KHEMMIS Calls Upon Larger Artists To Protest Towards “Company Venues Stealing From Artists”

Igorrr just lately refused to promote merch throughout a present at London’s O2 Discussion board Kentish City because of a 25% merch reduce, which Stray From The Path drummer Craig Reynolds defined intimately why that is an issue. Khemmis has since responded to Reynolds, saying the state of affairs with company venues is not that a lot totally different in the US and that one thing clearly have to be accomplished.

Of their sequence of tweets, Khemmis touched on why it isn’t as simple as merely promoting your merchandise down the block from the venue, why refusing to play reveals is not the answer, and calls upon larger artists to make use of their weight to do one thing in regards to the state of affairs.

“This feels all too acquainted right here within the states as effectively,” mentioned Khemmis on their Twitter. “Venues owned/operated by a sure company entity do that identical nonsense & it SUCKS. Promoting 1/2 (or much less) of your regular amt b/c the necessary in-house vendor has no motive to hustle + huge reduce = shit state of affairs

“And earlier than the refrain of ‘effectively your agent/workforce agreed to this,’ please know that help bands on these excursions haven’t any leverage. None. Don’t love these offers? Kiss larger touring alternatives goodbye. Openers should eat shit and smile the entire time.

“‘Promote your merch out of your van.’ That sounds cool and punk rock however 1) in larger cities your automobile could also be removed from the venue 2) contracts usually explicitly prohibit this. sure, fuck ‘em, however once more if a more recent band will get blacklisted by company entities that maintain the entire energy.

“Then your singular act of defiance can simply value you and your crew much more in the long term. Once more, it is a shit state of affairs for openers and it takes the workforce of the massive title bands to facilitate substantial change.

“Except the massive names with actual business energy give the center finger to company venues stealing from artists, nothing will change and that sucks for artists AND followers.”

Merch cuts have change into a sizzling subject these days, with Monuments just lately refusing to promote merch in Greece resulting from insane cuts, whereas our personal Frank Godla penned an editorial about why Gojira is an effective instance of a band attempting to remain afloat in a tough touring world.

Architects drummer Dan Searle just lately posited that bands ought to get a reduce of a venue’s nightly alcohol gross sales to steadiness issues out, whereas Darkish Funeral guitarist Lord Ahriman has outright mentioned venues are killing the reside music business. So yeah, plenty of artists aren’t thrilled proper now… and rightfully so.