay the psychological benefits of merch also. Once a fan purchases some merch they have what is referred to as an ownership bias toward your music and your brand. This means that they bought it, it is part of who they are and they are more likely to stick with you. This can help you to sell future albums, get people to keep coming to your shows and refer your music to their friends. Does this sound like something you want to do?
I know some bands/artists who have had some success with merch and I have read some articles about merch, but I wanted to confirm what I know and expand my knowledge on the subject. I figured I would share the information I found.
I decided the first place to do research was on the Drop Kick Murphy’s website, as Ken was saying that the band had been successful in that area. Looking at the available merch on their website really opened up a window into a thought process surrounding merch that I don’t see from a lot of artists. The Drop Kick Murphy’s sell T-Shirts, hoodies, hats and all of the regular things you see on a merch table. They also have a key chain with a bottle opener, a ship wheel necklace and even a back to school kit with a notebook and pencils. I really like the variety of merch available from DKM. This is nothing new and the variety alone doesn’t explain their merchandising success. It is clear that the DKM have aligned their identity with other identities that are bigger than they are. The band is from Boston and they’re Irish (that makes sense). So their merch includes themes that have to do with being Irish, the Boston Redsox and the Boston Bruins. This is fundamentally brilliant, but I’m not sure it was originally some type of master plan. The Irish and Redsox identities are a part of the identities of the band and the identities of their fans. All they did was to publicize these bigger identities a part of their own. So, when someone who was already a Redsox fan buys a t-shirt or a hat they’re are getting two things that they love. All in all, a great set up. Oh, and they sell a “Deering Dropkick Murphys Tenor Banjo” for $2,699. I wonder how many of those they sell!
I took a look at some other well known artist’s websites and what they are selling. The variety of merch available is always wide on with the bigger name bands. Dave Mathews sells a snow board along with a ton of stuff beyond the traditional t-shirt. I looked into an up and coming artist Kina Grannis (who happens to be featured on This Week in Music a couple of weeks prior to the DKM interview). Kina sells all kinds of stuff too. A lot of her merch is sporting a “guitar girl” theme (she’s got a key chain too).
I think most bands/artists stick with t-shirts, hats and maybe stickers if they have anything at all. It is hard to make blanket recommendations because it really depends on who your fans are and what they already own (although it does seem like a key chain is a good idea). Dave Mathews has bandannas and women’s socks. That makes sense for him. Check out this post on researching your fan base. Just pay attention to what your fan base is already buying or what identities they are already attached to and then give them an opportunity to get what they want from you.
There is more to be said about merch, but that’s all for now. I will bring this up again. If you have had any success with merch yourself or if you have any lessons to share, please leave a comment below. We all really appreciate more information.
Tom Siegel
