Last week, I went to see one of my favorite artists, Theo Katzman, play the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles. Theo, who I recently featured on the New Music Business podcast, is a completely independ…
Last week, I went to see one of my favorite artists, Theo Katzman, play the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles. Theo, who I recently featured onI wanted to avoid the exorbitant service fees tacked onto the tickets when purchasing online, so I showed up to the Wiltern’s box office the moment it opened on show day to snag a $30 “face value” ticket. However, when it came time to pay, the clerk told me that it would be $35. “There’s a $5 per ticket service fee added” she explained.
Clyde Lawrence of the independent soul-pop band Lawrence, testified in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee this past January about the “lopsided deal mechanics in certain aspects of the live music industry.” Specifically, howowned and operated venues take so many of the venue and promoter expenses off the top before calculating the artist’s pay, but the artist doesn’t get to deduct any of their expenses.
Well, here’s the deal. The margins on merch are not that great. An artist might make 30% profit on a T-shirt sale , but if the venue is taking a 30% cut of merch, then the artist actually ismoney by selling merch. So the artist can either mark up their merch items or take the hit and look at merch as simply a promotional item.
Fortunately some venues are doing away with merch fees. Ineffable Live, which runs 10 venues including the Golden State Theater in Monterey, CA, the Fremont Theater in San Luis Obispo, CA, and the Chicken Box in Nantucket, MA, got rid of their 20% merch fee following Lawrence’s testimony.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
5 Myths About Pregnancy We All Need to Stop Believing Right NowTime to throw these outdated pregnancy ideas out with the bathwater!
Read more »
The Last Minute Scramble: What You Need To Know About Filing Your Return On Tax DayIt's Tax Day—have you filed your tax return? Here's what you need to know about filing your return on tax day including when and where to file (and whether you need to file at all).
Read more »
Schwarzenegger's The Last Stand Was His Last True '80s Action MovieThe Last Stand was Arnold Schwarzenegger's big screen comeback after nearly a decade away and is his last true '80s action-inspired movie.
Read more »
21 Average TV Shows That Developed Into The Best Thing People Have WatchedI will never stop talking about Zuko's pivotal redemption arc in Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Read more »
Metea, Neuqua high schools forced to shift prom venues amid Matrix Club delaysBecause the much-anticipated Matrix Club venue in south Naperville isn't completed, Metea Valley and Neuqua Valley high schools are having to shift their proms elsewhere this spring.
Read more »