Supersonic Festival confirms they won't charge bands to sell merch at their event, calls on venues to do the same

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By ( Metal Hammer ) published

As the discussion on venues taking a merch cut from bands who play shows with them rages on, Supersonic Festival has confirmed its stance on the subject.

photo from Supersonic Festival of merch
(Image credit: Supersonic Festival)

The discussion surrounding bands being charged by venues for selling their merch at the shows they play there has been raging for the past few weeks. From Gojira's merch prices, set as a means of the band actually being able to make money, going viral to Architects' Dan Searle calling for bands to go on strike if changes aren't made, and even Igorrr refusing to sell merch inside of London's Kentish Town Forum this past weekend due to the size of the cut being asked, there's a lot going on that has been fuelling the fire and intensifying the call for change.

Supersonic Festival, Birmingham's own experimental music and art festival, have weighed in themselves, confirming that they will never charge bands for selling their merch at their shows.

In a statement on Instagram, the festival wrote: "We’ve been hearing more and more about the abhorrently large fees some venues have been charging bands to sell merch at their shows. This needs to stop. Band march sales have become essential to touring budgets where every penny counts. Supersonic Festival don’t ever change bands for selling merch at shows, as we know how financially risky it is for them to tour in the first place. We call upon these venues to do the same."


Supersonic Festival will be taking place between September 1-3 and will feature Godflesh, Lankum, Big I Brave, Hey Colossus, 75 Dollar Bill, Ashenspire and more. Tickets are available now from right here

Poster for Supersonic Festival

(Image credit: Supersonic Festival)
Jack Rogers
Jack Rogers
Writer

Jack has yet to hear a breakdown that he hasn't fallen head over heels for. First putting pen to paper for Louder in 2023, he loves nothing more than diving straight into the feels with every band he gets to speak to. On top of bylines in Prog, Rock Sound and Revolver, you’ll also often find him losing his voice at a Lincoln City match or searching for London’s best vegan kebab.