Architects call on bands to “go on strike” against venues taking a cut of merch sales

20 February, 2023

Sam Carter of Architects

Architects have suggested that bands should “go on strike” to protest against venues taking a cut of their merch sales.

The idea was put forward by the band’s drummer Dan Searle on Twitter, reigniting discourse about artists’ ongoing battle to take home 100 per cent of their merch profits and how it can be achieved.

“Hey @bands when are we gonna go on strike and get rid of these insane venue merch cuts? Or maybe we don’t play until we get a cut of the bar? Can we just get this done asap please?” Searle wrote.

Architects’ frontman Sam Carter shared Searle’s tweet and added: “Venue in Melbourne took 15% and it took four hours for them to get our merch girl a light.”

Architects have been far from the only band in recent months to criticise venues for demanding a cut of their merch profits at shows. Back in November, Yard Act ran a pop-up shop to coincide with their show at O2 Academy Leeds to avoid the venue taking a 25 per cent cut of their profits, with items sold at the pop-up shop made 25 per cent cheaper as a result.

The Big Moon did the same thing for their show at London’s O2 Forum Kentish Town in September, choosing instead to sell merch at a nearby pub. They went on to call out the venue on Twitter. “This leaves us with the choice of either not making any profit, or increasing prices and charging you guys more – neither feels fair,” they said.

Jack Antonoff, meanwhile, also called on venues to “stop taxing” merchandise sales, saying it’s “literally the only way you make money when you start out touring.”

He suggested venues “stop taxing merch, stop lying to artists about costs of putting on shows, and include artists in more areas of revenue,” adding: “The stories I could tell from my years touring are bananas. Young artists on tour are the last to see any money.”

A campaign was launched by the Featured Artists Coalition last year to encourage venues to let artists take home 100 per cent of profits from merch sales, which The Charlatans’ Tim Burgess has been a particularly notable supporter of. The FAC runs a directory of venues that don’t take a cut of artists’ merch profits, which venues can sign up to by filling out a form.

The campaign later spread to North America via an alliance with the Union Of Musicians And Allied Workers in the US. Earlier this month, Ineffable Music Group committed to ceasing the practice of taking a cut of the profits artists make from selling merch at venues they own and operate.

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