So Black Friday is stereotypically that one day of the year when the deals are too good to be true. And there’s always that one person every year who gets killed by a stampeding crowd of Christmas shoppers in at least Wal-mart in the United States. Unfortunate. Lets just say we’re not a fan of [...]
If you’re just starting out, chances are that you aren’t getting very many paid gigs. Even if you’ve been playing for a while, its often hard to get an establishment to want to pay you. For tips on asking for payment, read “HOW TO NEGOTIATE WITH A VENUE THAT SAYS THEY CAN’T PAY YOU“ Other [...]
Here it is! The top 10 posts of 2011. The below is a cross between most read posts, most commented on, and most engaging. We encourage you to check out reader comments below each post because you all had alot to say. 1. TURNING FACEBOOK LIKES INTO LOVES Just because they happened to like your [...]
The new year is upon us! In the Spirit of change/resolutions/starting over, I propose that all the musicians reading this come up with a visible change in the way they spread their music. Here are a few ideas… (trying to keep posts shorter so its not too much to read in one sitting) Book Yourself. Then Book [...]
Like we’ve said in the past, one of simplest things you can do when splitting shows with other artists, is check out their merchandise setup. It’s a great way to get ideas for your own. Now, a display won’t necessarily make or break the deal, but a quality presentation can only help. Here are the [...]
Don’t know how we missed this, but Baltimore Band Stars and the Sea posted this comment a few months back. Check out there merchandise table setup. Here are their comments… “I’m using light tubes from Home Depot for the lighting. Total cost $30 for the Small Old Suite Case, $7 or so for the light tube.ere’s [...]
Today’s posts is a video interview with Philadelphia-based artist Talain Rayne. He and his band have some pretty creative merch ideas and it was worth getting their comments on camera. A few things we especially liked about Talain’s setup… 1. Creative Old Records: Melt old records and spraypaint them!? Awesome! Old records are inexpensive and easy [...]
. Today’s post comes from one of our favorite readers, UK-based artist, Andy Mort. He goes by the moniker, Atlum Schema and his music is just as interesting as his stage name. He’s got some really thoughtful advice on having your customers decide how much they want to pay for your music. Perhaps you’re already familiar [...]
Upon playing the Purple Door Festival last weekend, I realized that music festivals are the best place to scout for new merchandise table ideas and layouts. Philadelphia-based Christian pop-rock, dueling violins band, REILLY, takes the cake! I didn’t get a chance to buy the album but I almost did simply because their merch table was so [...]
Today’s posts is a guest article by Cincinnati-based hip-hop artist, MC Till. His thoughts are so easy and simple that you’ll wish you would have thought of them yourself. hehe For me my merch table is about two things: making a connection with another human and making a sale. If I do one without the [...]
Have you done this lately? Visit your website as if you are a random visitor. Put yourself in the shoes of the beholder… is your site easy to navigate? is there anything that’s confusing or not intuitive? is the most important information on the homepage? does your site clearly direct visitor to all other important [...]
Goodwill, Craigslist, your garage? Pick you spot and start you scavenger hunt. When it comes to your merch table, there are so many ways to make an interesting display without spending a ton of money. I’ve found most everything I need at goodwill. Here are some very useful suggestions. A Folding Table If you’ve ever [...]
The saying goes like this: If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, again. Occasionally, when I’m at a show, or shortly after a show, I notice how various audience members respond to my merchandise table. Here’s what I’ve observed… Type A Listener This individual likes what they hear. They buy the album immediately, sign [...]
Yesterday I got overly excited about the idea of selling your music by way of the USB flash drive. Read “Improvising…Because We’re In a Recession, Yo!“ So I thought I’d highlight a few more interesting (but different) merch ideas. I’m sure I’ll be adding to this list in future blogs. The Standards (not so interesting, [...]
Be sure to read the first two posts in this series 1.) Starting from Scratch: What it takes to Release a CD 2.) Alternatives – CD Packaging, Production, & Distribution So once you’ve got the recording, artwork, and packaging done, its time to decide on ways to get your music out there. We talked a [...]
