Your Favorite Band!

**thesteve** · 01-26-2007, 07:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skeeter

What do the t-shirts look like?

Our current t-shirt design is this one:

It's a white print on a blue shirt.

**Skeeter** · 01-26-2007, 07:16 PM

That's pretty sweet. I don't have any spare cash right now (no steady job), but once I do, I'll likely older one.

**thesteve** · 01-26-2007, 07:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skeeter

That's pretty sweet. I don't have any spare cash right now (no steady job), but once I do, I'll likely older one.

sweet...I'm going to be keeping the price at $7 until I get a feeling for what shipping is really going to cost. At the most they'll go up to $8, but I'm going to try my darndest to keep it at $7.

Ryan Freeland · 01-26-2007, 07:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thesteve

sweet...I'm going to be keeping the price at $7 until I get a feeling for what shipping is really going to cost. At the most they'll go up to $8, but I'm going to try my darndest to keep it at $7.

I'll buy one.

**thesteve** · 01-26-2007, 07:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Building429_Boy

I'll buy one.

cool. hit me up via one of the options I mentioned before.

I should probably mention that the fastest form of payment will be paypal...though I'm sure I can arrange cash payment through the mail if paypal is not an option.

**Rainer.** · 02-20-2007, 11:35 AM

What's new in the YFB world?

**thesteve** · 02-20-2007, 12:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rainer.

What's new in the YFB world?

Same ol' thing.

We've actually been pushing Ryan to refine the way we writes songs and to work at them from more of a guitar hook aspect rather than with a lyrical concept. for awhile he got into a rut where some of the songs he did had value, but a few of them we just did and then tried our best to forget (a couple of which we actually did record back in Nov. '05). The last three or four songs he wrote have been really solid.

We've been talking about recording again, but we haven't solidified anything yet. we've not played a show in 2007 yet either...we've had possible shows come up but once again, nothing solid. I should probably work on booking again, but I haven't really sat down with the will to do it.

Once again it really boils down to the fact that YFB is just three good friends doing music...not about recording and getting famous. we play shows when we can because they're fun...not because music is our chosen career path.

Also, I should be sending Ryan Freeland his t-shirt today or tomorrow (it's packed, it's just an issue of me getting out of work early enough to get to the post office), so I'll have a solid idea of how much shirt + shipping is going to be afterwards.

**Rainer.** · 02-20-2007, 12:17 PM

Quote:

We've actually been pushing Ryan to refine the way we writes songs and to work at them from more of a guitar hook aspect rather than with a lyrical concept. for awhile he got into a rut where some of the songs he did had value, but a few of them we just did and then tried our best to forget (a couple of which we actually did record back in Nov. '05). The last three or four songs he wrote have been really solid.

I know how that is. I remember an Amigoes recording session which we totally threw out due to iffy songwriting. Though. I do still have those tracks, some of which have pretty good music, IMO, but overall, the recording session was a lost cause.

Out of curiosity, have you found your band to be more about the merchandise than the music, ever?

**thesteve** · 02-20-2007, 12:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rainer.

Out of curiosity, have you found your band to be more about the merchandise than the music, ever?

Funny you ask...

one of our very first songs (from the original EP we recorded in 2004) was called "Let's Do it Right" and included the lines:
"we don't want your money, Okay maybe we do
Come to the back we'll sell merchandise to you
we don't want your money, Okay maybe we did
Come to the back and buy a t-shirt for your kid"
(or something like that)

the reality is that we came to understand very early on that the only way we were going to get the money to support t-shirt sales without spending out of our pockets was to employ the DIY ethic. Because Ryan can do the graphic design (it's his job professionally) and the screen printing (he took a class and uses the machine at the school where he took the class), he can do all of the t-shirt work and all we have to buy is the shirts themselves. This means we can turn a profit of 150% while still selling shirts for $5. Sure we only make $3 per shirt sold (the shirts themselves cost $2 a piece), but the turnaround is great. Most bands that are selling their shirts for $10 are profitting (at the most) maybe 75%.

Which means that I readily admit that we have a huge percentage markup compared to other bands, but the price is still so low that it's not really gouging. We could sell our shirts at the same price as other bands and probably get away with it...but there's no reason for it. The dollar amount markup is actually close to being the same (most bands have their shirts printed at a rate of $5.5-$7 per shirt).

Merchandising has been good for us. It's good advertising and we can make a little money on the side with it too. We've actually been able to do alot with DIY methods. We built our initial money pool when Ryan and Adam would play street music (busking) in San Diego. I think the nights I tagged along we averaged $70-80 a night...and they went many nights without me. Out of that pool of funds we were able to buy our first set of T-shirts and Adam's drum kit ($400: 3-piece bass and toms...I think the snare was extra...but I could be wrong). We also paid for half of my Jazz V ($150) among other band related items. At the same time, we're not a money making machine. Alot of the t-shirt money has gone back into merchandise...more t-shirts, stickers, business cards and such.

Has the merchandise ever seemed bigger than the music...not really...but merchandising is definitely something we've taken the time to think through and not just approach flippantly. We always promote our $5 shirts at shows...sometimes we sell alot...sometimes we don't. We certainly don't focus more on the shirts than whether or not we played a good show though...if you can't play a good show then why would anyone want to buy your shirt?

Ryan Freeland · 02-25-2007, 06:50 PM

Yeah people, buy lots of YFB tshirts.

I got mine today and will post pics eventually.

**Gustin** · 03-03-2007, 09:55 PM

Your Favorite Band is now my friend on Myspace. Sweet.

**Skeeter** · 03-04-2007, 05:11 PM

So, how much will it cost for me to buy a shirt and have it delivered to Canada?

**thesteve** · 03-04-2007, 08:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skeeter

So, how much will it cost for me to buy a shirt and have it delivered to Canada?

ooo...that's a good question. I'm pretty sure I can do it for $8. Shipping to Canada is a little more expensive, but not too much more.

**Skeeter** · 03-04-2007, 11:47 PM

Okay. I'm not a big fan of paying money over the internet; I could do a money order at my bank...

**thesteve** · 03-05-2007, 12:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skeeter

Okay. I'm not a big fan of paying money over the internet; I could do a money order at my bank...

I don't know much about that stuff. Would I be waiting on the money order coming through the mail? I have no problems doing it that way.