Will venues continue to take merch cuts, or will bands win their fight?
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The practice of merch cuts, in which venues take a proportion of a band’s merchandise sales, made repeated headlines in 2023. In March, French avant-garde metal artist Igorrr refused to sell merch at the O2 Forum Kentish Town in London, claiming the venue was asking for a 25% cut. British prog-metallers Monuments took the same stance at a venue in Athens, citing 18% concessions combined with 24% VAT. Architects drummer Dan Searle tweeted: “Hey bands when are we gonna go on strike and get rid of these insane venue merch cuts?” In September there appeared to be a positive development when it was widely reported that concert giant Live Nation would scrap merch fees in club-sized venues across the US and Canada. It then emerged that the ‘On the Road Again’ programme would only last for alimited time in a limited number of venues, however.
“I tell people that in this day and age we’re not musicians on tour, we’re traveling T-shirt salesmen,” says Exodus guitarist Gary Holt, who’s been a vocal critic of the venues’ merch cuts. “That’s where we make our money. I’m OK with a reasonable fee but then they started really putting their hands in your pockets and shaking you upside down for doing nothing.”