Teespring Empowers Musicians to Maximize Their Merchandising Revenue through Social Commerce

AUSTIN, Texas, March 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading social commerce platform Teespring is changing the way musicians connect with fans and make money via merchandise. Through its fast-growing music and entertainment division, Teespring hosts exclusive merchandise campaigns for the full range of artists, from household names like Beyoncé, Keith Urban, EDM favorite Martin Garrix to up-and-coming indie bands.

At SXSW 2016, Teespring, along with fellow experts in the music business, will reveal new ways bands can connect with fans and unlock new revenue streams through social commerce. The panel, moderated by lead singer David Wurgler of indie-pop band My Brothers & I, features Teespring head of music Stu Smith; BandPage CMO and head of artist relations Doug Scott; and Red Light Management EVP and GM Jonathan Azu:

SXSW Panel: Music + Social Commerce - Connect, Engage, Amplify
Saturday, March 19
12:30PM - 1:30PM
Austin Convention Center, Room 17A
http://schedule.sxsw.com/2016/events/event_PP50649

To underscore Teespring's commitment to helping artists maximize the power of custom apparel, the company is growing its recently opened Los Angeles-based music and entertainment division. Teespring hired Jake Cohen as head of talent partnerships. Cohen brings strong industry know-how and relationships, building on his prior experience with Songkick and NYC Originals.

Led by industry insider Stu Smith, the Los Angeles office works directly with artists and collaborates with leading music industry merchandise and management companies such as BandPage, Global Merchandising, Manhead Merchandising and Red Light Management to develop and deliver on-demand commerce programs for their clients, representing a full spectrum of artists – from newly formed bands to Justin Timberlake.

"The concert t-shirt is an icon, and today's fans have a voracious appetite for expressing themselves and supporting the music they love by literally wearing it on their sleeve," said Jonathan Azu, executive vice president and general manager at Red Light Management. "With Teespring's innovative approach to on-demand commerce, artists are no longer constrained by the logistics or expense associated with doing one big run of a small number of designs. They're now able to be more creative, responsive and efficient in introducing new merch – and are increasing sales as a result. It's e-commerce at the speed of social media."

The Teespring platform is tuned for today's mobile-first, social-always world. Artists are able to quickly create limited-edition shirts that tap into the zeitgeist and are printed only after customers purchase – eliminating the need to commit financial resources upfront or deal with leftover inventory. 

A sampling of successful campaigns includes:

• Fall Out Boy generated more than $40,000 in t-shirt sales in just 24 hours with a campaign supporting its "American Beauty, American Psycho" album
• Martin Garrix launched his Team Garrix shirt on Teespring with one post across his social channels and sold 4,922 shirts in just 72 hours
• Beyoncé raised millions for a children's hospital in Haiti with her #BeyGOODHaiti campaign
• Martina McBride rallied support during last year's #SaladGate controversy with her "Tomato" and "Tomato Lover" shirts, which sold thousands of units

"On-demand commerce is the future of the music merchandising business, and it's happening today on Teespring," said Stu Smith, Head of Music & Entertainment for Teespring. "By enabling artists to better connect with fans through custom apparel that reflects their personal interests and the hot topics they care about in the moment, we're unlocking new revenue streams and making the music merchandise business work better."

About Teespring
Teespring is a commerce platform that enables anyone to create and sell products that people love, with no cost or risk. Teespring powers all aspects of bringing merchandise to life from production and manufacturing to supply chain, shipping, and customer service. By unlocking commerce for everyone, Teespring is creating new opportunities for entrepreneurs, influencers, brands, and anyone who rallies communities around specific causes or passions. Headquartered in San Francisco, Teespring is venture-backed by Andreessen Horowitz, Khosla Ventures, and Y Combinator.

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