There are a handful of livestream events—where artists have the opportunity to collect donations through services like Venmo and PayPal—but we’re not talking about much here. Not much unless you’re Michelle Moonshine—who was almost crying with gratitude from the support she received during a recent livestream. It was heart-warming to see, but livestreaming certainly isn’t paying the bills for the majority of musicians.
With audio streaming services dominating music distribution, there aren’t a lot of physical CD sales going on either.
A sampling of the band merch from Folk Hogan and Balls Capone, on consignment at Guitar Czar.
So how the hell are bands and musicians supposed to survive? Don’t look at me—I’m no expert on the subject—but there are opportunities being missed by local musicians.
What about merchandise?
Merchandise, or merch for short, can be a profitable revenue streams for bands. Unfortunately, without live shows it can be a challenge to get your merch in front of fans.
There are some savvy bands taking advantage of livestream events by including ecommerce functionality that makes it easy to sell merch during livestreams. But again, the majority of music artists are not livestreaming, so this is not a great option.
Merchandise, or merch for short, can be one of the most profitable revenue streams for bands.”
Wouldn’t it be great of there was a brick and mortar retail shop, where bands could get their merch in front of buyers? A place where buyers could see the quality and feel first-hand the emotional impact of the design?
Enter Guitar Czar
I recently traded an old mandolin for a travel ukulele that turned out to need a small repair. I called Guitar Czar to see if they could help me out. This locally-owned shop used to be a regular stop for me when they were located in Millcreek, but they moved a year or two ago to Murray and I had totally forgotten they had an excellent repair shop.
Gratuitous photo of all the guitars I want to buy at Guitar Czar.
After checking the uke in for repair, I began browsing instruments and accessories, and noticed the shop had a table dedicated to selling local band merch (teeshirts, hats, decals, etc.). I wondered why only a handful of bands were represented.
I asked manager Jimmy Lauscher—who also happens to play guitar for the band Balls Capone—what was up with the merch table. He told me that during this pandemic, Guitar Czar is only charging a 10% consignment fee for local bands. 10% is probably close to the cost of mailing merchandise anyway, so it seemed like a no-brainer. He went on to say they were hoping to get more bands involved.
Wouldn’t it be great if a bunch of local musicians flocked to Guitar Czar with tons of merch in hand? Just sayin.’
And wouldn’t it be great for all of those folks who want to support local music, to actually get on over to Guitar Czar and buy some band merch? Here’s an idea! Are you one of those who got stimulus checks, but have never actually missed a day of work in 2020? Why not take some of that stimulus cash and pump it into local music. You’ll feel real good. Trust me.
And while you’re there, consider buying a music accessory for your favorite musician. Or perhaps consider taking some lessons at the shop. Nothing helps you appreciate good music better than learning how hard good music is to make.
Guitar Czar is located at 5979 State St in Murray, Utah. Visit Guitar Czar at guitarczar.com, or call them at (801) 466-8666
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