If you have 100,000 t-shirts with no graphics, in a common color and cut etc why would anyone buy one unless they just really wanted it? People want something different. I often hear artists in particular say that people just want more of the same and that true too. Understanding how to give someone something that’s both more of the same, but also unique is where you should be aiming to hit. This doesn’t just refer to t-shirts though. Scarcity itself doesn’t create value really anyway. If something has no value to start with and you only have one it doesn’t automatically make that something more value to everyone or anyone else, but scarcity can create value and it does so quite naturally when allowed. What you can control isn’t whether or not scarcity will create value, but the actual scarcity itself. Let me give you some examples.
While limited run t-shirts or numbered memorabilia or one-of-a-kinds like a guitar give away are more obvious, something that many artists and bands forget is their time. Your time is limited and that makes it valuable. The time you spend with people is limited too and if seats are scarce or the time of your fans is scare (everybody’s busy right?), so if you play a show every night and it’s the same one over and over, eventually it loses some of the value, but if you limit your number of shows then your show’s value goes up. This may not apply to many new artists who may actually make gains playing all the time, but for more established acts, this idea should be a lesson you’ve learned either through experience on your own or hopefully just now. Don’t sell yourself short or devalue yourself by making yourself a common bargain. Value yourself and remember that when deciding how much you’re rationing out.
Of course, this doesn’t just apply to merch or performances (futhermore into things like special meet and greets or private shows or other activities), but to almost anything. The Wu-Tang clan used this tactic to great effect when they sold the only copy of for millions (https://www.engadget.com/2015/11/25/wu-tang-clan-shaolin-album-millions/) or what Frank Ocean did with streaming services (https://www.cultofmac.com/443519/frank-ocean-endless-blonde-apple-music-exclusives/).
For some more personalized ideas, shoot me a message.
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