The National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) has issued a statement criticising Live Nation’s new campaign to financially support touring artists.
As part of Live Nation’s ‘On The Road Again’ initiative, it was announced the entertainment company would drop merch cuts at all of the venues it operates in the US. The campaign, which started last month (September 26) also revealed touring artists would receive a stipend of $1500 (£1,233) to help with fuel and travel. The website does not state how long the programme will run for, specifying only ‘the next few months’.
In a new statement, NIVA have criticised the campaign, saying it will “divert artists from independent venues” in favour of Live Nation-operated venues. NME have reached out to Live Nation for comment.
“Temporary measures may appear to help artists in the short run but actually can squeeze out independent venues which provide the lifeblood of many artists on thin margins,” the statement began. “Independent venues and promoters are investing in and elevating up-and-coming artists every day, and NIVA is supporting those efforts nationally. The initiative announced yesterday may seem like a move to follow the lead of some independent venues. It is not that.
NIVA also noted Live Nation is a “publicly-traded conglomerate” with “immeasurable resources” making it possible to “divert artists from independent venues and further consolidate control over the live entertainment sector.” This, they said, threatens “the vitality of small and medium-sized venues under 3000 capacity, many of which still struggle to keep their doors open.
The statement continued: “Independent stages, where the majority of artists, musicians, and comedians start their careers, are small businesses and nonprofits. They are continually facing rising costs, increased deceptive ticketing practices in the resale market, and ongoing challenges following the global pandemic. Our stages are critical to the live entertainment ecosystem and local economies, and they must survive.
“The economics of touring must drastically improve for artists and independent venues. There has to be a better way. NIVA will continue to support artists and empower independent venues as we collectively find it.”
In the UK, the fight to stop merch cuts from venues continues. Last year, the Featured Artists Coalition campaigned to allow artists to profit 100 per cent from merch sales, which was significantly backed by The Charlatans‘ Tim Burgess.
The FAC also runs a directory of venues that don’t take a cut of artists’ merch profits, which venues can sign up to by filling out a form.