A new campaign from the United Musicians and Allied Workers (UMAW) aims to set baseline standards for how artists are treated at US music venues, directly challenging practices it says have been normalised by large corporate operators.
Called Raise The Bar, the initiative outlines four core demands:
- No merchandise cuts
- No pay-to-play fees
- No door polling
- Greater contract transparency
Organisers have published a directory of venues that have already committed to the standards, including The Lab (San Francisco, CA), Club Passim (Cambridge, MA), The Pinhook (Durham, NC), and Johnny Brenda’s (Philadelphia, PA). An artist petition and an email template for encouraging local venues to sign up are also available.
“Large corporate venues, like those owned by the Live Nation monopoly, have made these practices too common across the country,” UMAW said in a statement. “UMAW wants to celebrate those venues that are already doing the right thing, and we hope that pushes other venues to also commit to our basic standards.”
UK Venue Trust Launches Equipment Fund
In a separate development, the UK’s Music Venue Trust (MVT) has introduced Raise the Standard, an initiative supported by LIVE Trust to fund equipment upgrades at grassroots venues. A previous MVT report found that 53% of UK grassroots music venues operated without profit in 2025.
