So in the last blog I gave you 5 Reasons to DIY Your Merch. Here’s a sixth one that I forgot: DIY is empowering.
Even just talking about DIY is empowering! I bet at least a few of you read that last blog and responded with a hearty, “Yes! I’m creative and broke and my fans will LOVE things I make personally! I’m going to buy supplies right now!” I also bet some percentage of that group is now surrounded by a pile of thrift-store t-shirts, blank cds, Sharpies and gin, wondering what the hell they’ve gotten themselves into.
The truth is, DIY isn’t for everyone, and here are some excellent reasons to pay a pro to make your merch dreams come true.
1. You don’t like the DIY look.
Some artists (like some people) just don’t like the etsy-meets-Girl-Scouts-craft-day aesthetic. DIY isn’t for people who want their designs to be complicated, like multi-color screenprints, or who will be irritated by the natural variations that accompany the handmade look. Plus if you don’t like the way DIY looks, it’s a fair bet that your fans won’t either. Save your sanity: have your merch made by professionals.
2. You don’t have time to DIY.
Even one DIY tee is likely to consume several entire days once you take into account the time you’ll spend creating the design, shopping for materials and t-shirt blanks, cutting the stencils or preparing the screens, printing, ironing the shirts to set the print and cleaning up the mess you’ve made. It’s a big time commitment and it’s totally okay if you’d rather hire someone to do it for you and spend the time you’ve saved booking shows or watching reruns of “Dr. Who.”
3. You don’t have the artistic skills to DIY.
Cutting stencils or making screens can be complicated, and not every artist is also a great merch designer. (If this is you, don’t feel bad. I couldn’t pay my rent without people like you!) Making merch yourself can add a great personal touch, but it’s folly if the result is unappealing to your fans. Let’s face it, Sia is pretty much the only artist who can successfully sell a shirt with this kind of design:
4. You need a LOT of merch.
If you know there will be a large demand for a particular item, don’t try to DIY. You might save money but you’ll lose your mind. Gaga’s taking you on tour as her opening act? Just say no to trying to print 200 tees using your living room as a studio.
5. You definitely need the merch by a specific date.
That Gaga tour starts in a month? Don’t assume you’ll have time to create all your tour merch before you leave. The best case scenario is that you manage to pull some rad DIY merch together without stressing yourself out too much, but the worst is that you end up with no merch to sell on the road. Don’t risk it. Hire a professional whose job it is to make sure the merch is in your hands when the van pulls out of your driveway.
Bonus tip: even if you are hiring pros to make your merch, be sure to leave enough time for them to get your order to you without incurring rush fees. I like to order t-shirts at least a month before I’ll need them, but things like glassware, vinyl and other complicated items can take up eight weeks to come in.
Next up on the MerchBlog: Merch Economics 101, wherein I’ll discuss the most profitable merch items, why quantity discounts are your friend and what items you should start with if you’ve only got $500 to spend.