YouTube has partnered with Merchbar to allow artists with an Official Artist Channel to ‘surface’ their official merchandise and vinyl alongside their videos.
Carrying over 1 million items from 35,000 artists, Merchbar is one of the largest music merchandise aggregator providers globally.
Official Artist Channels will display a shelf with the artist’s own branded merchandise, which can then be bought after clicking through to Merchbar’s website.
Eligible artists with an Official Artist Channel and a Merchbar store with US fulfilment enabled can sign up for the merch shelf in YouTube Studio.
YouTube says that it’ll be rolling out the feature in the US first and is working to expand globally in the near future.
To celebrate the launch, superstar DJ and producer Marshmello has created a soccer jersey (pictured) available exclusively to Merchbar and YouTube.
“Merchandise drops have become an integral part of artists’ album campaigns and with this partnership YouTube is giving fans direct access to their most favorite merch.”
YouTube
“Merchandise drops have become an integral part of artists’ album campaigns and with this partnership YouTube is giving fans direct access to their most favorite merch,” said YouTube.
“With placement below the videos on both mobile and desktop, the merch shelf is a tremendous opportunity for artists to drive awareness and get their latest gear in the hands of fans.”
Spotify also partnered with Merchbar to integrate its retail listings into the streaming platform in 2016.Music Business Worldwide
