Spotify may not have the best track record for paying their artists fairly, yet they have redeemed themselves by collaborating with Shopify and enabling artists to sell their merch via the popular streaming platform. Selling merch is one of the best ways for artists to boost their income through music; unlike streaming revenue, touring, and physical music releases, merch sales primarily go into the pockets of artists. Additionally, merch is a chance for connection between the fan and the artist; it comes as no surprise that Spotify wanted a slice of that action too!
It is still early days in the collaboration between Spotify and Shopify; only time will tell if it will be a fruitful endeavor for songwriters and bands – not just Spotify. It feels like it was only a matter of time before Spotify attempted to do what Bandcamp has been succeeding at in many years, and the odds on them waving fees every week don’t look all too promising.
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- To get started, bands will need to create a Shopify profile and upload all of their merch items.
- Once the Shopify merch shop has been stocked, head to Spotify, click ‘MERCH’, and link up Shopify with Spotify.
- Shopify makes inventory management easy; sold-out items instantly get removed from the merch shop, and new merch drops can be available to the public within minutes.
- Up to 250 items of merch can be added to the Shopify store, bands can choose their top three to feature on their artist profile. Merch always appears in the order it was added to the shop.
- Merch can be removed from the shop or reorganized at any time.
