When you buy merch at a gig, bands aren't making as much as you'd think

Not all of your cash at the merch table goes to the band, so how can it be more fair? (Getty: Chris Putnam) Link copiedShareShare articleIt's been three years since artists and bands, spearheaded by UK metalcore act Architects, called out venues for their practices of taking merch cuts from bands after gigs. A merch cut is where a venue takes a percentage of an artist's merchandise sales at the end of a live gig. For a wave of fans, learning about merch cuts shattered the idea that buying merch at shows is the strongest way support your favourite artist, in a world where streaming residuals are likely a pittance. These artists demanded better treatment in the aftermath of a global pandemic, and now amid dizzying costs of living pressures, so has anything changed in three years? The history of venues taking a financial cut from the merch stand has various claimed beginnings. Some say it came from the 1980s straight edge punk scene, where venues would cut a deal with artists because they wouldn't be taking in as much over the bar with a crowd full of sober people. Others, like Jason Netherton of Misery Index, trace it back to the 70s, when bands began to sell shirts as the new souvenir from live performances. A singular tweet from Architects' Dan Searle has started renewed conversation surrounding how much of venues. Large-scale arenas were likely the starting point for the practice in Australia, where the venue uses its own staff and point of service systems to sell an artist's merchandise — especially if there are multiple stalls around the venue. Over time, this practice has worked its way into medium and small-sized venues, spaces hired by artists to play a gig. Typically, there is a single space or table for merch sales, artists provide their own seller, use their own sales systems and, sometimes, practically beg for a lamp to be provided. Considering this deeply DIY approach to many merch desks, is it fair for venues to then expect a cut of the sales from the night? After lockdowns, both venues and artists were eager to get the lights back on and work to recoup the losses from the years stuck inside. Bands saw an increase in how much venues were expecting them to pay out of their merch sales for the night, with documents seen by triple j noting it ranges between 10 to 20 per cent at venues across the country. It hasn't slowed down as the years have rolled on. "Honestly, I think it's crazy that merch cuts have to be included at all," Monica Sottile, Victorian president of the Musicians Australia union, tells triple j. "Bands already paid to use a venue. The venue gets all of the bar sales. Why should they get merch sales?" Australian metalcore acts Alpha Wolf, Northlane and Make Them Suffer were among the vocal groups in 2023, pushing for transparency within the live music industry. The former called out a venue's exploitative practices while on stage, while the latter have bootlegged their own shows — instead selling merch from the back of their van outside to avoid the venue taking a cut. More recently, bands like US hardcore punk act Gouge Away have refused to sell inside the building, pulling back the curtain on just how much venues are trying to force them into handing over money from the merch table. Refusing to sell merch inside a venue and instead slinging it from the backs of trucks or small bars nearby poses its own set of risks, however. Apart from the liability of not being protected by venue security, there's also the chance that a band could be blacklisted from the venue, affecting future live gig opportunities. "It's a really difficult thing to address in a public sphere, because if you publicly name and shame one of these companies, that hurts your booking agent, or maybe your management's rapport with these companies," Make Them Suffer vocalist Sean Harmanis tells triple j. "They can always just turn around and say, 'If you don't like it, you can't play our venues'. "They're these A-market venues that you need to be playing as an artist or else you're going to see a dramatic decline in your ticket sales and your merch sales overall. So it's kind of put artists in a bind." When a city only has a certain number of venues at the capacity a band can fill, taking one or more out of the equation severely affects an artist's gigging options. "We had to do that once in Italy," Alpha Wolf guitarist Sabian Lynch tells triple j. "I think they wanted 43 per cent of merch and started blaming it on city tax and all this other stuff. "The promoter told us not to sell outside because there were some weird shady dealings going on with the venue, and if they caught wind of it, there'd be trouble. But we did it anyway. "Sometimes you have to do what you've got to do, you know?" Ninth Life Records co-founder, Greyscale Records manager and host of Double J's Short Fast Loud Josh Merriel manages Heavensgate, who recently toured the US with The Amity Affliction. The Melbourne me

When you buy merch at a gig, bands aren't making as much as you'd think

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