Always advocating for the marginalized and oppressed, Shirley Manson of Garbage took the time at their Denver, Colorado gig to use the stage for an important message, this time about working musicians and the daily struggle they endure earning a living through their art while corporations like Spotify and Ticketmaster get “paid royally” off of their work.
As she stood on the stage, Manson shared how “rich motherf**kers on streaming platforms” are taking away money from musicians. The “Only Happy When It Rains” singer then went on to point out that the average musician makes $12 a month on Spotify.
Manson also called out record labels, Ticketmaster, and merchandise companies, which reap substantial profits from musicians and artists. Everyone is making money except for the artists.
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During her speech, Manson shared Garbage’s own struggles and how unsustainable it is for even a band like them to tour anywhere but the coasts of North America.
“Most of the music industry is not made of pop stars, it’s made of working musicians.”
Manson urged her fans to continue to support the working musicians, otherwise there won’t be any “esoteric, risk-taking, creative, adventurous, weirdos, rebels, agitators and provocateurs” left.
“You’re gonna get f*cking white bread.”
In the video originally published by the Instagram account @loudlyinclusive and remixed by Grimy Goods, our readers and followers had a lot to say about it.
“I’ve seen a shocking number of artists, especially smaller/less known artists, that i follow have to cancel tours in the past few years. It’s heartbreaking. Especially when you see Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift charging up to $10k a ticket. I dont even know who tf can afford this, but something has to be changed before the industry – like the movie industry – becomes monopolized by big name acts.”
~ @morphindel
“Merch companies pay 10 to 15% on average. They aren’t the bad guys. You’re also free to sell your own merch at your shows and online. Bands make more from merch and than from sales of records, streaming, or downloads. Don’t lump them in with record companies, ticket master, and streamers.”
~ @cliff.galbraith
“I go to a lot of live music and I’ve noticed the fees on ticket sales are insane, prices for everything at the venues are insane, it’s insane that a lot of venues take a cut of a band’s merch sales too. It really does seem like everyone is making an insane amount of money, except for the bands themselves. Something has to change.”
~ @lex_montana_will_survive
See Garbage in Los Angeles at the Hollywood Palladium on Wednesday, November 5.
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