9 Of The Best Platforms For Creating Music Merch

• There’s never been a better time to get your merch made online!
• But what are the best websites and services to check out?
• We’ve rounded up 9 of the best platforms for handling your music merch.
• Also check out our ultimate guide on the best Fiverr gigs for music promotion/marketing.

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Merchandise is, without doubt, an essential part of any band’s income stream. With COVID-19 essentially putting a stop to touring and live events, selling merchandise is more important than ever.

This is even more true as the income generated from music sales and streaming shrinks, so selling t-shirts through an online store is a really great way to support your favorite bands.

Showcasing your merchandise on your YouTube channel, setting up bespoke pre-order campaigns, or even bundling in a special item when selling physical music online can be a great tool to connect you with your fanbase.

So if you’re just starting out as a band, looking to set up an online shop, or are maybe just looking for some quirky merchandise ideas then we’re giving you the 10 best platforms for creating music merchandise.

Pro Tip: Many of these platforms offer you the ability to order demos and a heavily discounted rate so you can get a feel for the quality of the merch. We highly recommend doing so before going ahead and ordering a whole batch.

Best Platforms For Creating Music Merch

Our roundup for this article includes…

1. Awesome Merchandise
2. Printify
3. Spreadshop
4. Big Cartel
5. Hello Merch
6. CD Baby
7. Threadless
8. Solid Merch
9. Sellfy

1. Printify

Printify is a unique online service that can help eliminate the extra cost associated with creating, ordering, and selling band merch online.

Simply choose your band merchandise from over 300 products, customize your design, order a sample and (once you’re happy) publish the product to your music website.

One of the great things about Printify is the products are sent directly to the customer, so while you can retain your online presence with a web store you don’t need to worry about dispatching any items.

There is a free plan available with up to 5 stores per account, and there’s also a paid plan if more stores are needed.

Check out how Printify works, and pricing at their website. Remember to use the code PRODUCERHIVE to get a free month on us!

Best for: Anyone who wants a simple online store but doesn’t have the time to handle packing and shipping.

2. Spreadshop

Spreadshop is another company making it easier for those wanting to break into the music business.

Taking the hassle out of band merch, Spreadshop handles the payment, processing, and shipping meaning you won’t have to physically handle your merchandise.

You’ll have full control over your pricing and earnings and there are no minimum sale requirements for your merch meaning you’ll be earning a profit from your first sale.

To add to the value, Speadshop offers some really helpful tips on your store so that you can maximize your music marketing.

For further info on how Spreadshop works, head to their website.

Best for: Bands and musicians looking for a ‘one stop’ solution for merch, and the ability to plug the store into your own website.

3. Awesome Merchandise

Awesome merchandise is a UK-based company that does way more than just sell t-shirts.

In fact, you could probably spend hours browsing their options before actually making a choice on what you’re going to purchase. If you want to sell merch that will get people talking we highly recommend using Awesome Merchandise.

Selling everything from stickers to slip mats to lighters and scarves, you’ll find a huge range of ideas that will look awesome in your online store. They also do some really great deals to help with your merchandise sales.

Shipping to the UK and EU is completely free although they still ship worldwide.

For more information check out the Awesome Merchandise online store.

Best for: UK/EU based bands and artists looking for unusual and innovative merch ideas.

5. Big Cartel

Big Cartel is a fairly well know band merch website and one that has been present in the music industry for some time. Starting out in 2005, the company has grown and grown whilst remaining independent keeping artists in mind.

In fact, Big Cartel has sold over $2.5 billion since its inception!

Big Cartel does offer paid and free options, with free packages allowing up to 5 items. Of course, the cost will factor into anything but their paid options come with some fantastic benefits including Google Analytics and more images per product.

For more details on their packages, head to Big Cartel.

Best for: Paid packages. Upgrading your plan offers great benefits.

6. Hello Merch

With over 10 years of experience, Hello Merch is a reliable and quick service shipping to over 100 countries.

Through Hello Merch you’ll be able to set up your own online store with help from their customer support should you need anything via online chat, text message, email, and social media.

One of the unique aspects of Hello Merch is their drop shipping and returns service that lets you sell your leftover music merch with them online should you need to. You’ll also be able to sign up without any upfront fees or contracts.

Check out Hello Merch for more info on their services.

Best for: Customer support – the team is responsive and very helpful.

7. CD Baby

CD Baby is a bit different from some of the other services on our list, as they focus mainly on producing CDs. While CD players are hardly as popular these days, fans still appreciate physical copies and if they dig the music enough they will find a way to listen.

Offering both a distribution and CD production service, you’ll be able to not only get your music online but also print off a physical run of your latest album or EP.

As we all know, most fans consume music through online streaming services but CDs are still a vital way of earning income from live gigs and album releases.

Print runs of as little as 50 CDs can be made with other bonus merch items like posters also available.

For more information on CD printing and music distribution head to the CD Baby website.

Best for: Pressing your latest EP or single to CD before a tour.

8. Threadless

Threadless claims to offer the easiest way to sell music merch online.

Offering everything from t-shirts to hoodies and even shower curtains, Threadless won’t charge a penny for anything (in fact they don’t even ask for a credit card to sign up).

Offering transparent pricing (which includes the option of letting them manage the cost of your merch items) Threadless really helps take the hard work out of setting up an online shop.

You only need to head to their testimonial section to see how many people are extremely happy with this service!

Earnings are calculated and paid out once a month and the only thing you need to start is a PayPal account.

Find out more directly at the Threadless website.

Best for: Ease of use with low overheads.

9. Solid Merch

Solid Merch is a quirky merch shop who aside from apparel also prints vinyl and cassettes, both of which are resurging in popularity in a major way.

Either can be ordered in a number of formats including splatter vinyl effects and custom shapes. If you are on the lookout for clothing as well then they have an awesome array of options such as 3/4 sleeve t-shirts and zip hoodies.

Check out the Solid Merch website for more information on products and services.

Best for: CD and Vinyl reproduction

10. Sellfy

Sellfy is a super simple eCommerce store that allows you to sell digital, physical, subscription and print-on-demand products.

The Sellfy platform is built on simplicity but allows you to upscale your business and selling without adding unnecessary complications. The store takes minutes to set up and offers some really useful marketing features such as email marketing, discount codes and tracking pixels. Theres a 14 day free trial available too to get you started.

Prices are based on a monthly, yearly and two yearly subscription, with the longer plans offering a cheaper-per-month price.

For more information on plans and features head over to Sellfy.

Best for: Both marketing features and subscription products.

Summing Up

Whether you’re looking to sell physical copies of your music, T-shirts after a gig, or are maybe wanting to do a giveaway with your email marketing, band merch is a really important part of any artist’s revenue stream.

Luckily this doesn’t have to mean ordering hundreds of units to sell at gigs as getting an online shop set up has never been easier. Many of them will also handle the boring stuff for you (like postage) so you can stay focused on your music.

So if you’re wanting to create some unique products to sell, or maybe you’re gearing up for your first tour, these options will give you a great starting point for your next merch campaign.

(For some hot ideas on how to promote your music, next up is 6 Viral Music Marketing Hacks That Exploded These Artists’ Success!)

Also, check out Best Places To Sell Musical Equipment Online

For more merch options read up on Printify vs Printful!