The Great Merch Debate

2 Promoters, 1 Pod

One viral photo of Gojira's merch list prices - including an £80 hoodie - sparked a row that refuses to die and lifted the lid on the murky world of merch concessions at venues and festivals.
But is it as black and white as greedy venues or promoters dipping their hands into the pockets of hard working bands, or is there a more nuanced conversation to be had about what services are provided in return, from a toilet tour to a major outdoors festival?
Do all events approach the issue in the same manner and even if you offer artists a free merch table, would they prefer to pay?
We get in about it all.
**NOTE: There was a connection issue which led to a small section of buffering video and audio being edited out.
Discussed was price fixing when headliners force support bands to charge the same prices as them, which ATG, 2000trees and Damnation don't endorse or agree with.
And the huge increase in raw merch costs: Damnation paid £3.66 for tee reprints in 2021 and £16.93 for tee reprints in 2023.**
We go again, every Thursday morning.