saying it again: merch rate is a scam and venues don’t deserve a cut of the band’s merch unless they want to give bands a cut of their bar sales. bands bring everyone then venues keep 100% of bar sales then say: now we want partial rights to our merch that we didn’t creat, print, ships, or distribute
and honestly, it doesn’t hurt us too bad because we are currently in a comfortable place (something that we are extremely grateful for)
but it used to be ruinous for us when we were getting our start in 2012-2015. venues would pay us $100 to play then ask for $200 in merch rate. asking that of a young band living in a fan that owns nothing besides their instruments - that sucks.
if you are a young band ok the road and need help, hit us up. honest, raw art is needed now more than ever. love y’all.