Venue Merch Cut

[Pagan Saviour]

Came across this on Instagram. Whilst I always thought the venue cut of merch was gougery, 25% sounds like the norm for equivilant places here 3Arena, Olympia etc must surely run at 20-25%???

"We'd like to inform you that we won't be selling merch at our London show tonight:
The venue @o2forumktown is asking for a 25% cut on our merch sales.
We could have raise-up the prices of our t-shirts and hoodies, but it doesn't seem fair to us to have our UK fans paying more than they should, especially because the venue is asking for a spectacular percentage for no particular reason. We tried to negotiate with them, but they are not interested in helping us at all. For those of you who would like to purchase some merchandise online, our webshop will be updated with new designs after the tour.
You can check our website www.igorrr.com for more infos. Thanks for your support
IGORRR"

The touring world in general is baffling post-pandemic. Venues/Bands are bemoaning the cost of everything from fuel to lighting etc yet the venues are packed. I don't think I've been to a single underattended show over the past year.

[Yung Led Zeppelin]

Both of those things can be true at once.

A packed show no longer provides the margins it did even a short time ago, when the cost of absolutely everything else has gone insane.

[yknaa]

Sounds like a rip-off. Also Universal getting a wedge from the 25%. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/apr/15/holding-the-artist-to-ransom-musicians-struggle-to-break-even-as-venues-and-universal-cream-off-merch-sales

Also a list of venues that have 0 commission: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1R-4fXZ8s7iVPksWHOoDfMoMULgO_kI10EbyVsnmEjWg/edit#gid=529547135 which includes Whelans/Opium, Belfast Empire and KK's Steelmill

The other stingy thing is when main acts will not allow support bands to see their shirts at a cheaper price than their own.
Shirts were always pricey but seems to be on a different level now. Think Saxon was €40?

[Pagan Saviour]

Yeah some of the bigger gigs are fucking mental for prices. That last Slayer Show in the 3 Arena took the biscuit 80-100 for a hoodie for all acts.

[Carnage]

Weren't the Tool merch prices obscene too? A ton for posters, that kind of thing?

Edit: from the relevant thread: "40 euro for a t-shirt, 70 euro for a poster, 80 euro for a hoodie, signed posters 300 euro."

[Trev]

Also a list of venues that have 0 commission: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1R-4fXZ8s7iVPksWHOoDfMoMULgO_kI10EbyVsnmEjWg/edit#gid=529547135 which includes Whelans/Opium, Belfast Empire and KK's Steelmill

Last gig I was at in Whelans was Obscura/Persefone last year and thought the merch was pretty pricey. Wonder if some bands just keep the prices the same in the zero cut venues to try and cover some of the losses?

[Pagan Saviour]

A packed show no longer provides the margins it did even a short time ago, when the cost of absolutely everything else has gone insane.

In theory yes, but someone is making money somewhere otherwise they all (Venue, band, promotors)wouldn't be doing it. If you take the carcass shows next weekend two are sold out and they'll sell a shit ton of merch I'll bet, it'll be hard for them to walk away from those shows without a few bucks.

 

[0ricky7]

When carcass, obituary,naplam death and voivod toured together over here I was at the Belfast show in the limelight,I went to the merch booth and seen obituary had inked in blood coloured vinyl on sale and it was signed as well,it cost me 15 quid for the vinyl and I think the t shirt was 15 quid as well

[mickO)))]

I still remember the first time I ever saw crazy prices for merch at a show. It was Slayer at the Unholy Alliance in the point in 2006 €40 for a t-shirt. It is very rare that prices are hiked up at the normal smaller shows in my experience.

Prices were very high at Guns N Roses last year as well can't remember as I had very little interest in getting a shirt and was just hoping they would be selling the shirt Slash was wearing.

I didn't know the venue getting a cut of the merch went on here in Ireland pretty shitty practice as I am sure they clean up with the amount of drink that must be sold at shows and they are already being paid to host the show.

How would a venue know what a band makes on merch sales? Or would it be something along the lines of what goes on in the Olympia were they have Olympia staff selling the merch?

[Pagan Saviour]

"As you are probably aware, merch sales are vital to keeping artists financially afloat while on tour. Venues often take a percentage of merch revenue from artists, and their rates have gotten higher in recent years. At tonight's show in Paris, the venue has enlisted an outside company to sell artists' merch. This company takes a 25% commission and withholds a 20% VAT tax. Our options appear to be either raising our prices or losing money, so we've opted to not sell merch tonight. We apologize to our friends and fans in Paris who were hoping to grab a shirt or LP at the show, but we don't want to partake in this arrangement with this company. If you want our merch, it is always available at Evil Greed. Thank you."

Russian Circles in Paris tonight.

It's poxy if bands end up doing this routinely,there's nothing like picking up reasonably priced merch at gigs like that.

[Black Shepherd Carnage]

It is poxy, but it's the right thing to do by the bands. Also compare Robert Smith vs Bruce Springsteen regarding Ticketmaster/Live Nation. Unfortunately, I think they'll always be in a minority, but still; the more artists who do the right thing, the better.

[StoutAndAle]

I was at gig in Dublin the other night. Merch desk was initially staffed by employees of the venue through a company called North Wall Retail or something like that (it was on my credit card receipt).

Bought a tour poster for €25. It had a pre-printed price tag on it "$25/£22/€25 - do not remove at point of sale. Do not pay more". The shirts meanwhile were €40 to €50 and for both the support band and the main act. Hoodies were €85 to €100.

The support band were on Instagram after the show saying that as soon as they unplugged they had to go to the merch desk and sell (or not sell anything as it turned out) t-shirts for over double what they normally sell them for. They were not allowed to accept cash, everything had to be run through the venue's credit card machines and were monitored by the people who had been selling the merchandise until they finished their opening spot.

It's a pure fucking balls. This new band have come over (admittedly to support a larger touring act) and can't sell a few shirts from a box that they've hauled across the Atlantic.

You might as well pay the import fees now - it'll run you the same amount of money and you won't have to carry it all night.

[mickO)))]

Bands should try to set something up like showing available tour merch online, people attending shows can email requesting what they would like then can come to the tour bus / van or whatever either before or after the show and collect items. I am sure if a bit of thought was put into something like this it could be easily workable for smaller shows anyway bigger shows with 1000+ in attendance would be a lot more difficult if a lot of people want to buy merch.

[Mooncat]

Bands should try to set something up like showing available tour merch online, people attending shows can email requesting what they would like then can come to the tour bus / van or whatever either before or after the show and collect items. I am sure if a bit of thought was put into something like this it could be easily workable for smaller shows anyway bigger shows with 1000+ in attendance would be a lot more difficult if a lot of people want to buy merch.

Or even grab a few shirts and walk into the crowd with them to sell.

I wonder if the company forces them to inventory though, and keeps on top of them that way. I'm sure that's what would end up happening if they found bands were trying to circumvent things.

What an absolute shitshow, record companies are the lowest form of slime. Well, maybe Spotify is worse, but still...

[Pagan Saviour]

record companies are the lowest form of slime

Funnily enough Akercocke just posted to encourage fans not to support a vinyl reissue of Choronzon on earache as they don't receive a cent from them.