Stay Nation, the world’s largest live performance promoter, has introduced a brand new program to assist help touring musicians. The initiative is known as On the Highway Once more, impressed by Willie Nelson’s basic 1980 single of the identical title.
Starting instantly, all artists taking part in at Stay Nation-owned and -operated golf equipment – opening acts and headliners – will obtain a $1,500 fuel and journey money stipend per present, on high of their already negotiated efficiency cost. Moreover, Stay Nation’s venues will not cost artists charges for merchandise gross sales, a change which can probably put much more money into performers’ pockets.
“Touring is necessary to artists so no matter we are able to do to assist different artists, I feel we must always do it,” Nelson famous (through Billboard). “This program will influence 1000’s of artists this yr and assist make touring a little bit bit simpler.”
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Nelson additionally offered “On the Highway Once more” because the official anthem for this system.
Who Advantages From the ‘On the Highway Once more’ Program?
Artists are essentially the most speedy beneficiaries of the On the Highway Once more effort. Whereas the $1,500 per present stipend will seize quite a lot of consideration, the elimination of merchandise gross sales charges could find yourself being the larger improve. Venues have routinely pocketed anyplace from 10% to 40% of an act’s merchandise gross sales income, crippling one of many few direct sources of earnings for artists.
In current months, calls to remove merch charges have grown louder. In January, the Senate judiciary committee heard testimony concerning the observe and its detrimental results on artists’ livelihoods. Individually, the Union of Musicians and Allied Employees pushed the #MyMerch motion, calling the gross sales charges “an exploitative observe that interferes with one of many few methods followers can instantly help artists on this difficult financial local weather.”
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Stay Nation’s On the Highway Once more program is a giant win for touring acts, however the advantages stretch past the artists themselves.
Based on Billboard, “On the Highway Once more contains monetary bonuses to native promoters that assist execute at exhibits in addition to tour reps and venue crew members which have labored over 500 hours in 2023.”
“Touring is an important a part of an artist’s livelihood, and we perceive journey prices take one of many largest bites out of artists’ nightly income,” famous a press launch from Stay Nation. “By serving to with these core bills, we intention to make it simpler for artists on the street to allow them to hold performing to their followers in additional cities throughout the nation.”
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Reunions, farewells and long-awaited exhibits are on the horizon.
