It’s a topic previously discussed in this board, but this example was particularly egregious, and the band’s response seems to be part of a growing campaign.
Due to manufacturing delays The Unthanks new album wasn’t available in time for their excellent show at The London Palladium last night, but that wasn’t the reason there was no merchandise desk. The reason, as Adrian McNally told us from the stage, is that Lloyd Webber Theatres wanted a 25% cut of the takings!
This isn’t new, or a post-Covid thing; a few years ago the support for Richard Thompson at The Cliffs Pavilion in Southend said they wouldn’t be selling merch as the Cliffs’ take would mean they lost money on anything they sold. It happens that the last time I saw Richard was at the Palladium, and I enjoyed opener Katherine Priddy’s set enough to seek her out in the interval and buy her CDs. The Wolf EP and her album were £20 between them, and it seems like a fiver of it went to the venue. Part of the reason I like to buy direct from the artist is that I want as much as possible to go directly to them and that isn’t the case at too many gigs.
A campaign is gaining ground based around the idea that if acts don’t get a cut of secondary income from the bar and so on then the venue shouldn’t get a cut of their secondary income from merchandise. I’ve seen Ian McNabb, Tim Burgess and now The Unthanks mention the same proposal – no cut of the artists’ secondary income without a reciprocal share of the venues’ going to them. Would venues try to raise ticket prices (already discussed here recently) and plead lost income? I have no idea. But it seems like a campaign which deserves my support.
I don’t have an image to make this post stand out, so here’s The Unthanks’ lovely new single instead.
The venue/promoter I mostly do the sound in/for doesn’t take a cut. This is apparently such a surprise it often results in the performer donating a CD or two for a raffle, in aid of charridy, mate (but I don’t like to talk about it).
Well that’s a bit shite. It was my understanding that a lot of artists made more money on the merch stall than they did on the gig itself when you take out the cost of travel, hotels, crew etc. The whole industry now seems to be geared to making sure the people who actually do the creating get paid as little as possible.
The take from The Unthanks’ FB page.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/152795995072/permalink/10159673248885073/
Emerging talents must be starting to wonder whether it’s worth trying to
make a living out of this music lark
Have they not got mummy and daddy’s money to fall back on?
In the seventies and eighties, they got a dole cheque.
Yes – or a grant.
The venue I am connected with like many other smaller venues across the country has joined up with the 100% initiative which pledges a zero cut on merchandise.
https://thefac.org/venuedirectory
It’s all part of the overall artist/venue relationship, alongside the quality of the pa, staff expertise and friendliness, dressing room cleanliness etc. and we think that if we treat artists well they’ll return or pass the word along and in time the quality of the acts increases and everyone’s better off.
Yes, Adrian was at pains to say that the band loved the venue, had been well looked after, every member of staff they dealt with was as pleasant and professional as could be hoped for and so on – but the venue cut on merchandise was something they just weren’t prepared to swallow and had to speak out about.
Fair enough, the nicest staff in the world won’t make up for 25% taken out of your pocket.
That the H&H, Thimblemill, Castle&Falcon or the Glee, Mr @moseleymoles? If Thimblemill you’ll know my chum Andy.
None of the above but all good places!
Thanks for bringing this to our attention, Gatz. I must try and find out what the situation is here in Sweden.
It’s the small and medium-sized acts who will be hit worst by this: the ones who most need this extra income. And if the medium-sized acts don’t get a chance to prosper and grow, in ten years times there will be no large, major acts to fill venues and headline festivals. Talk about an own goal!
Buy merchandise direct from the artist’s on-line site.
I buy from Badlands then the Dodgers if I can’t get what I want from Badlands but I only buy from both of those after I’ve first checked out the artist’s site.
I support this initiative. The venues are taking the piss. I cant stand the NIA or the Utilita or whatever they want to call it but sometimes needs must if an artist plays there that I really want to see. It boils my piss that they charge a ridiculous booking fee and then £ 12 for their fucking car park.
I get that they need to make money too but come on guys be reasonable.
When I saw Thompson in Manchester last year the merch stall was there at the beginning just Thompson stuff.
The support said it wasn’t worth selling her cds as the Opera House as they wanted toolarge a cut, but if anyone wanted to meet her outside on the street she would sell them there, (not sure if that would work, would you need a street hawker’s licence?).
Oh and there was no merch stall at the end either.
15+ years ago I saw Jane Siberry at the Festival Hall. After her set, she sold her CDs from the edge of the stage – not from the venue’s Merch stall in the foyer – because of the same issue. So it isn’t a new problem.
My favourite venue, The Stables in MK, is guilty of this. Which is shocking when you realise the place is owned by musicians. Bands are already refusing to sell their merch there, which is a real shame. Some have emailed ticket holders with a link to their merch and a code to wipe out any p&p.
That’s the one I first saw mentioned in the campaign. 20% apparently.
Anyone else here trying to access the Unthanks web site and getting nowhere?
IsItDownRightNow? says it’s dead for everyone, an ex website. Hope they haven’t been hacked!