Music Ally Sandbox Guide: Merch
Thanks to all of the fantastic folks that took part in the latest edition of the Sandbox Guide for Music Ally, digging deep into the multitude of opportunities available in the merch space.
Featuring expert insight from Paul Ellis at Warner Music Group, BSI Merch’s Andy Allen and Softside Merch founder Erin Singleton.
“Music merch is big business: Midia Research recently predicted that the global music-merchandise market will reach a value of $16.3 billion by 2030, despite annual growth slowing to just 1.6%. Vinyl sales in the UK grew for the 17th year running in 2024 (with similar stories found in many markets around the globe), fan designed merch platforms such as Softside, and fan-led market places such as Fave have found increasing footing in the space, and opportunities to sell digital and virtual merchandise (verch) through games and gaming platforms, as well as the traditional t-shirts from stalls at live shows and festivals, are ever growing.
The artist is ultimately the creative director of their brand, so we’re there to facilitate how they want to be represented and seen, and to put that out into the market for them.” says Paul Ellis, VP Artist and Fan Experience UK/ROW - Commercial/Brand Management at Warner Music Group. For the music marketers building out such campaigns, the merchandise horizon has expanded exponentially in recent years, so working out a smart strategy to deliver merch drops is of vital importance.”