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After having handy over 47 % of their merchandise gross sales to the venue at a present in Italy, prog steel band Monuments elected to not promote merch in any respect a number of nights later in Athens, Greece as soon as they noticed the share they might once more must lose out on.
It has been a normal observe for years for venues to take a proportion of the cash a touring band makes at their merch stand. The venue sacrifices a few of its flooring area to permit artists to promote T-shirts, hoodies, vinyl, patches, and so on. and, in change for this privilege, the artist should give up a reduce of these gross sales.
Usually, that quantity has hovered round 20 %, however that determine has ballooned not too long ago and, in tandem with inflation and different financial components driving up the price of touring (thus lowering a band’s capacity to revenue), life on the street has been fairly tough for artists, whether or not they’re taking part in small golf equipment all the way in which as much as arenas, amphitheaters and stadiums.
It is one thing quite a few artists have referred to as out as unsavory in latest months with Architects even floating the concept of bands uniting to strike, which means no touring till venues comply with take a smaller reduce. It is an excessive concept, for positive, however one that’s indicative of simply how dire the scenario is.
READ MORE: Architects Counsel Bands Strike Over ‘Insane’ Venue Merch Cuts
On Instagram, Monuments launched a press release explaining their choice to not promote any merch in Athens, citing the precise percentages the venue would take from them — 18 % gross concession plus a further 24 % value-added tax (VAT).
Disheartened that the followers would in flip must pay the next quantity for merchandise to ensure that the band to not lose cash altogether, Monuments inspired anybody who desires to select one thing up to go surfing as an alternative and pursue items “for a much fairer price.”
We is not going to be promoting merch at our present at Gagarin in Athens, Greece at the moment attributable to a 18% Gross Concession and 24% VAT.
We keep a top quality commonplace for our merch and wish to give that merch to you at honest costs – which we merely can not do with venue merch cuts. It shouldn’t be on our followers to select up the invoice for venue cuts but in addition makes zero sense for us to lose cash.
If you need to proceed supporting what we do then please head over to our web site and seize some merch or tabs for a a lot fairer value.
We thanks to your understanding
M
Earlier within the week, the band, who launched their newest album Stasis final yr, shared a photograph of a portion of a spreadsheet that laid out the financial figures, from what Monuments earned to how a lot of that whole was kicked over to the venue. The full was practically half of their product sales.
Bands aren’t the one ones griping about merchandise at exhibits both.
Lately, a Gojira fan who attended a U.Ok. present was miffed in regards to the band’s merch costs, which stirred extra chatter on-line. The costs, nevertheless, weren’t atypical and Steel Injection additionally touched on how followers are misinformed in regards to the problem and, due to this fact, creating an pointless distraction.
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