Live Nation to Drop Merch Fees and Pay Travel Stipend to Club Acts

Live Nation is launching the On The Road Again program to help improve the lives of touring artists and cut down growing travel costs.

Big and small artists alike have made it clear throughout social media that touring has been a struggle since shows have returned from the pandemic. Rising travel costs have impacted acts, with many beginning to lock in fewer dates around the country or only feature multi-day runs in a handful of cities as a response. In response to the breakdown of this ecosystem, Ineffable Music Group became the first to wave merch fees at its venues, and today, the world’s largest concert promoter, Live Nation, is following suit.

Earlier today, Billboard broke the news of Live Nation‘s new program, On The Road Again, which intends to improve the lives of touring musicians and assist with the costs of travel that have steadily risen over the past few years. Inspired by iconic singer-songwriter Willie Nelson, the program starts today and has no official end date. It will give all acts playing Live Nation-owned and operated clubs a $1,500 gas and travel stipend per show on top of their nightly performance compensation.

In another huge move, this program will also allow artists to keep 100% of all merch profits, removing the merchandise selling fees that many have spoken out about in recent years. There will also be financial bonuses for local promoters who help execute shows, along with tour reps and venue crew members who worked over 500 hours this year, as well as $5 million added to Crew Nation, which was launched during the pandemic to assist crew in the industry facing hardships.

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

Venues that are participating in the On The Road Again program in California include Observatory in San Diego and Orange County, along with The Fillmore, The Echo, The Wiltern, and Belasco, among others. Additional venues throughout the country, such as all House Of Blues locations, The Van Buren in Phoenix, Warsaw in Brooklyn, Summit in Denver, and The Depot in Salt Lake City, will also join the program.

The full list of venues from across the US and Canada, along with more information on this new program, can be found on its official website.