Introducing #MyMerch
A campaign to end merch cuts in North America
Over the past few months, I’ve been working on a campaign to end the practice of venues and festivals taking a cut of merch sales from touring bands in North America. I’ve joined forces with the Featured Artists Coalition (FAC) and the Union of Musicians and Allied Workers (UMAW) to launch the North American leg of the FAC’s 100% Venues campaign that we’re calling #MyMerch.
Even though musicians pay for their merch to be manufactured, designed and shipped, some venues and festivals still take anywhere from 20-35% of artist merch sales. Selling merchandise is one of the primary sources of income for musicians, making merch cuts another damaging blow during a particularly challenging economic time for artists.
As the Atkinson Artist, I believe that musicians and allied workers deserve decent work and decent living standards. Ending the practice of merch cuts would provide immediate relief for artists who are already struggling to stay afloat in the face of rising costs related to inflation and the pandemic. We’re urging American and Canadian music venues and festivals to take the pledge and add themselves to the list of over 400 venues in the UK who have already said no to taking merch cuts.
You can find me updating my playlist or hanging on TikTok, Twitter, Mastodon and Instagram. You can listen to my music on Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp and you can get Cadence Weapon merchandise here. Pick up your copy of Bedroom Rapper here and please rate it on Goodreads