Band Merchandise Guide: Design, Production, and Sales in 2025

Merchandise made one band I managed more money than their actual music did. Not streaming, not show guarantees—t-shirts and hoodies. After years helping bands build merch operations from zero, I know the difference between bands treating merch as an afterthought versus bands understanding it's often their primary revenue stream.

Start with t-shirts—they're your bread and butter. Simple, clean designs that people actually want to wear outside of shows. The bands selling tons of merch aren't creating elaborate art pieces—they're making wearable logos and graphics that look good. Test designs first using print-on-demand services like Printful before investing thousands in bulk printing. Once you know what sells, scale up with bulk orders for better margins.

Price strategically using the 2.5-3x cost formula. If a shirt costs you $8 to produce, sell it for $20-25. This covers overhead, gives healthy margins, and matches market expectations. Don't underprice trying to be accessible—fans expect merch to cost what it costs. Overpricing kills sales just as fast as cheap-looking designs.

Sell primarily at shows—that's where impulse buying happens. Set up visible merch displays near exits or in high-traffic areas. Accept cash and cards using Square or similar readers. Most importantly, staff your table with friendly people who engage fans, not band members scrolling phones ignoring customers. I've watched sales triple when bands treated merch tables as fan connection opportunities instead of chores.

Build an online store for passive income between tours. Bandcamp works great for music-focused fans. Shopify or Big Cartel for more customization. Keep it simple—professional photos, clear sizes, easy checkout. Complicated stores lose sales fast.

Start conservatively with inventory. For t-shirts, typical size distribution: 10% small, 30% medium, 35% large, 20% XL, 5% 2XL. Adjust based on your actual audience demographics. Running out of sizes sucks, but sitting on boxes of unsold 2XLs for years sucks worse.

Track everything relentlessly. What designs sell best? Which sizes move fastest? What's your per-show average? Most bands guess blindly, reorder what they like personally, wonder why inventory doesn't move. Data tells you exactly what to print more of and what to discontinue. Eliminate slow sellers ruthlessly—dead inventory ties up cash you need for stuff that actually sells.

Market merch like you market music. Post photos of fans wearing your stuff. Create limited editions to build urgency. Offer bundles combining shirts with music. Run flash sales to clear old inventory. Merch isn't just revenue—every person wearing your shirt is free advertising to everyone who sees them.

Managing all this—tracking inventory across sizes and designs, coordinating production runs, processing online orders, maintaining sales records, analyzing what sells, planning reorders—creates substantial operational complexity. Bandmate.co centralizes these functions so your merch operation stays profitable without consuming your entire life. Because merchandise done right often outearns the actual music. Treat it seriously.