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Twin Temple<\/a><\/strong> have come a long way since introducing “Satanic doo-wop” to the world. Five years after their debut album dropped, Twin Temple<\/a><\/strong> have opened for Ghost<\/a><\/strong> and Danzig<\/a><\/strong>, and just finished their first major headlining tour across the States. <\/p>\n But the up-and-coming act, led by wife-and-husband duo Alexandra<\/strong> and Zachary James<\/strong>, is just one of countless groups facing a post-COVID music industry that’s become increasingly hostile toward the welfare of artists.<\/p>\n Making money as a DIY artist on Spotify has recently become even harder<\/a>, rising inflation is pricing bands off the road<\/a>, and venues are taking merch cuts<\/a> that are bleeding small-to-medium sized artists out of their main source of their income.<\/p>\n “The merch cuts are harsh \u2014 sometimes up to 35 percent,” says Twin Temple<\/a><\/strong><\/strong> vocalist Alexandra James<\/strong>. “Credit card fees are five percent, there’s the taxes, cost of goods\u2026 Sometimes, at the end of the day, you don’t make any money off merch after the venue’s cut. It sort of makes you wonder, these venues are empty unless the artists are coming.<\/p>\n “We’re bringing all of our fans in here, they’re spending money at the bar and we’re not getting a cut of that. That’s where most venues make all their money, because the mark-up on booze is wild, you make a huge profit. You’re filling their bar with customers buying booze, you’re selling tickets which [the venue] also get, and then they’re trying to get a little from your merch. A lot of record labels don’t even take merch cuts.”<\/p>\n Live Nation launched their On the Road Again<\/a> program with Willie Nelson<\/strong> in 2023, which gives bands $1,500 extra per show and allows them to keep 100 percent of merch profits. Twin Temple<\/a><\/strong><\/strong> say it’s a big help, though On the Road Again only covered six gigs of their most recent 23-date U.S. tour.<\/p>\n “It makes a huge difference. We live pretty simply because we really love touring,” Alexandria<\/strong> says. “We started touring by ourselves, tour managing ourselves, selling our own merch, driving ourselves and that’s the way we had to do it. Little by little we’ve been able to expand. I’m just grateful that we’ve been able to keep going and keep growing.”<\/p>\n \n