Great merch can make the road to success a little easier

Staying afloat as an up-and-coming act is no easy feat, but great merch can make the road to success a little easier. But it’s one thing to take our word for it and another to speak to someone who’s actually pulling it off, so we spoke to Dave Lupton from Flaming Wreckage to get his tips on band merch that sells, and how it’s helped them stay on the road.

So, who’s your band and when did you start out?

We’re metal band Flaming Wreckage and we formed in 2010.

Has it been tough to stay afloat financially?

Absolutely. If you manage to break even after a tour that's a big win. Touring costs are pretty steep but it's just part of being in a band. 

Has your merch helped you with that and if so, how?

Merch is our lifeline on the road. Without it we wouldn't be able to sustain consistent touring. With most local metal shows, payment usually comes from the door, so often it can be hard to walk away from a show with a decent amount of money. 

Even if we don't make anything off the door, we always sell some merch. We can always rely on that to pay for fuel and hotels. It can cost a bit to set up a solid merch table with a bunch of different designs, but it's all worth it when you see people coming to the shows wearing your shirts.

What have been your biggest merch success stories?

We were lucky enough to be approached by an Indonesian artist by the name of Rivan Aji. He has designed our logo and our last three shirts which have all sold very well. He's amazing at drawing gory stuff that's metal as fuck!

What advice would you give bands just starting out about their merch choices?

Try and have a bit of variety on your table. You want to stand out from the other bands. You can pretty much get your band name printed on anything these days so it's good to have band t-shirts as well as patches, stickers, stubby holders and all sorts of stuff. 

Also, putting a bit of time into the presentation of your table is very important too. Most of all don't undersell anything! Those gory metal shirts you see aren't cheap to print due to the amount of colours in the design. Sell them for what they're worth! 

Another thing that's very important is having a well set-up online store. Run specials at the end of tours and advertise it consistently. Selling merch doesn't just apply to being on the road. 

What are your next plans for merch for your band?

We've got another great design that's just come in from Rivan that we're going to put on a long sleeve for our next tour. This is one is brutal!

So there you have it. Top pointers - variety, presentation and do not, ever undersell your wares! If you want to check out Flaming Wreckage’s merch, head to:

https://flamingwrekage.bandcamp.com/merch

To check out more of the work of Rivan Wibb, head to https://www.facebook.com/artofrivanaji/