In a couple of months, you and your band will be hitting the road and going on tour. You’ll be loading the van with your gear and your pals, and driving all across the country. It’s an exciting opportunity to reach audiences all across Canada and to promote the thing that you cherish the most: the music!

Every band knows that to make money, you must also sell merchandise (more commonly referred to as “merch”) at your shows and concerts. It gives you the ability to increase your visibility and raise money for the band and the tour at the same time. The products you sell to your fans immediately become your personal billboards.

The best part is there are so many flexible product options to choose from. Let’s take a look at what those items are.

Custom T-Shirts

Every band is different — they all have their individual style and sound, but there is also a unique personality, vibe, and overall aesthetic that every group conveys. When it comes to selling merch, it’s important to channel those aspects into the products that you’re selling because it creates unification among fans. They’ll feel closer to you, and you’ll build a strong following.

The most tried and true of all band merch is the customized t-shirt. There’s no better way to excite your fans, raise money, and promote your band’s image all at the same time than with a perfectly-designed t-shirt. Check out local printing companies. When you order custom t shirts from Prints Canada you’ll find a massive selection of styles and no start-up fees.

A few months before the tour, sit down and brainstorm ideas with your band for t-shirt ideas. Consider things such as:

• How to display your band’s logo and if you should also include tour dates on the front or back of the shirt
• Album artwork and if it should also be part of the shirt design
• If you should also sell sweatshirts and other clothing styles

Ensure that you order plenty because you’ll quickly notice that those shirts will fly off the tables after your shows and concerts.

Posters, Stickers, and Pins

Are you or any of your bandmates also incredible graphic designers, in addition to being stellar musicians? Or, perhaps you have a friend who is a professional designer or artist? Some of the best artwork that has come out in the last few decades has been album art.

Think of the iconic banana image from The Velvet Underground and Nico’s album (the artwork was designed by none other than Andy Warhol, but still) or the celestial, mystical image from Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. Those images are collectors’ items now and are partly why so many people are so familiar with both of those legendary bands.

Create a poster that people will want to hang on their walls for years to come. Also, make some pins, patches, and stickers to sell. Fans love to collect merchandise of all sorts; stickers and badges, which can attach to things like laptops or backpacks, promote your band in all kinds of ways in many different locations. How many times have you noticed a cool-looking sticker on the back of someone’s computer, while sitting in a coffee shop?

Posters, pins, stickers, and so forth are useful promotional tools because they catch people’s attention.

The world deserves to know how great your band is, so start planning the perfect promotional strategy and get excited to hit that open road!