According to nme.com metalcore band Architects are making noise in the music industry because they have mentioned that bands should go on strike to protest against venues taking cutting the prices of their merchandise sales.
The idea was came from the band’s drummer Dan Searle, who went on Twitter to share his thoughts about venues reducing the prices at the merchandise table.
“Hey @bands when are we gonna go on strike and get rid of these insane venue merch cuts? Or maybe we don’t play until we get a cut of the bar? Can we just get this done asap please?”
Searle’s band mate Sam Carter shared the tweet and added: “Venue in Melbourne took 15% and it took four hours for them to get our merch girl a light.”
The Architects have thus far been the only band in recent months to criticise venues for demanding a cut of their merchandise profits at shows. Last November the band Yard Act ran a pop-up shop to avoid O2 Academy Leeds from taking a 25 per cent cut of band’s profits and the items sold at the pop-up shop made 25 per cent cheaper as a result.
A campaign was created by the Featured Artists Coalition last year to encourage venues to let artists take home 100 per cent of profits from merchandise sales and The FAC runs a directory of venues who do not take a cut of the artists’s merchandise profits.
A little later on the campaign reached North America by the an alliance with the Union Of Musicians And Allied Workers in the US. Earlier this month, Ineffable Music Group are committed to stop venues from taking a cut of the profits the artists make from selling merchandise at venues they own and operate.
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