6 ways to use gift cards on your band website

As a musician and likely a lifelong lover of all things music, you know that it can be tricky to shop for music fans. Here’s an idea to help you and your fans alike: add gift card options to your website.

With emphasis on shopping and supporting local, offering gift cards for purchase in your music website store is the perfect way to generate commission-free income, especially around the holidays.

Gift cards are a built-in option to add to your merch store through your Bandzoogle website. To encourage fans to purchase gift cards from your website store, here are 6 ways you can use gift cards on your website:

1. New music release

When you’re releasing a new album, it’s a good idea to add related items that fans can put in their cart along with the release. You’ll want to be sure to promote your music effectively by encouraging fans to pre-order your music. Along with this, add a few gift card options to your store.

You can set up gift cards in your store in lieu of a pre-order. Title the gift card item according to the value — for example, call it "Physical Album Gift Card" and set the price to match the cost of a vinyl or CD version of your album. Another option is to name your gift card "Album Bundle Gift Card" and set the cost to cover some or most of the price of your bundles.

Add some descriptive text to make sure your fans know that they can easily gift these cards to friends and family, so that they can select their preferred format of your music. More fans heading to your website means more email addresses collected, and more interaction, which is always a bonus for you as an artist.

2. Merch drop

Building a brand for your music is important — it establishes a visual identity that is instantly recognizable for fans, casual listeners, and industry professionals. Between your band logo, album artwork, and cool shots from live shows, there are plenty of opportunities to create unique band merch.

Plus, using a print-on-demand like Printful (which is a built-in option in your Bandzoogle store) can open up opportunities to create not only T-shirts, but also coffee mugs, hats, tote bags, and more — all across a broad range of price points.

Add a gift card option on the page where you’ve dropped your new merchandise to let fans share the experience. They’ll be able to pick up a gift card for anyone they know who appreciates stylish band merch. They can add the gift card to their own cart along with their merch, or buy it separately for the fan in their life.

3. Variations

Whether you’re releasing your music on vinyl, cassette, or CDs (or all three), adding variations to the packaging or format is another reason to add a gift card option to your store. Often, artists will release limited-edition colored vinyl pressings, CD booklets with alternate artwork, or cassettes with altered track lists to give fans a custom experience. These are all very visual and fun to promote as part of your music marketing strategy.

If you’re releasing variations for physical music products, add a gift card option below the list of items as well. A friend-of-a-fan can purchase a gift card and the fan will be able to pick which variation they prefer.

4. Issuing your back catalogue

If you’re an established band or a prolific songwriter, you might have a back catalogue full of demos, EPs, or merch from previous tours or album releases. Adding all of your music and merch to a dedicated Store page is a good way to move some of that stock into the hands of true fans, or perhaps to new fans who may have missed out the first time around. Added bonus: providing these retro options will give you something to promote in between new music releases.

Friends and family of your fans might not know which album or tour T-shirt they should pick out for your fan, so adding a gift card on this page can eliminate any confusion or doubled orders.

5. Show tickets

Selling tickets from your website is a great way to get your fans contact info and keep them informed on where you’re playing. If you’re not sure of your dates yet, but you know which cities you’ll be visiting, you can add a note on your events page letting fans know which months (or season) you can expect to play their city.

Add a gift card option below the note and your calendar so fans and their friends can put some funds aside for their tickets. This is also a great way to drum up excitement and encourage your fans to come out to your shows!

6. Music lessons

You might be a music teacher by trade or supplement your income by teaching music lessons. Whether it’s full or part time for you, set up a tuition table somewhere on your site and outline what’s included in lessons, along with your rates.

Once you’ve listed that information you can add gift cards to your site to encourage people to purchase lesson time from you. Set the pricing for a single lesson, or set a gift card price that includes a lesson bundle. Be sure to promote this offering to your fans — these gift cards serve as great presents for budding musicians.

Final thoughts

Part of your overall strategy to promote your music should be to sell merch and more from your website. In addition to giving you content to talk about and promote to your fans, this approach helps you generate some additional income so you can keep doing what you love.

Gift cards are a great addition to your website selling tools. Gift cards won’t expire, and your fans can hold onto them for tickets, product bundles, music releases, and even music lessons — Anything you're selling on your website. When paired with ongoing music marketing and fan engagement, the gift card can elevate your website store experience and establish an additional revenue stream.