MERCH

​If you’re a musician in 2025 then you know the importance of merchandise, or “merch” as all artists call it. Merch has always been a vital part of being an independent artist. I suspect that ever since artists of all kinds began sharing their art in front of other people, they were looking for ways to capitalize on their appearance and sell them shit. 

The first piece of merch I bought at a concert would have been a Tragically Hip EP on vinyl. I saw this iconic band before they broke at the Westward Club in Calgary sometime in 1987. I knew nothing about the band but when I saw their name in the concert listings of an entertainment weekly, I remember thinking, “That’s a great name for a band, I better check them out.”  Who knew that a few years later, the band would break following the release of their album Up To Here and Gord Downey would go on to become a beloved national icon for Canada. 

In the era of streaming, merch has even more important as a steam of income. Before streaming, the merch table offerings were mostly music in a physical form and the trusty tour T-shirt. With the rise of streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music, fewer and fewer people have the need for physical music. There are no longer CD players in newer model cars. So these days merch is less about selling music and more about selling other items to promote you, your art, or the tour. T-shirts are probably still king of the merch table but I’ve seen everything from tea towels to keychains, toques to playing cards, jewellery to spice rubs, whiskey glasses to Christmas ornaments. 

Merch can many times be a pain in the butt, but depending on the audience in the venue, it’s not on her of to have your merch make more money than your performance fee. 

If anyone’s interested in seeing what kind of merch, I have just go to the general store on my website here.