For music artists and bands, selling merchandise is big business. However, while selling merch can generate huge amounts of revenue, it also acts as a great way of marketing yourself to potential new fans. If people are actively choosing to wear t-shirts and hoodies with your name or logo emblazoned all over, they are effectively acting as walking billboards for your brand.
However, music merchandise isn’t limited to clothing. Many bands and artists sell a wide variety of items to their fans, including teddy bears and bags to mugs and water bottles.
Artists have an almost endless list of different options when deciding what merchandise to sell. It’s important for them to carefully consider which items best align with their brand, fanbase and personal interests. For example, an artist who produces music about political issues or nature may consider selling eco-friendly merchandise, as it will align with their brand image and the values of their fanbase.
Another important consideration is the cost of these merch items and the spending power of fans. While anyone can enjoy the music of a particular artist, fanbases often have a majority group, whether that’s an age bracket, sex or regional hotspot. By understanding who the majority of their fans are, artists can tailor their merchandise to appeal to as many as possible.
With this in mind, the team at Purple Moon have surveyed 2,000 people in the UK to gauge public habits and opinions when it comes to buying merch. How much are we willing to spend on our favourite artists? And how much does this vary across the country?
Three In Five People Are Interested In Music Merch
According to our survey data, just over 60% of adults in the UK are interested in purchasing branded merchandise for their favourite music artists. With a further 12% of respondents saying they didn’t know, this figure could be as high as 72.4%, given the right merchandise to suit people’s tastes and preferences.
Almost Three-Quarters of People Won’t Spend More Than £50 On Music Merch
If you’re a music artist with a line of fan merchandise available, it’s important to price your products appropriately. The vast majority of people are willing to pay between £10 and £50 on music merch, with more than a third of people willing to pay between £26 and £50.
Depending on the specific item for sale, people may be prepared to pay more or less. For instance, hoodies tend to be more expensive than beanie hats or t-shirts, while smaller items such as badges, pens or keyrings are expected to have lower price points.
Men vs Women: Which Are More Interested In Music Merch?
Men Are More Interested In Music-Related Merch Than Women
Almost two-thirds of men intended to purchase merchandise for their favourite music artists or had already done so. However, music merch is still popular among women, with more than half (57.1%) stating they have, or intend, to purchase items for their favourite artists.
Interestingly, women also appear to be more undecided on music merch, with 13.3% saying they didn’t know if they would purchase any, compared to 10.2% of male respondents.
Men Are Willing To Spend More On Music Merch Than Women
From looking at the responses to our survey, we can see that more men selected the two highest price brackets for what they were willing to spend on music merch than women did. The largest bracket of more than £200 was selected by 5.3% of men compared to just 2.8% of women, while the £101–£200 bracket was chosen by 6.2% of men but only 4.2% of women.
Meanwhile, women were more likely to select all the remaining price brackets, with the most significant difference seen in the £10–£25 bracket, which was chosen by 30.5% of women and 28.1% of men. The most popular price bracket for both sexes was £26–£50, selected by 37.1% of women and 36.8% of men, making this a lucrative price point for bands and musicians to target.
The majority of both sexes weren’t willing to spend more than £50 on music merch, with 74.5% of women and 71.3% of men, indicating that most people do not have massive budgets for these types of products.
How Does Age Affect Interest In Music-Related Merchandise?
25 to 34-Year-Olds Are Most Interested In Music Merch
The age group most interested in music merchandise is 25 to 34-year-olds. 81% said they would buy or have bought merch for their favourite artists. The second most interested age group is the 35 to 44-year-old bracket, with 70.1%, with this figure diminishing as the age brackets get older.
Young people are clearly most interested in purchasing music merchandise, with the youngest age brackets being the top three, while the oldest age brackets recorded the lowest level of interest.
35–44-Year-Olds Are The Biggest Spenders On Music Merch
While 25 to 34-year-olds might be the most interested in buying music merch, 35 to 44-year-olds are willing to spend the most at an estimated £58.12 per item. The age group with the smallest budget for music merch is the 65+ category, which was only prepared to spend £37.78 on average.
Again, we see that all three younger age brackets are more enthusiastic about music merchandise than the older three. Interestingly, people in the 18–24 age group noticeably split on how much they were prepared to spend. People in this age bracket were most likely to select the cheapest option of less than £10, at 13.3%, but were also most likely to choose the most expensive option of more than £200 at 6.7%.
In Which Regions Is Music Merch Most Popular?
Music Lovers In Northern Ireland Are Most Likely To Buy Merch
Northern Ireland has the most enthusiastic music fans, with 80% of adults interested in purchasing their favourite artists’ merch. Northern England saw the lowest interest in music merch, with just 56.7% of people.
Scotland and Wales had very similar interest levels in music merch, with 62.2% and 62.1%, respectively. England’s most enthusiastic region was South East England, with 64.2% of people interested in buying music merch.
On Average, Northern Irish Music Fans Are Willing To Spend The Most On Music Merch
Northern Ireland is the biggest spender on music merchandise, with an estimated average spend per item of £57.30. At 7.1%, people from the region were most likely to select the highest price bracket of more than £200, while nobody from the area selected the cheapest option of less than £10. However, 50% of Northern Irish respondents chose the £26–£50 bracket as their budget per item of music merchandise.
While 7.7% of people from the South West chose the lowest price bracket of less than £10, this figure was higher in Northern England at 8.7%.
Which UK Cities Are Most Interested In Music Merch?
Music Lovers In Belfast Are Most Likely To Buy Music Merch
Belfast is the UK city with the biggest interest in music merch, with four in five people saying they have bought, or would buy, merch for their favourite artists. This is followed by Glasgow, where 70.8% of people are interested in music merch, while London takes third place with 66.6%.
Northern English cities occupy the bottom three spots, with Liverpool recording the lowest interest level of 48.7%. Sheffield follows with the second lowest level of interest at 49.1%, while Manchester saw 51.1% of people interested in merch.
Music Fans In Southampton Are Willing To Spend The Most On Artists’ Merch
The city with the biggest music merch spenders is Southampton, where fans are willing to spend an average of £59.87 per item for their favourite artist’s merch. Edinburgh saw the second highest budget of £58.80, while Belfast took third place with an estimated £57.30 budget.
Norwich is home to the fans with the smallest budget for fan merchandise, at £33.27. Glasgow has the second lowest budget, at £42.35, while Cardiff follows closely behind, at £44.97.
Methodology
We wanted to explore the affordability and popularity of music artists’ merchandise in the UK.
To do this, we first surveyed 2,000 people to find out whether they have purchased or are interested in purchasing swag for their favourite artist and how much they would be willing to spend on a single item.
We then presented the overall findings before dividing the results by various demographic factors such as sex, age and location to reveal how opinions differ across the country.