Jack Antonoff Goes Off on Corporations That ‘Monopolize’ the Concert Industry: ‘Chill the F–k Out’

Jack Antonoff is frustrated with the performance industry, which helium says has fallen unfortunate to ample corporations trying to “monopolize the full f–king thing.”

In a musicians-on-musicians speech with Hayley Williams published by Rolling Stone on Thursday (Oct. 16), the Bleachers frontman opened up astir the mode he’s seen unrecorded euphony alteration for the worse implicit the years. “I’ve seen it from each level,” helium told the Paramore bandleader. “What f–ks maine disconnected is, wherefore is drafting a fewer 100 radical not an honorable living?”

“You and your set can’t crook a profit, and past we person to ticker the companies that ain each these rooms and monopolize the full f–king happening and station billions of earnings,” helium continued. “Chill the f–k out, it’s working. Everyone wants to come. It’s not full anarchy.”

In response, Williams pointed retired however large corporations co-opting the unrecorded euphony scenery has led to fiscal issues for smaller venues. “[It’s] sidesplitting me,” she told Antonoff. “My favourite thoroughfare successful Nashville has been conscionable obliterated.”

“It’s truthful elemental to me, and there’s 1 reply that’s ne'er going to happen, which is [the corporations] person to marque a small little money,” Antonoff replied. “I privation everyone successful that country [at a show] to consciousness similar a f–king quality being from opening to end. I privation it to beryllium the champion nighttime ever. The past happening I privation radical to deliberation astir is however they’re treated. I retrieve increasing up — a atrocious information guard? They’d beryllium gone. It would ne'er happen. There was specified extortion implicit the literal vibe.”

Antonoff is acold from the lone instrumentalist who has spoken retired against unfair euphony manufacture standards, but helium is 1 of the astir vocal. In 2022, he called out venues for taxing creator merch, pointing retired connected X, “This is virtually the lone mode you marque wealth erstwhile you commencement retired touring.”

At the Grammys the pursuing year, helium shared his feelings connected dynamic summons pricing. “If I tin spell online and bargain a car and person it delivered to my house, wherefore can’t I bargain a f–king summons astatine the terms that the creator wants it to be?” helium told reporters astatine the time. “And you cognize the crushed why. And it’s not ’cause of artists.”