You’re unlikely to find an artist out there appreciative of merch cuts. It is standard practice throughout the North American concert industry (though the practice has also spread elsewhere) that a venue or promoter are entitled to take a percentage of all of the merch sold at the live event they put on.
A 20% cut is generally seen as the industry standard, though highs of %40 have been seen at select events. Given that merch sales are essentially the lifeblood to keep smaller bands out on the road, it’s no surprise then that the practice and has long been a sticking point for musicians and live performers.
Lochie Keogh, vocalist for Australian metalcore outfit Alpha Wolf, recently vented about the practice onstage amid the band’s ongoing North American tour, stating:
“Before we go, I want to mention every band on this tour is selling merch over there. We’re all trying to get the same shit done, it doesn’t matter whose merch you buy, any bit of money you spend helps. Especially when these dirty fucking venues are taking 20% of it from the bands playing tonight. It’s like we were not making any fucking money anyway.
You’d think venues doing that could afford some good fucking air conditioning, but apparently not. Alright, so if you have any money to spend, fuck the bar, spent it on a shirt.”
The justifications for merch cuts often change depending on who you ask, be it offsetting the perceived losses from the bar while hosting an all-ages show or the additional funds being used to upgrade venues. Decibel did a solid deep dive into the history of merch cuts and how it impacts metal bands back in 2018, you can read that piece here.
Alpha Wolf will be out across North American for the next few weeks, with the below shows booked:
With ERRA, Thornhill and Invent Animate:
08/03 Denver, CO – Marquis Theater
08/05 Chicago, IL – Bottom Lounge
08/07 Detroit, MI – The Shelter
08/09 Cleveland, OH – Beachland Ballroom
08/10 Toronto, ON – Velvet Underground
08/11 Montreal, QC – Fairmount Theater
08/12 Allston, MA – Brighton Music Hall
08/13 New York, NY – Gramercy Theater
08/14 Philadelphia, PA – The Foundry
08/16 Pittsburgh, PA – Enclave
08/17 Baltimore, MD – Soundstage
08/19 Indianapolis, IN – Emerson Theater
08/20 Nashville, TN – Basement East
With Bodysnatcher and Vatican:
08/21 Springfield, MO – The Riff
08/23 Kansas City, MO – The Rino
08/24 Oklahoma City, OK – 89th St. Collective
08/25 Omaha, NE – Waiting Room
08/26 St. Paul, MN – Amsterdam
08/27 Milwaukee, WI – Miramar Theatre
08/28 Des Moines, IA – xBk
08/30 Grand Rapids, MI – Stache
08/31 Louisville, KY – Portal
09/02 Columbus, OH – Big Room Bar
09/03 Cincinnati, OH – Legends
09/04 Knoxville, TN – BrickYard
09/06 Jacksonville, FL – Archetype
09/07 Columbia, SC – New Brooklyn Tavern
Alpha Wolf will also have a split release titled “The Lost & The Longing” out through SharpTone Records/Greyscale Records on August 15th.
Comments