How To Sell Merch & Music At Shows Without Being Sales-y

When it comes to selling merch and music at live shows, it’s not uncommon for musicians to feel uncomfortable and out-of-their-element. This unsettling feeling usually causes musicians to avoid sales altogether.

After all, we musicians are creatives. Deep down, we believe that the quality of our creative products should speak for themselves.

And yes, it should…

But only if people know about it.

That’s where marketing comes in.

Good marketing makes sales easy.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Myths About Selling That Are Holding You Back

Before we can get into the nitty-gritty strategies of how to sell merch and music without being “sales-y,” and the important role of marketing in setting up the sale, I first need to quash a few myths that might be keeping you from selling at shows.

Myth #1: Music fans only buy online nowadays

90% of the successful artists I interview on my Podcast, The Female Entrepreneur Musician, say that CD and merch sales at live shows are not dead. In fact, sales at shows make up a good chunk of their earnings.

When you focus on building a supportive, devoted fan base, you WILL sell CDs, download cards, merch and more. Your audience will want to take home a memento of the experience and be able to show their appreciation for you and your talent at the same time.

You can get some great tips on making your merch table a true “destination” for your fans from experts like Suzanne Paulinski (Rock/Star Advocate), Lisa Lynne and Shannon Curtis during their interviews on the Profitable Musician Summit. Grab your free ticket here.

Myth #2: When fans buy from you, they are doing you a favor

Your audience wants what you have. With this idea firmly implanted in your brain, it will be much easier for you to talk about what you have to offer. Buying something from your merch table gives fans a tangible way to thank you for the experience you just gave them. Don’t rob them of the positive experience of reciprocity.

Find out how this mindset shift (from thinking of sales as begging or asking for a favor to thinking of sales simply as an exchange of value) helped Greg Wilnau, of Musician Monster, suddenly start making hundreds of dollars from his merch table. Get free access to his interview for the Profitable Musician Summit here.

Myth #3: To sell more, you need to learn the “tricks of the trade”

To make sales, you don’t need to be a good salesperson.

I hear a collective sigh of relief from the musician community!

That’s right. You don’t need to take classes about selling or learn some fancy sales scripts.

But, you do need to learn to be a good marketer.

Now that you’ve cleared your mind of those pesky myths that were probably limiting your ability to sell, let’s talk about marketing.

Good Marketing Makes Sales Easy

The sales conversation starts WAY before your potential buyers visit your merch table. When it comes to selling, marketing actually does the lion’s share of the heavy lifting.

Marketing might sound like something you need to study in school or read a stack of books to master, but at its core, marketing is nothing more than educating people toward a buying decision through demonstration and stories.

Marketing Is Edu-tainment

Good marketing starts with a solidly entertaining and/or moving performance. That is a given. If you aren’t putting on a good show or don’t have stellar music, no amount of marketing can overcome that.

Good marketing connects the dots between your music, your performance and the sale. It involves consciously leaving clues, like breadcrumbs, that lead concert-goers from the great music and experience of your show right to the merch table.

These clues can be as simple as mentioning your song titles and what album they are on, holding your CD up on stage, wearing your merch on stage, pointing out fans wearing your merch, giving merch or music away during a set, and any other creative ways that fit naturally into your show.

The key is that it needs to be subtle. It’s a mention…not an advertisement. Make a concerted effort to build these little marketing moments into your show in a way that fits your personality or that of your band. You’ll find people will have already sold themselves on buying from you before the closing song.

Invite Your Fans Into The Story

You’ve probably heard about “the power of the story” to engage your audience. It is an essential element of successful stage performing. Telling stories and creating experiences is what will make your fans want to continue that relationship by buying something.

While performing, tell the audience how a certain song came about, what inspired it and give a story they can relate to. Be sure to mention what CD the song is on so the audience can make a mental note to get that CD at your merch table. If you’ve pulled them into the story, they will want to stay connected to the narrative by purchasing the song.

Often, the most compelling story of all is YOUR story. Your audience truly wants to know the artist behind the music, so be vulnerable and authentic about your life while on stage.

The most common reason someone will want to buy your merch is so that they can help sustain you and your music. Tell them what it means when they buy a CD or t-shirt - how it helps you continue to create great music, focus on writing and recording, and tour more often. If you’ve brought them into your personal and artist story, they’ll naturally want to invest in you.

It’s OK To Assume

Here’s a big mindset shift - start with the assumption that your audience wants to purchase something from you. This shifts you from the position of salesperson to that of a guide. If they’ve already decided that they want to buy from you, all you are doing is giving them the information they need to complete the transaction..

In the past, you may have been nervous about mentioning your albums and merch table several times during a show. It might have felt repetitive and sales-y, but, I promise, it didn’t feel that way to the audience. Their attention is often divided between you and everything going on around them. Chances are, they’ll only hear 50% of your stage banter, so numerous friendly reminders are appreciated.

Practice inserting reminders casually into your show: point out band members or fans wearing your merch, hold up your album when you play a popular song from the record, you can even point them in the general direction of your merch table so they know where to go after the performance.

Take The Friction Out Of Selling

There are so many small tweaks you can make to remove the friction at the point of sale:

Enlist a helper at the merch table to move the line faster so you can talk to fans.

● Have a clean, organized merch display - i.e shirt sizes in order, CDs in rows, etc.
● Display large, clear signage with pricing for all items and bundles.
● Use round numbers for your pricing, preferably in increments of $5.
● Offer bundles i.e. CD plus T-shirt or a bundle of your full CD catalog for a discount, ready made gift baskets or boxes filled with music and merch, etc. Don’t forget upcoming holidays and have gifts wrapped appropriately - i.e. Mother’s day, Christmas, etc.
● Use a graduated discount strategy - i.e. 1 for $15, 2 for $25, 3 for $35, etc

Learn some tips from Allison Sharpe of Bandzoogle on how to use online tools to make selling at shows easier in her interview for the Profitable Musician Summit. Get your free ticket here.

Learn How To Sell Merch & Music At Shows + 31 More Income Streams During The Profitable Musician Online Summit Event

For more great tips on how to sell merch and music at shows, plus 31 other streams of income for musicians including performing at corporate events, private events, house concerts, festivals, touring, online concerts, etc. Also, how to get non-performing income like online session work & voiceovers, licensing, teaching both online and offline, sponsorships, crowdfunding and so many more. Grab your free ticket at www.ProfitableMusicianSummit.com

Bree Noble quit her corporate job as a Director of Finance to pursue music. After a successful run as a touring singer/songwriter, she founded Women of Substance Radio to promote quality female artists in all genres. She hosts the Female Entrepreneur Musician Podcast where she teaches music marketing strategies and interviews successful Indie female artists and industry pros. Drawing on her extensive experience, Bree has created online courses to help musicians learn to make a living from their music. For more, visit www.femusician.com

How To Sell Merch & Music At Shows Without Being Sales-y