The "On the Road Again" program is inspired by the Willie Nelson classic but has come in for criticism almost immediately. Live Nation is touting the initiative, in which more than 70 of the company’s clubs across the U.S. (and Canada) will forego their cuts of artist’s merch proceeds and provide them with a $1500 stipend per show through the end of 2023, a move that will help developing acts earn real money on tour. But the U.S.’s National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) is calling the policy a “calculated effort to squeeze independent venues, already reeling from the effects of COVID, out of the business entirely” and more brutally, in other comments: “divert artists from independent venues and further consolidate control over the live entertainment sector.”  They say that such merchandise fees contribute significantly to the revenue of small independent venues – Live Nation is valued at nearly $20 billion. Why does this matter to us here in the U.K.? Well, Live Nation doesn’t own a huge number of small venues – yet – and there is a thriving campaign pushed by the FAC, “100% Venues,” that acts as a database to celebrate venues that charge no commission. The U.K.’s live sector does struggle but could be considered to be healthier than the U.S. Who is in the right here? For their part, in a statement from an EVP on X, Live Nation say: “Artists are asking for support. On The Road Again is about supporting artists. NIVA members are perfectly capable of providing similar benefits. Many already do.”