A NEW STANDARD
Performing should not just be for people who can afford to lose money. A Fair Cut is a practical standard for fairer venue deals, so artists can break even, get paid, and keep making work.
A fair cut is not a bonus. It is how more people get to stay in the room.
Making a show already costs money. Artists pay for writing time, rehearsal rooms, design, marketing, travel, accommodation, photography, registration fees, and weeks of unpaid labour before a single ticket is sold.
When venue deals are unclear, inflated, or stacked against artists, the risk gets pushed onto the people with the least power.
The result is simple: the people who can afford to lose money get to keep making work. Everyone else gets priced out.
Basic room hire should not exceed 30% of maximum possible revenue.
Venue cuts should be taken from net sales after ticketing fees.
Not actively selling our merch? No cut. A table and a corner are not a merch service.
All costs should be made clear in the contract as one percentage of maximum possible revenue.
We've built a calculator that takes your contract details and lets you know if the deal gives you A Fair Cut.
We'll start with Australian cities first, listing all venues and their standard terms in one clear place.
Then we'll expand city by city to build a global picture of the state of the industry.
Updates, resources, and the occasional rant about venue contracts. Worth a follow if this stuff matters to you.
Gimme
