The conversation blew up again this week after Make Them Suffer posted that, due to venue policy and commission structures, they would be selling all merch from a pop-up outside the Royal Oak Theatre in Detroit — next to their bandwagon. A simple message, but it triggered the same debate that’s been simmering for years:
Why are venues taking cuts from merch they don’t produce, don’t stock, don’t design, and don’t sell?
And fans had thoughts. MANY thoughts.
You had people pointing out the obvious holes in the system: no, venues rarely staff the merch table; no, they don’t invest anything into the designs; yes, they still want 15–30% off the top. Others talked about venues forcing artists to use venue merch staff, limiting how many items can be sold, or charging outrageous bar prices while claiming everyone else is being unreasonable.
And in the middle of all this, merch prices are already high. Bands aren’t slapping $45 on a T-shirt because they think they’re Gucci — they do it because the van, gas, insurance, crew wages, printing, and shipping are all more expensive than ever. Add a merch cut on top and suddenly that shirt has to cost $60 just to break even.
So the real question becomes: How do bands survive this mess?
Touring often only profits through merch sales — take that away, and the entire tour collapses.
Here are the ideas circulating among fans, artists, and anyone who’s ever stood behind a folding table with a cash box:
1. Pop-Up Merch Booths Outside
The Make Them Suffer method.
Fans buy directly from the band, and venues can’t touch a dime. Works best in walkable cities where no one minds a little chaos.
2. The “Single Shirt + QR Code” Trick
Put one decoy shirt at the official venue table with a giant QR code that leads to the real merch location outside.
You can take the shirt — but not the band’s soul.
3. Pre-Order Merch for Pickup at the Show
Fans pay in advance, bands deliver on-site.
The venue doesn’t get a cut because the transaction didn’t happen inside.
4. Avoid Venues That Take a Cut
The nuclear option.
If enough bands refuse, eventually promoters stop booking those rooms — or renegotiate their policies.
5. Renegotiate Contracts: “We Split Merch When You Split the Bar”
Fair is fair.
If the venue wants 20% of T-shirts, maybe the band deserves 20% of the bar.
Watch how fast those merch cuts disappear.
6. Fans Speaking Up
Fans complaining publicly works.
Venues hate bad PR more than they love a merch cut.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Merch cuts are outdated, exploitative, and harmful to the artists who keep the entire live music economy alive. Venues justify it with “policy,” but fans and bands see it for what it is: a tax on the only income stream that keeps tours afloat.
Make Them Suffer’s post didn’t start this conversation — but it reminded everyone why it matters. If the industry wants bands to keep touring, survive, and keep ticket prices sane, then merch needs to go 100% back to the artists.
Or else every show is about to have a parking-lot pop-up and a QR code revolution.
