27 Novel Band Merch Ideas + Examples

Are you looking to start selling band merch and engage with your fans? You’ve come to the right place.

Musicians all over the world build connections with their audience through custom merch that fans are excited to own. Plus, it’s an excellent way to generate extra income from sales. 

It’s also fun to come up with design ideas for your fans and experiment with different products, such as band tees, pins, posters, and patches. 

So, get your groove on and explore our pick of 27 original band merch ideas! 

What makes good band merch?

Good band merch captures the band’s essence while appealing to the fans’ taste. Here are some key elements of successful band merch.

1. Unique design: Merch should feature creative and distinctive designs that resonate with the musician’s image and genre. This can include iconic logos, lyrics, or album art.

2. Quality materials: High-quality items ensure durability and comfort, improving customer satisfaction and repeat purchases.

3. Product variety: Offering a range of merch, like t-shirts, hoodies, posters, and accessories, caters to different fan preferences and helps ensure your band merch sells.

4. Fan engagement: Incorporating input from fans on merch decisions leads to more personalized and desirable products.

5. Authenticity: Merchandise that aligns with the band’s ethos helps strengthen the connection between the band and its fans.

By focusing on these aspects, you can create merch that promotes your music and deeply engages and satisfies your fans.

What is the best-selling merchandise for bands?

The best-selling merchandise for bands typically includes items that are both functional and closely connected to the band’s identity. The overall top-selling band merch items last year were:

1. T-shirts

2. Hoodies

3. Hats

However, keep in mind that best-selling merch differs by genre, so you’ll want to pick products that best match your music.

What is the most profitable merch?

While it might seem like a no-brainer that best-selling = profitable, that isn’t always the case. The most profitable merch will be the kind that’s:

• In high demand

• Cheap to make

High demand and low production costs mean higher profit margins. To make more profit per sale, look into low-cost items like stickers and guitar picks, as well as trending pieces like drinkware and tote bags.

27 cool band merch ideas

If you’re just starting out and want to sell your merchandise online or at gigs, there are many cool merch ideas to try out. In addition to your music, you can sell clothing, accessories, and even custom stickers.

1. Caps and hats 

Selling caps as band merch is a great way to add some personality to your fans’ wardrobe while promoting your music. Caps are practical and can be worn all year round, so they’re a popular choice for custom band merch.

As for your design, think about embroidered details like your band logo, album title, or both for a standout style. Another direction you can take is to release merch for anniversaries, like this hat with “Linkin Park [HT:20]” embroidered on the back to mark the 20th anniversary of their debut album “Hybrid Theory.”

Alt-pop artist RAIGN uses Printful to sell a wide range of merch on her RAIGN BOUTIQUE, including caps and beanies. She started her journey with print-on-demand (POD) by clearly knowing what style to go for—a look that feels vintage, fashionable, and timeless. Just like this twill cap with a washed-out vintage feel and subtle embroidery details from her album art.

If you’d like to hop on seasonal trends, have a go at designing a bucket hat for your summer collection. Think of a look that’s a good fit for summer vibes, like this colorful tie-dye bucket hat by Maroon 5.

2. T-shirts

Band tees are best-selling items for most bands. They’re essentially walking billboards, and many fans will expect you to offer custom t-shirts, so it’s a good idea to have a wide range of fits and designs.

Custom t-shirts are easy to make with a print-on-demand provider like Printful. You can create a t-shirt with your album artwork on the front and tour dates on the back. Or, use concert photos of your band. With a POD provider, you can experiment with different designs and see what sells best. And you don’t have to worry about dealing with excess stock—tees are only printed once an order is made. This way, you can create custom designs whenever new music comes out. And your top fans will be eager to have the full tour merch collection. 

For more t-shirt design ideas, check out our blog post with creative t-shirt ideas to get inspired.

3. Stickers 

Designing unique stickers is a fun way to show off your band’s personality. And they’re awesome for personalizing laptops, water bottles, and phone cases.

Play around with your album cover design, which already has original artwork. Look at these stickers sold by Karol G, which feature text, icons, and characters from the “MAÑANA SERÀ BONITO” album cover art. Also, take a look at our blog post with 39 sticker ideas for inspiration.

Source: Karol G

4. Pins

Small and easy to carry, enamel pins are great to collect and trade. They’re often attached to backpacks, jackets, and hats, which means fans can rep their favorite musicians wherever they go. If your band’s music draws inspiration from previous decades, pins can help convey that nostalgia and appeal to fans who are into the throwback aesthetic. 

Enamel pins can be customized to feature your band’s logo, album art, or other design elements. Check out these pins from the Linda Lindas with their signature cat designs, logo, and song lyrics: “We rebuild what you destroy.”

You could also partner up with a local artist to come up with unique illustrations that capture the mood of your songs. For example, having a badge set with artwork inspired by Dodie’s music videos and song lyrics. 

5. Patches

Patches are iconic band merch, and are especially popular with rock and heavy metal bands. Just like enamel pins, they’re collectible items that fans love to own, and they look great on jackets or jeans.

Another plus? Patches are cheap to produce, so you can sell them at a lower price point than clothing. This is a good fit for fans who may not be able to afford higher-priced band merchandise like vinyl records but still want to show their support. 

Source: Metallica

6. Bandanas

Bandanas are super versatile as band merch items. They’re often used as headbands, scarves, and face coverings.

Similar to t-shirts, bandanas can be customized with your band’s logo, album art, or design elements specific to your band. They’re also great as tour merchandise. For example, Twenty One Pilots have designed a special bandana for their Takeover tour.

Source: Twenty One Pilots

7. Baby onesie

Many fans eventually become parents and want to instill their love of their favorite band in their offspring. As the metal band Five Finger Death Punch states on their merch website—you’re never too young to become a fan.

Baby onesies are quirky and creative merch items gaining momentum, especially for metal bands. And no wonder it makes for a fun baby shower gift and an amusing way for fans to express love for their favorite bands.

Source: Five Finger Death Punch

8. Hoodies

Custom hoodies are the perfect addition to your merch store if you already sell t-shirts and want to offer more clothing items. They’re comfy, versatile, and pretty much always popular as people lean into a more relaxed style for their everyday wear.

Band logo hoodies are an obvious choice, but try mixing things up and adding design elements that fans associate with your group’s energy and style. This can be a particular font, color, or even your image as part of the brand. For example, a Kodak Black merch hoodie features a printed logo and a yellow and orange image of the rapper’s face.

Source: Kodak Black

  If you want more design inspo and tips, look at this blog post all about hoodie design ideas. 

9. Socks

Small but mighty—a pair of cool band socks will surely be a fan favorite. When it comes to design, there are many paths you can take. If you’re going for a simple style, pick the main base color (white, black, beige) and let the band-inspired details do the rest. 

These white socks by Red Hot Chili Peppers showcase their red asterisk logo as the main design element. Plus, there’s a reference to their “Unlimited Love” tour, making this pair of socks a total collectible. 

Source: Red Hot Chili Peppers

10. Blankets

Cozy throw blankets add a touch of warmth to any room. Customized blankets with song lyrics or band artwork would be the perfect gift for fans who enjoy being comfy. A band-themed throw is a great furniture accent or the perfect blanket for an afternoon nap. 

This iconic album cover of “Dark Side of the Moon,” released by Pink Floyd in the ’70s, looks stylish even decades after the album's release. A memento shared across generations of fans, it’s a fantastic design piece for families to bond over.

​​Source: Pink Floyd

11. Posters and prints

It’s common to remember the cover art of an album instead of its title. But you can use this to your advantage! Create posters and prints with a cover design that fans recognize. 

If you’d like to design prints that complement your album art but with a different spin, seek inspo from the Gorillaz limited edition prints that feature characters from the “Cracker Island” music video.

Collaborating with an artist on a tour poster? Make it part of your merch collection! You can even create limited edition art pieces as a special treat for your fan base. Check out this graphic poster for Tame Impala designed by artist Brian Blomer.

12. Throw pillow covers

Your album art can be a source of inspiration for all kinds of custom merch, but it’s especially great for items that can fully showcase an album cover design (think products that are rectangular or square). 

For example, square throw pillow covers are perfect for showing off your album art with minimal design adjustments. Check out how the cover of “Innerspeaker” by Tame Impala looks as home decor. 

Source: Tame Impala

13. Mugs

Personalized mugs are much loved by coffee and tea drinkers alike. So why not come up with mug design ideas specific to your band?

Look at heavy metal band Disturbed’s mascot, “The Guy,” who makes an appearance not only on several album covers but also on a special Christmas edition mug. It’s the perfect Christmas gift idea for fans—or anyone who’s a bit of a Grinch during the festive season. 

Source: Disturbed

14. Coasters

For a lot of band merch, the black, red, and white color scheme is a classic that looks cool on clothing like hoodies and t-shirts. But it can also fit well with dark-toned home decor.

For small (but useful!) home & living items, check out these “GRRR!” coasters, a nod to the greatest hits album released by the Rolling Stones.

Source: The Rolling Stones

15. Journals and notebooks

Journals and notebooks are a fantastic way for fans to connect with your band’s creative spirit. Take inspiration from Maisie Peters’ manifesting journal, which ties in with the magical, good-vibes-only theme of her album The Good Witch.

Offering customizable journals allows fans to carry a piece of your band with them every day. Add special touches like your logo on the cover, themed page designs, personal notes, or even exclusive content like behind-the-scenes stories and band trivia.

Custom notebooks make perfect gifts for fans who love writing and drawing or simply want a keepsake from their favorite band.

16. Water bottles

More and more people are ditching plastic bottles in favor of reusable water bottles. So why not keep your fans hydrated during and after live shows by offering water bottles as part of your merch? 

Check out the Spotify-exclusive water bottle released by the rock band American Authors. It features their band logo and a tidal wave design, most likely hinting at their song “Deep Water.”

It’s a good idea to explore how Spotify can help you get your band merch in front of your fans. For example, you can sell merch on Spotify with Shopify. And adding merch directly to your artist profile can help you boost sales. 

17. Keychains

When thinking about useful accessories fans rely on daily, keychains are a great addition to your merch offerings.

Keychains typically feature band logos, but that doesn’t have to be your only option. You could create a design with upcoming tour graphics and a funky shape like this keychain featuring the “After Hours Til Dawn” tour by the Weeknd. 

Source: The Weeknd

18. Scrunchies

When looking for band merch ideas, imagine yourself as a fan. What items would be useful to you? What kind of accessories would you like to rock? 

Here’s a great example: the lead singer from Glass Animals used to have hair long enough to put in a scrunchie. And now the band is selling a pack of 2 scrunchies with a custom cherry pattern and the band initials “G” and “A.” 

Source: Glass Animals

19. Tote bags and drawstring bags

Printed tote bags and drawstring bags are an awesome way for your fans to carry your band with them after gigs. Another plus? They’re popular items to sell year-round. In summer, large tote bags are great for a beach day or can be used for grocery shopping in any season.

Plus, there are loads of ways to customize your totes. Create a bold all-over print of your album artwork, or pick a classic black tote and have your album design as the centerpiece. 

Source: Chvrches

20. Fanny packs

If you sell tote bags and want to expand your merch line, fanny packs are the way to go! They’re a firm favorite among festival-goers, so they’re bound to be popular with fans who come to see you play gigs.

For design inspo, think about summer festival vibes and what colors best reflect that. Check out this fanny pack design sold by the Foo Fighters—it’s a twist on their “Medicine at Midnight” album art that’s equally bright and daring. 

Source: Foo Fighters

21. Backpacks

If we’re talking bags, a classic remains a classic. Backpacks are everyday essentials for students of all ages, so having a well-loved design that reps your favorite music group is a must. 

A popular choice is to highlight your band’s album cover art, especially if it’s well-known and appreciated by fans. For example, this backpack features the album cover for “Wish You Were Here” by Pink Floyd.

Source: Pink Floyd

22. Jewelry

Jewelry offers fans a stylish way to show their support. Consider a premium-quality jewelry line like the one Boygenius created in collaboration with the designer Catbird. This collection subtly references the band’s lyrics—those who get it, get it. Those who don’t will still appreciate the design.

Each item is designed with a refined aesthetic, making it perfect for everyday wear while still holding a special significance for fans.

Source: Boygenius x Catbird

Premium jewelry is also a good contestant for a VIP collection that fans will be willing to pay more for. Whether it’s a delicate bracelet, a stylish necklace, or a pair of elegant earrings, band-themed jewelry becomes a treasured part of your fans’ collections.

23. Slipmats

Slipmats combine fandom and function in any vinyl enthusiast’s record player setup. Customize them with your newest album art to create an irresistible bundle deal with every new release.

Source: KISS

24. Guitar picks

Small but iconic—picks are every guitar player’s essential. Plus, there can never be enough of them. Picture your band’s logo or album art on a pick, making every strum a shout-out to your music!

Custom picks aren’t just for guitarists—they’re also great keepsakes for fans who want a tangible piece of their favorite artists. Affordable and easy to produce, custom guitar picks make fantastic additions to merch bundles or can be sold on their own. They’re a hit with fans and a unique, practical way to spread your band’s name.

Source: Taylor Swift

25. Drumsticks

Rock bands have long had a tradition of throwing their used drumsticks into the crowd at the end of the concert, ensuring some dedicated fans go home with a unique keepsake. For those fans who don’t have such luck, you can offer drumsticks as part of your merch line.

While drumsticks don’t provide much space to get creative with fun merch designs, you can customize them with autographs or simple prints of your band logo or solo artist name. Look at how the rock band The Rasmus and legendary singer Dolly Parton do it.

Source: Dolly Parton

26. Bracelets

Bracelets are a timeless and versatile merch item that fans love to wear as a subtle nod to their favorite band or artist. As a lightweight, affordable, and scalable merch option, bracelets are perfect for bands looking to create a product that’s easy to produce in bulk and appeals to a broad audience. The possibilities are endless, from sleek leather bands engraved with your logo to colorful silicone bracelets featuring your latest album name.

What makes bracelets even better is the opportunity for creativity. You can design limited-edition pieces for tours, incorporate song lyrics or new album artwork, or even offer customizable options for fans. For example, Coldplay’s set of bracelets features Chris Martin’s hand-drawn symbols in addition to the band logo and album artwork.

Source: Coldplay

27. Sheet music

Sheet music is a unique merch idea that appeals to musicians and fans who want to connect with your music on a deeper level. Offering official sheet music for your songs lets fans recreate their favorite tracks at home. You can sell guitar tabs, piano arrangements, or full scores, providing options for different skill levels and instruments while showcasing the craftsmanship behind your music.

Bands like Muse have successfully tapped into this market, giving their audiences a chance to learn and perform their music with an authentic touch.

Source: Muse

You can sell sheet music as a piece of physical merch, as Muse does, or offer it as custom digital merch on your online store. A digital download will let your fans save on shipping costs, making this an affordable option no matter where your admirers are located. As a piece of scalable digital merch, it’s perfect for reaching a global audience and providing instant access to your music without the hassle of inventory.

Connect with your fans

To find inspiration for your designs, explore what your favorite bands are selling and how they connect with their audience. But also, don’t be afraid to experiment and let your own music guide your design choices.

Ultimately, owning band merch is a way for your fans to show support, so pick items that your fans will love. With print-on-demand services like Printful, it’s never been easier to start selling band merchandise online. Try it out and let us know how it’s going in the comments below! 

Read next: How To Make Band Merch That Resonates with Your Fans