I’ve been saying for years that the merch table is the most underrated revenue stream in live music. For touring artists at any level below arena tours, merchandise income can be the difference between coming home with money in your pocket and coming home broke. Yet the number of artists who approach merch as an afterthought is staggering.

Let me share what I’ve learned from managing merch operations on tours across Australia for the better part of three decades.

What sells

T-shirts are king. They always have been, and they still account for 50-70% of merch revenue for most acts. But here’s the thing: quality matters. A $15 shirt on thin fabric that shrinks after one wash will sell once. A $35 shirt on quality cotton that people actually want to wear becomes a walking billboard. Spend more on the product and charge accordingly.

Vinyl. Yes, vinyl. In 2026. Vinyl records sell consistently at live shows, particularly for independent and alternative artists. Fans who attend live shows are disproportionately likely to be the kind of people who buy physical music. If you’ve got a new album or EP, press some vinyl and bring it on tour.

Hats and beanies. Consistently the second-best selling apparel item. Low production cost, easy to transport, and they work across seasons.

Posters. Limited-edition, venue-specific posters are a proven seller. Get an artist to design a unique poster for the tour and print a limited run. Number them. Signed variants sell at a premium.

Tote bags. Low cost, high visibility, and genuinely useful. They’ve become a standard merch item for a reason.

What doesn’t sell

CDs. I hate to say it, but CD sales at shows have fallen off a cliff. Unless your audience skews significantly older, the space and weight in the tour vehicle are better allocated to other merch.

Overly expensive items. A $120 hoodie might work for a headliner with a dedicated fanbase, but for a mid-level act, it’s going to sit in the merch box unsold. Know your audience’s spending threshold.

Too many options. A merch table with fifteen different items confuses people and slows transactions. Curate a tight selection of five to eight items that you’re confident will sell.

The display and location

Where you set up merch and how you display it has a massive impact on sales. The ideal location is visible, well-lit, near the main exit, and accessible both during and after the set.

A well-lit, well-organised merch table with clear pricing and a friendly person running it will outsell a dark corner with a pile of shirts and nobody attending by a factor of three or more. This isn’t an exaggeration — I’ve measured it across dozens of tours.

Hang a t-shirt up so people can see the design. Display the pricing clearly. Have multiple sizes visible. Accept card payments — this is non-negotiable in 2026. A significant percentage of your potential sales walk away if you’re cash-only.

Pricing strategy

Price your merch relative to your market. For a pub gig, $30-35 for a t-shirt is about right. For a major show, $40-50 is acceptable. For a festival, you can push a bit higher because the audience is in a spending mood.

Bundles work. “Any two items for $50” or “T-shirt plus vinyl for $60” increases the average transaction value. The slight discount on the bundle is offset by the higher total spend.

Set your prices in round numbers. $30, not $28. $50, not $47. This speeds up transactions, particularly if you’re handling any cash, and reduces the mental friction for buyers.

The person behind the table

If you’re a solo artist or a small band, who runs merch is a genuine challenge. Playing the show and immediately jumping behind the merch table is exhausting but effective — fans want to buy from the artist directly.

If you can afford to bring someone specifically for merch, do it. A friend, a partner, a keen fan — anyone who’s enthusiastic, trustworthy, and good at talking to people. Train them on the stock, the prices, and the card reader before the show.

For tours, consider paying your merch person a small percentage of sales as incentive rather than a flat fee. Motivated merch sellers generate significantly more revenue.

Track everything

Keep a simple record of what sells, where, and how much. After the tour, analyse it. You’ll discover that certain items sell better in certain cities, certain price points hit differently in different venues, and certain designs resonate more than others.

This data makes your next merch order smarter, your display decisions better, and your tour profitability higher. It’s not glamorous work, but it’s the kind of detail that separates artists who make money touring from those who don’t.