![\"Pay](\"https:\/\/cdn1.faroutmagazine.co.uk\/uploads\/1\/2025\/10\/Pay-to-play-How-corrupt-promoters-are-exploiting-the-grass-roots-music-scene-Far-Out-Magazine-01-819x1024.jpg\")
<\/div>And if you don\u2019t sell the tickets? You\u2019ll be dropped from the lineup \u2013 that\u2019s the intimidation tactic. \u201cThe way they operate is they\u2019ll mass-message independent musicians, drop the names of big venues to hook them in, then pressure bands to sell tickets months in advance just to \u2018earn\u2019 a spot on the lineup. If you don\u2019t hit their quota, they threaten to drop you and refuse refunds for fans who already bought tickets,\u201d Wild explained, with that same experience being backed up by countless other artists, both in her comments and direct to me during conversations trying to understand this issue.<\/p>\n
Sweet Unrest could relate to that experience, adding that the impact of these promoters is also a social one. \u201cYour friends end up fucking hating you,\u201d singer Jack River said, as not only are bands left begging their friends to buy to not be making a loss, but the bands in the same scene who should be supporting one another are pitted against each other because their spot on a lineup is in direct correlation with sales, making it competitive and quantitative.<\/p>\n
But even when artists hit that quota, it\u2019s still not just. \u201cEven when you do sell, the math is shocking \u2013 tickets go for \u00a314+ each, but artists only see \u00a31-2 per sale,\u201d Wild explains, \u201cOn top of that, they put zero effort into curating lineups, mash random genres together, and badger you with calls to push more tickets. The whole thing is exhausting for artists and disappointing for audiences.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite calling themselves promotion companies, it seems clear that they actually do little of that. \u201cThey\u2019re not promoters at all,\u201d Rivers said, \u201cA promoter should promote the event, not just sap all the joy out of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Instead, the job of promoting the gig falls onto the shoulders of the artists who will not only be penalised monetarily by having their fees cut, revoked or losing out on money from the tickets they already bought, but who are also being intimidated by these promoters. In her experience, Wild recalled intense phone calls with the promoter of the show, constantly pushing her to tell more and post about it constantly. She even shared that it\u2019s a common clause in contracts for these small gigs, of which the artist is getting paid very little, to demand and monitor exclusivity, making it clear that they\u2019re monitoring the artist and will cancel their set if it\u2019s not adhered to, further impacting an artist\u2019s earning potential.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s pertinent that in examples of these contracts shared by artists, there are typically far less bullet points under \u201cpromoter responsibilities\u201d, than things the artist is responsible for, including having to share anything and everything the promoter tags them in. The imbalance is clear in these cases, and the issues are right there in writing.<\/p>\n
\u201cTurns out, these kinds of promoters are everywhere, not just London, and they often rebrand under new names whenever their reputation tanks. It\u2019s basically a copy-and-paste scam that keeps repeating. That\u2019s why it\u2019s so important to know the red flags,\u201d Wild says, having become passionate about protecting artists from these schemes.<\/p>\n \u201cWe work our fucking arses off. We put our heart and soul into our music, and to be treated like fucking cattle is unbelievable,\u201d she says direct into the mic as the promoter\u2019s logo hangs behind her. But fear not, they weren\u2019t even there! After getting the artists on their lineup to do all the work for them and bring them a profit, they don\u2019t even show up to support the bands they claim to be backing.<\/p>\n For 24 hours, simply in my own small reach on social media, I asked on my Instagram story for musicians to share their experiences with bad promoters \u2013 instantly, the response became overwhelming.\u00a0Maximilian from Brighton\u00a0revealed that he hadn\u2019t been paid for a gig, one I\u2019d been to and enjoyed, and that he was now being ghosted by the promoters. Chloe from Thwack shared an experience of being made to feel deeply uncomfortable by a promoter touching her physically while discussing booking the band again. Just Kids, Tilly Louise, Hamartia, San Vito \u2013 artists spreading up and down the country, all with a story to tell.<\/p>\n The reasons why this is bad are obvious on so many levels. There is the monetary evil in which promoters ask bands to foot a cost before they\u2019ve even played, or then revoking fees later on is a further hurdle that pushes working-class artists out when they can\u2019t afford that or would quickly be pushed to give in if playing a gig was\u00a0costing them money, rather than earning them it.<\/p>\n River and Wild both point out the social side that this competitive scheme does not foster community, and that\u2019s what artists so desperately need. To Wild, putting it succinctly, it\u2019s \u201ckilling the grass roots industry\u201d, crushing its spirit by piling on the stress and the injustice, and also simply ruining the fun.<\/p>\n But mostly, and undeniably, it\u2019s corrupt. \u201cThey always push for phone calls too, so there\u2019s no written record of their shady deals,\u201d Wild points out as another glaring red flag that allows these companies to keep escaping any true action against them<\/p>\n So the action has to come from the artists. \u201cThe best way to fight back? Don\u2019t play their game. Boycott these promoters,\u201d Wild says as a rallying cry. \u201cIndependent promoters who genuinely care about music already exist \u2013 they build thoughtful lineups and book artists based on talent and credibility, not sales. Or better yet, put on your own gig. It\u2019s more work, but infinitely more rewarding.\u201d<\/p>\n Back in July, a video came up on my algorithm. On stage stood Lola Wild, a\u00a0London-based artist, and she was going off on the corrupt … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3686,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3685","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"Pay](\"https:\/\/cdn1.faroutmagazine.co.uk\/uploads\/1\/2025\/10\/Pay-to-play-How-corrupt-promoters-are-exploiting-the-grass-roots-music-scene-Far-Out-Magazine-02-819x1024.jpg\")
<\/div>![\"Pay](\"https:\/\/cdn1.faroutmagazine.co.uk\/uploads\/1\/2025\/10\/Pay-to-play-How-corrupt-promoters-are-exploiting-the-grass-roots-music-scene-Far-Out-Magazine-03-819x1024.jpg\")
<\/div>