Image/Video stills via Silent Planet Instagram, as reported by ThePRP
Op-Ed By Steve Thiriot
Silent Planet made the right move.
At their recent Milan show, the band said the venue would not allow them to sell their own merchandise unless they paid a 25% gross vendor fee plus an additional 22% tax. Instead of accepting a deal they called predatory, Silent Planet threw shirts into the crowd for free and offered fans a discount code to buy merch online later.
That is not just a clever protest. That is a line in the sand.
I am disgusted that venues continue to take cuts from touring bands’ merch sales as if they somehow earned that money.
Bands are already carry the financial burden of touring. They pay for travel, fuel, hotels, visas, crew, gear, production, merch manufacturing, shipping, and the endless hidden costs that come with keeping a tour alive. For many artists, especially metal bands and mid-level touring acts, merch is not bonus money. It is survival money.
So when a venue steps in and demands a cut of gross merch sales, especially when the band brought the product, paid to manufacture it, hauled it across borders, staffed the table, and built the fanbase that wants to buy it, that venue is taking revenue it did not earn.
And let’s be clear: gross is the insult. A percentage of gross does not care whether the band made a profit. It does not care what the shirts cost to print. It does not care what shipping cost. It does not care what the exchange rate is, what the gas bill is, or whether the band is already upside down on the tour. It simply says, “You sold something in our building, so pay us.”
That is not partnership. That is a toll booth.
If a venue wants a stronger return on the night, there is a better way to do it: promote the show. Sell more tickets. Build the local market. Run ads. Push the event. Activate your email list. Work with the promoter. Make the room bigger, louder, and more profitable for everyone involved.
That is how a venue earns more money.
What should not happen is a venue choking the band at the merch table because it failed to generate enough revenue elsewhere. That feels less like business and more like mob logic: “Nice tour you’ve got there. Shame if you couldn’t sell your shirts tonight.”
The fans did not come to see the venue’s merch policy. They came to see the band. They bought tickets because the band matters to them. They line up at the merch table because they want to support the band directly. When a venue takes a heavy cut of that transaction, it is inserting itself between the artist and the fan in one of the few remaining places where direct support still exists.
That is the part that should infuriate every music fan.
Streaming barely pays. Physical media is harder to move than it used to be. Touring is more expensive than ever. And now, one of the last reliable ways for fans to put money directly into an artist’s pocket is being taxed by the room they already helped fill.
Venues deserve to make money. Nobody serious is arguing otherwise. A good venue matters. Staff matters. Sound matters. Security matters. Infrastructure matters. But those costs should be built into the venue’s actual business model, not extracted from the band’s merch box after the fact.
If the venue provides actual merch staff, point-of-sale systems, inventory management, or dedicated services, then have a transparent fee. Charge a fair flat rate. Build it into the deal. Be honest about it.
But taking 20%, 25%, or more of gross merch sales from touring bands who are already operating on thin margins is indefensible.
Silent Planet did not just toss shirts into the crowd. They exposed the absurdity of the system. The venue wanted a cut so badly that the band chose to make zero dollars rather than participate in a model they believed was exploitative.
That should embarrass the industry.
Because when a band would rather give merch away than sell it under your terms, your terms are broken.
The solution is simple: venues should stop taking merch cuts from bands unless they are providing a real, clearly defined service. Promoters and booking agents should push back harder in contracts. Fans should buy directly from artists when possible. And bands should keep naming the practice publicly when it happens.
Heavy music was built on loyalty. Fans know what merch means. A shirt is not just fabric. It is gas money. It is the next city. It is the van repair. It is the reason the band can come back next year.
When venues take an unearned cut of that, they are not supporting live music.
They are feeding off it.
