Music Biz Member Merch Cat Launches Direct-To-Fan App

Merch Cat, a member of the Music Business Association and all-encompassing merch management platform for musicians, is launching the new Merch Cat Fan app, the first-of-its-kind direct-to-fan app centered on the live show.

Users of the Merch Cat Fan app can buy exclusive merch on their phones anytime and anywhere. At live shows, fans can skip the merch table lines, pick up their items, and then share their purchases with friends via social media, who can buy the merch themselves and have it shipped to their house. Fans can use the app to purchase merch at any time, whether or not a band is currently on tour.

Artists benefit from the Fan app’s integration with Merch Cat’s best-in-class inventory management and sales tracking system, which funnels all transactions into a central database for rich reporting, analytics, and management. Merch Cat Fan also allows artists to easily capture fan data at sign-up, allowing for further engagement down the line.

“80% of merch sales take place at live shows vs. web stores, so we designed Merch Cat Fan to capitalize on the excitement that takes hold of fans at live concerts to commemorate the moment, all while removing the things they hate, like waiting on long lines and carrying things around,” said Vanessa Ferrer, Founder and CEO of Merch Cat.

“Further, they can buy things once they arrive home, and people who did not attend can also get in on the action. In fact, those who were there can share their purchases with those who had to stay home, driving second-hand reach by stoking that FOMO feeling. The artist is in complete control: they can offer whichever items they want through the Fan app, and all sales connect back to their own Merch Cat client app account so they can see all their transactions and inventory at a glance. We know many music lovers today spend most of their time on their phone, even when at a live show. Why not give them something to buy while they’re there?”

Merch Cat Fan is now available for free on the iTunes App Store. An Android version is in development. The Fan app is piloting with the band Magnets & Ghosts, the side project of Collective Soul’s Dean Roland and Ryan Potesta, with other Merch Cat artists being on-boarded every day. For more information, visit www.merchcat.com.

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