Two Independent Merch Companies Merge Together, Aiming to Challenge Industry Giants

Two independent music merch companies, Down Right Merchandise and Overcast Merch, have officially merged to form Armada, a new joint option for independent musicians and creators with an eye toward taking on the bigger major-owned merch operations in the industry, the companies announced today (Aug. 5).

Together, Down Right and Overcast will now employ over 170 people under the Armada umbrella, with multiple locations around the globe supporting their Boston headquarters and Long Beach, Calif. production operation, according to a press release. Armada plans to offer not just merchandising and production, but also e-commerce support, branding and physical merch.

“We see enormous potential in our combined forces and expertise,” Overcast co-founder Andrew Doyle said in a statement announcing the new company. “We share common values and a history of building from the ground up, and we complement each other perfectly. Armada will have greater ability to support more creative projects in branding and merchandising at a time when merch and e-commerce are becoming essential parts of any public figure or performer’s business.”

According to a release, the companies have paid out more than $30 million combined to clients, and service over 250 stores. Having worked with artists such as Tom Morello, Owl City and Thrice, the companies have also worked with Death Row Records, Matty Matheson and brands like Everyday Astronaut.

The merger also comes at a time when the merch business, particularly in music, has become an increasing focus both for record labels and artists, who have often focused on their own web stores and e-comm operations as physical music, in particular, has morphed more into the merch and branding spaces in a streaming economy. The concept of superfandom and how to better address and serve fandoms in general have also been a big topic in the music business in recent months.

“Inherently, music is a relationship-based business. We knew about each other and realized we could do more if we teamed up,” Down Right co-founder/CEO Seamus Menihane said in a statement. “As we discussed a potential merger, we spent a lot of time talking about how to collaborate, how to create a company culture, not just business structure. The geographic spread and connections, plus our strengths in physical production and D2C commerce, means we’ll be able to serve more people in more ways together. It just made sense.”