A few days ago, the metalcore band Monuments posted a receipt pertaining to a recent show of theirs, with said receipt highlighting the intense impact that venue merch cuts can have on touring bands.
Per that receipt, Monuments got hit with a 25% “concession fee,” as well as a 22% “vat” fee (aka, Value Added Tax).
Given how rough these fees and taxes are hitting the band, they have decided that, at their Athens, Greece show, they will not be selling any merch.
With the band losing much of their gross profits from that last show, it seems that selling merch has become more of a hindrance for them. Per a post the band provided on their social media, they share the following:
“We will not be selling merch at our show at Gagarin in Athens, Greece today due to a 18% Gross Concession and 24% VAT.
“We maintain a high quality standard for our merch and want to give that merch to you at fair prices – which we simply cannot do with venue merch cuts.
“It shouldn’t be on our fans to pick up the bill for venue cuts but also makes zero sense for us to lose money.
“If you would like to continue supporting what we do then please head over to our website and grab some merch or tabs for a much fairer price.
“We thank you for your understanding https://thisismonuments.co”
It is cool that the band is looking out for their fans by pointing them in the direction of relatively “fairer” priced merch, but still… it is an absolute shame that a band can’t just sell their merch at a venue without getting hit by rough financial consequences.
Perhaps this could be a sign of things to come for other bands; if selling merch on-site at a show is becoming too costly, maybe more bands will start to direct fans to their website in order to buy merch. What do you think of such a potential future?
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