Your merch on Spotify – shopping and streaming hand in hand!

Streaming and Shopping? Shopping and streaming? You can do that? Oh yes! A combination that is almost more practical for musicians than for listeners. That’s why the cooperation between streaming provider Spotify and the e-commerce and omnichannel platform is a real and practical stroke of luck for you as an artist. In this article, you’ll find out what the advantages are and how you can use the options wisely. Let’s go!

Here’s the deal

Since December 2021, you can not only listen to music on Spotify, but also sell your merch. With the merger of the two platforms, you can easily offer your merch and other products directly on Spotify. So if you’ve just discovered your music and become an Ultra fan, you can go from streaming your music to shopping. Roman Zemner, omnichannel expert at Shopify told onlinemarketing.de:

Thousands of artists have already chosen Shopify as their distribution platform and now we’re bringing fans and musician:ins even closer together with the Spotify connection. Artists[…] are building versatile brands and businesses and we’re making it easier for them to meet their fans where they are.

Sounds great. But how does it work?

All you need to offer your merchandise directly on the streaming platform is a Spotify for artist account and a Shopify store on the basic tariff (the basic tarif costs 27 euros per month), where your merch is already offered. Now all you have to do is link the two together.

Log in to your Spotify for Artists account.
Go to Profile.
Click on Merch.
Select Log in to Shopify.
Enter the URL of your Shopify store here and click Link Store.
Now log into your Shopify profile and follow the instructions there.

By the way, since March 2022 it is possible to link one and the same Shopify store with as many Spotify artist accounts as you like. To do so, simply follow the steps described above for each additional Spotify account and you can offer merch for an entire festival lineup on the streaming platform. By the way, you can upload up to 250 items, i.e. merch on Shopify. From these 250 items, you can choose three to offer for sale directly on your Spotify profile.

Why just three?

Maybe you’re wondering why you can’t integrate your entire Shopify store with Spotify? Of course, the creators have thought of something. Only three, so that you can quickly and flexibly change your offer on Spotify. The hoodie in winter, the cap in summer and the shirt with the song title when you land on a big playlist. Three but also because Spotify should primarily be about music and not business. If you were to showcase your entire merch portfolio, your fans might not be too pleased. With a small selection, your offer remains exclusive and naturally picks up listeners’ enthusiasm.

Surprise: The music business is digital

In the 2000 the music business was completely turned upside down. It was no longer possible to make money from CD sales. Streaming services were the first to bring stability back to the market. So your target audience isn’t sitting in front of the radio or putting on your album, they’re on Spotify. You’ll hardly find a better place to get in touch with them. DJ Alle Farben, for example, told Shopify Shop:

 “The new partnership allows us to connect with our fans in a whole new way. They can now see fan merchandise directly on Spotify and order it directly through the connection to our store. It’s a feature we’ve been waiting for for a very long time.”

Artists needs the selling of Merch

The Covid pandemic brought home to all of us just how fragile the event industry actually is at its core. That’s why it’s so important to diversify your revenue streams. Who knows when concerts will be cancelled again? Selling merchandise through as many channels as possible can actually make a difference.

However, smaller artists who don’t yet have their own store can take their time. A webstore doesn’t manage itself, it requires some work. But as soon as you notice that the demand for your fan merchandise is increasing, your path can lead directly to e-commerce.

What kind of merchandise is doing particularly well?

Of course, this always depends heavily on the target group. T-shirts and similar low-priced items work particularly well with younger fans. If you’re making music for older, and therefore usually more affluent people, you can try higher-priced merchandise.

In addition:Very few people follow a single artist, but compile playlists from many different artists. An album on CD would therefore hardly sell. A mug or T-shirt with a logo and a favorite song as an MP3, on the other hand, tends to sell more.

Finally: What you have to pay attention to

Even if you’re excited about how easy it is to integrate Spotify and Shopify, don’t forget that both services operate internationally and you have to comply with national laws for all sales. (update September 2022).