YouTube is partnering with Merchbar to help artists sell their official merchandise. The new partnership will help artists sell merch to their fan base below YouTube videos.
Notably, with over 1 million items from 35,000 artists, Merchbar is one of the largest music merchandise shops in the worldwide. The exciting partnership will provide artists with Official Artist Channels to post their merch. Once live, the merch will be shared on a virtual shelf. This shelf will live below artists video descriptions on YouTube. Furthermore, fans who wish to purchase merchandise from an artist can then do so by clicking through to Merchbar’s website.
YouTube for Artists made a statement regarding the new partnership:
“Artists with an Official Artist Channel can now surface their official merchandise and vinyl alongside their videos. This collaboration is another way YouTube is working with artists to become their most valuable platform, providing a single place to share their music, promote upcoming tour dates and showcase their own official merchandise to a global audience.”
Perhaps the move to add Merchbar comes as YouTube is investing more in its music service. By defaulting YouTube Music as the default Android app, YouTube is clearly trying to make YouTube Music as sustainable as possible. When competing with powerhouses such as Spotify and Apple Music, it makes sense.
