Dear DF Concerts,

Raise The Minimum Fee.

Following on from the recently released article by The Glasgow Bell, we are writing an open letter to address some concerns we have regarding the payment for artists and bands playing under DF promotions. We hope by writing this letter we can open a dialogue between local artists and Scotland’s biggest promotions company, with the overall aim of improving and creating a more sustainable future for Scotland’s budding music scene.

Highlighted in The Glasgow Bell article, was the common flat £30 fee offered by DF Concerts for several promotions, most commonly for booking support acts. This £30 fee is expected to cover the costs of artist travel, catering, accommodation as well as payment for the artist actually playing the gig. This £30 fee struggles to cover these expenses for a solo artist. Further to this, a band that comprises 5 musicians or more are looking at getting paid £6 per member for playing a gig. Unsurprisingly this is hugely unsustainable for many artists, who will undoubtedly be taking days off of work to support and help grow Scotland’s cultural sector.

There does exist the option for negotiation on the flat fee, however many young bands feel pressured not to challenge the outset fee out of fear of being “blacklisted” or rejected, another point highlighted in The Glasgow Bell article. This results in many young bands missing out on payment that they deserve and in many cases need in order to grow.

We understand that the hospitality and culture sectors are under enormous financial pressures right now, with independent venue closures becoming more and more frequent. However from Companies House we can see that in 2024, DF Concerts made considerable profits and as a subsidiary of the billion dollar multinational corporation Live Nation, they are not under the same financial pressures as independent venues and promoters. On top of this, gig-goers have seen a great inflation of ticket prices, with STV reporting that the average ticket price has increased by 212% since 2000, this rise certainly does not coincide with a rise in guaranteed payment for artists.

There is often a justification made about these fees, suggesting that these low fees are the “industry standard”. However in many artists' experience (including our own) this isn’t the case. Moreover, even if this was the case, DF is in a position where it can set a precedent for change across the industry, not least in Scotland. Being the largest and most successful promotions company in the country, DF can rewrite the narrative around fair pay for artists without sacrificing its share in the market.

It is for these reasons, that us and many other artists, bands, gig-goers and music lovers are coming together to request that you up your minimum fee, from £30 to at the very least £100, for all artists. This increase, in all honesty, isn't enough to make playing DF promotions sustainable for the average growing artist. However, it is a step in the right direction for ensuring that Scotland's largest promotions company is committed to truly “growing artists careers”.

We look forward to hearing from you.