Live Nation Raises Minimum Wage At Clubs In Latest Phase Of ‘On The Road Again’

Live Nation is raising the minimum wage for employees of its owned-and-operated clubs in the United States and Canada as part of its on-going “On The Road Again” program.

Moving forward, base pay for hourly club staff will start at $20 per hour — $41,600 annually for full-timers — while supervisor roles will start at $25 per hour – $52,000 annually. The company says the increases will impact more than 5,000 employees  including box office attendants, production crew, artist hospitality, guest services, ushers, parking attendants, cleaning crews, sustainability coordinators and more. 

The new base wages are over 250 percent higher than the U.S. federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour and around 20 percent than the new Canadian federal minimum wage of $16.65 which went into effect in April. It also exceed the highest state minimum wages including those in California, New York, Washington and the District of Columbia.

“Shows wouldn’t happen without the unsung heroes who work in the background to help support artists and fans. 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,” Michael Rapino, Live Nation’s CEO and President said in a statement. “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.”

This wage increase is the latest initiative from On the Road Again, a program LN announced in September aimed at supporting club-level artists and crew. As part of its roll-out, LN put a moratorium on merch cuts at its owned-and-operated venues and began providing $1,500 in travel and gas money to headlining and supporting acts at its clubs.