(Reprinted from: Digital Music News) As the recorded asset continues to slide, the focus is shifting towards broader, 360-degree revenue models. Major labels are attempting to diversify accordingly, though artists are in a unique position to centrally control their entire revenue stream.

That includes merchandise, often regarded as a lucrative add-on. In the old days, fans frequently purchased band-related t-shirts and hats at concerts or through fan clubs. Now, the game has shifted wildly, and artists can direct-sell their merchandise to fans online.

But is merchandise still an afterthought? Andy Young, an entrepreneur behind Tunipop, thinks that the current online marketplace is tilted too heavily towards recordings. And the vast collection of music merchandise remains decentralized. "Companies like Hot Topic or Backstreet Merchandise are great firms, but they represent a very small fraction of the artists out there with merch," Young explained in a recent conversation with Digital Music News. "Indeed, most artists with merchandise will never be found in typical retail channels."

Music merchandisers are not difficult to find online, though Young argues that the collections are simply fragmented. The entrepreneur is currently working on a centralized database for merchandise, Go2Merch, one that can be used by online, music-related stores.

Initial conversations have happened with various online retailers, according to Young, though the heavy-lifting remains a daunting obstacle. "It is clear that digital music firms are interested in incorporating a merchandise offering, but that the hard work of figuring out the market has not yet been done," Young explained. "The opportunity is fairly obvious, but the execution is where we found things are really a mess."

Young is inviting music-related merchandisers to populate the database at tunipop.com

Article first published by Digital Music News. Subscribe to Tunipopnings: The Tunipop.com Blog to be kept informed of the latest news. Contribute to the largest database of fan merchandise on the web! Services by Tunipop: Go2Merch and Merchandise Resource Directory and more at www.tunipop.com