A Brisbane musician has launched a new company to aid indie artists connecting with their fans.
Joseph Knox-Wheeler is the founder of The Merch Desk, a new website designed to offer independent musicians the opportunity to offer their merchandise to fans."The Merch Desk is designed to remove all barriers that would otherwise stop artists offering merch to their fans and supporters," Wheeler says.
"The Merch Desk costs nothing to get started and with their help, artists can be selling to their fans in hours not weeks."
So how does it work? An artist creates a profile, then uploads their designs and sets prices to whatever they'd like. The artist is then shown the profit they'll make from the sale.
Wheeler has partnered with another Brisbane-based company, The Print Bar, who process, print and ship the merch directly to the customer within 3-5 business days.
The Merch Desk retain $1 from each item sold to cover website and running costs. This means, the average profit from a shirt (small to x-large) sold at $30 is just over $20 – with $1 to The Merch Desk and the rest to cover the cost of producing the merch to The Print Bar.
Artists who are stuck for designs, The Merch Desk has them covered too. Wheeler has partnered with Jimmy Patch, a Brisbane-based illustrator and graphic designer.
This new platform isn't just for musicians either, with the service ideal for designers, illustrators, comedians, or anyone who lives off gig culture.
