"Like Willie says, this is all about making it a little easier for thousands of artists to continue doing what they love: going out and playing for their fans."
That's what Willie Nelson has to say about Live Nation's new "On the Road Again" program, which the concert promoter says will save artists "tens of millions" of dollars per year by cutting down on travel and merch fees, Billboard reports.
"This program will impact thousands of artists this year and help make touring a little bit easier," says Nelson, who provided "On the Road Again" as the program's anthem.
As part of the program, Live Nation's owned and operated clubsfrom headliners to support actswill no longer charge merch fees, allowing artists to keep 100% of the profits from merch sales.
All headliners and support acts will also receive a $1,500 gas and travel stipend per show, plus bonuses for local promoters, tour reps, and crew members who have worked more than 500 hours.
Crew Nation, a fund created during the pandemic to support crew across the music industry, will receive $5 million.
"Touring is important to artists so whatever we can do to help other artists, I think we should do it," says Nelson.
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