THE MONEY IS IN THE MERCH: On The Road Survival

Band On The Ru(i)n

It’s not easy out there these days.

Taking a band, or even going solo on the road involves a significant amount of blind-faith, optimism, tenacity and most of all money.

The last few years have seen costs spiral out of control, be it fuel costs, hotel costs and all the other add-ons that life on the road necessitates.

And it’s mightily difficult to raise ticket prices to absorb any of this. It’s a crowded market with massive competition for demand, seemingly not helped by the harsh contrast of the eye-watering buckets of money swishing through some of the arena and stadium tours simultaneously.

It’s certainly not the glamour of the rock and roll lifestyle that we think it might be and it necessitates applying an accountant’s eye in addition to the more engaging setlist planning for any aspiring band.

It’s a stark mathematical reality: when fuel costs rise by 20%, hotel prices spike, and venues take up to a 25% cut on merchandise sales, a sold-out 300-capacity room at £12 a ticket rarely covers a 4-piece band's basic daily overheads. In this pressure cooker, merchandise stops being a bonus revenue stream—it becomes the primary safety net. But for an artist pulling double duty as driver, roadie, and performer, running an efficient shop floor after a two-hour set is nearly impossible

Given that the merchandise stand can literally make or break the viability of a tour, are bands maximising their options here and what are the various obstacles and challenges that need to be overcome?

With that in mind North of Here has spent time chatting to a specialised Tour Merchandise Operator, none other than Pammy Jaye, who operates through her independent NXT LVL entity.

Material Girl

Pammy Jaye & NXT LVL

Pammy Jaye of NXT LVL (Image: NXTL LVL Facebook Page)

From an early point in her life, Pammy has lived and breathed rock and metal music. Her early teens were spent sneaking into rock clubs, getting into many of the halcyon bands of the 80s (Grand Prix, Motley Crue) as well as more classic rock (her Dad was a massive Deep Purple and Eric Clapton fan).

She initially followed a lucrative career path as an air hostess, eventually coming back down to earth with a move into the jewellery industry, where her fabled attention to detail took hold, as she learnt to grade diamonds.

More recently she found a calling back into the rock arena. Noticing at many gigs a lack of care and attention to many merch stalls (often run by venue staff, or left empty) she adopted her ‘hands on and get stuck in’ approach and decided to do something about it. It eventually led her to found NXT LVL to help bands maximise their merch sales.

It also scratches that rock itch—Pammy loves the camaraderie of life on the tour bus, chatting to folks at gigs, the rock music itself and sees many parallels with life as an air hostess, albeit this time with the venue replacing the plane.

The NXT LVL logo

For many bands, merchandise logistics start long before the first tour date. NXT LVL takes over the heavy lifting before the van even leaves the driveway.

"A major benefit for the band is that their choice of merch is delivered directly to my home pre-tour," Pammy explains. "I prepare everything and bring my own condensed display kit designed to take up minimal space in crew transport."

By travelling as part of the core tour crew, Pammy handles the end-to-end operation: setting up inventory, running POS card readers, handling cash counts, and managing venue cuts. "The band is completely free after soundcheck to relax and prepare for the show while I assemble the display before doors open," says Pammy. "It covers merch from start to finish. It also leaves the band free after the set to interact with fans, sign records, and do meet-and-greets without worrying about counting stock, scanning credit cards or handing out change."

Pammy’s approach goes beyond simple logistics—it’s about brand immersion. On tour, she wears custom, band-specific dresses made ahead of time, acting as a walking advertisement on the shop floor.

Pammy Jaye holds fort at the Cassidy Paris Merch Table, Bristol, July 2026 (Image: NXT LVL Facebook Page)

From small club dates to scaling up a dedicated team for larger venue runs, NXT LVL provides a seamless bridge between the stage and the fan experience. "I pack down and load my own gear out at the end of the night," Pammy adds. "It's proving to be financially rewarding for everyone involved."

The Devil Is In The Detail

Pammy has worked with Danny Vaughn (Tyketto), Kickin Valentina, Cassidy Paris, Steve Javenski and Wicked Smile amongst many other musicians. To say the least they all are extremely delighted with the results.

The Kickin Valentina endorsment (Image: NXT LVL Facebook page)

Danny Vaughn’s endorsement (Image: Danny Vaughn Facebook Page)

Another endorsement from Fireheart (Image: NXT LVL Facebook Page)

Fred Hale (Cassidy Paris) Recommendation (Image: NXT LVL Facebook Page)

Wicked Smile: Steve Janevski and Danny Cecati endorsements (NXT LVL Facebook Page)

Pammy further adds “I called it “NXT LVL” as it was important to step things up into a shopping experience rather than just have some T-shirts folded up on a counter”. This meticulous presentation, together with the sparkle, style and sales expertise she brings, is making sure the partnership is translating into tangible results— “I’ve at least more than doubled merchandising sales on all of the artists I’ve worked with”.

As expected T-shirts (especially with tour dates on the back) remain a top-seller, but interestingly there is a resurgence in people asking for an artists back catalogue on CD. Other popular items include anything that can be signed, logo’d items and curiously patches are also making a strong comeback! It just goes to show the intricacies of planning a lucrative offering, which is another area where Pammy can help.

Whilst Pammy has a busy pipeline of future assignments, “Some really exciting ones that I can’t announce just yet”, she is obviously both able, and would be delighted to help, with any requirements bands and artists out there might have.

To contact Pammy either use the QR code below or follow the link here to her Facebook page.

NXT LVL QR Code

The Final Countdown

In an era where streaming revenues remain pennies on the pound and live touring margins are wafer-thin, the merchandise desk can no longer simply be treated as a side hustle. It is an essential pillar of an artist's business model.

Partnerships like the one offered by Pammy Jaye and NXT LVL prove that professionalising this space doesn't mean losing the personal connection between artist and audience. In fact, by delegating the pressure of inventory and sales to a trusted operator, artists regain the freedom to do what they do best: connect with the music and the people who love it.

And if that keeps the show on the road, then I’ll gladly buy a T-shirt as the band shake their moneymaker!