Merchandise has always provided artists with a great outlet for promotion. But let’s face it, as cool as t-shirts, posters, and other common merch table items can be, they don’t always help to spread exposure, and set you apart from all of the other struggling artists out there. Unique designs are great, but I couldn’t tell you how many cool band t-shirts I’ve seen on the street or in a club and have instantly forgotten about.
That being said, it’s a breath of fresh air for me when I come across some truly unique merchandise. Take, for example, Get Busy Committee, a recently formed group consisting of underground hip hop stalwarts Apathy and Ryu. While I’ve always enjoyed what these guys do, I’ve never been the first in line to buy their records. But after seeing the custom 2GB Uzi-shaped USB flash drive I may have to change that.
With so many musicians out there trying to make a living, having some unique, memorable merchandise behind you can really help to stand out and gain exposure.
When I was working in radio, I couldn’t even begin to tell you how many CDs I would receive every day. It was overwhelming, and I hate to say it, but a lot of those CDs never made it to the player. I’m sorry, but blank Memorex CDs adorned with names like the “Gwop Gettas” and “Big Dawg Billionaires” written in sharpie just didn’t seem worth my time.
However, when I received something unique, like a logo-emblazoned flash drive, messenger bag, lighter, etc., it immediately set that artist apart from the rest, and prompted me to give them a listen. Years later, I’m still using that flash drive, I’m still carrying that bag around with me for all to see, and, if it hadn’t ran out of gas, I’d still be using that lighter. I’m not saying unique merchandise was the only thing that prompted me to consider an artist, but it certainly didn’t hurt.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not knocking traditional merch like t-shirts (I own and wear more band shirts than the number of years I’ve been alive), but there are so many different directions you can take merchandise nowadays. Kanye has his own Nikes, Public Enemy has a line of action figures, Z-Trip sells his own slipmats, my roommate shoots whiskey out of 2Pac shot glasses. As I write this, my Sonic Youth coffee mug is sitting on a coaster made to look like Homicide’s 1998 CD-single “Neva Say.” Hell, my friends’ band even has their own condoms.
Some of these aforementioned items may fall more into the realm of sponsorships, and some may be a little more expensive than a struggling artist can afford to produce. And of course there’s no guarantee that merchandise will help your career at all. But my point is that getting creative with your merch gives you the potential to reach and appeal to an audience outside of your fan base, let alone within.
