In the throes of a global upheaval, musicians turned the digital landscape into their new frontier, finding new opportunities through online gigs and streams in ways that would make even the most seasoned industry vets do a double-take.
These artists traded in their tour vans for webcams, embracing a savvy entrepreneurial spirit that kept audiences connected. Amidst the chaos, a new playbook emerged, one where bands and solo acts alike dialed up their fan engagement, turning likes, shares, and virtual applause into the kind of revenue that could keep the lights on and the music playing. This wasn’t just a pivot; it was a revolution, proving once again that when the going gets tough, musicians get innovative, ensuring the rhythm never dies.
Enter 2023 – bands are back on the road, connecting with people in person again and carrying forward what they discovered over the last few years to enhance that spirit of using music to create a sustainable career.
We wanted to take a look back at 2023 and see just how things have shifted; how musicians are continuing to make money with their websites and engage fans with all of these new ways of connection.
Band merch sales
The first thing to note is that merch sells. Music fans love merch – it’s a tangible piece of a treasured album, a reminder of a good time had at a live show, and most importantly, a meaningful way to directly support their favorite artist.
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Fans did that in a huge way in 2023, with musicians making close to $9 million in band merch sales through their Bandzoogle-powered websites.
The last few years have been tough on musicians, and they’ve needed more creative ways to make money with music. To help, we focused on building out more diverse e-commerce tools available to artists through their websites. Amplifying merch sales was a central goal in that project: musicians can now use QR codes to promote items; they can create product bundles that offer vinyl, CDs, and even cassettes in tandem with other merch items; suggested upsells can be added for items that are frequently purchased together.
Ticket sales
Live shows are back and musicians are successfully engaging their fans with ticketed events. Making money at live shows is a foundational source of revenue for most performing artists, and offering tickets through the Calendar feature continued to be popular in 2023.
In response to members’ feedback, we recently added the option to set ticket pricing to ‘pay-what-you-want’ (as well as an option to offer free tickets). This may have helped drive an increase in ticket sales through member websites, with Bandzoogle members selling $4.1 million in tickets for events in 2023, a 102% increase from 2022.
Digital music sales
This one is always so nice to see. Artists continue to sell music online through their websites, commission-free, and fans continue to buy it. In fact, digital music sales made through Bandzoogle websites totaled $1.7 million in 2023, an increase of 28% from the previous year. If you aren’t yet selling your new releases on your website, it’s easy to set up and well worth the effort!
Tip Jar donations
With many people not carrying cash anymore, a virtual tip jar is a great way to have fans support you, even in spontaneous moments. Set up a Tip Jar feature on a page of your website, and share that link far and wide (you can even set up a QR code that links directly to your tip jar).
Bandzoogle members continued to make good use of the built-in Tip Jar feature, netting $1 million in proceeds overall in 2023.
Fan subscriptions
Setting up fan subscriptions on your website is a great opportunity for deeper engagement with your listeners who are eager to receive access to exclusive quality content. You can set up your pricing tiers and then offer perks for fans at the different levels, providing them exclusive access to a range of content – whether that’s early access to music or free downloads, merch discounts and customized items, lessons and sheet music, or private shows and video shoutouts, you can customize the perks to your preference.
Fan subscriptions are commission-free, and can be a great source of income – Bandzoogle members generated $800,000 in monthly fan subscriptions during 2023.
In the ever-evolving tapestry of the music industry, it’s nothing short of a revelation to witness the genius with which musicians orchestrate the sale of merch, music, tickets, and more, right from the digital stages of their own websites. It’s a virtuous circle, a rock and roll alchemy, where art fuels commerce and commerce fuels art.
As creators find new ways to monetize their melody and rhythm, they’re not just keeping the lights on—they’re ensuring that the creative process never skips a beat. Here at Bandzoogle, we’re stoked to be a part of this narrative, bridging the gap between artists and the global audience they deserve. Watching musicians connect with their fans in ways that are as authentic as a backstage pass, nurturing the very passion that drives them, is to watch the heart of the music industry beat stronger. We’re here for the ride, amplifying the voices that soundtrack our lives and celebrating the innovative spirit that keeps the music playing.
