Five Creative Merchandise Ideas To Make You Stand Out

Being a musician is like running your own small business, and just like any small business the only way to stay afloat is to make money. Selling merchandise can be one of the biggest money-makers for artists, especially now that live touring has essentially come to a halt. When fans buy your merchandise, it means that they love you enough to want to invest in you as an artist.

Your fans are your greatest promotional outlet so creating unique and original merchandise is a great way to reach a larger audience. Below I’ve created a list of some creative merchandise ideas that go beyond the typical t-shirt and poster.

1) Reusable Water Bottles

With all the talk about climate change going on these days, what better way to show your support for the planet than by making reusable water bottles? With many venues now going plastic-free, water bottles are a fun way to be eco-friendly, but it’s also an easy way to showcase your brand as a product that people use daily. If you’re looking to do something a little more creative than just your band’s logo, try using water bottles to promote your latest single or album like Niall Horan did with his “Nice To Meet Ya” water bottle.

2) Coloring Books

Coloring books are not just for preschoolers anymore, they’re for everybody! If you’re looking for a fun way to help your fans de-stress, coloring books would be a great addition to your merchandise store. To get your fans even more involved you can have a coloring contest and post some of the best entries on your website and social media. You can do fun and quirky designs like Maggie Rogers’ “MR x @idrawmaggierrogers Coloring Book” or do something more intricate like Kacey Musgraves’ “Oh, What a COLORFUL World Coloring Book”.

3) Stickers

Who doesn’t love fun stickers? Stickers are making a big comeback these days. I mean just look at any water bottle or laptop and you’ll probably find at least one or two of them if not hundreds piled on. Stickers are an easy and inexpensive way to show off your brand and they can be placed almost everywhere. You can use them to promote a new single or to give your fans a little piece of yourself like Julia Michaels’ sticker kit that includes some of her famous tattoos.

4) Baby Onesie

If your main audience is a slightly older demographic than baby onesie can be a great way for your fans to pass along their music taste to the next generation. For music-loving parents, onesie can be a great gift to give them for baby showers and holidays. You can center your design around your song lyrics like Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds Heart” onesie or go for something a bit more recognizable like a photo of yourself like Marley’s “One Love Heart” onesie.

5) Face Coverings/Masks

Unfortunately, whether we like it or not face coverings will be the biggest fashion and safety trend of 2020. Many artists are making cloth face coverings and donating part of the proceeds to charities and nonprofit organizations that are supporting frontline workers and their families. This is not only a great way to give back to your community but also to help encourage your fans to stay safe. You can plaster your logo on them like Imagine Dragons have done with their “Imagine Dragons Logo” cloth face covering or do a much more subtle design like Ariana Grande’s “Stuck With U” face covering.

These are just some of the many creative merchandise ideas you can create to make yourself stand out from other artists in the industry. Regardless of what you decided to sell, merchandise is one of the best ways to not only make a profit but also be able to expand your audience and connect with your fans.