Musicians Save Big at the Merch Booth with Sky!

Musicians and bands are always looking for ways to increase their revenue, especially in a post-pandemic world. Musicians today only have two real means of capturing income, touring and the merch booth, since streaming only pays on average 0.0038 per stream. Here at Sky we are working hard to make sure you have the tools, the software and best rates so you can keep more of your money at the merch booth.

Why your merch sales matter

The merch booth, in some cases, is all that is saving local and regional bands from starvation. As venues are still recovering from shutdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many are struggling to pay the performance fees they could have just two years prior. Once again, musicians are being asked to take a pay cut due to something completely out of their control. If they aren’t making any significant income from streaming, are making less money playing shows, their last line of defense from giving up is investing in the offerings at their merch table. But even so, the merch table for signed bands has become a new source of income for venues and the record labels.

Liliac - The Family Who Rocks Together, Saves Together with Sky!

“At a recent festival, we were told that in order to sell merchandise we had to agree to give 50% of our revenue to the festival. Some of our t-shirts have up to 30% cost of the sale price invested in printing them. Is it even worth the effort to sell at those festivals because we will make the least out of everyone involved in the process.”, says Papa Liliac, father, founder and manager of the internet sensation Liliac.

Everyone gets a cut…

With venues, and sometimes record labels, in the musicians’ proverbial pockets taking cuts of music sales, wages from gigs and merch... it is important to save every penny when possible. The industry average for credit card processing fees is about 3%. Let’s say… Merch Cost (25%) + Record Label (20%) + Venue (50%) + Credit Card Processing (3%) leaves about 2% left for the band… Even though Sky has the lowest rates in the industry, margins are tight. So we always suggest our merchants…

PASS THE FEE

Papa Liliac says, “We switched to Sky Systemz because we had the ability to pass the fee. It shows up as a small surcharge to the buyer, but at the end of the night it could add up to being able to pay for a hotel room or gas to get to our next gig. It makes a big difference at the end of the day.”

Real World Savings PASSING THE FEE

Actual sky Merchant Weekly Report Total Transactions Total Revenue
Card Present(CP) 134 $7,428.90
Card Not Present(CNP) 22 $1,282.21
Square CP Rate: 2.6% + 10¢ per transaction Square CNP Rate: 3.5% + 15¢ per transaction
Actual sky Merchant Weekly Report Total Transactions Total Revenue
Card Present(CP) 134 $7,428.90
Card Not Present(CNP) 22 $1,282.21
Total Fees Saved $254.73

WHAT YOU GIVE AWAY NOT SWITCHING

  • 9 - $30 Items
  • 14 - $20 Items
  • 17 - $15 Items
  • 25 - $10 Items
  • 51 - $5 Items

As you can see passing the fee can make a big difference for artists on the road. Luckily for Liliac, they are an independent band so they do not have to pay the record label a cut. However, as an independent artist they are self-funded, like the majority of artists out there. So literally every penny matters!

Services & Equipment

As always, Sky’s Software Suite (Cloud POS) is 100% free to use. Our apps work on both Android and iOS devices and you can even use your own tablet or phone! The only thing you will need to purchase from us is a credit card reader, and we suggest the M2 Chipper for just $50.

So for you independent artists, Sky Systemz is the answer for your payment processing and eCommerce. Not only can we help you save money at the merch booth, we can also build a custom website and web store (or add a webstore to your existing site to replace Shopify). You can check out the site we built for our Marketing Director, Dr. C!

Sign Up today and start processing payments in as little as 5 minutes! For more information, reach out to us at contact@skysystemz.com!

Frequently Asked Questions

We serve as a convenient resource for users, customers, or readers to find solutions to
their queries without the need for direct contact with customer support

Sky offers next day funding, so Sky Paymentz customers will receive any payments made on Monday by 9:00 PM ET on Tuesday. Any payments during the weekend will be received on Tuesday. More information can be found in our help center - https://support.skysystemz.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408459370644-When-will-I-typically-receive-deposits

Yes. After completing the 5 minute registration process you can immediately start processing payments by using the Sky Systemz mobile application (App Store) (Google Play) or by logging into SkySystemz.com you can take a manual payment. You will then receive an email and phone call from your dedicated account manager to assist with any hardware purchases and the setup of your Sky account.

Sky asks basic business and personal questions during registration, such as name, address, EIN, and banking information. It takes approximately 5 minutes to complete our registration and begin processing payments. However, Sky uses next generation underwriting and verification technology to identify you as the business owner and to verify your business. If you do not answer questions accurately, we may ask additional questions or require documentation such as processing statements, drivers license, or business licenses for verification purposes.

Sky first attempts to verify your identity and ownership with the last 4 of your social security number. If we are unable to verify, we will require the full social security number to satisfy federal and state guidelines surrounding Knowing Your Customer (KYC) and Anti Money Laundering (AML).

Sky does sell equipment and offers special discount incentives for merchants that provide three recent processing statements. Sky also offers a $50 credit for every $5,000 processed in the first billing cycle for hardware purchases made during the first billing cycle. You can make purchases from the Sky online store

Sky’s service is nationwide but our physical presence to offer personalized customer service and POS setups is in three states, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Indiana and the metropolitan areas of St. Louis and Orlando.

Yes, Sky can assist with the transition and as a subscriber to Cloud Servicez we can rebuild your website if you prefer. This will keep all of your services, both in store and online in one place.

Yes. Sky Cloud Servicez offers two plans with Pro and Pro+ to build, host, and maintain custom websites. The typical buildout time is 1-2 weeks.

Sky’s support team and your dedicated account manager are available by text, email, or phone. We are always here when you need us.

Sky Systemz is not currently seeking investor capital, but your investment in our products and services helps us grow!