Band merch sells. “Merch provides a financial win for artists,” Lauren Cochrane wrote for The Guardian. This is particularly true when artists sell their band merch online and avoid having to pay hefty commissions to concert venues.
Because of the many sales channels available these days, band merch is a booming industry on track to hit $16.3 billion by 2030. Over 20% of the top 100 Billboard artists now sell directly to fans on Shopify, and in 2024, sales from artist-owned brands on Shopify in the US grew over 35%, year-over-year.
Whether you sell t-shirts at the merch table or scalable digital merch online, merch offers more than just income: It’s a billboard for your band. It gets fans excited, strengthens their connection to your music, and becomes part of their identity.
Here are band merch ideas that go beyond the iconic band tee, plus tips to make your merch stand out.
15 band merch ideas
- T-shirts
- Bracelets
- Card decks
- Tour posters
- Dog bandanas
- Phone cases
- Keychains
- Zines
- Limited-run vinyl
- Food and beverage products
- Lip products
- Toys and collectibles
- Candles
- Stickers
- Mystery boxes
The first widely recognized official band t-shirt came from an Elvis Presley fan club in 1956. Little did that fan club know they launched the era of the band merch (read The Art of the Band T-Shirt to learn more), but every product category has potential. Here are 15 brand merch ideas with examples from bands and recording artist shops across various product categories:
1. T-shirts
In the late 1960s, companies like Winterland Productions turned band tees into “walking billboards.” The form allows for a variety of colors, materials, and custom prints. You can feature album artwork, pull quotes from your lyrics, or your band logo. And don’t limit yourself to standard, short-sleeved crew necks. Sabrina Carpenter’s official store, for example, offers tank tops, baby tees, and crop tanks.
2. Bracelets
Inspired by the popular Taylor Swift concert tradition, friendship bracelets and custom beaded bracelets can incorporate song lyrics, band names, and even fan names—if you want to offer a customizable option. They’re also cheaper to make than many other merch options, meaning you can offer them at a low price, giving fans with smaller budgets an access point. Kali Uchis makes friendship bracelets that double as phone charms.
3. Card decks
Create a classic playing card deck with characters, art, and messages inspired by your band’s music, style, and lore. Or, design a tarot deck with artwork referencing the major and minor arcana, incorporating your band’s key visuals. You can even translate tarot into a custom digital merch experience. Addison Rae offers digital tarot reads on her website.
4. Tour posters
Tour posters can showcase all kinds of subjects, art styles, and elements of your band’s identity. Rock band Wilco, for example, has a poster printed on holographic foil paper depicting ocean waves in a geometric style, among many other designs.
5. Dog bandanas
The pet industry is booming. According to the American Pet Products Association, American pet owners spent $151.9 billion on their pets in 2024, with spending expected to increase to $157 billion in 2025. And who says pets don’t love good music? Green Day sells a Dookie dog bandana, referencing their 1994 studio album.
6. Phone cases
Make phone cases featuring your band logo or album art, and make sure to offer options for both Apple and Android products.
7. Keychains
Like bracelets, keychains have low production costs, making them an affordable merch option. They also fit into your pocket and serve a purpose. You can customize them with your logo, album art, or song lyrics. You can also make your keychain double as a practical kit. Olivia Rodrigo offers a Festival Kit key ring, complete with a hand sanitizer, a small coin purse, a compact mirror, and a carabiner.
8. Zines
Create a print zine—a small-circulation, self-published magazine focused on your band. Include lyrics, notes from band members, mini tour posters, and behind-the-scenes photos. You can share recipes to dishes that got you through the most grueling phases of recording, or make a map of your favorite restaurants to hit on tour. Megan Thee Stallion offers a photobook box set, consisting of a 12 by 12 inch MTS polaroid photobook, a 1.5 inch egg-shaped pin, two 5 by 5 inch sticker sheets, a 14 by 14 inch poster, and a MEGAN CD variant.
9. Limited-run vinyl
With their mainstream renaissance, vinyl records have become a valuable source of income. In 2025, the band GHOST’s album Sleketá debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart. It sold 86,000 units in the first week of release, and vinyl sales accounted for 44,000 units. The band put out 16 different versions of the vinyl album, so fans could collect the various editions.
10. Food and beverage products
Some bands offer their own food and beverage products through brand collaborations. Examples include KISS’s Destroyer Lager by Krönleins Bryggeri and Metallica’s Arrogant Consortia Enter Night Pilsner. When it comes to pantry items, Korn made the Here to Slay sauce, and In Flames made an XTRA Hot Habanero sauce in collaboration with Heartbeat Hot Sauce.
11. Lip products
Small, affordable, and novel, lip products are a creative way to express your band’s visual identity and aesthetic. For example, Danish Europop band Aqua has a set of UV-reactive lip balms, which fit their colorful, Y2K aesthetic:
12. Toys and collectibles
From soft plushies and more realistic figurines, add toys and collectibles to your merch tables. KISS sells detailed figurines in the band members’ likenesses.
13. Candles
Candles can capture the mood of your album through a carefully crafted scent profile. Taylor Swift’s Tortured Poets Department candle recreates the album’s mood with notes of oud and amber. The Zac Brown Band sells a candle with notes of orange, pine, eastern cedar, mint, cedarwood, and palo santo.
14. Stickers
Stickers are another budget-friendly option that both conveys your band’s visual identity and fosters artist collaborations. Don’t feel constrained by two dimensions, though. Shakira, for example, offers diamond teardrop stickers.
15. Mystery boxes
Say you want to support your favorite artist and suffer from decision-making fatigue, or you, as an artist, have some remaining inventory you want to offload. Consider mystery boxes, which contain a set number of items across categories (think: apparel, collectibles, accessories).
Tips for making unique merch
- Develop your brand identity
- Don’t be constrained by one style
- Use a print-on-demand service
- Offer digital merch
Fans love to show support, but you have to deliver on your end of the deal with creative, high-quality merch offerings. Here are tips to make band merch that sells:
Develop your brand identity
KISS and the Rolling Stones don’t just stand out for their repertoire and stage presence. They have a brand identity that even the most casual listener can identify. Your band’s visual identity includes its name, logo, and other elements that your fans instantly associate with it—like Nirvana’s wonky smiley face, a defining part of its image.
Brand elements can also come from specific albums. The prism featured on Pink Floyd’s 1973 album The Dark Side of the Moon became synonymous with the band. Collaborate with independent artists and designers—one of the leading merch trends—to create your logo and build out a visual world.
Don’t be constrained by one style
Having a consistent brand doesn’t mean you can’t experiment with different styles and aesthetics. Musicians like David Bowie and Taylor Swift moved through distinct artistic eras, with each album having its own aesthetic, visual themes, and merch.
If one album uses a cool-toned figurative art style, the next could shift to a warmer, more stylized, and symbolic look. Norwegian singer Aurora’s 2024 album, What Happened To the Heart, features anatomical heart illustrations in a color palette favoring blue, silver, and holographic hues, while her 2022 album, The Gods We Can Touch, uses celestial symbols in a black, gold, and red palette:
Use a print-on-demand service
A print-on-demand service offers several advantages:
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Print as you go. This solves the issue of excessive inventory and unsold stock—both a financial and a logistical headache.
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Forget about fulfillment. The print-on-demand service handles packing and shipping.
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Test your ideas. Customize products, list them in your online store, and experiment with small batches—no need to commit to large orders.
Offer digital merch
You might think downloadable digital merch contradicts the merch table ethos, but think of it as expanding your custom physical merch into the digital realm. Exclusive photos, unreleased album covers, sheet music, concert videos, samples, loops, demos, and karaoke instrumentals are just some creative band merch ideas that come without inventory hassles. Plus, Shopify’s Digital Downloads app lets you deliver orders instantly.
Band merch ideas FAQ
What type of band merch sells best?
T-shirts are the most common type of custom band merch and one of the strongest performers in terms of sales. Other high-grossing categories include hoodies, hats, and limited-edition vinyl with new album artwork. Ultimately, create custom designs that reflect your band’s personality.
How do you come up with cool band merch ideas?
Look for examples in music genres where merch is very prominent and DIY—metal, hard rock, and pop. Official online stores offer the best way to explore merch ideas, organized by categories like album-themed items and product types. Forums and message boards like r/musicians also provide trade tips and tricks on merch ideas. Depending on your audience, you might decide to make custom candles with a signature scent or sell guitar tabs that fans can download with one click.
How do I create band merch?
If you want to create band merch, and no one in your band has design skills, hire an artist or graphic designer to create custom logos and illustrations. Once you develop your visual assets, fulfill online orders through a print-on-demand service, like Printful.
