The drummer for prog metal band TesseracT has claimed that merch sellers make more money in tips than band members earn on tour.
- READ MORE: Hundreds of venues sign up to not take cut of artists’ merchandise sales – but campaigners want more
Jay Postones wrote in an Instagram post that he’s learned about the discrepancies after talking to other bands about merch sales at shows.
His comments come amid heightened sensitivity about merch at concerts, after venue operators have been criticised for taking a cut from sales – in some instances as much as 41 per cent.
Postones explained that many fans are unaware that the tip jars and/or contactless tip options at merch stands send money to merch sellers rather than the bands or other crew.
He then went on to say that, having spoken to peers, some merch sellers are making $30,000 (£24,647) in tips over the course of a 5-6-week tour, which is “insane” compared to what bands earn overall.
Postone’s Instagram post read, in part: “From speaking to peers, we have discovered that some merch sellers are generating in excess of $30k in tips over the course of a 5-6-week tour – which is insane. No one else on a tour at our level makes anything close to this. The band members certainly do not. The other crew members are on agreed fees, nowhere close to this.
“We understand that in the US service industry, tipping culture is normal. It brings low-paid jobs up to a, hopefully, liveable level. The job we’re hiring though is not a low-paid job.
“While it goes against the grain, our suggestion is that all tips taken at the merch desk should be shared across the entourage – band, and crew. We’re all here, working hard all day to bring the show to you. It seems unfair for one person to own the monopoly on tips for the entire package.”
To combat the issue, TesseracT and their touring party have since added a “Tip the Band” QR code at their merch table so that fans can choose to send the money there rather than solely to the merch seller.
Postones remarks follow outcry over the matter including from Tomberlin, who in September felt compelled to call out a venue after it asked for a 41 per cent cut of her merch sales.
Meanwhile, earlier this year Architects suggested that bands should “go on strike” to protest against venues taking a cut of their merch sales.
Hundreds of venue operators have vowed not take cuts of artists’ merchandise sales – but campaigners said they wanted more to sign up.
In January, the Featured Artists Coalition (FAC) announced a new directory highlighting music venues that charge zero commission on the sale of merchandise. The ‘100% Venues’ database aimed to address the “outdated and unfair” practice of performance spaces taking a cut of acts’ merch proceeds at gigs.
The FAC told NME this summer that more than 400 venues have since signed up but a number of the UK’s large arenas and venue groups are still not part of the database.
Along with former Joy Division and New Order bassist Peter Hook, The Charlatans’ Tim Burgess has been one of the more vocal supporters of the campaign. The frontman made headlines when his band played Nottingham’s Rock City to find that the venue had waived their traditional cut of merch sales earlier in the spring.
Speaking to NME about the practice of venues taking money from sales of t-shirts and albums made on-site, Burgess said: “It’s something that’s been around for years – but when we spoke up to our manager and label, they’d just say ‘That’s the way it is’.
“Back in 1990 you could sell 100,000 copies of a single on vinyl, so merch was important but not half as much as it is now. Streaming means new bands don’t have record sales to keep them going.”
The concert giant has teamed up with Willie Nelson, naming the scheme after one of his songs, to provide financial support to emerging artists and their teams in a time of rising touring costs.
Artists who play Live Nation-owned and operated clubs will now keep 100 per cent of the profits they make from merch sales, while they will also benefit from a $1,500 (£1,233) stipend to help with the costs of fuel and travel. Both headliners and support acts will receive stipends.