Are Custom T-shirts Important for Artists or Bands?

Are Custom T-shirts Important for Artists or Bands?

We’re going to answer that with a resounding “HECK YES!” As an aspiring musician or an artist, selling custom t-shirts is a vital component to the success of your brand. As an aspiring musician or an artist, selling custom t-shirts is a vital component to the success of your brand. Yes, you read that twice. No, it was not a typo. It’s so important, we had you read it again.

Merchandise has always been an integral part of the growth of musical artists for a variety of reasons. It can be a very helpful source of income, it allows fans to relate or connect to the music culture or lifestyle the artists identify themselves with and it’s a great tool for marketing as well.

There’s an array of ways to merchandise. You can market your brand through buttons, badges, posters, etc. One of the more effective and classic methods is screen printing t-shirts. Nirvana, Zepplin, Slayer, Beethoven, all bands and artists that have developed a cult merch following with their t-shirts becoming iconic in the fashion world. Ok, maybe not Beethoven, but he definitely deserves to be in the mix. While you might not be at their level just yet, the “concert t-shirt” is a powerful marketing tool that can also help you with your gas fund for those city to city tours. Not to mention, people in Austin love wearing custom t-shirts!

While you might not be at their level just yet, the “concert t-shirt” is a powerful marketing tool that can also help you with your gas fund for those city to city tours. Not to mention, people in Austin love wearing custom t-shirts!

Custom T-Shirts as a Source of Income

Management, travel and equipment costs will take cookie after cookie out of the cookie jar. Whether you’re an artist/band signed to a record label playing music festivals across the country or an indie band playing small venues in and around Austin, extra money never hurts.

The great thing about merchandise is that the money made from sales is all yours. Trying to make it in the music industry can make your head spin faster than Hakeem “The Dream” Olajuwon in the paint. The income brought in from merchandising can help alleviate the headache of budgeting and, with some good luck, can become profit as well. After all, making money doing what you love is the goal here. For aspiring artists out there trying to make ends meet, merch might be a way to kill the hunger pangs between gigs.

The income brought in from merchandising can help alleviate the headache of budgeting and, with some good luck, can become profit as well. After all, making money doing what you love is the goal here. For aspiring artists out there trying to make ends meet, merch might be a way to kill the hunger pangs between gigs.

The income brought in from merchandising can help alleviate the headache of budgeting and, with some good luck, can become profit as well. After all, making money doing what you love is the goal here. For aspiring artists out there trying to make ends meet, merch might be a way to kill the hunger pangs between gigs.

After all, making money doing what you love is the goal here. For aspiring artists out there trying to make ends meet, merch might be a way to kill the hunger pangs between gigs.

 Fan & Brand Connection

 Your merch is a representation of your brand. Your brand is a representation of your music, your culture, and your lifestyle. Through merchandising, your fans will be able to express the connection they feel with your brand. It’s not just your brand they’ll be able to connect with, but also other like-minded fans forming a sense of community. Selling custom t-shirts also allows you to connect with your fans on a personal level. Being at the merch table selling your posters, buttons, etc., can give you the opportunity to create a face to face connection with those who support your art. This is one of the most valuable elements in cultivating a successful following.

Selling custom t-shirts also allows you to connect with your fans on a personal level. Being at the merch table selling your posters, buttons, etc., can give you the opportunity to create a face to face connection with those who support your art. This is one of the most valuable elements in cultivating a successful following.

Free Marketing

 What better way of marketing your brand than with your own army of loyal followers? We’re still talking music fans here. Think about it this way. When a fan purchases a custom t-shirt with your brand on it, they are paying you to give them an advertisement they can put on and walk around with it. That is a win/win situation. If the design concept is interesting and creative enough, it can create some eye-catching attention and even dialogue. Who doesn’t love talking about their favorite artists? Make nice shirts that people will wear.

If the design concept is interesting and creative enough, it can create some eye-catching attention and even dialogue. Who doesn’t love talking about their favorite artists? Make nice shirts that people will wear.

Merch is an Investment

It’s important to look at your options when you’re creating your merch.  If you plan on doing give-a-ways through contests or other mediums, you could do a separate run of lower quality shirts that won’t hurt your bottom line. You can use higher quality garments for the sales merch since your fans are paying for them. As mentioned before, your brand is a represents what you’re about and your brand will be represented on a screen printed t-shirt. In essence, the quality of the shirt will be a representation of your identity. Find the balance.

As mentioned before, your brand is a represents what you’re about and your brand will be represented on a screen printed t-shirt. In essence, the quality of the shirt will be a representation of your identity. Find the balance.

As mentioned before, your brand is a represents what you’re about and your brand will be represented on a custom t-shirt. In essence, the quality of the shirt will be a representation of your identity. Find the balance.

Good, better, best strategy: 

• You can print on economical t-shirts because they’re affordable and help test the water for your next gig without going all in on a more premium garment.
• Use higher quality garments for your fans. You can print on premium shirts because people love your band and they’ll love your custom t-shirt too, so much that they may never take it off.
• Everybody prints on a black t-shirt. This is totally ok but throw in a few funky colors and offer them as special editions. There’s no better way for a true fan to set themselves apart than by wearing a limited edition screen printed t-shirt from their favorite band.

In Conclusion – Are Custom T-shirts Important for Artists or Bands?

Chances are everybody already has your first band t-shirt. There may even be a devoted few that have multiple in case they ever lose one. If you come up with different designs, people will buy them. Don’t leave money on the table on offer a variety! They want the new designs.

Through custom t-shirts, your brand will reach and grow significantly to create a bigger audience, more income, and a loyal following.