Live Nation Entertainment has increased the minimum wage for staff at its music clubs across the US and Canada with its new ‘On the Road Again’ programme.
The base pay will start at $20 (£15/€18) per hour while supervisor roles will start at $25 (£19/€23), with opportunity for advancement in the company..
The increases are due to impact more than 5,000 members of staff who cover a variety of different roles to support shows including box office attendants, production crew, artist hospitality, cleaning crews and more.
“Shows wouldn’t happen without the unsung heroes who work in the background to help support artists and fans,” said Live Nation president Michael Rapino.
“In addition to developing artists, clubs also help industry professionals learn the ropes, and many of our promoters and venue managers worked their way up from smaller venues. The live music industry is on track for years of growth and offers a great career path, and by increasing minimum wages we’re helping staff get an even stronger start as they begin their journey in live.”
The new base wages are more than 250% higher than the federal minimum wage. They also exceed the highest state minimum wages including those in California, New York, Washington, and the District of Columbia.
‘On the Road Again’ was created with musician Willie Nelson to support developing artists as well as support staff. Through the programme, all headline and secondary acts playing at Live Nation clubs continue to receive $1,500 (£1,200/€1,300) in travel bonuses on top of nightly compensation and 100% of merchandise profits.
At venues participating in the scheme, nearly half of all crew members were brought from part-time into full-time roles over the past two years.
Live Nation controls 338 venues globally and claims to be “the largest live entertainment company and largest producer of live music concerts in the world”.
Last year, Rapino’s total compensation package rose to a reported $139m, up from $13.8m in 2021.
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