As 2023 unfolds we are pleased to announce that Bandzoogle members have achieved a considerable milestone - you have now sold over $100,000,000 worth of merch, music and other items–all commission-free!
Musicians are making money in more ways than ever before, and we’re thrilled that so many of you have been successfully selling merch items like t-shirts, vinyl, tickets, as well as offering fan subscriptions to build a solid fanbase.
We know that making money as a musician isn’t easy work, and we’re so pleased that our tools and features have been a help to many artists out there creating a business from their music.
This incredible milestone is the result of the hard work of many indie musicians. Here’s how it was achieved:
Online merch sales
Merch sales represent 75% of the revenue from this $100 million mark. This suggests that fans are more willing than ever to buy merch directly from their favorite artists. Bandzoogle has never taken a cut of sales made through an artist's website, which also makes it easier for fans to purchase directly, knowing that they’re supporting their favorite artists as fully as possible.
Merch is a great way to start out making money. Fans love to have something to hold in their hands that reminds them of their favorite artist or song. Setting up a print-on-demand merch store eliminates the need for musicians to buy upfront in bulk and allows for offering a variety of merch items tailored to fans.
Musicians using Bandzoogle can combine items in the built-in Store feature, offering upsells and product bundles as ways to increase sales.
Selling merch through your own website also offers an opportunity to be creative, selling products that can’t be found elsewhere. T-shirts are still most in demand, but you can offer niche items outside of clothing, as well. For example, there may be cassette or vinyl collectors within your fanbase, and you can sell these in limited or broad runs, as needed.
Providing merch is a key tool to reinforce branding around your music, highlighting your logo or items that relate to you and your story.
Keep 100% of your revenues when you sell music, merch and tickets through your website. Build your website with Bandzoogle now.
Other methods of making money
While merch ruled all in musicians sales, many artists made money with other products and services. Some included digital album and single sales, some had great event ticket sales, and some earned commission-free tips using a virtual tip jar.
Digital merch also made up a substantial portion of sales, with musicians selling everything from concert videos to sheet music, lyric books, and sample packs.
When sales happen through your own website, the sky's the limit for which products you can offer. If you’re a music teacher, creating lessons to sell online might be a great way to build up passive income after investing your time up front. Or, if you have a new release or an anniversary album, consider offering some digital extras to go along with it.
Selling fan subscriptions
Fan subscriptions is another option that musicians have embraced as a potential source of steady income. Selling monthly subscriptions has allowed for that all-important musician-fan connection to grow, with so many digital options available.
From exclusive merch sales to advanced listening opportunities, musicians tying unique advantages into monthly subscription fees have kept their fans invested in their careers. Virtual hangouts or Q&A sessions are nice ways to keep connected to fans that may have found you online but can’t travel to your live shows.
Sales picking up speed
We’ve been keeping an eye on musicians' revenues through their websites since we launched e-commerce tools. These numbers have really picked up speed over the last few years. It’s encouraging to see how musicians have adapted to become more business-savvy throughout the pandemic, using these creative options to solidify their fanbase and deepen connections.
Robust e-commerce options
If you’re wondering why you haven’t seen much success selling your music or merch online, we invite you to take a look at all of the e-commerce options available to you through your website. Different approaches are needed for different musicians; success is a matter of developing a solid plan to sell your band merch and music to your unique base of fans.
For best results, market your products thoughtfully, keep your store up to date by cycling through different items, and measure what works (and what doesn’t) with each new release.
You might also consider taking your music marketing initiatives up a notch by creating landing pages for dedicated music and merch sales. Landing pages are really helpful in quantitatively measuring the results of your marketing efforts, allowing you to then tailor and adjust strategies for different campaigns.
While the pandemic certainly put a damper on live shows and touring income, musicians flourished in their ability to adapt and make money from their music online. We’re delighted to see these outstanding results - $100 million is a powerful accomplishment for indie artists. We wish you much continued success in using your website to sell music and merch online to your fans!
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