Inside Music’s Merch Gold Rush

Music merchandise (T-shirts, posters, etc.), once an ancillary part of an artist’s income, has become a booming business. In 2016, sales of music merch hit $3.1 billion, a 10 percent increase from the year before, says the Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association. Retail-analytics group Edited claims that the sheer volume of music-related items on the market has tripled in the past two years. “Music has migrated to being more digital,” says Mat Vlasic, who runs the merch company Bravado, “so fans are craving something physical.”

Beyoncé and Jared Leto both invested in Sidestep, an app that allows fans to buy concert merch online and pick it up at the venue prior to a show. “Some people like standing in line,” says Jesper Poulsen of the licensing firm Epic Rights. “For me, personally, it’s a buzzkill.”

Checkout the RollingStones article.