MINNEAPOLIS — Live Nation is teaming up with iconic musician Willie Nelson to help out up-and-coming artists.
The program "On the Road Again" is aimed at supporting musicians and their road crews.
All acts playing at certain Live Nation venues will now receive a $1,500 travel stipend per show. They will also no longer be charged a fee for selling merch.
Local artists say it almost feels too good to be true. Experts say this is beneficial for those folks but it shouldn't impact ticket prices.
"One of the questions is, well, are they doing this just to fix their reputation?" said Dr. Mike Porter, a clinical faculty member in the marketing department for the University of St. Thomas. "These kinds of engagements that help artists out are going to be important to them."
Jeff Goodman is the CEO of TicketSmarter, an online resale marketplace. Goodman said Ticketmaster has spaced out ticket sales for popular artists since the Taylor Swift fiasco.
"They have fundamentally changed the way they do their online sales now,'' said Goodman. "Olivia Rodrigo just went on sale last week and they they spaced it out. But even then, they still had some problems."
While Tuesdays news helps artists, Goodman said he does not expect changes to have an effect on what you pay to see them.
"Ultimately, there's a ton of demand to see live events, and it's all of us just trying to navigate that," said Goodman.
Local artist Landon Conrath just played at Live Nation venue Uptown Theater this summer.
"One thing that was crazy to me is this $1,500 stipend, I just like, can't get over it," he said.
Conrath said sometimes he makes less than that and merchandise can help him stay out of the hole.
"It definitely seemed like kind of way too good to be true," said Conrath.
Experts say fans will still flock to Ticketmaster because of its near monopoly.
Those tickets will only be available through the Ticketmaster site.
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