Monuments is getting a little tired of merch cuts and European Value-added tax (VAT) screwing them out of money. The band recently incurred a 47% merch cut at a venue in Italy, and refused to suffer a similar number at the Gagarin in Athens, Greece. In a statement, Monuments said they would not be selling merch at the show and that it shouldn't be on fans to help foot the bill.
"We will not be selling merch at our show at Gagarin in Athens, Greece today due to a 18% Gross Concession and 24% VAT," said Monuments in a statement.
"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"
Openers Kalandra have also done the same, saying "Due to a 43% merchandise cut today in Greece, we have decided not to sell any merch at our concert. We could maintain the unfairnesses and charge more for our merch and make your wallets bleed, (like we tried in Italy, Milano who charged us a whooping 47%), or we can just decide to simply not be part of it anymore.
"It'll be cheaper for you guys to buy it online. And if you've already got some merch from us from before, feel free to bring it to the concert and we can sign it for you here."
Headliners of the tour Leprous did not post a statement saying they would or would not be selling merchandise at the venue.
Merch cuts have become a hot topic lately, mostly due to the overall rise in cost of touring. Merch cuts are exactly what they sound like – a cut of the band's revenue made from merchandise that goes to the venue or promoter. Architects drummer Dan Searle recently posited that maybe bands should get a cut of the venue's nightly alcohol sales to balance things out, while Dark Funeral guitarist Lord Ahriman has outright said that venues are killing the live music industry.
Our own Frank Godla also penned a lengthy editorial on why Gojira's shirts are "so expensive" and how merch cuts certainly drive those prices up. You can check that out here.
