https://wearethemusicmakers.co/latest Music tech and AI in music: the news that matters, what we think about it, and a directory of the tools. en-us Mon, 26 Oct 2026 04:30:00 GMT https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/merch-commission-explained-100-percent-venues https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/merch-commission-explained-100-percent-venues Some venues take 25% or more of an artist's gross merch sales, sometimes with VAT on top. The Featured Artists Coalition says more than 700 UK venues charging nothing have joined its 100% Venues directory. Most grassroots rooms never charged, though, so the real fight is at bigger and corporate venues, and the best tool an artist has there is a rate agreed in writing before the show. Mon, 26 Oct 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers workflowstouringmerchartist-rights https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/booking-gigs-in-india https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/booking-gigs-in-india How an independent Indian act can go from a few local shows to a five-city run: building a venue list, pitching promoters, agreeing a deal in writing, getting paid with tax handled correctly and routing a short tour. It complements our touring budget worksheet and GST guide. Laws and official pages checked on 25 Oct 2026; this is a starting point, not legal or tax advice. Sun, 25 Oct 2026 05:30:00 GMT We are the music makers live-musictouringindiabusiness https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/merch-for-independent-artists https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/merch-for-independent-artists Print-on-demand means no stock and no upfront cost, but you pay more per item. Ordering in bulk is cheaper per item, but you pay first and carry the risk. This guide sets out how each model works, how to calculate the margin on one shirt, and when to switch. Fees are from Printful and Bandcamp, read on 24 Oct 2026. Sun, 25 Oct 2026 03:30:00 GMT We are the music makers merchindustrytouring https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/touring-budget-basics https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/touring-budget-basics A short run of shows is a small business with a start and an end date. This guide sets out a simple budget worksheet: fixed costs, per-show costs, per-day costs, income lines and a contingency. Mileage and record-keeping points come from the IRS, read on 24 Oct 2026; everything else is a method, not a fact claim. Sun, 25 Oct 2026 03:30:00 GMT We are the music makers touringmoneylive-musicbusiness https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/brexit-eu-touring-2026-visas-cabotage-carnets-checklist https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/10/brexit-eu-touring-2026-visas-cabotage-carnets-checklist Ten months into 2026, the core rules for a UK band playing the EU are the ones that applied in 2021. Brussels has floated longer short stays for touring artists, MPs have asked for a deal, and a youth scheme is still being negotiated, but none of it changes the 90/180-day clock, the van limits or the carnet. Here is where things stand, and a checklist built only from official guidance. Mon, 05 Oct 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers industrytouringbrexitlive-music https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/08/us-artist-visa-costs-2026-o1-p1-fees https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/08/us-artist-visa-costs-2026-o1-p1-fees A four-piece band now pays about $5,400 in US government fees before it plays a note, and most of that is premium processing that waits of nearly a year make hard to avoid. We add up the O and P visa bill from USCIS and State Department sources, and look at who it shuts out. Thu, 13 Aug 2026 05:30:00 GMT We are the music makers industryartist-rightstouringvisasimmigration https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/06/anime-japan-music-export-iris-out-ado https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/06/anime-japan-music-export-iris-out-ado Kenshi Yonezu's anime film theme "IRIS OUT" topped Billboard JAPAN's first-half 2026 chart after reaching No. 5 on the Billboard Global 200, the highest yet for a Japanese-language song. Japan's trade ministry puts the music industry's 2024 overseas income at ¥72.58bn, and most of the money it can trace arrives as streams, not sync fees. The lesson for artists anywhere is that a placement is where discovery starts, and the money comes later. Fri, 05 Jun 2026 05:30:00 GMT We are the music makers industryjapanj-popanimesyncstreamingtouring https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/05/blue-dot-fever-arena-tour-cancellations https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/05/blue-dot-fever-arena-tour-cancellations Pussycat Dolls, Meghan Trainor, Zayn and Post Malone with Jelly Roll all cut US dates this spring as unsold seats showed up as blue dots on Ticketmaster maps. Live Nation says demand is at record levels, so the real story is which tours were sized and priced past their audience, and who absorbs the loss when they fold. Thu, 07 May 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers industrytouringlive-musicticket-prices https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/05/los-campesinos-tour-accounts-merch https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/05/los-campesinos-tour-accounts-merch Los Campesinos! itemised every cost of their 2024 North American tour. On ticket income alone the 11 shows lost about £2,000; merch turned that into a profit of roughly £38,000, which pays for the band's next project, not wages. That is why venue merch cuts decide whether tours like this work. Tue, 05 May 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers industrytouringmerchlos-campesinos