Live Nation will no longer take merchandise cuts from music venues, the entertainment company announced on September 26. The news came via a new program called On the Road Again announced along with participation from Willie Nelson.
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The initiative aims to, in its own language, “support developing artists and crew at the club level.” That means not collecting fees from musicians selling their own merch at certain shows.
For many years, concert venues owned by industry giants like Live Nation and AEG have been keeping a percentage of musicians’ revenues from the merch they sell at shows. In recent weeks, artists like Jack Antonoff, Tomberlin, and Jeff Rosenstock have spoken out about these practices.
The On the Road Again program, as Billboard reports, will also see Live Nation offering a $1,500 stipend per show for gas and travel to all headliners, artists, and openers who perform at any Live Nation venues.
Per Stereogum, a statement from Nelson on this new switch reads: “Touring is important to artists so whatever we can do to help other artists, I think we should do it. This program will impact thousands of artists this year and help make touring a little bit easier.” The program takes its name from Nelson’s beloved 1980 single.
Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino also shared a statement: “Delivering for live artists is always our core mission. The live music industry is continuing to grow and as it does, we want to do everything we can to support artists at all levels on their touring journey especially the developing artists in clubs. Like Willie says, this is all about making it a little easier for thousands of artists to continue doing what they love: going out and playing for their fans.”
You can read more on the new program on Live Nation’s website here.
Nelson, meanwhile, will be performing at Stagecoach Festival set to take place between April 26 and 28, 2024 in Indio, California.
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