3 ms·

I can see the analogy of being indie musician and this - total income might not come from your main work but from all kinds of sources that is somehow related t

I can see the analogy of being indie musician and this - total income might not come from your main work but from all kinds of sources that is somehow related to it. In this merchandise.

dna_polymerase 9y ago
I'd argue for non-indie musicians it's the same these days. Spotify and other streaming services aren't paying too much anymore, CD sales are down, direct sales (like iTunes) are not the highest anymore.
- SyneRyder 9y ago
  One of my favorite bands Unheilig (German goth / rock band) has a massive merchandising business, despite being one of the top selling German artists of all time. The store has way more than just t-shirts & posters, there's well over 200 SKUs: https://www.emso.de/unheilig_2 https://www.emso.de/unheilig_2 I sometimes feel a bit cynical about it, but I'm glad they found a way to fund their tours & keep churning out more of my favorite albums every year. Edit: To be closer to topic, Panic [1] used to sell t-shirts & hoodies, Atebits [2] used to sell pillows of the Tweetie app icon, and The Iconfactory [3] sold models of the Twitterrific Ollie blue bird. [1] https://panic.com/blog/panic-goods-cheaper-shipping-coda-shirts/ https://panic.com/blog/panic-goods-cheaper-shipping-coda-shi... [2] https://technabob.com/blog/2010/03/03/tweetie-pillows/ https://technabob.com/blog/2010/03/03/tweetie-pillows/ [3] http://www.cardboardspaceshiptoys.com/toys-c-3/ollie-the-twitterrific-bird-vinyl-p-1505.html http://www.cardboardspaceshiptoys.com/toys-c-3/ollie-the-twi...
- 0x00000000 9y ago
  Not just these days - even before streaming got big. Most artists have always made pennies from sales and most of their money from tours and merch not to mention other unfavorable conditions imposed by record labels. Even the huge EDM artists and rappers make most of their money from charging 6 figures a show, not from record sales. I would argue that now is a better time than ever to be a musician given that with the internet, a record label is not strictly necessary and you can market and sell merch to a massive audience and make money with just an internet connection.
  - coldtea 9y ago
    >Not just these days - even before streaming got big. Most artists have always made pennies from sales and most of their money from tours and merch In the last 10-15 years maybe, but up until the nineties or so, merch (even t-shirts) wasn't much a thing for most indie musicians -- except in the metal world perhaps. As for tours, they were seen as loss-leaders for album sales. Some select concerts in big cities could get money, but the expenses of touring around e.g. the US where big too, and in the end it was a bet in getting even. On the other hand, in the vinyl era, indie musicians (which had better profit-sharing deals and recorded cheaply, not spending $200,000 for farting around in the studio for 6 months) could sell 30.000 - 50.000 albums or so and be able pay the rent from that.

I can see the analogy of being indie musician and this - total income might not come from your main work but from all kinds of sources that is somehow related to it. In this merchandise.

dna_polymerase 9y ago

I'd argue for non-indie musicians it's the same these days. Spotify and other streaming services aren't paying too much anymore, CD sales are down, direct sales (like iTunes) are not the highest anymore.

SyneRyder 9y ago
One of my favorite bands Unheilig (German goth / rock band) has a massive merchandising business, despite being one of the top selling German artists of all time. The store has way more than just t-shirts & posters, there's well over 200 SKUs: https://www.emso.de/unheilig_2 https://www.emso.de/unheilig_2 I sometimes feel a bit cynical about it, but I'm glad they found a way to fund their tours & keep churning out more of my favorite albums every year. Edit: To be closer to topic, Panic [1] used to sell t-shirts & hoodies, Atebits [2] used to sell pillows of the Tweetie app icon, and The Iconfactory [3] sold models of the Twitterrific Ollie blue bird. [1] https://panic.com/blog/panic-goods-cheaper-shipping-coda-shirts/ https://panic.com/blog/panic-goods-cheaper-shipping-coda-shi... [2] https://technabob.com/blog/2010/03/03/tweetie-pillows/ https://technabob.com/blog/2010/03/03/tweetie-pillows/ [3] http://www.cardboardspaceshiptoys.com/toys-c-3/ollie-the-twitterrific-bird-vinyl-p-1505.html http://www.cardboardspaceshiptoys.com/toys-c-3/ollie-the-twi...
0x00000000 9y ago
Not just these days - even before streaming got big. Most artists have always made pennies from sales and most of their money from tours and merch not to mention other unfavorable conditions imposed by record labels. Even the huge EDM artists and rappers make most of their money from charging 6 figures a show, not from record sales. I would argue that now is a better time than ever to be a musician given that with the internet, a record label is not strictly necessary and you can market and sell merch to a massive audience and make money with just an internet connection.
- coldtea 9y ago
  >Not just these days - even before streaming got big. Most artists have always made pennies from sales and most of their money from tours and merch In the last 10-15 years maybe, but up until the nineties or so, merch (even t-shirts) wasn't much a thing for most indie musicians -- except in the metal world perhaps. As for tours, they were seen as loss-leaders for album sales. Some select concerts in big cities could get money, but the expenses of touring around e.g. the US where big too, and in the end it was a bet in getting even. On the other hand, in the vinyl era, indie musicians (which had better profit-sharing deals and recorded cheaply, not spending $200,000 for farting around in the studio for 6 months) could sell 30.000 - 50.000 albums or so and be able pay the rent from that.