Harry and the Potters is one band that’s definitely on top of their merch game. We’ve featured them a few times already on the blog, and each time we’re pleasantly surprised by the high-quality products they have available for their fans. Well, here’s another example of some fine music merch. This promotional foam finger is something you expect at sporting events, not concerts. It definitely adds to the party atmosphere and allows the band to stand out - at least the merch table does, anyway.

Here’s a cool item that I’ve never seen at a merch table before: a wind-up music box! I actually haven’t seen any sort of music box in years, and figured they had gone the way of the Dodo…but apparently some modern day artists like Feist are bringing them back from the dead. I can’t say it’s not a great idea either. These inexpensive music boxes are sure to catch the eye of fans looking for something a bit more unique from their favorite artists. When it comes to promotional products, this music box is one of the coolest items I’ve seen in awhile!

Here’s an interesting piece of band merch: a promotional kazoo! Finding unique and uncommon products is a great way for bands to cook up some fan demand for merch, but I’m not sure if I want hundreds of crazy fans buzzing their imprinted kazoos during my concert. It would be interesting to hear from The Long Winters about how popular these noisemakers were.

(pic via Flickr)

Keeping with the trend of creative merch we’ve been following lately, I present to you: stuffed animal merch! A band called Angry Panda brought these cute/angry screen-printed stuffed pandas to Warped Tour. According to one band member, Angry Panda “sold a lot of dolls and made a bunch of friends.”

It’s important to note the dual purpose of band merch in this scenario. Most bands use their merchandise to raise money they can invest into their endeavors, while others simply use these products to attract people to their merch tables. Getting some face time with concert-goers gives bands a chance to do some networking with fans and industry contacts. Who knows…maybe the guy checking out your unique merch owns a label or knows one that’s looking to sign? At the very least, merch can help you meet some cool people

(photo via Flickr)

Talk about unique band merch! A popular German punk rock band called The Beatsteaks is selling logo’d lollipops at their concerts and on their website - a sweet merch idea! The Beatsteaks “b” logo appears on the surface of the raspberry lollipop in red sugar, creating truly original merch that fans are guaranteed to love. By introducing these unique products into their merch lineup, The Beaksteaks demonstrate how a little bit of creativity can create massive surges in merchandise sales. These fun, edible, and inexpensive promotions are likely to remain a Beatsteak best-seller into the future.

(photo via Flickr)

The sequel to the overwhelmingly popular “Rock Band” video game has quite a surprise in store for music and merch lovers everywhere. The game allows players to create their own band, which they can customize down to the tiniest detail. The band’s name, logo, appearance, and members can all be adjusted to suit the tastes of creative rockers worldwide…but there’s a surprise for hardcore fans in the upcoming release:

Rock Band 2 plans to allow gamers to log on to the official site, where they will be able to order posters, T-shirts, and other band merch featuring the custom bands they’ve created in the game! This awesomely interactive feature is sure to send sales skyrocketing as fans rush to immortalize their digital creations with branded merchandise.

Seems a number of bands are using their creative juices for more than just creating lyrics and melodies. A number of bands are now selling unique, novelty merch items. It runs from the innocent to the not so innocent (I won’t get into specifics). Often bands will give away interesting merch with a CD purchase. The latest in strange merch, apparently, is the Oasis Teddy Bear. Seriously.