Live Nation Launches Program For Smaller Bands To Drop Merch Cuts & Help Pay For Their Travel

After what feels like years of artists getting (rightfully) pissed off about venues taking a cut of their merchandise sales, a small change has finally arrived! Live Nation has just introduced their On The Road Again program. The program was created in collaboration with the legendary Willie Nelson and offers the following four benefits:

• Extra $1,500 per show in gas & travel cash for all headliners and openers – on top of nightly performance compensation
• Clubs will charge no merchandise selling fees, so artists keep 100% of merch profits for each show
• $5 million donation to Crew Nation supporting crew across the industry facing unforeseen hardship
• Special "On The Road Again" bonuses for tour, promoter, & venue staff, the behind-the-scenes heroes helping shows happen

On The Road Again has a landing page available here with some extra details. On The Road Again is expected to run throughout the rest of 2023, but here's hoping it extends into 2024 – merch cuts are bullshit and they've been making headlines in an exclusively negative way.

The participating venues for the On The Road Again are as follows:

• The Van Buren (Phoenix, AZ)
• House of Blues (Anaheim, CA)
• The Parish at House of Blues (Anaheim, CA)
• Belasco (Los Angeles, CA)
• The Wiltern (Los Angeles, CA)
• The Echo (Los Angeles, CA)
• Echoplex (Los Angeles, CA)
• Riverside Municipal Auditorium (Riverside, CA)
• Ace of Spades (Sacramento, CA)
• Observatory OC (Santa Ana, CA)
• Constellation Room (Santa Ana, CA)
• Observatory SD (San Diego, CA)
• Voodoo Room at House of Blues (San Diego, CA)
• House of Blues (San Diego, CA)
• The Fillmore (San Francisco, CA)
• Midway Music Hall (Edmonton, AB)
• Commodore Ballroom (Vancouver, BC)
• Danforth Music Hall (Toronto, ON)
• Kee to Bala (Bala, ON)
• History (Toronto, ON)
• Opera House (Toronto, ON)
• Velvet Underground (Toronto, ON)
• Summit (Denver, CO)
• Moon Room at Summit (Denver, CO)
• Marquis (Denver, CO)
• The Dome at Oakdale (Wallingford, CT)
• House of Blues (Lake Buena Vista, FL)
• Tabernacle (Atlanta, GA)
• Buckhead Theatre (Atlanta, GA)
• House of Blues (Chicago, IL)
• Egyptian Room (Indianapolis, IN)
• Deluxe (Indianapolis, IN)
• Mercury Ballroom (Louisville, KY)
• Parish at House of Blues (New Orleans, LA)
• House of Blues (New Orleans, LA)
• The Fillmore New Orleans (New Orleans, LA)
• The Fillmore Silver Spring (Silver Spring, MD)
• Citizens House of Blues (Boston, MA)
• Shelter (Detroit, MI)
• St. Andrew’s Hall (Detroit, MI)
• The Fillmore Detroit (Detroit, MI)
• GLC Live at 20 Monroe (Grand Rapids, MI)
• Varsity Theater (Minneapolis, MN)
• The Fillmore Minneapolis (Minneapolis, MN)
• Uptown Theater (Minneapolis, MN)
• Blue Note (Columbia, MO)
• Rose Music Hall (Columbia, MO)
• Rose Park (Columbia, MO)
• House of Blues (Las Vegas, NV)
• Warsaw (Brooklyn, NY)
• Gramercy Theatre (New York, NY)
• Irving Plaza (New York, NY)
• Bogart’s (Cincinnati, OH)
• The Cambridge Room at House of Blues (Cleveland, OH)
• House of Blues (Cleveland, OH)
• The Underground (Charlotte, NC)
• The Fillmore Charlotte (Charlotte, NC)
• The Ritz (Raleigh, NC)
• Brooklyn Bowl (Philadelphia, PA)
• Roxian Theatre (McKees Rock, PA)
• Theatre of Living Arts (Philadelphia, PA)
• The Fillmore Philadelphia (Philadelphia, PA)
• The Foundry at The Fillmore Philadelphia (Philadelphia, PA)
• Charleston Music Hall (Charleston, SC)
• Music Farm (Charleston, SC)
• House of Blues (North Myrtle Beach, SC)
• Scoot Inn (Austin, TX)
• Emo’s (Austin, TX)
• Cambridge Room (Dallas, TX)
• The Echo Lounge & Music Hall (Dallas, TX)
• House of Blues (Dallas, TX)
• House of Blues Bronze Peacock (Houston, TX)
• House of Blues (Houston, TX)
• The Aztec Theater (San Antonio, TX)
• The Depot (Salt Lake City, UT)
• Majestic Theatre (Madison, WI)
• High Noon Saloon (Madison, WI)