Live Nation Drops Merch Fees At Clubs, Pledges Bonus For Road Crews

LOS ANGELES (CelebrityAccess) — Live Nation announced the launch of “On the Road Again”, a new initiative developed in conjunction with country legend Willie Nelson with the aim of making touring financially feasible for developing artists.

As Live Nation noted, developing artists performing at clubs are a key part of the live music ecosystem, with the 4000+ clubs in the U.S. hosting about 70% of all shows each year.

However, with the rising cost of living, touring for many up-and-coming artists has become financially challenging if not impossible, even amid a period of growth for the live sector.

“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,” said Willie Nelson, who allowed Live Nation to use his famous song ‘On The Road Again’ for the initiative’s anthem.

As part of the initiative, Live Nation will provide $1,500 in gas and travel cash per show to all headliners and support acts, on top of the standard compensation for performing. Those clubs will also drop merchandise selling fees, allowing touring artists to keep 100% of merch profits generated at shows.

“Touring is a crucial part of an artist’s livelihood, and we understand travel costs take one of the biggest bites out of artists’ nightly profits. By helping with these core expenses, we aim to make it easier for artists on the road so they can keep performing to their fans in more cities across the country,” Live Nation said.

Additionally, On The Road Again will provide financial bonuses to local promoters who help bring live shows to life, tour reps who live on the bus, as well as venue crew members who have worked over 500 hours in 2023.

On the Road Again will also support tour crews by donating $5 million to the promoter giant’s Crew Nation initiative to support crew members across the industry facing unforeseen hardship.

All benefits from On the Road Again are being provided directly from the venue’s existing earnings, with no increases to consumers, Live Nation said.

“Delivering for live artists is always our core mission,” said Michael Rapino, President and CEO of Live Nation Entertainment. “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.”

For more information on the program and a list of participating venues, visit roadagain.live

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