Merch
Gigs and merch go together. The live show is where people discover you, and the merch table is where some of them decide to take a piece of the night home.
For many independent bands, money from shows and merch is what keeps everything else going: fuel, rehearsal rooms, the next recording. But it only works if both sides are run with a bit of care. Badly organised gigs cost goodwill with venues, and badly planned merch orders cost actual money.
The two guides below cover each side. The gigs guide explains how to get booked, what to agree in writing and how to grow a local circuit without wearing out your audience. The merch guide walks through what to make first, how to work out break-even before you order, and how to run a table that people can actually find in a dark room.
Read them together. The best merch plan in the world won't help if nobody comes to the show, and a great show leaves money on the table if there's nothing to buy.
Designing and Selling Band Merch Without Losing Money
What to make first, how to work out true cost and break-even, ordering small, and running a merch table that actually sells.
Booking Your First Gigs and Building a Local Circuit
What bookers want to see, how to pitch without pestering, what to agree in writing, and how one gig turns into a circuit.