A Fair Cut asks for four (4) basic standards.

Basic room hire should not exceed 30% of maximum possible revenue.

Using an agreed average ticket price, max possible revenue = price × total tickets. The venue's cut is capped at 30% of that, so artists can assess whether a show is viable. See what your past contracts look like using the venue split calculator.

The point is not to punish venues. The point is to stop artists carrying impossible fixed costs before a single ticket is sold.

If a venue can't provide a tech, the cap should be 25%.

Venue percentages should come from net sales after ticketing fees.

Artists should not pay venue commission on money they never actually receive. If ticketing fees come off the top, the venue percentage should be calculated after those fees are removed.

This is a clarity issue and a fairness issue. We should not pay fees on fees.

• State clearly whether any percentage is taken from gross or net.
• Default to net sales after ticketing fees.
• Avoid layered charges that quietly inflate the real venue cut.

Not actively selling our merch? No cut.

A table and a corner are not a merch service. If the venue takes a cut from merch, it should be tied to actual labour, active selling, or a clearly defined service.

Merch is often one of the few ways artists can recover costs. Passive cuts on passive access are not fair support.

• No automatic merch cut just because merch is allowed in the room.
• If there is a merch service, spell out what the venue provides.
• Keep merch policy visible in the contract, not buried in fine print.

All costs should be understandable before anyone signs.

A deal should be readable as one clear percentage of maximum possible revenue using the suggested average ticket price. That makes it possible to compare rooms, understand risk, and decide whether a show is viable.

Hidden charges, vague service language, and shifting fee structures make real planning impossible, especially for independent artists.

• Put fixed charges and percentages in the same visible frame.
• State what basic hire includes: tech, rehearsal, marketing, operator.
• Make the total venue cost legible before contract signature.