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Raise The Bar

Raise the Bar Campaign Targets Venue Merch Cuts, Pay-to-Play

Musicians union UMAW is reving up its Raise the Bar campaign calling on venues to increase transparency as well as end merch fees and pay-to-play.

,   and  Bruce Houghton

The Union of Musicians and Allied Workers (UMAW) has officially the launched Raise the Bar campaign. First announced this summer, the campaign is aimed at reforming working conditions for touring musicians by targeting what it see as predatory venue practices.

So far, nearly 70 US venues have signed on.

What Is The 'Raise the Bar' Campaign?

Raise the Bar seeks to establish a more equitable and sustainable live music ecosystem by holding both independent and corporate venue operators to what the union sees as baseline labor and financial standards.

Venues are asked to sign a pledge to enact four policies:

  1. No Merch Cuts: Venues agree to take a 0% commission on artist-sold merchandise, ensuring that touring musicians keep all proceeds from t-shirts, vinyl, and physical goods.
  2. No Pay-to-Play: Eliminating any requirement for artists to pay an upfront fee or purchase a mandatory allotment of tickets just to secure a performance slot.
  3. No Door Polling: Ending the practice of requiring attendees to declare which specific opening or support act they came to see at the door to dictate artist settlement splits.
  4. Contract & Contact Transparency: Providing artists and their representation with transparent, written agreements in advance—including clear settlement terms, deduction explanations, and contact details.

Momentum is Building: The Fair Venue Directory

To reward venues that choose to adopt these equitable practices, UMAW maintains a public, searchable directory of certified "Raise the Bar" venues.

Independent touring acts, booking agents, and managers can use it as a resource to find "fair partners" when routing tour.

Among the nearly 70 venues that have already signed the pledge are El Rio (San Francisco), The Crocodile (Seattle), Cervantes (Denver), Saturn (Birmingham) Elastic Arts (Chicago), The Music Box (Rockford), Poor House (Raleigh), Dada (Queens), St. Vitas (Brooklyn), Club Passim (Cambridge) and College Street Music Hall (New Haven).

How to Take Action

The 'Raise the Bar' campaign is working to mobilize both touring artists and venue operators to expand the coalition:

  • For Venues: Commit to the standards and get listed in the national directory. [Sign Up Your Venue]
    • If you are not an owner or booker, the campaign urges sending the pledge and sample outreach email directly to venues in your local market.
  • For Artists & Crews: Add your voice to the coalition calling for fairer live compensation. [Sign the Artist Letter]
  • For Tour Planning & Advances: Use the sample advance template and production resource created by Twin Cities United Performers.

Hypebot's Bottom Line

It's harder than ever to tour and turn a small profit.

Between skyrocketing fuel costs, hotel rates and production expenses, margins for small to medium level independent acts have evaporated. Exorbitant merch cuts, pay-to-play schemes, and door polling can all add to that pain.

By unifying artists around a transparent standard and offering tangible promotion in a national fair-booking directory, the UMAW is working to help artists and show venues that adopting these standards will win the long game by attracting talent and building goodwill with artists and fans.

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