National Independent Venue Assn. Is Not a Fan of Live Nation’s ‘On the Road Again’ Plan
variety.comJem Aswad Executive Editor, Music Live Nation’s “On the Road Again” plan, announced Tuesday, says it will deliver “tens of millions of dollars” for artists and touring crews by by providing $1,500 in gas and travel cash per show to all headliners and support acts, on top of nightly performance compensation, at venues the company owns, operates or exclusively books.
Those clubs will also charge no merchandise-selling fees, so artists keep 100% of merch profits. However, the National Independent Venue Association, which represents more than a thousands independently owned venues in the U.S., is not a fan of the plan, which is says is trying to “squeeze out” its members in an effort by the multibillion-dollar corporation Live Nation, the world’s largest live entertainment company, to “divert artists from independent venues and further consolidate control over the live entertainment sector.” Such merchandise fees contribute significantly to the revenue of small independent venues, while Live Nation is valued at nearly $20 billion. “Temporary measures may appear to help artists in the short run but actually can squeeze out independent venues which provide the lifeblood of many artists on thin margins,” the organization said in a statement Wednesday. “Independent venues and promoters are investing in and elevating up-and-coming artists every day, and NIVA is supporting those efforts nationally.
The initiative announced yesterday may seem like a move to follow the lead of some independent venues.
It is not that. “Instead, it appears to be a calculated attempt to use a publicly traded conglomerate’s immeasurable resources to divert artists from independent venues and further consolidate control over the live entertainment.
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