It’s no secret that the prices related to concert events and the enterprise surrounding them proceed to rise. And one of many extra debated subjects since acts returned to touring after the pandemic is the infringement of venues in taking a lower of merch gross sales from bands. Musician Jeff Rosenstock stirred the dialogue as soon as once more, aptly on Labor Day, providing private perception on how merch cuts are mirrored in his upcoming touring.
In his put up (shared under), Rosenstock offers a breakdown by market on the merch cuts being taken by venues on his forthcoming run, noting, “This is going to cause us to sell our merch for higher prices than we’d like to at certain venues. We think that sucks.”
Anticipating the response from the opposite aspect, Rosenstock says, “The argument for the cut is ‘well, fucko, we give you a place to sell your merchandise.’ By that logic, we should also be getting a cut of the bar for bringing hundreds to thousands of people and their cash to the venue that night. **For the record, we’re 100% down to give a merch cut any night we get a cut of the bar.** But the thing that makes the most sense is that we don’t take each other’s money!”
He continues, “We like each other and we’re working together and helping each other! It makes no sense that at the end of these killer shows where we’re all having a nice time, someone who was our friend all night low key robs us and goes ‘have a safe trip to the next gig buddies!!’ That’s fucking weird!!!”
The musician provides, “So much of the time all that money goes to big corporations like AEG & LiveNation. Seems like the fuckin’ rule now, if you work in a creative field you’re supposed to feel lucky and happy enough to be there to get raked over the coals by millionaires and billionaires who will give you as small as slice of the pie as they can to perpetually show growth in profits. It’s never these people left holding the bag. It’s either a musician — a field in which if you make a poverty wage that’s considered *making it* — or fans who take on the burden. Even if you are older now I think many of us know what it feels like to think “properly, that present prices $30, so I can not afford to go.’ It’s fucked up that somebody to whomst $1,000 is nothin’ is taking that cash from you for actual.”
READ MORE: Why Do Venues Take Merch Cuts From Bands?
Rosenstock concluded, “I’d like to say ‘and on account of all that, we’ll now not be taking part in venues that take merch cuts.’ But sadly, in the course of the pandemic AEG & LiveNation purchased so lots of the kinds of venues that we play, that dodging these tremendous excessive cuts is almost not possible. But we’ll by no means cease attempting to maintain the costs low for everybody on the market, and we’re gonna do no matter we are able to do to keep away from it sooner or later. We as a band and crew simply needed to let you understand what’s up. Lub ya see ya quickly.”
The post garnered quite a bit of discussion. Producer Steve Albini chimed in, “Not typically admitted, however merch cuts are 100% negotiable, to the extent that my bands over 40+ years have by no means, not as soon as, ever paid them. When brokers make offers, they do not care about ticket surcharges, merch lower or different leaks; they do not have an effect on their lower. The band has to insist.” But his argument was countered by Eve 6, who stated, “Maybe that is true at just like the cool indie golf equipment or no matter however put up COVID most venues over 200 cap have been purchased by livenation or AEG. No merch lower no play and so they have a monopoly.”
Car Seat Headrest also addressed merch in particular, commenting, “This! + should you’re utilizing top quality blanks (USA made / moral) your revenue margins are even smaller! You can do gildan blanks for like $8, however a decently made garment is often $16+.”
Helado Negro added, “I’m supportive of this. been wanting this to alter for a very long time. this shit is absurd. this apply is mindless, would like to see it gone now.”
Caracara added, “More individuals have to know that venues / promoters do that. it’s as insane because it sounds and it’s prevalent at virtually all ranges. essential thread tune in glad labor day.” Ohio rockers Equipment commented, “i promise that any time you suppose an artist is overcharging for merch, loads of the time we do not make as a lot as you may suppose! many on-line marketplaces and music venues chew an enormous chunk out of each buy. nonetheless sadly the very best/solely actual technique to help us.”
Meanwhile, Red Scare Industries’ Tobias Jeg shared on X (formerly Twitter) a recent incident between himself and reps from AEG over how merch was handled for a recent show. In the shared email, the AEG representative called out Jeg over a merch cut issue.
“Ah sure, it is time for the month-to-month debate of ‘Well golly, I can not consider my slick company reserving agent (that we employed) works hand-in-glove with company promoters.’ My fellow merch individuals: inform them to GET FUCKED. See under (sharing the e-mail). They’ll name safety, nevertheless it’s us versus them.”
He added, “They’re mendacity on this e-mail. (They do this.) Their man was being a complete pecker, however I used to be hardly aggressive. But we are able to go there if want be. On this evening they even known as the cops, however sadly I used to be already gone. Settle the present earlier than you agree merch, then ghost these fools. And I did not refuse to allow them to rely merch. The rep insisted *I* rely it whereas watching over me as if I used to be his servant. I’m like, ‘Naw dawg, Imma hit the bar…’ These bozos need us to HELP them with their shakedown, haha. Again, inform them to GET FUCKED. Us versus them.”
Other Acts Previously Have Weighed In on the Merch Cut Discussion
Rosenstock’s posting is just the latest in artists shining a light on the growing issues with venue merch cuts. A number of other acts have addressed this prior as well.
Last December, Bad Omens went about addressing venue merch cuts in a roundabout way, A fan posted a photo of a venue’s cocktail menu with drinks named after Bad Omens songs. It noted that the drinks cost $18 with alcohol, or $8 without it.
The band responded to the post, noting, “That’s dope, artists nonetheless don’t get a lower from bar gross sales tho even when the venue offers cocktails cute little names after your songs, however nonetheless take 15-20% of touring artists’ gross merch gross sales each evening,” Bad Omens replied in a post quoting the fan’s tweet. “‘Nowhere To Go’ punch does sound scrumptious although, tip your bartenders.”
“Just to be clear — we don’t desire a lower of your bar gross sales. We simply don’t need to offer you 20% of the merchandise we design, pay for, handle, arrange, carry and promote ourselves since you gave us 24 sq. ft of flooring house in your venue we offered out,” the band wrote in a subsequent tweet.
Back in February, Architects raised concern over venue merch cuts. Drummer Dan Searle posed the idea on Twitter, suggesting, “Hey @bands when are we gonna go on strike and do away with these insane venue merch cuts? Or perhaps we don’t play till we get a lower of the bar? Can we simply get this finished asap please?”
When another fan asked, “How a lot does a band really see from merch? I used to be at a gig the opposite week and spent £60 on two vinyl, how a lot of that might the band get?,” the drummer responded, “I consider CDs and Vinyl are sometimes a smaller lower however we are inclined to promote these objects as cheaply as potential. On garments arenas typically cost 25% of gross + VAT + card payment + ‘business rates’. They stroll with £10,000-£100,000 and we pay for printing, transport, designs and so on. small margins.”
In March, Monuments refused to sell merch at one show in protest of the venue taking a huge cut of their merch sales.
On Instagram, Monuments released a statement explaining their decision to not sell any merch in Athens, citing the exact percentages the venue would take from them — 18 percent gross concession plus an additional 24 percent value-added tax (VAT).
Disheartened that the fans would in turn have to pay a higher amount for merchandise in order for the band to not lose money altogether, Monuments encouraged anyone who wants to pick something up to go online instead and pursue goods “for a a lot fairer worth.”
We will not be selling merch at our show at Gagarin in Athens, Greece today due to a 18% Gross Concession and 24% VAT.
We maintain a high quality standard for our merch and want to give that merch to you at fair prices – which we simply cannot do with venue merch cuts. It shouldn’t be on our fans to pick up the bill for venue cuts but also makes zero sense for us to lose money.
If you would like to continue supporting what we do then please head over to our website and grab some merch or tabs for a much fairer price.
We thank you for your understanding
M
In May of this year, In Flames frontman Anders Friden also issued a call for solidarity amongst bands in a fight against venue merch cuts. “I feel at first it was a manner for golf equipment to say, ‘Okay, if we’ve got exhibits and never sufficient individuals are coming, we’ve got to take some cash out of the merch as a result of individuals are not ingesting sufficient so we’re not getting cash from the bar.’ But we all know that’s not true, as a result of individuals are nonetheless ingesting so much once they come to the exhibits,” the vocalist explains in a recent interview with The Metal Circus (transcription via Blabbermouth), “So it is only a factor that simply caught there. And for bands which might be counting on the merch gross sales, it is actually, actually robust.”
Fridén says years ago he tried to start this conversation about the perceived unfairness of venues taking a significant portion of merch sales (20 percent or more in a lot of cases), “however not sufficient bands have been saying ‘we agree’ or have been acknowledging the truth that it was an enormous downside. And then it form of disappeared.”
“Everyone has to react; it might’t be just some bands that say one thing,” he urges. “I do not know what to do towards it,” he admits, continuing,” It’s an enormous price. I imply, we promote a good quantity of merch, and the cash that goes to another person, though we promote it ourselves generally, it is loopy. It’s insane. But it is manner more durable for smaller bands that dwell from solely the merch; they need to get the merch cash to pay fuel to get to the subsequent venue or to pay to allow them to perhaps sleep in a motel or get some meals or no matter. And then somebody comes and simply takes 20 p.c out of their pocket for nothing. It’s horrendous.”
These are just a few examples, with others acts sharing their thoughts on venue merch cuts as well. As for Rosenstock, he’ll kick off his new tour on Sept. 6 in Washington, D.C. Dates and ticketing info can be found via his Bandcamp page.
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