United Musicians and Allied Workers (UMAW) has launched a new campaign encouraging music venues to publicly commit to four artist-friendly standards aimed at improving working conditions for performers.
Called "Raise the Bar," the initiative asks venues to pledge that they will eliminate four practices long criticized by musicians: no merch cuts, no pay-to-play, no door polling, and greater contract transparency.
To support the effort, UMAW has created an online directory highlighting venues that have signed on to the campaign, with the goal of expanding the list in the weeks ahead. The organization is also encouraging artists and fans to ask their local venues to participate.
In announcing the campaign, UMAW said practices such as merchandise commissions, pay-to-play arrangements, opaque contracts, and door polling have become increasingly common at some venues, creating unnecessary financial and professional hurdles for working musicians. The organization argues that many independent venues already operate without these practices and hopes the public pledge will recognize those venues while encouraging others to follow suit.
The campaign has already received support from several music organizations, including the Freelance Musicians Association of the AFM, Maine Music Alliance, Vocal Kentucky, and the Rising Artists Foundation.
Hypebot has long championed the role of independent venues as essential community spaces for artists and fans alike. While many independent operators already prioritize fair partnerships with performers, initiatives like Raise the Bar offer an opportunity to make those commitments more visible and establish clear expectations across the live music industry.
More than 20 venues across the US have joined the Raise the Bar initiative at launch, these include:
- The Lab — San Francisco, CA
- Woodbine Chamber — Louisville, KY
- Aeronaut Allston — Allston, MA
- Club Passim — Cambridge, MA
- The Plough and Stars — Cambridge, MA
- Deep Cuts — Medford, MA
- The Rockwell — Somerville, MA
- SPACE Gallery — Portland, ME
- The Pinhook — Durham, NC
- Jalopy Theatre — Brooklyn, NY
- St. Vitus — Brooklyn, NY
- Tubby’s — Kingston, NY
- TV Eye — Queens, NY
- Rosendale Theatre — Rosendale, NY
- Bottlerocket Social Hall — Pittsburgh, PA
- Fire Museum Presents — Philadelphia, PA
- Mr. Roboto Project – Pittsburgh, PA
- First Unitarian Church/R5 Productions — Philadelphia, PA
- Johnny Brenda’s — Philadelphia, PA
- Myrtle — East Providence, RI
- Machines with Magnets — Pawtucket, RI
Venues interested in participating can sign the pledge through UMAW's Raise the Bar campaign website.
